Tencent is rumored to lay off 50% of its staff? The senior management said this, and colleagues sighed, "Please take care of your batteries."

The news that Chinese technology giant Tencent will lay off 50% of its employees has aroused great concern from the market and employees. However, according to the Chinese media "First Financial", people close to Tencent clarified that the so-called "50% layoff" was not true, but that the outside world misinterpreted the organizational change signal released by Tencent management during the Linktime online live broadcast on the company's 28th anniversary on November 11.

According to people familiar with the matter, Ma Huateng, chairman and CEO of Tencent at the time, spoke harshly, pointing out that some middle-level managers were unwilling to change, but front-line employees were full of motivation, emphasizing that companies must have a sense of crisis and proactively promote change in the AI ​​era. Affected by the fermentation of rumors, the "Tencent Colleague Circle" of China's workplace social platform Maimai once experienced abnormalities due to a surge in visits.

Chinese media pointed out that the number of Tencent employees has continued to grow in recent years, from approximately 105,400 at the end of 2023 to approximately 115,800 at the end of 2025. President Liu Chiping also reiterated in May this year that the company has no plans for large-scale layoffs. Facing the era of artificial intelligence (AI), Tencent is seeking to reallocate internal resources and accelerate organizational flattening and talent management reform.

However, according to live broadcast content circulated on the Chinese Internet, Tencent management has mentioned that "it is already a matter of life and death", "it was too lenient on people before", "the requirements for people are not high enough", and "old comrades have to give way and empower young people who know how to do it".

In response to rumors that Tencent would lay off 50% of its employees, Chinese social media posted screenshots of relevant chats. The pictures showed that among Tencent colleagues, many people posted "I'm so anxious," "After listening to the meeting, I couldn't eat anymore," "Organizational adjustments, personnel changes are coming," and "How to calculate the base for layoffs, let's find out in advance." Some even said... "It's a clear sign, please take care of your battery." Related remarks aroused heated discussions among netizens, and the topic also became a hot search topic.