Seeing the soaring users and revenue in the backend, Wang Xing was in a great mood.
Too excited to sleep, he decisively opened a bottle of champagne and savored it quietly:
"Indeed, Xingyi Technology is the traffic key. The primary entrance for Changliao hasn't even been launched yet, and Meituan's traffic and users have already started to increase. This is great!"
Although Ali could also provide traffic to Meituan, it was a pity that Jack Ma was too greedy, his appetite too big, wanting to tie Meituan down, or even swallow it whole.
Wang Xing could not accept this point no matter what.
Xingyi Technology, on the other hand, was simply investing, acting as a major shareholder, with no intention of acquiring Meituan.
Wang Xing even suspected that Wang Yi didn't care for group buying at all and just wanted to make a quick buck through Meituan; otherwise, he would have entered the fray himself long ago.
However, this was even better; precisely because Wang Yi had no desire to control Meituan, Wang Xing felt at ease.
In his previous life, JD.com, Meituan, PDD, and others all accepted Tencent's investment instead of relying on Ali, precisely because Tencent only invested, without seeking control or acquisition.
But Jack Ma was different; he was too domineering, always wanting to control, and even acquire.
If they developed well after acquisition, it would be fine, but unfortunately, most companies acquired by Ali often declined, or even completely failed.
Wang Yi naturally learned from Ali's lessons: for companies crucial to his core strategy, he would acquire them directly.
For non-core businesses, investing for profit was enough; he couldn't be bothered to swallow them all.
Also unable to sleep tonight was Baidu's old chairman.
Looking at the trending news, Li Yan sighed:
"Wang Yi has indeed made his move! He's very smart; instead of starting group buying from scratch, he directly invested in Meituan, which aligns with my own thoughts."
"No, Xingyi Technology has made its move, Baidu's O2O strategy must also accelerate!"
"Baidu Maps was crushed by Amap Navigation, iQiyi was crushed by Xingyi Video, and even Baidu Search lost 10% of its market share to Sogou Search! Now that it's local life services, we absolutely cannot lose to Xingyi Technology again!"
"Not only can't we lose, but we must also grow rapidly, take down Meituan, and let Wang Yi experience what it means to lose everything!"
Thinking this, Li Yan quickly made a call:
"Qu Xin, inject capital into Nuomi.com as soon as possible. Baidu's local life services must not fall behind again! No, directly take controlling shares!"
"Okay, Chairman, I'll personally visit Nuomi.com's headquarters again tomorrow!"
Qu Xin said.
"I trust you to handle things!"
Li Yan hung up the phone and smiled coldly:
"Wang Yi, O2O isn't easy to do. This time, it's still unknown who will emerge victorious!"
"What's more, by investing in Meituan, you've essentially snatched Ali's target. Jack Ma probably can't swallow this."
"Plus Baidu, facing the dual suppression from Baidu and Ali, as well as a host of other group buying platforms, I don't believe the Meituan you invested in can grow big! Heh heh."
For a moment, Li Yan was in a great mood.
Ali Headquarters.
Jack Ma fell silent, looking at a news headline:
[Xingyi Technology Becomes Meituan's Largest Shareholder, Ali Possibly Out?]
"Damn it!"
Jack Ma's mouth twitched.
What do they mean Xingyi Technology becoming the largest shareholder means Ali is out?
Is Ali afraid of Xingyi Technology?
What a joke!
The damage isn't great, but the insult is extreme!
Although Ali did want to withdraw, after all, funds had to be reserved to support its "own son," Koubei.
But even if they were to divest, it wouldn't be now.
At the very least, they would only divest when the valuation was higher and the timing was right.
The current valuation was too low, so divesting now wouldn't be cost-effective.
But Koubei.com had to speed up!
The next day, a piece of news once again topped the trending searches, shaking the entire internet!
[Ali Makes Strong Push into Group Buying Market, Injects 1 Billion RMB into Koubei for Group Buying!]
This news once again caused a huge stir.
But reports from other media outlets gradually changed their tune:
[Koubei Splits from Taobao's Core Business, Ali Responds Strongly to Xingyi Technology and Meituan.]
[To Retaliate Against Meituan, Ali Relaunches the Koubei Brand!]
[Meituan Snatched, Ali Out, Forced to Create Its Own Group Buying.]
