Tencent’s WorkBuddy Sparks AI Turnaround Hopes After Stock Rout

Tencent Holdings Ltd.'s AI workplace assistant WorkBuddy has become China's most popular AI office agent with 20.97 million monthly visits as of June, beating ByteDance Ltd.'s Trae and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.'s QoderWork, according to data provider Analysys cited by 36kr. Investors await Tencent's earnings report on Wednesday for concrete AI traction data that could catalyze its stock, which trades near record lows despite a recent rebound. Analysts like Barclays Capital Inc.'s Jiong Shao and Morningstar Inc.'s Ivan Su see WorkBuddy as key to changing perceptions of Tencent's AI prospects.

Bloomberg -- Tencent Holdings Ltd.'s early success with WorkBuddy may give the Chinese Internet giant a chance to catch up after lagging peers in the artificial intelligence race for the past few years. Most Read from Bloomberg - China Unleashes $28 Trillion Capital Markets to Challenge US in AI https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-08-09/china-bets-on-ai-stocks-as-it-races-against-us-for-chip-tech-dominance?utm campaign=bn&utm medium=distro&utm source=yahooUS - Stocks Churn as Hormuz Standoff Spurs Rally in Oil: Markets Wrap https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-09/stock-market-today-dow-s-p-live-updates?utm campaign=bn&utm medium=distro&utm source=yahooUS - Iran Shakes Up Security Team After Saying Oman Deal 'Very Close' https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-09/wait-for-hormuz-deal-stretches-on-as-iran-says-terms-must-be-met?utm campaign=bn&utm medium=distro&utm source=yahooUS - A $20 Million Wedding Shows Zimbabwe Who's Really Running the Country https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-10/who-really-runs-zimbabwe-this-20-million-wedding-holds-the-answer?utm campaign=bn&utm medium=distro&utm source=yahooUS A flood of users has made WorkBuddy China's most popular AI workplace assistant, just months after its launch. Investors keenly await any data on the desktop agent that Tencent may release along with its earnings report on Wednesday. Concrete signs of AI traction could become a catalyst for its stock, which has trailed the massive gains in upstart pure-plays like Z.AI Co. Tencent's valuation remains near a record low, despite a recent small rebound amid outflows from tech hardware shares in South Korea and Taiwan. "If they start to disclose encouraging metrics on WorkBuddy, I think that will help change people's perception about Tencent," said Jiong Shao, a Barclays Capital Inc. analyst in New York. "Tencent became No. 1 in our picks recently for the first time in five years because we think in the longer term they have a bigger chance to win." WorkBuddy has been one of the most successful new products launched by Tencent in March to tap into the AI usership frenzy unleashed by OpenClaw. As of June, the agent had attracted 20.97 million monthly visits, beating ByteDance Ltd.'s Trae and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.'s QoderWork, according to a local media report from 36kr that cited data provider Analysys. Office agents are becoming a hot AI battleground globally, with the broad white-collar workforce a much larger potential market than coders. Tencent is reportedly prioritizing WorkBuddy as competition heats up in China, with the likes of Baidu Inc. and MoonShot AI also rolling out workplace assistants. "If we were to find one thing within Tencent's AI strategy that's worth highlighting, I think WorkBuddy is the go-to for investors," said Morningstar Inc. senior equity analyst Ivan Su. He sees the agent's integration into the popular WeChat app making it stickier and harder to replace than rivals' products. Investors will also be closely watching the company's spending plans in its upcoming results, and the impact on profits. Tencent's capital expenditure is expected to be similar to Alibaba's this year. For the June quarter, Tencent is projected to post revenue growth of nearly 10% and a profit increase of 5%.