Reinventing the Millennium

Fang Zhuo was extremely enthusiastic when his old friend from Google came to visit.

Not only did he talk cordially about the failure of Google's localization in China, he also talked about the future development of the Android system without reservation.

And, at noon, we entertained the Google group with delicious food and drinks.

Such a formation fell into the eyes of everyone in Yike, and it was inevitable to speculate that they were going to join forces to fight against Baidu. After all, Baidu had already split their skin.

After Schmidt chatted for a while in the afternoon, he led the team to leave. Even Yu Hong came over to ask if there were any new changes in cooperation.

"Nothing has changed. Let's continue to be beaten. Our company will resist the beating." Fang Zhuo looked at the schedule and realized that Xiao Yu didn't just come here casually. He happened to have an interview with Qi He, Vice President of European Business, in the evening.

Yu Hong knew that Mr. Fang was not a person who would not fight back, and thought: "When Yike takes action, it will also depend on whether other companies can resist the beating, right?"

"Ha, I didn't say that. Well, Schmidt is also a director of Yike. It's not normal to come here this time to see." Fang Zhuo said, "I made an appointment with Schroeder tomorrow morning. Schroeder can consider adding two positions to the board of directors this year."

Yike's current board of directors consists of five directors, Fang Zhuo, Yu Hong, Pan Ben, and two independent directors, Sony Stringer and Google Schmidt.

In the development history of Yike, both Sony and Google have played a big role, and their seats on the board of directors are testimony to the close relationship between them.

This role is not in vain. If Stringer wants to settle the account, Fang Zhuo will give him money to settle the account. If Schmidt wants to make a mobile phone, Fang Zhuo will take the initiative to do the manufacturing.

This year, due to limited mobility and the important role of the U.S. market, a vice president of Yike America and a vice president who will be the head of YMS will be added.

"Well, Schroeder is indeed very capable, and his work during this period is also very good." Yu Hong muttered, "The status here at YMS is quite high."

"The vice president level is high enough, which is also a symbol. YMS will cover multiple businesses and will be the key driver of the company's shift from hardware to parallel software and hardware." Fang Zhuo explained briefly.

He smiled and said, "Are you here to support Qi He or are you doing something else?"

"No." Yu Hong shook her head, "That's not the case. It was only when the news about your board seat spread that everyone fully realized your position as YMS and your seriousness, and some people wanted me to help ask about the situation."

Fang Zhuo's thoughts went over the names of the company's nearly ten senior vice presidents and vice presidents, and he smiled: "Really? I have talked about YMS's positioning over and over again, and even made a special trip to Beijing to talk about it. Did you react to your investment in Amap at this time?"

Yu Hong was talking about business. Even though she had known him for so long, she couldn't tell whether Fang was a little angry or not. She thought for a few seconds: "How about you just pretend I didn't come?"

"You're here and you still want to leave?" Fang Zhuo glanced at the president of Yike America, and seeing her serious expression, he said helplessly, "Is there anything I can't say? The atmosphere in the company is not that bad. If you have any opinions, you can raise them. I suggest you say, I am not a man-eating tiger."

Yu Hong has been focusing a lot of his energy on inspecting parts of the supply chain in China, and has naturally witnessed the development of the domestic market. The main reason is that he does not want to destroy this good situation.

She considered it: "Yesterday I attended a third quarter meeting of the domestic market. At the end, Mr. Liu and I chatted for a while, and he asked about it."

Fang Zhuo was a little surprised, Dongzi.

Liu Qiangdong's name also flashed through his mind just now. Dongzi was in full swing in the mobile phone market and just returned to Shanghai the night before yesterday. Unexpectedly, he also had thoughts about YMS or the directors.

Fang Zhuo took a sip of tea and asked, "Do you think Mr. Liu is suitable for YMS?"

"I'm not familiar with the domestic market, and I only read paper and electronic reports. Since last year's Olympics, the domestic market has achieved results, which is no problem." Yu Hong replied, "As for whether it is suitable for YMS, I'll leave it up to you. By not putting him on the reserve list, it feels like you have your own ideas."

"Mr. Liu can come and talk to me on his own." Fang Zhuo shook his head slightly.

