Volume 3: Taking Roots 2016 Chapter 763: Someone Sends You a Pillow
Technology determines productivity!
From ancient times to the present, this view has never been outdated. Only by relying on technological superiority can we achieve the advantage of a high-level perspective. Otherwise, everything is just castles in the air and unrealistic.
As for the consequences of technological backwardness, I am afraid no one knows it better than us. The six words "if you fall behind, you will be beaten " are not a stamp of thought, but they are better than a stamp of thought.
It is also effective when applied to business competition.
After all, to a certain extent, technology is one of the few things that can fight against capital, and it is also what capital most wants to master.
Throughout history, once you grasp any anchor point that triggers a technological revolution, you will reap immeasurable rewards.
The same is true for Internet companies. Technology is always their core and the foundation of their existence.
Having technology but no capital support can still gain a foothold in the industry, but having capital but no technology will often only result in much ado about nothing.
Even the much-criticized Tenda is also an Internet company that started out by relying on technology, but the only thing that has been criticized is...
Perhaps it is a mentality of being angry at the lack of competition. With a lot of advantages in hand, if Tenda can transform them into technology, perhaps it will become a company that can truly be called "great".
However, the path of technology is destined to be a path where "no one knows you after ten years of hard study, but once you pass the imperial examination, your name will be known all over the world", and not everyone is willing to choose such a path...
Not everyone has this ability.
In just four years, the company has grown from an ordinary Internet startup into a behemoth with a valuation of over 10 billion US dollars.
Toutiao's accumulation and foundation in technology is undoubtedly little known, but it is the key to its rapid rise, without a doubt.
The reason why Zhou Dongsheng is so confident is naturally because he has experienced the sensational news about Toutiao overseas. In order to seek an overseas listing, Toutiao has racked its brains for this.
It is not so easy to survive in the cracks. Although we have made compromises again and again, we have never got the opportunity to go public.
It was even used as a negative example in the public opinion field because of the "sliding and kneeling" incident... But everything is afraid of comparison, and with the contrast of another "peer", Toutiao was able to get rid of this public opinion dilemma.
As for this colleague... Zhou Dongsheng couldn't help but look strange. At present, he is still the object of pursuit by major capitals, and is also the weather vane of the sharing economy that Zhou Dongsheng can never reach.
To some extent, the shared bicycles he invested in also benefited from the former, but Zhou Dongsheng still had a clear mind about the major issues.
To get back to the point, although Zhou Dongsheng was just a bystander, he vaguely remembered that the jackals and tigers were eyeing the unique algorithm in the hands of Toutiao.
According to speculation, one of the conditions for release must be to ask him to hand over this chip as a token of his allegiance.
But obviously, for any Internet company, this is something that can be called the lifeblood, and no one would easily hand over their lifeblood to others, right?
Compared with its peers, Toutiao has become a typical example of iron-willed people.
Today, Zhou Dongsheng is considered to be well-informed. Sitting at the poker table gives him the opportunity to see more details of the game, so he can draw his own conclusions.
Just like Mobike and Ofo, after receiving the support of capital, the former chose the path of technological accumulation, while the latter impatiently began crazy expansion.
The same is true for Toutiao. Information about its technological investment is not a trade secret, so it is not difficult for Zhou Dongsheng to find out.
After hearing Zhou Dongsheng's advice, Yang Luyu couldn't help feeling a little surprised, as he didn't expect Zhou Dongsheng to attach so much importance to "technology".
After all, in Yang Luyu's opinion, Zhou Dongsheng, who came from a purely self-taught background, should be the type of person who is most disdainful of technology.
Now it seems that he was the one wearing tinted glasses. Yang Luyu couldn't help feeling a little ashamed. Then he adjusted his attitude and continued with Zhou Dongsheng's topic.
"So, what Jay Chou means is that we should spend our money where it counts and optimize our company's technology and algorithms?"
Investing in technological research and development is a bottomless pit. Both the time and the results are unknown.
It is not like investing in other aspects, which can produce immediate results. This is often what investors do not want to see. After all, it is a waste of money...
We are reluctant to do it ourselves, so how can we pay you to do it?
"If you don't plan for the future, you will have immediate worries. We must plan ahead for our technical shortcomings. If we want to win this protracted battle, this is something we must face."