Jack Ma's mouth twitched:
"How did it become Ali being out again?"
"Damn it. Have these media outlets lost their minds?"
"Don't I have any dignity?"
But unfortunately, no one paid attention to Jack Ma's frustration.
Even if he didn't admit it, everyone thought so.
And Jack Ma couldn't explain, or it would only make things worse.
Tencent Headquarters.
The vice president approached Ma Dong:
"Chairman, Xingyi Technology strategically invested 70 million USD in Meituan. Ali has reactivated Koubei and injected 1 billion RMB into group buying. Baidu is also contacting Nuomi.com and preparing to enter the arena. Should Tencent..."
Ma Dong thought for a moment, then waved his hand:
"No need. Local life isn't our forte. And the entire group buying market is a bloodbath, a war of burning money. With Xingyi Technology, Ali, and Baidu entering the fray, the money-burning war will only become more brutal. It's hard to say who will survive in the end."
"Currently, there are thousands of platforms in the group buying market. If we enter now and bet on the wrong one, the losses would be huge. It's better to wait until they determine a winner, then we can choose a target and invest!"
"Chairman is wise!"
The vice president's eyes lit up; the chairman still had great foresight.
Let thousands of platforms fight it out first; only the players who survive to the final round are worth Tencent's investment.
Ma Dong sighed:
"No need to rush with group buying. It might not be clear who the winner is even in two or three years, so there's no need to enter now. What's urgent now is WeChat."
The vice president nodded:
"Indeed, Changliao is developing too quickly. Its user base has reached 50 million, and it's only 25 million away from catching up with WeChat. The threat is too great, they are too shameless."
Ma Dong was also quite exasperated:
"Use Changliao for a month and Amap Navigation gives 200 back for 200 spent, it's too shameless. If it weren't for this promotion, Changliao wouldn't be so powerful. Amap alone brought them 30 million users!"
"Yes, if it weren't for the Amap cashback promotion, Changliao would only have 20 million users now, nothing to worry about. However, the users brought in by Amap cashback are low-quality users; after a month, once they get their 200 cashback, they will likely stop using Changliao."
Ma Dong breathed a sigh of relief:
"If that's the case, then all the better. By the way, how is Zhang Long's team progressing with the Moments feature development?"
"After half a month of overtime, development is progressing well and is almost complete. With testing and bug fixing, it can be launched by the end of the month at the earliest."
"A month behind? Alright, sigh!"
Ma Dong was very helpless.
WeChat's development was initially not smooth, and it was only later, with the help of 'Shake' and 'Drift Bottle', that its users surged.
Now, just after this surge, a Cheng Yaojin appeared out of nowhere—no, a Pei Yuanqing appeared out of nowhere!
A product similar to WeChat, but even better than WeChat.
All the features WeChat has, Changliao has.
And the features WeChat doesn't have, Changliao also has!
How to fight this?
Truly... sigh!
With a sigh, Ma Dong was very helpless, then his expression turned serious:
"Tell the WeChat department that social networking is the foundation of Goose Factory and must not be lost."
"Yes!"
The vice president changed the subject:
"Then, this year's WeChat department's year-end bonus..."
"Hmph! They're almost surpassed by Changliao, and you're talking about year-end bonuses?"
Ma Dong was furious:
"Tell Zhang Long, if WeChat is finished and defeated by Changliao, their entire department will be disbanded!"
"Yes!"
Ma Dong's expression grew even more solemn:
"WeChat is like QQ's firewall. If WeChat falls, then Changliao will be able to penetrate directly and attack our QQ!"
The vice president's expression changed dramatically:
"Chairman, do you also think that Changliao's target isn't WeChat at all, but QQ?"
Ma Dong nodded:
"Changliao is too far ahead of WeChat. Zhang Long and his team are completely developing features trailing Changliao. Changliao releases Moments, we follow to develop Moments. Changliao releases nearby food and nearby travel, we also follow to develop nearby food and nearby travel. Following behind Changliao like this, being led by the nose, is too passive and has no future."
"Coupled with Amap's free navigation cashback promotion, WeChat is highly likely not a match for Changliao! To put it bluntly, it's only a matter of time before WeChat is surpassed by Changliao. And Changliao's real target isn't WeChat at all; it can only be QQ!"
