Chapter 293: Die Hard

Chapter 293: Die Hard

Chapter 293: Die Hard (7k)

Yu Xing, who had been defeated repeatedly in battles, fled upon hearing the news.

This somewhat objective description, spoken by the person involved and presented in front of the heads of the two battling giants, could not help but make the industry guests present applaud.

Or in other words, just watch the fun.

The fight between Alibaba and Penguin is something that everyone in the industry welcomes. Not only are there a large number of spectators on the Internet, but the bosses of various companies who are able to attend the summit forum also have a stronger interest.

Whether it is e-commerce or social networking, or other businesses such as games, portals, advertising, etc. derived from the two giants, these are all strong competitors for many people here.

Now that we have people like Yu Xing speaking right up to us, it feels really good to watch the show live.

However, Yu Xing did not come here today specifically to mock Pony. WeChat has already been sold, and standing in this position, he still cherishes such a formal opportunity to speak out.

"I once talked about my superficial understanding of the industry at an Internet conference in Jinling, and that was also when I had a conversation with Mr. Ma."

When Yu Xing said this, he stretched out his hand to signal Alibaba's CEO Ma to avoid being mistaken for someone else.

He continued: "The early Internet needed to be developed, facing a market with great potential. Then came the huge number of users that emerged after the market potential was realized. Then came how to meet the needs of many users. Finally, there was the competition for traffic in the stock era, as well as the development and mining of data value."

"For me, WeChat is an attempt to do just that."

"Smartphones are developing very fast. On the one hand, they are becoming more intelligent, and on the other hand, their prices are falling. This transition from PC to mobile has brought in more users."

"When I was evaluating the development of WeChat, I was optimistic that as long as Penguin's response could be delayed by six months, WeChat would have a great chance of winning the competition in the mobile Internet."

Yu Xing noticed that both Ma unconsciously leaned forward slightly, appearing more serious, and said with a smile: "Compared with computers, small and portable mobile phones actually have different properties. The emergence of such a large number of users was not taken too seriously by Penguin last year. This can be verified from the update of Mobile QQ."

“So, meeting the new needs of new users is what WeChat is trying to accomplish.”

"However, we encountered an awkward situation when developing WeChat. The growth rate brought by smartphones is limited, and the number of Android and iOS users accumulated in China over the past two years has reached a ceiling, and the Symbian system is difficult to support new software features."

“When WeChat approached this ceiling, the fast-reacting Penguin caught up.”

Yu Xing shrugged: "The result is what everyone knows."

His tone was calm. However, the industry bosses present were fully aware of the significance of mobile instant messaging to Penguin. When they listened to the founder of WeChat explaining the underlying logic and thought of the fatal threat that once posed a threat to the giant, they couldn't help but sigh with regret.

Now that WeChat has been sold to Alibaba, Penguin has become extremely passive. If Yu Xing really mobilizes more resources and Penguin is a little slower, the knife may stab it in the neck.

"However, Penguin's micro-chat should now have encountered the same problems as WeChat. Without adequate physical hardware support, it cannot shake off Alibaba's pursuit at a critical moment and has to enter a stage of fierce competition."

"However, judging from the development of smartphones in the first quarter of this year, this problem will soon be alleviated."

"So, let me add one more thing. I think the competition between Alibaba and Penguin in instant messaging will be a long-term stalemate."

Yu Xing said this and glanced at Pony, noting that he was very calm and not angry about the problem that was pointed out in the WeChat chat.

At the same time, many people at the scene were obviously listening carefully.

Yu Xing sorted out his thoughts and talked about the theme of this speech: "I brought up the competition of WeChat because I think the theme of 'Transformation and Development: IT's New Mission' is really worth thinking about."

"The era of mobile Internet has undoubtedly arrived. Even giants like Alibaba and Tencent have to adjust their strategies according to the competitive situation, but many companies in the industry are still hesitating."

"At this stage of development, whoever can discover and meet users' new needs in the mobile Internet will be able to develop rapidly."

"Transformation is a crisis, but also an opportunity. If the companies here do not pay attention to the new mission proposed by the IT industry, they may really die."

Yu Xing brought up the example of his own WeChat experience and spoke about it in a very good rhythm, delivering impromptu performance of the content, which lived up to the several times of practice in the office.

When he came down from the stage, the applause he received was not just for fun at the beginning, but more of a recognition of his logic.

Yu Xing's seat was in the third row. As soon as he sat down, he received a business card from the boss next to him. He was also invited to have dinner together in the evening, but he politely declined on the grounds that he had other plans.

