Joining the eBay board was just the beginning; Ji Jiasheng still needed to deeply understand the company's current situation. He Zhengcheng, who had no love for managing a business, merely observed. He didn't feel eBay had the essence of a tech company at all.
"Does eBay's growth come from technological advancements or improved management?" He Zhengcheng asked Omidyar, nitpicking.
"Is there a problem?" Omidyar asked.
"I just feel that the status of engineers in the company is a bit low. Decisions are made by people who lack a technical background. You might be underestimating the importance of technology for an internet company, which seems somewhat unfriendly to an internet company!" He Zhengcheng said.
"But eBay's work is too complex, and many tasks cannot be handled by engineers. We don't have better options." Omidyar replied.
"Perhaps, but couldn't the power of the Chief Engineer be increased? The company's network infrastructure seems insufficient, often experiencing minor issues." He Zhengcheng pointed out.
eBay's downtime was quite frequent. After its IPO, its visibility greatly increased, and problems immediately arose—data interruptions, users unable to access the site. Fortunately, the issues were resolved promptly, and service quickly returned to normal.
"Once funding is in place, we will increase our investment in technology." Omidyar promised.
He Zhengcheng didn't say much. Ma Xiaoyun didn't prioritize technology that much either until his financial situation greatly improved, which then led to the emergence of Alibaba Cloud. As for eBay, many years later, it was no longer a tech company, fading into obscurity.
This is where the greatness of Bezos and Ma Xiaoyun became apparent. A complex e-commerce business surprisingly developed a technological gene. This wasn't an inevitable outcome of business development, but rather a choice made by the entrepreneurs.
Google's development chose an engineer-led path. This was because Google's business model was very simple, the internet developed too quickly, and they made money too fast, so fast that business personnel didn't need to put in much effort. If it were a company with long-term losses and no hope in sight, investors would not indulge the founders' whims.
While considering the similarities and differences between Google and eBay, and the current situation, he began to think about his next steps. He still needed to continue contacting Google; he couldn't give up. Even if there was no opportunity, he had to create one. Don't say foolish things like 'only invest, don't want voting rights.' If you can't interfere with the company's operations and management, how can you protect your rights? Don't say there are legal provisions for protection; as long as the interests are large enough, capital can trample any law. Not to mention, after the Russia venture capitalist Yuri Milner appeared in Silicon Valley, he only invested in high-tech companies worth over a billion dollars. These companies had already established sound corporate governance systems, and public opinion ten years later would be extremely developed. The cost for company founders to infringe on shareholder rights for personal gain would be many, many times greater than now.
He Zhengcheng knew a company would grow and prosper, but he didn't know why it would develop. So, what to do? Either ignore it completely, or participate in it. Even if I ruin this company, I am willing to accept the outcome. If I ignore it and this company suddenly collapses, I don't know who can bear it. This is like you paying to raise someone else's child, and the child suddenly runs off with someone... "You have no money and still want to invest in them, for that I can only say, 'Hehe...'" Shi Hongwen remarked.
"Don't you know that what I'm best at is investing other people's money in others, and then making money for myself?" He Zhengcheng retorted.
"You... Alright, that's your profession." Shi Hongwen conceded.
"Do you have any thoughts about starting a business? Has the fervent entrepreneurial passion here in Silicon Valley not affected you?" He Zhengcheng asked.
"What, you want to invest in me too?" Shi Hongwen replied.
"Forget it, you're the type of reserved guy who isn't suitable for starting a business right now. You should first hone your skills, find a partner who is good at boasting, and then put your ideas into practice later." He Zhengcheng said. Most internet entrepreneurs now are the type who love to boast. You can know nothing, but you can't not know how to boast. Ma Xiaoyun had no technical background, so why was he able to get investments from Goldman Sachs and SoftBank later? Because he was good at boasting!
"You're just good at boasting and pretending to be cool!" Shi Hongwen retorted.
"Me? You're really thinking of starting a business?" He Zhengcheng asked.
"Not coming to Silicon Valley, or not knowing that you all are starting businesses, would be one thing. But with two out of the three of us starting businesses, and only I am working for someone else, wouldn't that be too embarrassing!" Shi Hongwen explained.
"Can't you start a business for your own ideals and beliefs?" He Zhengcheng questioned.
"Exactly, I want to change the world through the internet!" Shi Hongwen declared.
"Good! If you've truly decided to start a business, then never forget that sentence. You don't have to say it every time someone interviews you, but you must say it many times." He Zhengcheng advised. How can successful people not have reasons for their success? Either they harbored grand ambitions from a young age, or they sought to solve practical problems for family, parents, classmates, or friends. For example, the founder of Uber started Didi Daren because he couldn't hail a taxi abroad. Alright, that last part was a joke, but from Emperor Gaozu of Han Liu Bang slaying the white snake to start his rebellion, Emperor Taizong of Tang saving the common people, and Emperor Taizu of Song filling his room with fragrance, which hero doesn't have a legend? These legends are all meant to build the founder's personal brand, expand the founder's fame, and increase the company's visibility—a very economical promotional method.
Promoting a company by associating it with its founder and leaders is a highly effective promotional method, whether in Silicon Valley or Daxia Country.
"How do you think we should start a business!" Shi Hongwen asked.
"Ahem!"
"Is starting a business just about shouting slogans?" He Zhengcheng asked.
"This? Don't you have ideas for me!" Shi Hongwen replied.
"No matter what project you have, it's best to have an America person as a partner to start the business together." He Zhengcheng suggested.
"Why?" Shi Hongwen asked.
"Do you like seeing several foreigners making big money in your own country?" He Zhengcheng asked. Small countries are one thing; many things are simply impossible for them to produce themselves. But a big country has its dignity, which directly means various forms of discrimination are everywhere, and it's hard to call it discrimination directly.
"America people?" Shi Hongwen questioned.
"Preferably a technical genius, or someone outgoing and very good at boasting. In short, this person needs to have unique characteristics." He Zhengcheng advised.
"Then I'll think about it!" Shi Hongwen said.
"It's best to choose a direction for your startup, such as solving a practical problem on the internet, or being able to open up a new direction." He Zhengcheng suggested.
"Is there anything simpler!" Shi Hongwen asked.
"Yes, for example, Google. I'm very optimistic about Google. Most of their work is technical, and users can quickly master their search engine with almost no learning cost." He Zhengcheng replied.
"So, as long as the technology is good, one can also start a business!" Shi Hongwen concluded.
"Of course, a technical genius only needs to find the right direction and doesn't need to worry about anything else. As for market promotion and such, consider it after your product gains a large number of users. Before that, you only need to improve the user experience." He Zhengcheng advised.
"Then I might be able to find such a partner." Shi Hongwen said.
"Then I congratulate you in advance on embarking on the path of entrepreneurship!" He Zhengcheng exclaimed.