Yu Hong smiled and said: "Perhaps you have accumulated too much power, and it concerns the possibility of the director, and he is worried about gains and losses?"

Fang Zhuo looked at himself with the reflection of the black screen of his mobile phone: "I think I'm quite moderate in the company, not that much. If you say that, I have to pay attention to the voices at the middle and grassroots levels."

I have been considering internal organizational reforms recently. If there are not many voices around, I have to consider having channels or mechanisms to listen to everyone’s ideas.

"You hang a sign saying 'Be kind to others' in your office every day, as if you have done all kinds of evil. However, many media have written about it. Who should not be careful about what they say and do when they are in front of you?" Yu Hong said naturally, "The company You founded it, and there has been a lot of competition over the years. Now, you have become a symbol, and I almost hung your photo on the wall in my office in the United States."

Fang Zhuo chuckled and explained his opinion: "YMS is not a false position. The domestic market that Liu Qiangdong is responsible for is also very important. I hope that he will focus on this aspect. Now I think Qi He is very good. He was transferred back from Europe. , you can concentrate on the YMS business group.”

"Well, let me tell you, once the voice of increasing director seats came out, there was still some undercurrent." Yu Hong responded to the situation.

As a co-founder, she naturally stood aside and watched lightly. She just noticed that President Fangda was busy with many things and seemed to be unable to take care of this, so she gave a reminder.

"Okay, I'll talk to Qi He first to see his attitude." Fang Zhuo thought about it for a while and smiled, "As for the executives' ideas, it's simple. YMS still needs people to promote it, but what about this board seat? , just don’t put it here, there is also Xu Keden in Silicon Valley.”

Xu Keden is the technical director. He either works in the Silicon Valley R\u0026D Center or the Shanghai R\u0026D Center. He has deep qualifications and no one can give a reason for joining the board of directors.

YMS has to work, and the power element can be withdrawn, and it can be mentioned again when there are achievements.

Yu Hong gave a thumbs up. Mr. Fang always knew how to get rid of the problem.

Five minutes later, Qi He, who came from Europe, walked into the president's office. He was a little surprised to see Mr. Yu, then greeted the two bosses and gave him a small gift - handmade chocolate from Italy.

"Look, you came here without notice. It's very embarrassing for Mr. Qi to take the gift. You can't break it in half and give it away." Fang Zhuo said with a smile, "Here, borrow flowers to offer to Mr. Yu."

Yu Hong took the chocolate knowingly and left the situation to Qi He who was debriefing.

The company is going to undergo structural changes recently. This is something that everyone in the middle and senior management knows. It is more important for Qi He to come back to report on his work this time. It is better not to gossip around.

Qi He breathed a sigh of relief. Before he could talk about his work in the European market, Mr. Fang handed over the documents.

He stepped forward to take it and took a look. It was the GMS that Google was promoting recently.

Android is open source, and Google has services. At the beginning of this year, Google officially bundled the two. Wherever there is Android, there must be GMS... except for China.

Qi He carefully flipped through the documents, read Google's business analysis, and noticed that there were instructions from Mr. Fang on them.

After reading it carefully, he sighed: "Google will definitely be a giant in the future."

"YMS will set up a business group on the same level as marketing and R\u0026D. I believe you have heard about it recently. In this way, you can write down YMS's business judgment and plan in the next two days, and then we will discuss our ideas." Fang Zhuo said.

Qi He thought for a few seconds, nodded, and put away the document.

Immediately, he talked about the development of the European market.

Due to the impact of the financial crisis, the European smartphone market in the first and second quarters was lower than expected, which further tested the company's operational capabilities.

Qi He talked eloquently and also talked about the situation of patent litigation.

To date, Nokia has withdrawn its lawsuit in the UK, but the French lawsuit is still in progress.

Qi He knew that the company's decision-making would ultimately be based on negotiations between the two parties, but he would indeed be affected by this in the French market.

Fang Zhuoduo listened, occasionally asked, and was generally satisfied with the young vice president.

After Qi He left, Fang Zhuo flipped through his report documents. After thinking for a while, he still called Liu Qiangdong and called back those who were on their way back from get off work.