The competition in mobile instant messaging is a hot topic that is now ranked first in the IT industry. Coincidentally, the person who spoke after Yu Xing was Pony Ma, the head of Penguin.

However, contrary to everyone's expectations, what Pony Ma talked about on the stage had nothing to do with the competition in instant messaging. Instead, he mentioned e-commerce, which is also booming.

Yu Xing listened carefully and thought that Pony had clearly announced on this occasion that its next move was to enter the e-commerce field with greater force, which would undoubtedly be an all-round competition with Alibaba.

Alibaba used its acquisition of WeChat to stick closely to Micro Chat, and Penguin, unable to break through for the time being, also chose to enter the opponent's core area.

Yu Xing thought about the possible moves of Penguin and felt that the strategy of changing companies might be a good method. Alibaba's e-commerce business in the mobile Internet has not been completely consolidated.

After Pony finished his very meaningful speech, it was Ma Dian's turn after one person.

He first greeted the leaders and guests, and then improvised and mentioned Yu Xing and WeChat who had just spoken.

"Yu Xing just said that he has been defeated over and over again, but I think he keeps fighting, which is a good thing. I heard that his website is about to be listed, and I would like to congratulate him on his successful listing."

"If you don't notice the new mission, you may very well die. I think it makes sense."

"Mobile communications and the Internet are the two fastest growing businesses in the world today, with the greatest market potential and the most attractive prospects. Mobile Internet combines these two things, and its growth rate is likely to exceed everyone's expectations!"

“Mobile Internet will foreseeably create mythical stories!”

“The industry model we are facing will evolve rapidly in the next few years!”

Ma Dian's speech was very passionate.

Perhaps, it is also very inspiring, but Yu Xing still prefers Pony's content that can reveal strategic trends. He listened carefully for a while and collected a few more business cards. By the way, he also followed the industry boss who registered on Weibo to keep up with the trend.

Yu Xing’s Weibo followers have exceeded 500 million, and he has not received any special promotions. This makes him a rare business owner’s account that attracts a lot of attention.

After Ma Dian finished his chicken soup speech, Zhou Hongyi, wearing a "protect the environment" hat, walked up and spent half of the time speaking while staring at Pony Ma in the first row.

This time, Yu Xing directly recognized everyone and added everyone's contact information.

Nearing noon, the half-day formal content ended. There were many people communicating around Ma Dian, Pony Ma, and Li Yanhong. Yu Xing did not go over, but just thanked the group of people who had previously invested in WeChat with their traffic.

"Brother Yu, let's go for dinner and singing tonight." Zou Shenglong of Xunlei was very enthusiastic. This was the first time he met Yu Xing in person after the sale of WeChat.

"I have an appointment tonight. Let's meet next time." Yu Xing said with a smile.

Zou Shenglong said dissatisfiedly: "Now that you have money and are going public, you don't want to play with me anymore, right?"

Yu Xing laughed: "Didn't Xunlei also share the money? We really made an appointment in advance. Next time you come to Shanghai, I will treat you. I made an appointment with Wang Chuanfu of BYD tonight. I can't break it."

Zou Shenglong wondered, "Is that Wang Chuanfu, the guy who got the car?"

Yu Xing nodded and said, "Yeah, I've been quite interested in this area recently. Let's see if there are any good investment or project opportunities."

Zou Shenglong has no idea about this and has no interest in it.

He shook his head, still focusing on the damage WeChat had done to Penguin: "Hey, WeChat stabbed Penguin, and it's still bleeding. You did a great job!"

Yu Xing smiled and said, "I used to study medicine, so I'm good at using a knife."

Zou Shenglong patted Yu Xing's shoulder, and felt even happier when he saw the serious expression on Pony's face while chatting on the other side.

Yu Xing walked around twice and shared some of his ideas on mobile Internet projects.

Most of the people present today are Internet veterans, but they are still unfamiliar with the rapidly developing mobile Internet. At least, Yu Xing's discussion of some of the inconspicuous logic of WeChat has given them a lot of benefits.

"Mr. Zhao, simplicity is not just a slogan, it is also an important way for software to attract users. WeChat is like this, and you can see that my current Bai Xiaosheng is also like this. You can download one and try it."

Yu Xing asked the bosses who gradually gathered around him to verify the idea in practice.

The person next to him quickly downloaded the "Bai Xiaosheng" app.

Yu Xing asked them to register, and after they had registered quickly, he asked, "How is it going? Quick?"

