WorkBuddy is becoming more and more like QQ.

When I recently updated WorkBuddy, I noticed its design style started to feel a bit off.

It's not that the model has been upgraded again, nor that a new Agent has been added.

Instead — it now supports skin customization.

In the "Appearance" settings of WorkBuddy, in addition to the basic light and dark themes, a number of IP-themed skins have appeared, including the Angela Zhang collaboration theme, *Game for Peace* crossover theme, and "Classic QQ" theme. Recently, some users have found that WorkBuddy has launched a batch of official themes in a concentrated manner, bringing elements of celebrities, games and classic QQ into the AI workspace.

If it was just about changing skins, I might not have paid special attention to it.

But on the other side, WorkBuddy is doing something even more "Tencent-style":

Raising virtual pets.

It has a "Growth Plan" system. Users can earn points and "energy" by completing tasks, and use the accumulated energy to open blind boxes to unlock different Buddies. The screenshot you sent me already shows a Buddy called "Golden Calculator Meow", which can even go on a "cat travel" trip; you can also get points, energy, make-up check-in cards and lottery opportunities by using the product continuously.

This mechanism has actually been running for some time. In the previous WorkBuddy growth plan, completing novice and advanced tasks can earn Credits, energy and Buddies. The energy can be used to open Buddy blind boxes, and the pets can also travel and bring back rewards.

A product positioned as a "full-scenario AI office workspace" has suddenly started to let users change skins, open blind boxes, raise cats, send pets on trips and sign in daily.

The first things that popped into my mind were neither Office nor Notion.

It was QQ from more than 20 years ago.

This vibe is all too familiar to long-time Tencent users

Back in the day, how did QQ turn a simple chat software into a product that young people were reluctant to close every step by step?

Chatting was of course very important.

But what really made many people keep QQ running in the background every day were a large number of features that even seem a little "useless" today.

QQ Show, QQ Zone skins, user levels, sun/moon/star level icons, Red Diamond membership, Yellow Diamond membership, QQ Pets...

Around 2003, QQ Show was launched, allowing users to purchase virtual items such as hairstyles, clothes, accessories, pets and backgrounds with Q Coins to customize their online avatars. It later became one of Tencent's most representative early virtual value-added services.

QQ Zone followed a similar path. The space itself was free, but if you wanted to decorate your homepage to look more attractive and personalized, the Yellow Diamond membership offered a large number of membership privileges centered on personal space display. When Tencent's own design team later summarized the QQ membership system, they explicitly listed "identity display" and "personal space display" as important privileges of the Yellow Diamond membership.

Then there was QQ Pet.

Launched in 2005, QQ Pet brought the pet raising system directly to the computer desktop: feeding, bathing, working part-time, studying, traveling... After it was shut down in 2018, it even became a "nostalgic memory of an era" for a whole generation.

Coincidentally, just this July, QQ Pet, which had been out of service for 8 years, officially made a comeback. This time it is also integrated with Tencent Hunyuan Hy3 large model, so the pets are not only raiseable, but also have different personalities and AI interactive capabilities.

Looking back at today's WorkBuddy:

Skins, IP collaborations, daily check-ins, growth systems, energy points, blind boxes, Buddies, travel features...

Isn't it looking more and more familiar?

Of course, there is no evidence that Tencent has decided to fully replicate QQ's business model to WorkBuddy.

But one thing is certain at least:

Tencent has begun to realize that AI office software does not have to only compete on "productivity".

It can also compete on personality, companionship and emotional value.

So I'm more curious: Will WorkBuddy really sell skins in the future?

At present, I have not seen WorkBuddy's official announcement of separate charges for these themes, so "selling skins" is just a conjecture for now.

But from a business logic perspective, this move is very reasonable.

To some extent, the AI era is even more suitable for selling skins than the QQ era.

The reason is very simple.

WorkBuddy itself is already a subscription-based product. The domestic personal version currently has paid tiers including Standard, Advanced and Flagship, with official priced at 99 yuan/month, 199 yuan/month and 999 yuan/month respectively, and different plans correspond to different points and AI usage quotas.

This means that what it mainly sells now is actually:

AI productivity.

You pay to get more model calls, more Credits and more task capabilities.

But there is a common problem with AI products here.

Every time a user uses it, the large model may generate additional inference costs in the background.

But skins are a completely different business model.

After a set of skins is developed, the incremental cost of letting 100 people use it and letting 1 million people use it is almost negligible.

Therefore, it is very possible that WorkBuddy will launch another commercial system in the future: basic skins are free, while advanced themes are included in membership privileges; limited-time collaborations will be launched with celebrity, game and film & television IPs; Buddies will be added with costumes, accessories and limited images; some rare Buddies will be unlocked through growth tasks or membership levels, and even a complete raising system will be built around pets.

This is exactly the business that Tencent is most familiar with.

More than 20 years ago, QQ has already proved this once:

Users are willing to pay for "good looks", "personality" and "this is mine".

In the AI era, this logic has not disappeared.

But I think what is more valuable may not be the few dollars of skin fees

What really makes this direction worth observing is that it may change the competition pattern of AI office products.

There are more and more domestic AI office products now.

Products such as WorkBuddy, Qianwen Office and Doubao Work are all developing document, PPT, spreadsheet, research, coding and Agent features.

There will still be gaps in model capabilities, but the functions will definitely become more and more similar in the end.

If you can generate PPT today, everyone will be able to do it in a few months; if you can operate the computer, others will catch up sooner or later; if you integrate 100 Skills, others can integrate 200.

Therefore, the question of why users open your product every day will become more and more important later.

WorkBuddy's answer seems to be moving from "because I have more functions" to another direction:

Because this is "my" workspace.

I use Angela Zhang's skin, you use the *Game for Peace* theme; I have raised a Golden Calculator Meow that has accompanied me to work for half a year; it has levels, growth records, and the costumes I unlocked, and it may even know my work habits in the future.

At this time, switching to another AI office software is no longer just "changing a model".

What you lose is also a set of digital assets and emotional connections that you have managed for a long time.

This is actually more important than directly selling a 9.9-yuan skin.

What it creates is user stickiness.

Why could QQ make many people keep it running every day back then?

Features like the sun, moon, pets and QQ Show are not important when viewed separately.

But when combined, they will gradually turn a communication tool into "my QQ".

AI office software may go through the same process.

The next competition in AI office may start to focus on "emotional value"

This is also what I find really interesting about this WorkBuddy update.

In the past two years, almost all AI office products have been talking about one thing:

Let me help you work less.

Generate PPT faster, make spreadsheets faster, search for materials faster, write code faster.

This is efficiency value.

But when everyone's efficiency is almost the same, the next step is likely to be:

Let me make you feel more comfortable while accompanying you to work.

The workspace can be in your favorite color, the background can be your favorite celebrity or game, and there is a Buddy that has been with you for several months next to you. When you complete tasks, it also grows; when you go to work every day, it appears every day.

A pure tool is gradually beginning to have its own "personality".

And this is very much in line with Tencent's product genes.

So now I am even looking forward to WorkBuddy continuing to develop in this direction.

If one day it really launches the "Buddy Mall" where you can change clothes for Golden Calculator Meow; or members can receive limited skins; or IPs from *Honor of Kings*, QQ Music and Tencent Video all come in for collaborations...

I won't be surprised at all.

Because twenty years ago, Tencent did all of this on QQ.

It's just that at that time, we spent Q Coins to decorate our QQ Show and QQ Zone.

More than 20 years later, it may be the turn of our AI office.

This article is from the WeChat official account "Everyone is a Product Manager" (ID: woshipm), author: Guai Ge, published with authorization from 36Kr.