"And to deal with the threat posed by Toutiao, we just need to play to our strengths and avoid our weaknesses. In my opinion, the 'Golden Second Award Ceremony' at the end of the year is the key to our comeback."
Zhou Dongsheng said in an orderly manner that last year's Golden Second Award could only be regarded as a barely successful first prize, and it set an example for the short video industry. Although it was a first in the industry, it was still far from establishing an industry benchmark.
But now, after a year of settling down, coupled with the signature brands promoted at the awards ceremony, a number of top IPs such as [Papi Jiang] and [Muziqi] have been established.
Especially [Papi Jiang], who is still the "number one in the industry" today. With such a successful case, the value of the Golden Second Award has been solidly proven.
This kind of accumulation and advantage over time is truly difficult to erase, just like the many awards in the world that represent the highest honors in various industries, which are accumulated bit by bit.
In particular, if you want to form a fixed impression in the minds of the general public, it is not something that can be achieved overnight. Once it is formed, it will be difficult for later comers to surpass it unless they commit suicide.
This can be considered a first-mover advantage unique to the award, and is also a potential symbol of discourse power.
Once such power is in hand, the so-called "fairness" and "justice" will naturally be decided by the person who sets the standards.
After all, the nature of human beings is "double standards ".
After a conversation, Zhou Dongsheng has fully fulfilled his obligations as a strategic investor. The rest depends on what Yang Luyu, the helmsman, does.
After all, everything depends on human efforts. Even a wise man like Zhuge Liang could not change the fate of the world, let alone Zhou Dongsheng who only had a glimpse of the future.
After listening to Zhou Dongsheng's narration, Yang Luyu could not help but have a clearer view and plan on the future development direction of Wenxue Network.
"I think I know what to do. Thank you Mr. Jay for your guidance!" Yang Luyu said sincerely.
"Well, it's just my duty. After all, I have always firmly believed that the future of Wenxue Network will never stop here. With the natural advantage of domestic and overseas markets, we are undoubtedly the most likely to become a new giant in the mobile Internet!"
"Looking at several other competitors, we are the only company that has the potential to become the world's number one in the short video business."
"To turn this possibility into reality, we obviously need to make more efforts. This is destined to be a road full of thorns and challenges, but Mr. Yang doesn't have to worry..."
"I'm here! You're not alone."
Zhou Dongsheng really exaggerated this wave. After all, who doesn’t have the dream of becoming a "giant" on the road of entrepreneurship?
Zhou Dongsheng's advocacy was just a trigger, which ignited the ambition that Yang Luyu had always had in his heart. The fire grew stronger and stronger with the help of the wind.
Yang Luyu nodded heavily and spoke to Zhou Dongsheng affectionately.
"It may be that I have used up all my luck in this life to meet a like-minded mentor like Jay Chou."
Zhou Dongsheng got goosebumps from hearing this, and he couldn't help but wave his hands repeatedly, "Hey, that's not the right thing to say, Mr. Yang, your good days are still ahead."
"That's right, our good days are yet to come!" Yang Luyu continued with excitement, not caring about the ambiguity in his words at all.
He didn't even notice that Zhou Dongsheng was quietly distancing himself from him.
Fortunately, a phone call suddenly came in at this moment, interrupting the slightly weird atmosphere in the room.
Zhou Dongsheng couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He took out his cell phone and saw the caller ID was "Huang Zheng".
"Boss Yang, I need to take a call."
Yang Luyu waved his hand generously to indicate to Zhou Dongsheng to go ahead and not to worry about these details. Zhou Dongsheng did not avoid suspicion and directly answered the phone.
"Brother Huang, what a rare visitor! What brings you here?" Zhou Dongsheng said casually.
"Aren't I here to congratulate you? You've made another big deal. You're really making a fortune in silence!" Huang Zheng teased jokingly.
Obviously, the financing information disclosed publicly by Wenxue Network had already reached Huang Zheng's ears.
Even Huang Zheng had to admire Zhou Dongsheng from the bottom of his heart. His talent in investment was truly eye-catching.
At the same time, as a friend, or even a "fellow student", Huang Zheng was also happy for Zhou Dongsheng from the bottom of his heart.
"Brother Huang is really well-informed, but I'm afraid Brother Huang's call is not just to congratulate you, right?" Zhou Dongsheng couldn't help but tease him, and at the same time he had a vague guess about Huang Zheng's purpose.
