Reinventing the Millennium

The visit of China Unicom Vice President Wu Yunjun was warmly received by Fang Zhuo.

Mr. Wu is actually the senior person in China Unicom who most strongly recommends cooperation with Yixin.

Therefore, Yixin must accelerate its development and strive to be worthy of his support.

Fang Zhuo took Mr. Wu to visit the Yikexin headquarters located at No. 333, Lujiazui Ring Road, where he had dinner with him and talked about our cooperation space.

During the dinner, Wu Yunjun also talked about China Unicom's research and development of instant messaging, and even took out his mobile phone to show Mr. Fang the trial software.

"Mr. Fang, can you give me some advice?"

Fang Zhuo played around for a while and found out that since Yixin emerged, many companies have been trying in this area, and everyone, including Penguin, has prioritized learning and success.

Therefore, China Unicom's communication software is not surprisingly similar to Yixin.

Fang Zhuo returned the phone to Mr. Wu and said with a smile: "Mr. Wu, I have mentioned several times that the mobile Internet is not only an extension of the Internet, but also a subversion. Do you think this is a big statement?"

Wu Yunjun replied: "Mr. Fang's words are very appropriate."

The head of Yike talks about disruption, innovation and development, which are all appropriate. If you change the person, it depends on who is speaking.

"Haha, whether it is appropriate or not depends on whether it is actually reflected in practice." Fang Zhuo pointed to the mobile phone on the table, "I just briefly tried China Unicom's software. It requires registration and filling in a password. This is not right."

Seeing that Mr. Fang said it seriously, Wu Yunjun thought about it and didn't think there was anything wrong. If he wanted to use it, wouldn't he have to register an account? How to use it without an account?

"Register, fill in the password, fill in the password, this set of procedures is very complete, everyone uses it on the PC." Fang Zhuo said with a smile, "But what is it like when we recruit new people like Yixin? Read the mobile phone number, send the verification code, and successfully log in to become a new user. This process only takes a few seconds at the fastest.”

Wu Yunjun was surprised.

"You can always log in like this, and you can also set the password yourself later." Fang Zhuo continued, "But this login and registration is to minimize the user's time and not give the user a chance to find it troublesome, which is not surprising. , but according to our observation, among similar software on the market, Penguin has now changed its method, and it only started doing so in May this year.”

"Right now, everyone is still used to transplanting the successful methods of PC, but now it can evolve further."

Wu Yunjun silently picked up the mobile phone on the table and tried the registration process himself. User name, mobile phone number, two passwords, three security questions... He also entered the wrong characters in the middle...

Two minutes later, he put down his phone and shook his head: "Mr. Fang's words are really thought-provoking. This is a fixed mindset. It is indeed something that everyone is accustomed to. This..."

Wu Yunjun felt suddenly enlightened through such a small example.

The mobile Internet needs to process user needs faster and be more user-friendly. In this aspect of attracting new users and registering, Yike has its own way, but I don’t know how much attention it needs to pay to other aspects.

He suddenly remembered the controversial Penguin exposure case.

If Penguin hadn't broken the news himself, who would have known that there was a third-party PR under the water helping Penguin handle software feedback?

This damn Yike can really get into any job.

That is to say, he can get any job, which is why Penguin is suppressed. But Penguin can search the public relations situation and can react and make improvements silently. On the other hand, China Unicom...

Wu Yunjun grew up from a young age to a big one, and once again fell into lack of confidence in his own products.

Having said that, this also proves that investing in Yixin is the right choice.

"Will Mr. Wu want China Unicom's software to be improved when he returns?" Fang Zhuo asked with a smile.

"It's just for advice, that is, we are just talking in private." Wu Yunjun expressed his attitude and added, "Mr. Fang gave a very good example. I will use this example to criticize them when we have a meeting at the end of the year."

Fang Zhuo immediately said: "Then I won't mention this on other occasions in the future."

Without mentioning it myself, this is Mr. Wu’s keen observation of products, which is further reflected in his thoughts on the subversive concept of mobile Internet.

"Mr. Fang, you, ah, you." Wu Yunjun's eyebrows turned into a color of love. Mr. Fang is a bit of a dog, but it is not unreasonable for him to succeed.

He toasted a glass of wine and said with a smile: "Mr. Fang, when the idea of ​​China Unicom's IM software is completely bankrupt after the year, we two still need to increase our cooperation and expand users for each other."

"Mr. Wu, Yixin has never had a revenue plan. We are just concentrating on comparing growth with Penguin." Fang Zhuo said seriously, "We have a win-win relationship. Yixin's first advertisement after this year will be for China Unicom." The location is China Unicom’s Yixin card, how about it?”