The vice president nodded:
"The news we got from Xingyi Technology is also the same. Changliao is indeed targeting QQ! This is a big problem; QQ's 600 million users are our foundation!"
Ma Dong took a deep breath:
"Increase QQ's budget a bit; we must ramp up investment to guard against Changliao!"
"Yes!"
The vice president responded decisively:
"Will we add more investment to WeChat?"
Ma Dong pondered slightly:
"QQ is the priority. We won't add more investment to WeChat for now; we'll see its future development."
With WeChat having 75 million users and QQ having 600 million users at the moment, both Ma Dong and the vice president placed more importance on the latter.
After all, they weren't reborn, so they couldn't see WeChat's strategic significance and bright future.
Coupled with Wang Yi's deliberate rumor that "Changliao aims to take on QQ," the Goose Factory was completely misled!
And they actually believed it!
This was precisely the good outcome Wang Yi wanted to see.
Xingyi Technology Headquarters.
Wang Yi received a prominent figure who loved to wear red clothes, the Red-Clad Chairman, chairman of 360.
The dressing styles of tech bigwigs are very distinctive.
For example, Lao Zhou of 360 likes red clothes, hence he is called the Red-Clad Chairman.
Zuckerberg, for instance, likes to buy many identical clothes, such as five identical gray shirts, five black shirts...
Jobs' classic blue jeans + black T-shirt.
Similarly, Leibus also wears blue jeans + black T-shirt, paying homage to Jobs.
As for other bigwigs, they wear suits and ties, white shirts, a business style.
"Chairman Wang, I've finally met you, it wasn't easy, truly not easy!"
Lao Zhou said with a smile, extending his hand.
Wang Yi shook his hand:
"My apologies, I had planned to visit you a couple of days ago, but the Meituan matter delayed me. And I made you come all the way here, Chairman Zhou, please forgive me."
The Red-Clad Chairman quickly waved his hand:
"No problem, no problem, investment is more important, we can talk anything through!"
"Haha, welcome Chairman Zhou, come, have some tea!"
"Thank you."
The Red-Clad Chairman took a sip, smiling:
"Chairman Wang is formidable, making another strong push into group buying, which is currently the hottest industry."
Wang Yi sighed:
"It's also the most cash-burning industry, burning hundreds of millions in the future."
"So brutal!"
Lao Zhou was startled:
"Wang Xing is really lucky; with Chairman Wang's cooperation, Meituan's future is promising. If 360 could also cooperate with Chairman Wang, that would be even better."
Wang Yi smiled:
"That's no problem at all. In fact, the reason I invited Chairman Zhou over this time is to discuss cooperation!"
"That's wonderful!"
The Red-Clad Chairman beamed.
The domestic tech circle is clearly divided, with BAT forming the first tier, valued at over 100 billion RMB.
Below them are the second tier: giants like Renren.com, 360, JD.com, NetEase, Sina, Sohu, with market caps or valuations ranging from tens of billions to hundreds of billions.
As for the nascent Meituan, with a valuation of only a little over a billion RMB, it wasn't even on the list.
If second-tier giants like 360 and Sohu didn't want to be defeated by BAT, they could only band together for warmth and collectively take on BAT!
The emergence and rapid rise of Xingyi Technology, challenging BAT individually, made it the best choice for second-tier cooperation.
Simply put, if Xingyi Technology could take down one of the BAT, the resulting market share would allow second-tier giants like 360 to get a piece of the pie, and some targeted ones could even get rich quickly!
This was also why Wang Yi was willing to cooperate with the second tier.
For no other reason, but to team up and take on the first tier!
As for allying with BAT? The two sides' strengths were unequal; they would only be completely devoured.
"How does Chairman Wang plan to cooperate?"
The Red-Clad Chairman became interested.
Wang Yi slowly explained:
"Currently, 360's core business is security, but there are more and more competitors in the security field: Tencent Manager, Kingsoft Antivirus, Baidu Guard, Cheetah Antivirus, and so on. In addition, 360 also has 360 Browser."
"And Xingyi Technology's core business is Xingyi mobile phones. The sales growth of xphone 1 is terrifying, selling 8 million units in less than two months. Total sales of Xingyi mobile phones breaking 15 million, or even 20 million, is only a matter of time. Furthermore, we have Sogou Search Engine, but Sogou Search Engine's market share is not high."