Zou Shenglong did not leave, but downloaded and registered the app as usual. He then asked the question that everyone was wondering: "It was pretty fast, but then what? What does it mean?"

"Bai Xiaosheng is the same as WeChat. It only takes two steps to access. Enter your mobile phone number and receive a verification code. Then you can successfully register." Yu Xing said with a smile, "If you don't believe me, try other software. They will ask you to enter a nickname, password, address, security code, etc. This is also a common practice in the industry. However, it is something that we are used to migrating from computers."

Pointing at the phone screen, he explained: "Users' patience is limited. Simple registration will maximize the effect of promotion. According to our current experience, the effect may be doubled. Efficiency is cost, and it is life."

"Past successful experiences are not a matter of course in the mobile Internet. Many things need to be thought about and must change."

Zou Shenglong silently verified the situation and downloaded some other software from the App Store, and found that it required cumbersome registration.

Originally, there was nothing wrong with this kind of registration, but after being pointed out the simple processes of WeChat and Bai Xiaosheng, the former became intolerable.

He couldn't help but praise: "Brother Yu, you... have something here! There are big stories hidden in the small details! Damn, your sharing is a bit selfless!"

The people around him also had a similar feeling of enlightenment. Not to mention the ideas, the transformation of the product had an immediate effect.

It must be said that he is quite capable to be able to fight the penguin head-on.

Yu Xing thought, these will be noticed sooner or later, everyone has just come into contact with mobile Internet and has not reacted yet.

He received more invitations to banquets, but he had to decline them all and made plans to play host again when he arrived in Shanghai.

He turned around and saw IDG's Xiong Xiaoge hovering around the three giant leaders Ma Dian, Pony Ma, and Li Yanhong. He felt that the other party was just like a high-end socialite.

IDG had invested in WeChat before and provided a lot of support, but he and Pony Ma were still able to chat and laugh happily.

"Mr. Yu, your speech was great, and the response was very good." Xiong Xiaoge said with a smile after shaking hands, "Let's have dinner together tonight, Mr. Ma invites you."

Yu Xing asked: "Which Mr. Ma?"

"It must be Mr. Ma who gave you the money." Xiong Xiaoge said cheerfully, "If it's that Mr. Ma, tonight would be a Hongmen Banquet."

Yu Xing shook his head: "WeChat has been sold to Alibaba. There is no point in killing me. I think Pony is very generous today."

Then he gave the same reason for refusal.

Xiong Xiaoge said more seriously: "I heard Mr. Zhang talk about meeting Musk with you. He spoke highly of you. But this kind of project really requires long-term thinking. What do you think of the listing prospects of Bai Xiaosheng? Since you are not in a hurry for money, we can invest in you after we cash out our shares."

Yu Xing smiled and said, "That's great. If you make money from me, continue to invest in me and then continue to make money. Even if you don't make money, I won't feel guilty."

Xiong Xiaoge glanced at the person in front of him and said, "Even if the money I earned wasn't from you, you wouldn't feel guilty."

Yu Xing gave a thumbs up, no wonder he made money, he had a good vision. He chatted with Xiong Xiaoge for a few words when he saw Ma Dian coming over and inviting them to dinner.

After Yu Xinggong’s fair refusal, he suddenly realized a problem.

Hey, is this a party for some faction? Ali faction? Penguin faction? Baidu faction?

He laughed about the situation.

"It's not a faction, it's just relationships and business." Xiong Xiaoge disagreed, "I have three games to play tonight, it's nothing."

Yu Xing was filled with awe. This was really something that could be done...

“Mr. Yu, just give it a try. If it doesn’t work out, focus on mobile Internet. I think there are still many opportunities in this area.” Xiong Xiaoge finally said, “I also think that domestically produced cars have opportunities, but not necessarily in the next two years.”

Yu Xing said yes with a smile, without being rash.

The afternoon meeting had a more relaxed atmosphere than the morning one. The two Ma's had already taken the stage, and the last giant leader, Li Yanhong, talked about dreams during her speech.

However, just as Li Yanhong was about to finish her speech, there was a commotion at the scene.

Yu Xing scanned the phone of the person next to him and suddenly saw the logo of his own Bai Xiaosheng.

Soon, he was a beat slower than others and saw the latest news.

Penguin has reached in-depth cooperation with many e-commerce websites, among which the most important one is the acquisition of 5% of JD.com’s equity with a total of US$6.25 million in cash + traffic.

JD.com’s valuation reaches US$80 billion!
Penguin alone spent $5 million!
In addition, four vertical e-commerce companies received investment support from Penguin.

