Why I’m Leaving Tencent: Lessons on Leadership, Product Design, and Career Growth

1. Tencent’s Atmosphere Suits Self‑Driven People

I felt that Tencent gives newcomers a mentor who helps with work and life problems, but does not micromanage; observation and self‑learning are encouraged. Leaders trusted me with research topics, product experience design, and project planning, gradually giving me more responsibility and the chance to lead teams.

Senior managers and VPs also trusted me with project strategy, allowing me to shape requirements from the source rather than merely executing them. This exposure taught me a lot about product closure and specialized professional knowledge.

The gift from Ross, the social‑line boss, reminded me that good leadership is about trusting subordinates to attempt risky tasks, which fuels self‑drive and achievement.

By hiring, empowering, and coaching my team, I built a strong product‑design group.

I sincerely recommend friends to join Tencent, especially the ISUX department.

Why leave? Every July I ask myself what kind of answer I would give if I quit this year. I want to leave while I’m still at my best, because there is always more to learn and improve.

2. Learning the Most from People Outside the Industry

Since 2013 I befriended a real‑estate agent who treats each transaction as an investment, focusing on long‑term client care and reputation, which taught me a win‑win mindset.

I also built an open‑source e‑commerce CMS for non‑technical merchants, designed for easy installation and modularity. The project attracted media attention and venture interest, though I ultimately declined the offers after realizing I lacked a clear business model.

These experiences pushed me to read widely—novels, sci‑fi, management, economics, history, psychology—and to understand that 2B businesses thrive when they create incremental value for customers.

3. Information Silos and Cross‑Functional Communication

Within Tencent, experts excel in narrow domains, but product delivery often suffers from departmental walls, leading to misaligned or over‑engineered solutions.

Harvard Business Review describes these walls as “information barriers.” Those who can bridge them—understanding both sides and guiding resources appropriately—become informal leaders without formal authority.

Breaking silos has become a skill of mine; I can persuade GMs or directors to adopt user‑centric decisions even when they conflict with internal preferences.

4. Who Creates Value, Who Takes Profit

User experience is essentially “user value.” Specialized expertise is a moat, but value must be delivered where users need it. In the mini‑game ecosystem, developers create games, but distributors capture most of the revenue.

Similarly, large games rely on app stores and social platforms for distribution, shifting profit toward distributors.

When a team creates value but receives little profit, it signals a misaligned market position.

5. Ignorance and Weakness Are Not Survival Barriers—Arrogance Is

Internet companies often view themselves as superior “Trisolarans,” dismissing traditional industries. This arrogance leads to strategic missteps, such as failing to understand offline business dynamics.

Recent trends favor “industrial internet,” placing industry before the internet, and emphasize service over domination.

6. Balancing Rationality and Values

My decision to leave stems from a rational assessment of market ceilings and personal growth opportunities.

Design work benefits from emotional bias—beauty, brand, free‑trial allure—yet must be balanced with rational analysis of user behavior.

I now consciously examine subconscious motivations, using them to enhance product value while maintaining logical rigor.

7. Career Reflections and Future Direction

After nine years at Tencent, I have accumulated enough experience to pursue higher‑impact opportunities without financial anxiety.

I aim to find markets with high ceilings, uncover untapped user value, and build products that achieve strong market‑product fit.

My background spans UI engineering, product experience design, and cross‑disciplinary knowledge, positioning me to drive user‑value pathways.

Gratitude goes to my family, former bosses, and teammates who supported my journey.

2010: Joined Tencent as “Page Refactoring” engineer (B2)

2011: Joined ISUX

2012: Translated “Responsive Web Design Workflow”

2013: Translated “Smashing Book”

2014: Promoted to UI Development Group Leader

2015: Published “The Self‑Cultivation of a Full‑Stack Engineer”

2016: Served as Tencent Cloud evangelist, wrote columns

2017: Became User‑Experience Design Lead for Tencent Weiyun, shifted to product experience design

2019: Graduated from Tencent