The Red-Clad Chairman understood Wang Yi's meaning:
"Chairman Wang, do you mean that 360 Browser will integrate Sogou Search Engine, and Xingyi mobile phones will integrate 360 Security Guard?"
Wang Yi nodded:
"Exactly! This way, we exchange resources. With the built-in support of 360 Browser, Sogou Search Engine's market share will surge, making it more hopeful to take on Baidu. And with 360 Security Guard integrated into tens of millions of Xingyi mobile phones, it can also seize the mobile end, and its market share will surge, giving it a better chance to take on Tencent Manager, Baidu Security Guard, Kingsoft Antivirus, and so on!"
"So that's it!"
The Red-Clad Chairman said, falling into thought.
This cooperation sounded like a perfect win-win resource exchange, greatly beneficial to both parties.
But upon closer thought, there was also a small problem.
For example, 360 had a browser and was actually developing its own 360 search engine, but progress was slow.
According to the plan, a year-end launch would be stable; rushing it in the second half of the year would be too hasty.
Once cooperating with Xingyi Technology, with 360 Browser binding to Sogou Search Engine, it would be difficult to launch the 360 Search Engine in the future.
However, Xingyi mobile phones sold 8 million units in just over a month, and this year's sales breaking 20 million would be effortless.
If new models were released, total sales breaking 25 million were even possible.
If 25 million Xingyi mobile phones all had 360 Security Guard integrated, it would be simply invincible.
This juicy piece of business made the Red-Clad Chairman incredibly excited.
Should he reject the cooperation for the 360 search engine, giving up the integrated 360 Security Guard?
Or should he abandon the 360 search engine for the integrated 360 Security Guard on Xingyi mobile phones?
For a moment, the Red-Clad Chairman was conflicted.
Fish is what I want, bear's paw is also what I want; one cannot have both!
However, there was another possibility!
That was short-term cooperation.
For example, cooperating for just one year!
Developing the 360 search engine would take time; for a perfect launch, at least a year.
So, why not cooperate with Xingyi Technology for this year, with 360 Browser integrating Sogou Search Engine, and Xingyi mobile phones integrating 360 Security Guard?
Then, after a year, once 360's own search engine was ready, cancel the cooperation and switch to its own search engine!
That would be perfect.
It's just a bit unethical.
But for a businessman, how can it be called unethical?
At most, it's wisdom!
Hmm, this is completely feasible.
Lao Zhou's lips curled into a smile, in a great mood, and he decisively said:
"Chairman Wang, this proposal is excellent, a win-win. I completely agree! Let's cooperate like this!"
'Well, anyway, the development of the 360 search engine will take another year, so it's perfect to cooperate first and get 360 Security Guard integrated into Xingyi mobile phones for a year.'
"Good, then let's cooperate for a win-win."
Wang Yi smiled faintly and extended his hand.
"Win-win!"
Lao Zhou and Wang Yi shook hands happily, with sincere expressions.
A strategic cooperation involving resource exchange was thus reached.
Subsequently, both parties agreed on some cooperation details, such as integrating 360 Security Guard directly into the next xphone 1 system update.
And 360 Browser would also be synchronously upgraded to directly integrate Sogou Search Engine.
Both parties would send technical teams to liaise and handle the process, then update synchronously.
The cooperation was perfectly concluded, and Wang Yi saw the Red-Clad Chairman off.
Jian Ziyan, however, slightly furrowed her brows:
"Chairman, cooperating with 360 like this, aren't you worried that 360 might go back on its word and develop its own 360 search engine later?"
Wang Yi smiled faintly:
"They will definitely develop a 360 search engine."
"Then why do you still want to cooperate with him? Won't we be tricked?"
Jian Ziyan was full of confusion.
Wang Yi chuckled:
"Ziyan, when have you ever seen me suffer a loss?"
Jian Ziyan's beautiful eyes flickered:
"Chairman, do you mean that we should also develop our own security guard?"
Wang Yi smiled without speaking.
Wang Yi knew that 360 was developing its own search engine, even if others didn't.
He still proposed this cooperation for the sake of current resource exchange; Lao Zhou would certainly agree, but it would only be temporary.