At the same time, Penguin President Martin Lau announced that in the future, the connection between Penguin and e-commerce will be further strengthened through the use of capital + traffic.

The target of this action is extremely obvious, which is to invade Alibaba's core business!
Alibaba is responsible for Penguin's communications, and Penguin is responsible for Alibaba's e-commerce.

The two giants are going to fight to the death!

Pony Ma had revealed this strategic intention in his speech this morning, and Yu Xing was not the only one who understood his meaning. However, no one expected that Penguin had already taken such decisive action.

Both giants have already launched attacks on each other's homeland.

The discussion at the scene gradually became more obvious.

Yu Xing observed from the side and found that Pony's expression remained unchanged, while Ma Dian, who was very happy in the morning, was not smiling as much anymore.

This time, Penguin did not choose to do e-commerce itself as it did before, but instead used a quick and effective method to encircle Alibaba's e-commerce, which will inevitably have a significant impact.

The half-day meeting in the afternoon was ostensibly still about the new mission, but in reality the focus had shifted to new changes in the e-commerce sector.

At five o'clock in the evening, the leader came to the stage to end the industry sharing session.

After Yu Xing finished clapping, he quickly stood up and went straight to Pony Ma, inviting him: "Mr. Ma, I have a 'Dialogue' column that I have been doing. Are you interested in recording an episode?"

Pony was a little surprised by Yu Xing's invitation, and even more surprised that he still had the nerve to do so after crying.

He said calmly, "I'm too busy. Come and find me on WeChat when you have time."

Yu Xing said happily: "Okay, see you on WeChat."

Then, he took two steps and invited Ma Dian: "Mr. Ma, I have a 'Dialogue' column that I have been working on. Are you interested in recording an episode?"

Ma Dian heard that the words of the invitation had not changed, and said with a smile: "Sure, let's chat on WeChat."

Yu Xing nodded. Online communication is also a good opportunity. If you choose the right time, you can also ask the other side the questions that the two Ma have asked each other.

Both goals were achieved, and the trip was quite successful.

When Yu Xing thought of this, he left happily.

Gone...away...

Li Yanhong, who was sitting between the two horses, pursed her lips.

At this time, Ma Dian and Pony Ma looked at Li Yanhong who was eliminated.

Li Yanhong felt the strange looks from both sides and spread her hands helplessly without saying anything.

He can't just ask others to invite him.

Ma Dian was kind enough to help explain: "His personality is rather... strange."

Li Yanhong could only keep smiling.

……

That evening, dinner parties of all sizes held by IT industry representatives were held in major well-known hotels in Shenzhen, but everyone discussed more or less the same topic.

How big an impact will this fire in Alibaba’s backyard have?
Can the penguin achieve the results it wants?

Where will the competition between WeChat and Weichat go?
The all-round competition between the two giants has made the situation complicated, while the booming development of mobile Internet has shown more and more appeal. The coming period is destined to be a period of chaos with opportunities.

At eight o'clock in the evening, Yu Xing met Wang Chuanfu of BYD for the second time.

The last time Wang Chuanfu was in high spirits, he talked about BYD's sales target in 2010 which was to double to 80 units, and privately he hoped to reach 100 million units.

However, BYD suffered from the withdrawal of its gold medal dealer in Chengdu in April last year, which then spread to multiple provinces. There was also an on-site fight between manufacturers and dealers at the Dahe Autumn Auto Show.

In the end, BYD's sales in 2010 were only 52 vehicles, far from the target.

This downward trend continued in the first quarter of this year.

According to the current media's observations and conclusions - BYD was as prosperous in 2009 as it was in 2011.

Judging from the current trend, it will be difficult for BYD's sales this year to reach no less than 50 units, let alone growth. Moreover, in addition to the problems in the automotive business, BYD's mobile phone OEM orders to Nokia and Motorola have also been impacted by the development of smart phones.

In addition, Europe's anti-dumping and countervailing duties also caused BYD to suffer huge losses in its photovoltaic business.

All these factors have put BYD's cash and business under tremendous pressure.

Therefore, when Wang Chuanfu appeared in front of Yu Xing today, he looked rather haggard and his expression was very solemn. He only had a polite smile when he just shook hands with him.

"Mr. Wang, I met with Tesla's Musk at the beginning of the month and talked to him a lot about electric cars."

Yu Xing talked about his conversation.

Wang Chuanfu was a little confused: "Really? Oh, I know him. He came to China?"

He doesn't have the extra energy to pay attention to other situations recently.