The same is true in accordance with the law, and the treatment is the same. Look at Google first, and then give two days to talk about the company's YMS.

Fang Zhuo considered that his perception might be biased, and planned to expand the scope slightly this time, but the matter of director seats was not connected.

If it is because of this diligent pursuit and lack of in-depth thinking about business and strategy, it will not only be reduced points, but also the company's organizational structure will be adjusted soon.

Fang Zhuo is dealing with the internal situation of the company and is also thinking about whether to open an internal forum for more employees to speak out and listen to different voices.

As the company expands, its business and employees are growing rapidly every year. It is inevitable that there will be various problems. Rapid development will cover up and solve some problems, but some of them will still accumulate into internal causes.

On Sunday, it was time to make an appointment with angel investor Lei Jun.

This Sunday, SMIC originally invited director Fang Zhuo to attend a meeting. However, due to the de facto competitive relationship between Bingxin and SMIC, he had always avoided suspicion and was absent from meetings there. The same is true this time.

Lei Jun, who came back from an inspection tour in the United States, was still carrying a backpack like the last time we met, but this time he had an assistant by his side.

Fang Zhuo did not make an appointment with Hang Lung 23, but directly made an appointment with the "Happy Together" to go out to sea with Zhou Xin, an old fisherman.

The sea surface is sparkling, which is a beautiful sight.

Lei Jun heard about the origin of this yacht, and while sighing in his heart for the friendship between Mr. Zhang and Mr. Fang, he talked about his experience of this inspection.

He has already named this project "Mi Tuan", and naturally he is determined to start a business again.

Lei Jun spoke very sincerely. He firmly expressed his optimism for the Internet group buying model and talked openly about his desire to replicate Groupon in China.

Finally, he said with emotion: "Mr. Fang, this will be the last time I start a business in my life. This is the last time I will start a business after forty years of life."

Lei Jun was filled with emotions. When he turned around, Mr. Fang didn't seem to be touched at all.

Fang Zhuo saw him looking at him and asked, "What should I do if I fail?"

Lei Jun didn't want to answer this question. A forty-year-old man was just about to start over, so don't fail and fail, okay?

But you still have to answer.

During this inspection trip to the United States, he not only looked at Groupon, but also thought about how to do it if he wanted to do it.

You need money, people, and resources. I have some of these three aspects, but it is definitely not enough. I have had enough of the helpless days in Jinshan.

Therefore, Mr. Fang, the richest man in the mainland, became the first person to visit after returning to China.

Lei Jun hopes to impress Mr. Fang with the new group buying model and his own feelings.

He continued to brew his emotions for a while, and then said slowly: "If it really fails, if this time I devote myself to it and fail again, I will retire. At most, I will continue to be an investor."

"Dangdang doesn't need investors anymore." Fang Zhuo blinked and said with a smile, "Then how are you going to succeed?"

Lei Jun was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses and said sincerely: "I just want to learn from Mr. Fang and learn from Mr. Fang's way of taking advantage of the situation."

"Am I following the trend?" Fang Zhuo was a little surprised.

"When I look at Mr. Fang and see Mr. Fang running a business over the past few years, I feel particularly emotional. There are so many smart people and hard-working people. This is a prerequisite for success. Having these does not guarantee success. What is really important is The key is to find the outlet and follow the trend." Lei Jun said seriously, "Yike went from music player to smartphone, from one outlet to another."

"It seems that few people praise me for my diligence." Fang Zhuo said with a smile, not intending to include semiconductors in this topic.

"Many people praise me for my hard work, but I don't want to hear others say that about me." Lei Jun shook his head, "This is a common and easiest compliment to blurt out."

Fang Zhuo glanced at the waves on the sea: "I feel like I've walked from one crisis to another, and today, I'm looking forward to the next crisis. Mr. Lei, it's strange. I'm quite envious of you. I I think that when I retire in the future, I can easily become an investor and live a good life.”

Lei Jun did not hesitate to praise: "Fang always turns crises into opportunities. What Yike accomplished in this financial battle is the most awesome operation I have seen in so many years."

When Fang Zhuo saw that he was so praised, he accepted the praise from countless people.

"Mr. Lei is so determined to take advantage of the trend. I wonder what the trend of this group purchase is?" Fang Zhuo asked.