Once 360 developed its own search engine, this honeymoon period would end.
But it didn't matter!
Lao Zhou was developing the 360 search engine, and Wang Yi was also developing Xingyi Technology's security guard!
It's just that security software is unusual and takes a lot of time.
It also required cloud services, and the Xingyi Cloud data center hadn't been built yet, so it couldn't be done in the short term, at least not for about a year!
Given this, it was better to have a wave of short-term resource exchange with 360.
A cooperation where both sides had ulterior motives.
When 360 broke the agreement and launched 360 Search, Wang Yi would immediately turn hostile, remove 360 Security Guard, and replace it with Xingyi Technology's Security Guard!
It was merely a transaction where both parties had their own agendas.
Furthermore, what Wang Yi wanted to build was not just a mobile security guard, but an entire security system, covering all aspects from mobile phones, televisions, PCs, servers, to the cloud and beyond.
For a company to grow big, security protection cannot be outsourced to others.
Baidu, Tencent, and Ali all had their own security systems; even Xiaomi had one!
It was even less advisable for Xingyi Technology to entrust security issues to 360; they definitely had to do it themselves.
Especially for the later Xingyi Cloud services and data centers, absolute security had to be ensured.
At Meiyou Technology headquarters in Jeju, in addition to developing Changliao, there was also a team developing a security system.
Leading this was the top security expert Wang Yi had heavily recruited.
As for 360, it was just a temporary cooperation.
In fact, many mobile phone brands used 360's security guard, such as Huawei and Meizu.
Many other brands used Tencent's mobile manager, such as Lenovo and Oppo.
However, Wang Yi was destined to do it himself.
That night, a piece of news spread across the internet.
[Hong Kong Stock Exchange Discloses: For New Business Expansion, Xingyi Technology Will Partially Reduce its Stake in BYD Shares Next Month. Wang Yi's Personal Holdings in BYD Shares Will Not Be Reduced.]
This information immediately caused a sensation:
"What? Xingyi Technology is going to reduce its stake in BYD shares? What does that mean, not optimistic about BYD?"
"Possibly. It seems new energy vehicles still aren't cutting it; it's still the era of fuel-powered cars."
"Xingyi Technology is reducing its stake, BYD's stock price is bound to plummet, everyone run!"
"Even Chairman Wang isn't optimistic about BYD, there must be a big problem."
"Could it be that Chairman Wang and BYD had a falling out, which is why he's reducing his stake? No, gotta run."
"Not necessarily. Didn't you see the disclosure stated it's for new business development? And it's only a partial reduction by Xingyi Technology; Chairman Wang isn't reducing any of his BYD shares."
"Makes sense. If Chairman Wang wasn't optimistic about BYD, he would definitely reduce his own BYD shares too."
"Pfft, what sense does that make? They're definitely reducing holdings on both sides, just afraid of causing a selling panic and not getting a high price."
"Right, better to run first. I'll dump my shares today. Chairman Wang is reducing his stake, meaning he's not optimistic about BYD. BYD is finished."
"Don't talk nonsense. Xingyi Technology's move is purely for strategic needs; they are still very optimistic about BYD."
"Exactly. Latest news, Xingyi Technology has given BYD two more multi-million dollar orders!"
"Really?"
"Holy crap, it's true."
[Xingyi Technology Deepens Cooperation with BYD, Again Signing Multi-Million Phone OEM Order, Multi-Million Tablet OEM Order, and Multi-Million Component Order!]
"Last time Xingyi Technology invested in BYD, they only signed a five-million-dollar order. This time, despite reducing their stake, they delivered three multi-million-dollar orders! This is not pessimism at all, but extreme optimism about BYD!"
"Exactly! Chairman Wang is not only optimistic but also added three multi-million dollar orders to deepen cooperation. As for the partial reduction, it's probably for new business development."
"Makes sense. Look, a multi-million tablet order! Xingyi Technology is launching the Xingyi Tablet, so they must have partially reduced holdings to cash out for tablet production."
"Partially reducing BYD shares, cashing out to make tablets, then having BYD OEM them, allowing BYD to profit! This is a closed loop. They are absolute staunch allies, a strategic partnership."
"Right, with three multi-million dollar orders secured at the beginning of the year, BYD's revenue this year is bound to surge, and its stock price will also rise."