Considering the current time point, it is exactly the beginning of November. If traffic has a price, then at the end of the year, the most expensive time point must be this time.
Because this is the month of e-commerce wars!
In order to grab traffic, e-commerce giants, who are not short of money, are investing in this area by any means necessary and at any cost.
In order to create record-breaking transaction volumes year after year, advertising and promotion costs are definitely a major expense for them.
It can be said that it is not an exaggeration to call November the "college entrance examination for e-commerce people."
For Pinxixi, which is preparing for the e-commerce college entrance examination for the first time, Huang Zheng’s purpose at this moment is naturally obvious.
As expected, Huang Zheng was not embarrassed at all when his thoughts were exposed by Zhou Dongsheng. After all, being thick-skinned is undoubtedly the basic skill of entrepreneurship.
"As expected, nothing can be hidden from you, no wonder you are so successful in your career. I am really envious of you... But..."
Huang Zheng offered a piece of flattery, then changed the subject and chuckled.
"But, after all, you are one of the investors of Xunmeng Technology, so we can't favor one over the other, right? I don't ask for much, I just want you to make some connections and ask Douyin to open a convenient door for me!"
" If want, how about I give you the title of 'strategic investor'?" Huang Zheng coaxed and deceived.
Obviously, in terms of basic skills, Huang Zheng is definitely not inferior to Zhou Dongsheng.
The speaker may not have intended it, but the listener may have taken it to heart. As soon as Huang Zheng said this, Zhou Dongsheng suddenly had a flash of inspiration in his mind and came up with a brilliant idea.
It's true that someone will send you a pillow just when you are sleepy. After all, the cooperation between short videos and Pinxixi can be said to be very close in the future.
It’s just that now I have a share in these two major projects. Under my leadership, the two sides may be able to have further cooperation, and it would not be an exaggeration to even become strategic partners.
For example, regarding the technical issues just mentioned...
Zhou Dongsheng's mind raced, and he joked, "Hey, what are you talking about, Huang? Do we need to bother about this? For something that is mutually beneficial, even without me saying anything, Mr. Yang will definitely not refuse... But..."
Zhou Dongsheng also changed the subject, using the same method of keeping people in suspense, which he learned and put into practice immediately.
"However, I think the cooperation between the two sides can be more in-depth, especially since both sides are aiming to develop the sinking market and there is no direct conflict of interest. I think close cooperation may produce an effect of 1+1 greater than 3!"
Zhou Dongsheng said slowly, and Huang Zheng couldn't help but feel moved. When it comes to coming up with clever ideas, Zhou Dongsheng's ability is obvious to all.
Therefore, Huang Zheng said very bluntly: "Oh? I know you have a lot of ideas, but how do we cooperate? I would like to hear the details."
"Our main focus is 'social e-commerce'. It is precisely by relying on this differentiated competition from traditional e-commerce and developing a unique social algorithm to recommend products to users that Pinxixi has been able to gain a lot of support in the sinking market..."
"Oh, it seems that you, as an investor, have put a lot of thought into this. You're right! We have indeed spent a lot of time on the algorithm, which has also simplified the process of users finding products, making it easier for them to complete orders at the moment of impulse purchase..."
There was no need for Huang Zheng to hide anything from Zhou Dongsheng, an investor who knew him inside and out, so he spoke directly.
"This is similar to what Douyin , which wants to build a short video community . They also simplify the process as much as possible so that users can browse the content they are interested in at a glance..."
Huang Zheng nodded and praised: "Indeed, I have used it too. The software UI design is very simple. The founding team has obviously put a lot of effort into it. No wonder it has made a splash in the domestic and overseas markets..."
At this time, Huang Zheng also guessed what Zhou Dongsheng meant by cooperation, and couldn't help but ask: "Do you want the two companies to reach a technical cooperation?"
"Why not? They are both interest recommendation algorithms. Although I don't understand technology, I believe that algorithms can only be fully effective if they are based on big data. The database formed by the two platforms..."
"It's better than one family, right?"
"Of course, I'm just making a suggestion. We can start with ordinary technical exchanges and take it step by step. After all, I'm just a layman."
Zhou Dongsheng said this calmly, but his inner calculations were already going strong.