"E-commerce has cultivated consumers' awareness of using the Internet. There is enough offline demand to be leveraged. The group buying model is light enough. Groupon has proven that the direction is feasible." Lei Jun briefly summarized and added, "But I'm here to meet Mr. Fang. , I still want Mr. Fang’s endorsement.”

"What do you want me to endorse? Smartphones are still far less massive than PC users." Fang Zhuo said with a smile.

Lei Jun shook his head and said with some worry: "Just like Groupon's entrepreneurial team is not big and there is not much capital investment, the threshold for such a group buying model is not high. If you want to do it in the domestic market, you don't have to worry about demand issues, but competition issues. .”

"I think the current development of BAT is to enter when there is an opportunity. Both B and T have huge traffic and are trying to monetize. A itself is a platform for many merchants and is naturally in line with the group buying model. It is difficult for me to find people to do projects by myself. their."

Fang Zhuo asked in surprise: "Aren't you worried about Y? We also have Tesco."

"E-Gou is still consolidating its logistics and warehousing foundation, and will continue to invest heavy assets. It is not impossible to do group buying if you are distracted, but it is already the least likely among the four giants." Lei Jun said calmly, "I Seeing that Mr. Fang also noticed Groupon, but did not express it, I guess Mr. Fang is not very interested in this area."

“But if someone can verify its feasibility with a project, I believe Yike is willing to invest.”

"I want to follow the trend. The massive domestic market is the trend, seizing the opportunity is the trend, the giant Yike is the trend, and Mr. Fang is the biggest trend."

Lei Jun's eyes were bright, not dull and submissive like the last time they met.

Fang Zhuo pondered for a while and said, "Many people are afraid of Yi Kejiu occupying the magpie's nest. Mr. Lei is not afraid?"

"Afraid." Lei Jun nodded first, then shook his head, "As long as I fly fast enough this time, I believe I can fly high enough."

Fang Zhuo said regretfully: "What a pity, do you really not think that smartphones are a good business?"

"Smartphones are of course, but they are not suitable for me." Lei Jun felt a little strange and said firmly, "I believe I can use group buying to make a name for myself in China."

"Then do it first and see what it looks like." Fang Zhuo expressed his opinion, "If BAT really comes to an end, Yi Ke is also willing to continue to meet old friends in this field."

When Lei Jun heard Mr. Fang's voice in the sea breeze, he felt his mood surge like ocean waves.

There is a common problem in Internet entrepreneurship nowadays. What should you do if the track where your project is located is favored by Penguin?

Lei Jun believes that group buying may not only be an item that Penguins are interested in.

His answer was to find another giant with enough strength and a business leader with enough courage.

…

SMIC board of directors on Sunday.

This meeting was mainly to discuss the capital increase of shareholder Datang Telecom.

Last year, Datang Telecom acquired 15% of SMIC's shares for RMB 220 million and became the largest shareholder. This year, it wants to increase its stake to about 20% again, which will also ease SMIC's financial pressure.

At the beginning of the meeting, Gao Yonggang, the independent director appointed by Datang Telecom at SMIC, looked at the seats in the conference room and asked, "Isn't Mr. Fang coming today?"

"Mr. Fang has always been unable to get through." Zhou Jie from SMIC's second largest shareholder Shencheng Industrial said.

Gao Yonggang nodded. This was a customary question. After all, Mr. Fang was not only a director of SMIC, but also the head of Bingxin, the largest semiconductor company in China, with extraordinary influence.

He glanced at the vacant seats again, silently calculating in his mind that Mr. Fang didn't come, and Chairman Jiang was unwell and absent again today.

If it succeeds in continuing to increase its holdings this time, Datang Telecom may have the possibility to further control SMIC in the future.

Gao Yonggang thought about the instructions from the head of Datang Telecom and said: "Let's get started. This time, on behalf of Datang Telecom, I want to discuss the capital increase plan for the third quarter. What I have issued is a plan."

The sound of turning pages of documents sounded in the conference room.

Gao Yonggang looked at the directors who were concentrating on reading and took a breath. SMIC was short of money, so this time it was just taking advantage of the trend and waiting for more changes in the future.