"Exactly. If you want to run, run. I'm staying. Not running."
"Nonsense, with three multi-million dollar orders delivered, only an idiot would run."
...
Seeing this public opinion, Wang Yi breathed a sigh of relief.
The three multi-million dollar orders finally stabilized BYD's stock price, preventing it from plummeting due to his partial stake reduction.
On the other side, BYD's Wang Zhanggui also breathed a sigh of relief.
He also understood Wang Yi's actions.
Xingyi Technology was just starting, needing money everywhere, so reducing holdings was normal.
Moreover, it was only a partial reduction, and before the reduction, three multi-million dollar orders were given at once to hedge against the negative impact of the reduction.
It could be said he had done everything possible and more!
Furthermore, BYD's stock price had already risen 1.5 times due to Wang Yi's investment.
Moreover, Wang Yi had communicated the reduction with Wang Zhanggui; the new project was burning too much cash, so taking advantage of BYD's current favorable situation, he partially reduced his stake to give Xingyi Technology some breathing room for new projects.
Later, if BYD truly faced a crisis and its stock price plummeted, Wang Yi would not only not reduce his stake but would even increase it in reverse!
This promise deeply moved Wang Zhanggui.
It's easy to add flowers to a brocade, but difficult to send charcoal in the snow.
Last time, when Wang Yi invested, it was like sending charcoal in the snow, making a strong investment when BYD had the most debt, was in the worst situation, and its stock price was at its lowest.
It was precisely the funds invested by Wang Yi that allowed him to weather the crisis!
Wang Zhanggui kept this gratitude deeply in his heart.
"I hope that day never comes, when Chairman Wang needs to increase his stake in BYD again."
Wang Zhanggui sighed, but he also understood that if that day truly came, he would still have to ask Wang Yi for help.
When BYD faced difficulties and its stock price crashed, no one would be willing to help; even Buffett would be considered good if he didn't take the opportunity to reduce his stake.
And the only one willing to make a heavy investment in adversity was Wang Yi!
Without any surprise, the Hong Kong stock market opened the next day, and BYD's shares remained very stable.
Not only did it not plummet, but it even rose slightly due to the three multi-million dollar orders.
BYD's OEM services weren't just assembly; many components, on the contrary, were produced by BYD.
Ten million Xingyi mobile phones and ten million Xingyi tablets were not just two multi-million OEM orders, but also numerous multi-million dollar components, which were all procured from BYD.
It could be said that these were several multi-million dollar orders, capable of generating significant revenue and profit for BYD.
By the close of the market in the afternoon, BYD's stock price had risen from an opening of 25.3 Hong Kong dollars to 27.1 Hong Kong dollars.
Not only did it not plummet, but it even increased slightly.
This made Wang Yi breathe a sigh of relief; the multi-million dollar orders were not given in vain!
The effect was excellent.
Compared to his purchase price of 10 Hong Kong dollars, it had now increased significantly.
However, in February, there should be another major positive, and BYD's stock price could rise again.
At that time, Wang Yi could partially reduce his stake and earn even more.
As for the subsequent gray swan event, he could only let nature take its course; he would just increase his holdings again when the time came!
With one sell and one buy, Wang Yi could not only make huge profits but also acquire more shares in BYD.
For a businessman, pursuing profit is not shameful.
As long as it's not kicking someone when they're down, and besides, Wang Yi would even provide help in times of need.
That night, another piece of news shocked the entire internet:
[Baidu Strategically Invests 120 Million USD in Nuomi.com, Entering the Group Buying Market!]
Wang Yi clicked on the news:
[Baidu and Renren.com Jointly Announce: The Two Parties Have Reached a Strategic Cooperation. Baidu Will Strategically Invest 120 Million USD in Renren.com's Nuomi.com to Drive Group Buying. Baidu Will Acquire 59% of Nuomi.com's Shares, Gaining Full Control of Nuomi.com!]
"So Nuomi.com actually belonged to Renren.com!" Wang Yi suddenly realized.
Speaking of Renren.com, Wang Yi's expression was somewhat complex.
At present, besides QQ, the hottest social software was not WeChat, not Changliao, but Renren.com!
Renren.com, also known as Xiaonei.com, was the youth of so many born in the 80s and 90s!
(End of Chapter)