MIT Sloan Management Review Article on Lessons From China's Digital Battleground

The dramatic rise of China’s digital leaders has put the squeeze on Western internet giants. Western players must learn quickly if they are to get back in the game in the world’s fastest growing digital market.

The explosive growth of the digital market in China, a country with more than 700 million internet users, constitutes a rich prize to companies that can exploit its opportunities. Five of the 10 largest public internet companies in the world — Tencent Holdings Ltd., Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Baidu Inc., JD.com Inc. (aka Jingdong), and NetEase Inc. — have emerged from this $1 trillion market. And, by February 2018, Chinese companies accounted for 33% of the world’s unicorns (privately held startups valued at $1 billion or more), with almost three-quarters of them targeting digital or online markets.

About the Author

Shu Li is a partner in the Beijing, China, office of The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). François Candelon is a senior partner in BCG’s Shanghai, China, office and a BCG Fellow. Martin Reeves (@martinkreeves) is a senior partner in BCG’s New York City office and global leader of the BCG Henderson Institute, the firm’s think tank for new ideas in strategy and management.

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