Unknowingly, Yixin has been online for a year, and even though the user base has reached 50 million, it has not received a single advertisement. Now it is about to hand it over to China Unicom for the first time. The attitude cannot be said to be insincere.

Of course, China Unicom must also be a limited "Easy Credit Card".

Wu Yunjun heard what Mr. Fang meant, and it was difficult not to repeat what he had just said: "Mr. Fang, you, you..."

"Mr. Wu, it's all in the wine." Fang Zhuo raised his glass cheerfully.

Wu Yunjun and Mr. Fang clinked glasses. If they can't wait for the wisdom of future generations to solve the problem, then they can use their own bets to achieve a win-win situation. Although Yi Xin must take the biggest portion, it is still a bit prescient.

The problems faced on this trip can be solved from another angle.

Yixin is indeed developing rapidly, but this is inevitable. It requires money, people, and parties. Now it requires user scale and user scale. Its rise has become inevitable.

The future is the era of mobile Internet, and China Unicom should actively respond to this trend and exert its influence correctly.

Wu Yunjun tried to put himself in a more suitable position, and he felt much more comfortable.

When he, the vice president of China Unicom, left with a tacit understanding, Fang Zhuo seemed to be greeted by Stringer, the head of Sony, who had greeted him in advance.

As the saying goes, if the mountain cannot be overcome, I will go over it.

Stringer had already made a call through Yu Hong, and also called himself, saying that he wanted to talk to Mr. Fang, the foreign director of Sony, to talk about friendship, but he still couldn't see anyone.

Therefore, this time, taking advantage of the meeting in Tokyo, he turned a corner and went straight to Shanghai.

Unlike Wu Yunjun, who kept a low profile, Stringer was a decent person, and this trip was much more prestigious. A group of people from Wuyang Wuyang, both Chinese and foreign, arrived at Hang Lung 23, as if they were here to discuss very formal business.

Fang Zhuo was quite happy to see his old friend.

Similarly, he also brought the old Jazz to No. 333, Lujiazui Ring Road, where even the dishes for lunch were kept intact.

Stringer is a person who pays great attention to his external image. He wears suits and leather shoes. He doesn't know how to pay attention to every aspect, but he looks very polished.

On the contrary, Fang Zhuo just picked up a white T-shirt when he went out in the morning.

Perhaps, we should be more serious when facing old friends.

Fang Zhuo had this thought in his mind.

"Mr. Fang, I haven't seen you for a long time. Your dressing sense has improved again." Stringer praised, "Since the first time I saw you today, I feel that you are more energetic than ever."

Fang Zhuo guessed that the old knight came to him to find a solution. Otherwise, would he still come here to visit his friends and have a heart-to-heart talk?

He smiled and said a few polite words, thinking about Sony's current situation.

In fact, according to the Q1, Q2 and first half fiscal year results announced by Sony, it has achieved a turnaround from the same period last year, with a profit of US$800 million in the first half of the fiscal year.

This is quite impressive for Sony, which suffered losses throughout last year.

It’s just that numbers are numbers.

Fang Zhuo had personally helped the old Jazz with his performance, so naturally he didn't believe in disclosing figures. What was more intuitive was the impatience he felt from Stringer.

Sure enough, after pleasantries, friendship, and two glasses of wine, Stringer still talked about Sony and his own predicament.

"Mr. Fang, it's not good. Sony's situation is very bad this year. The consumer electronics and film and television businesses are all losing money." Stringer's face has become solemn.

Fang Zhuo said directly: "I think Sony's half-year financial report seems pretty good."

"There are some profits from related companies." Stringer said vaguely.

He wanted to continue to be vague, but suddenly he saw Mr. Fang's eyes that seemed to be smiling but not smiling. Thinking that it was just the two of them in private today, he suddenly became straightforward: "Mr. Fang, Sony is completely defeated now. I don't know where to start. Come and do it.”

"Why did everything collapse? Then how will Sony deal with its year-end financial report?" Fang Zhuo asked in surprise.

Stringer was silent for a moment and said: "There was originally no problem with this year's financial report, but it may be inevitable to write off deferred tax assets in the second half of the year, and the financial report will be unreadable."

Financial reports can be sugar-coated, but they cannot be sugar-coated this year.

Fang Zhuo asked with encouraging eyes: "Is there expected to be a large loss this year?"

"Maybe more than 3 billion US dollars." Stringer gritted his teeth and said a number.

Fang Zhuo went through the data in his mind, oh, this is Sony's biggest loss in more than ten years.

How to evaluate it?

Has Sony's Western scientific management reform been shattered?

Stringer is embarrassed and deserves to step down?

Sony must be saved?