Yu Xing was not surprised and started talking enthusiastically about his thoughts on trams.

Wang Chuanfu listened silently, and when Yu Xing stopped talking, he could not help but sighed: "Mr. Yu, it's good that you are interested in trams, but don't rush into it, and don't invest too much money. Just take a look first, and then you can decide."

Yu Xing thought for a moment and said, "I want to see. Someone asked me to discuss the project of vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave radar tomorrow. I want to see if there is any progress in this area. Mr. Wang, I recently formed a small inspection team. The research found that it is impossible to get goods from foreign suppliers in this area?"

Wang Chuanfu was very surprised when he heard the term “millimeter wave radar”. Judging from the tip of the iceberg, this term indicates that Yu Xing’s positioning is completely different from that of BYD.

Millimeter-wave radars are relatively expensive and are mainly installed in luxury cars such as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series to implement advanced assistance functions such as adaptive cruise control and forward collision warning.

This positioning is extremely high. The Mercedes-Benz E worth four or five hundred thousand yuan driven by ordinary bosses does not have millimeter-wave radar.

Wang Chuanfu thought about it and gave an accurate answer: "Millimeter wave radar is a high-end product, which is monopolized by Bosch and Continental. Bosch developed the first generation of 2000GHz long-range radar in 77 and used it in Mercedes-Benz S. They will not sell it to us."

At this point, he emphasized: "Even if we pay for it, they won't sell it to us."

Yu Xing asked: "You won't ship to us at all?"

"Bosch supplies Mercedes-Benz's factory in Beijing, and Continental supplies FAW Audi." Wang Chuanfu said seriously, "I remember talking to you about the interests of car companies and suppliers last time. They won't sell to us at least in the next few years."

He frowned, took a sip of tea, and added, "I heard that Chery and Geely are trying to buy parts indirectly from international suppliers this year, but this method can only be on a small scale. Well, it's hard to buy the goods anyway, and the technology is strictly confidential."

Yu Xing nodded slightly and said, "The main problem is to be able to independently produce a supply chain. I will talk to someone tomorrow to see if we can do something about this."

Wang Chuanfu listened to the almost light voice and hesitated to speak: "Boss Yu, this... this is difficult for you to do."

"It wasn't me who took the initiative to find him. It was a director from MediaTek who called me after hearing the news. We happened to meet and talk when I came to Pengcheng," Yu Xing explained.

Wang Chuanfu was silent for a while, but still gave a conclusion: "It's very difficult, be careful of scammers."

Yu Xing nodded and said, "I've been thinking about electric cars recently. I think we still need to increase the competitiveness of automobile products from the perspective of technological progress. I've asked someone to go to Southeast University for an investigation. After meeting with the person tomorrow, I'll also fly to the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China in Chengdu to inquire about the situation and see how to gather resources."

When Wang Chuanfu heard the names "Southeast University" and "University of Electronic Science and Technology of China", his eyes lit up. This was the right approach.

When it comes to the research on millimeter-wave radar, Southeast University has the only national key laboratory in the field of microwave and millimeter waves. Its director is Professor Sun Zhongliang, an academician of engineering. The University of Electronic Science and Technology of China is ranked first in this discipline in the country and also has Professor Lin Weigan, known as the "Father of Chinese Microwaves."

He took a breath and asked, "Have you found the right people? Do you have a plan? Can you do it?"

Yu Xing spread his hands and said, "You ask me? I don't know if it can be done. I have to go and ask them. They are the professionals."

Wang Chuanfu looked at the innocent expression on the other side and said helplessly: "You are so... so... calm, I thought there was some breakthrough."

Yu Xing smiled and said, “If you want to make a breakthrough, don’t you have to gather people and resources first? After you have gathered them, you can work hard. If you can break through, then one problem will be solved.”

He reached out to pour the wine. "In our jargon, this is called empowerment. Didn't we talk about this last time we met? I said I would consider making shovels and try to make T1 that can be supplied to Mr. Wang."

T1 stands for Tire 1, which is a first-tier supplier that directly supplies factories. It has very high requirements and is at the top of the supply chain.

However, once a technology like this that is blocked by foreign giants can be developed, I am afraid that everyone will spare no effort to incorporate it into the supply as soon as possible.

Wang Chuanfu recalled the last time they met, and then thought about the two universities mentioned by the other party. After a few seconds of silence, he said, "Okay, Mr. Yu, let's have a drink to Fu Neng."

Yu Xing clinked his glass and drank it all.

(End of this chapter)