"Little Tencent of Southeast Asia" Sea founder envisions the company's AI vision: a market value increase of 10 times to 1 trillion USD

According to Zhitong Finance APP, Sea (SE.US), the Southeast Asian e-commerce giant, founder Li Xiaodong told employees that as the company joins the ranks of many global tech companies betting on artificial intelligence for growth, its market value is expected to reach one trillion dollars—growing to about 10 times. In a memo sent to employees on Monday, Li Xiaodong compared the rapid development of artificial intelligence to the revolutions of personal computers and smartphones, which expanded the range of products and services available to consumers that were previously limited to the wealthy. However, Li Xiaodong stated that it is not easy for Sea to fully leverage the value creation capabilities brought by artificial intelligence.

In this memo released on the eighth anniversary of Sea's listing, Li Xiaodong stated, "This will require us to make the right decisions, execute extremely well, maintain a high level of discipline, and compete with full effort. But such a technological transformation makes it possible for Sea to become a company with a market value of one trillion dollars."

Compared to a year ago, Li Xiaodong's tone in the employee memo has changed. At that time, he warned that the transition to artificial intelligence would face many difficulties. Since then, Sea has increased its investment in this area, integrating artificial intelligence into daily operations such as customer service and game operations.

Li Xiaodong also discussed the rise in the company's stock price, expressing concerns that if the external environment changes, the company's stock price could drop rapidly—recalling the company's sharp decline at the end of 2021. He stated that compared to the past decade, the company's current financial situation is more robust, without the need to rely on external funding to support business growth.

He wrote, "Although the external environment is always difficult to predict, I feel more assured about our future now. Sea has achieved profitability in all three of its business sectors. As a publicly listed company for eight years, we are more aware of how the capital market operates and how to navigate it. Therefore, even if the seas become turbulent again, we are better able to control our decisions and our destiny."

However, Li Xiaodong did not disclose Sea's future development plans in the field of artificial intelligence, nor did he specify how the company would respond to increasingly fierce competition.

Sea is engaged in fierce competition with powerful global rivals, including TikTok Shop under ByteDance and Lazada under Alibaba Group. Emerging companies like Shein and Temu are also trying to enter the Southeast Asian market, an emerging region with a population of 675 million, where more and more consumers are turning to online shopping. The competitive stage for Sea's next phase of growth is also gradually forming—moving away from its home market to compete in Brazil, thousands of miles away—this Singaporean company is seeking to expand its Shopee online empire.

The company is also looking to new initiatives in areas such as digital finance and logistics to consolidate its market dominance and convince investors of its growth potential