A series of thoughts ran through Fang Zhuo's mind, and he frowned and said, "Sir, you... it's too difficult for you."

To be honest, even if Sony's New York headquarters is sold, it will probably only cost about 1 billion US dollars.

——How will you spend the money from the sale of the New York headquarters?

——Pay off the debt first, and pay off the remaining debt slowly.

Now I'm afraid it's not just about financial reporting and reputation, but also about stabilizing cash flow.

Stringer sighed and admitted: "Sony is indeed facing a big challenge today. We should not have chosen Microsoft to cooperate with WM before. Sony should join the Android camp."

"Hey, Sir, let me tell you what you are good at!" Fang Zhuo felt a little sad.

He is not a person who does not take care of his friends, and has persuaded Stringer to join the Android camp several times.

However, Sony is superstitious about Microsoft's halo and insists on developing the WM system. As a result, it is now so depressed and defeated.

Who can blame this?

Do you blame Yike and Android for not giving you confidence at the beginning?

Looking back on the past, this is probably the summary.

Stringer was speechless.

Sony Ericsson was originally one of the top five mobile phone brands in the world, but its brand influence and market share have plummeted this year. Only Samsung has stepped up from its old brothers in the past.

And Samsung caught up with Android just in time.

All in all, it was earlier than Samsung that Mr. Fang persuaded him to work on Android together.

Stringer felt particularly uncomfortable.

But the pain became too much and I became numb. I came here specifically to find a solution.

Stringer feels that if this year continues like this, the business will definitely not be able to turn around next year, and he is afraid that he will enter the countdown to step down.

The biggest loss in fifteen years, how can I afford this reputation...

He spoke slowly: "Mr. Fang, the market potential of Sony sensors is huge."

Sony previously spun off its sensor department, established a subsidiary, and conducted a joint venture for a production line in Shanghai. Now it has initially obtained verification and returns.

This production line is Bingxin's Shencheng No. 3 factory. At first, Bingxin owned 50% + 1 share to operate the wafer factory. Later, in order to help Stringer, the shareholding ratio was increased to 70%.

Over the past year or so, as Yike Mobile has taken the lead in imaging, the production capacity of Shanghai Factory No. 3 has been continuously improved, and the future prospects have been clearly revealed.

Sony's technology and R\u0026D in this area are still very strong.

"Sony plans to sell out all the shares in Shanghai No. 3 Factory?" Fang Zhuo was not surprised to hear the intention of selling out.

The process of the third factory is actually not the most advanced. The current production line is 65nm. Even if Sony sells the remaining 30% of its shares, it can be exchanged for hundreds of millions of dollars.

Since Stringer has opened his mouth to sell himself, there is nothing to be embarrassed about: "The technology of Sony Sensors, a subsidiary of the company, has been verified in Shanghai Factory No. 3. In view of the huge market for smartphones in the future, it is necessary for sensor companies to raise funds for this part. The raised money can increase investment in research and development and further establish our leading edge.”

Instead of selling shares in the production line, we are selling shares in the sensor subsidiary!

Sony→Sony Sensor→Shanghai No.3 Factory.

Sony has a technical laboratory in Shanghai that cooperates with Ice Core. Many employees of the third factory are also engineers transferred from the Tokyo factory, but the sensors belong to a wholly-owned subsidiary.

Fang Zhuo couldn't help but licked his lips, raised his glass and took a sip, and said thoughtfully: "Sir, the Sony sensor is indeed of great value, but I'm afraid there will be some rebellious sound if you handle it this way."

Sony sensors were originally used for cameras and were not core in mobile phones. However, after verification, they quickly became a highlight of Sony and naturally attracted attention.

Judging from the growth of smartphones, it will receive increasing attention.

Selling shares of core technology companies just to whitewash financial reports will inevitably lead to a rebound.

"Don't sensor companies need to develop? Yike is the best smartphone brand in the world today. This is the strong alliance between Sony and Yike." Stringer said seriously, "Not only sensors, Sony also hopes to develop in Android smartphones." There was a lot of cooperation on board to reverse the wrong direction we had taken."

Sony is moving from Microsoft WM to the Android camp.

Sensors are one of those collaborations.

Stringer added: "The board's decision will definitely be passed."

Sony's Western scientific management reforms are fruitful. Except for Stringer, the head of the company, the direction of the board of directors is under his control.

Fang Zhuo raised the wine glass and couldn't be more sincere: "Sir, Yi Ke will do his best to help Sony. I will always remember the help Jazz gave me."

Stringer breathed a sigh of relief. The sensor is indeed a good thing, so let’s develop it together. Just like Android is an inclusive and open camp, Sony cannot rest on its laurels.

Complacency will only harm Sony, and mutual help is the prerequisite for success.