The business in Modu concluded, and Wang Yi officially returned to the Imperial Capital.
As for buying a house, Wang Yi was too lazy to handle it himself and directly handed it over to his subordinates.
After his subordinates negotiated several good housing options and sent them to Wang Yi, Wang Yi would make the final decision.
Furthermore, with purchasing restrictions in Modu, it could only be bought in the company's name, so Wang Yi didn't need to worry about the subsequent procedures.
Next time he went to Modu, he could move in directly with just his bags.
On the way, Wang Yi received a call from Song Sining:
"Chairman, the Management Committee will hold another tripartite discussion on the 15th, inviting us to attend. This time, it's said that senior officials from Jizhou, Dao City, and even the province will be present. It seems they want to make a final decision and directly settle the layout plan for the three major factories. Would you like to attend in person?"
"Settle directly? Is there news from the provincial level?"
Wang Yi was a little surprised.
Xingyi Technology's four major factories, the mobile phone factory was located in Jizhou, and the subsequent tablet factory, smart TV factory, and smart home factory were all originally planned for Jizhou.
Later, due to Dao City joining the competition, it hadn't been decided how to divide them.
The various parties had discussed it several times before but had never reached an agreement.
Now that the province had made up its mind, it seemed they wanted to quickly finalize the matter.
After all, if it kept dragging on, it would delay factory construction and production.
If Wang Yi turned to build factories in other provinces, they would have nowhere to cry.
Song Sining nodded:
"Yes, Director Hong's intention is that. Do you want to attend in person?"
Wang Yi thought for a moment and then refused:
"No need, you can attend on my behalf as the President."
"Okay."
After some hesitation, Song Sining said,
"Then, regarding how to allocate the factories, if they don't ask, I won't express any opinion and let them figure it out themselves."
"Good, we shouldn't overstep our authority in such matters."
Companies can offer suggestions to initiate discussion, but actually making decisions for the authorities would be courting disaster, and Wang Yi wouldn't be so reckless.
"What if they ask for my thoughts, what should I say?"
Song Sining changed the subject.
"If they really ask you, just say, 'It would be better to allocate them reasonably based on the current industrial layout of the two cities, to facilitate resource integration.'"
Wang Yi smiled:
"Just saying that one sentence is enough, no need to say more."
There was nothing he could do; the twin cities were vying for Wang Yi to build factories, a proper clash of "immortals."
Wang Yi was just a small entrepreneur; it was better to keep a low profile.
"The Chairman is wise, that's excellent."
Song Sining beamed with joy.
She also knew that in such a high-stakes competition, it was best not to offend either side, and for Wang Yi not to appear in person.
And if she only made one suggestion, there wouldn't be any problem.
As for the final outcome, it would depend on the province's decision.
But no matter what, this matter would be implemented as soon as possible and would not be delayed further.
It was also a great piece of good news.
Subsequently, Wang Yi called Chen Chuanqing again to inquire about the Jiangzhe clothing factory.
That side was also being eagerly sought after by several cities, and had not yet found a home!
It was truly delaying things; Wang Yi was a bit helpless.
Sometimes, being too popular isn't a good thing either.
However, once the province quickly made its decision, Jiangzhe would probably also finalize things quickly.
Everything fears comparison.
At the same time, Baidu Headquarters.
The efficient secretary presented a stack of detailed reports:
"Chairman, these are the revenue and profit reports for various departments in early December. Please review them."
"Okay."
Li Yan took the reports and read them one by one.
Baidu was a large company with many departments, so it was impossible for Li Yan to keep track of everything daily.
But every ten days, he would review the revenue performance of all departments to keep abreast of their development.
Some things are only truly understood when seen in person.
Relying solely on reports from department heads inevitably leads to good news being reported while bad news is concealed, obscuring the truth.
"The search engine business is developing well, with steady revenue growth recently. Excellent."
Li Yan was in a good mood:
"Baidu Maps' user growth is also good. Continue to increase investment. Relying on Baidu's funds and resources, we must spend money to snatch Amap's users and merchant services. It's only a matter of time before we kill Amap."
"Regarding audio and video..."
The smile on Li Yan's face suddenly turned grim:
"iQiyi's revenue in early December, compared to early November, actually dropped by 52%! How could this happen?"
In January 2010, Baidu was to establish an independent video platform, launching iQiyi, which was controlled by Baidu!
Of course, iQiyi's technology, algorithms, resources, traffic, and so on, were all provided by Baidu.
To put it plainly, iQiyi was a subsidiary of Baidu.
"Chairman, it's the impact of Xingyi Video."
The secretary explained:
"Xingyi Video offers free memberships upon check-in, causing many iQiyi members to stop renewing and switch to the free Xingyi Video. Our iQiyi's new member revenue and renewal member revenue both sharply declined this month!"
Li Yan's mouth twitched: "..."
The secretary continued:
"Also, non-member users have to watch a 90-second ad before watching videos on iQiyi. But if they go to Xingyi Video, they get a membership just by checking in, can skip ads directly, and can watch member-exclusive content. This led to a sharp decrease in iQiyi's active users in December, and ad revenue also plummeted, as it's all based on clicks..."
"So that's it!"
Li Yan frowned slightly, but was still curious:
"I'm puzzled, isn't Xingyi Video just starting out? Even if they give away memberships for checking in, how many film and TV resources can they have? Can they compare with our iQiyi?"
In Li Yan's view, among current video platforms, Youku was strong and ranked first.
Sohu and LeTV, old giants, also had considerable strength.
Although iQiyi had only been established for two years, backed by Baidu and boosted by search engine traffic, it had also developed rapidly.
Other platforms were even worse!
Even Tencent Video, only half a year old, lagged far behind iQiyi in terms of film and TV resources and was not a concern.
The nascent Xingyi Video was even less worth mentioning; how could it possibly threaten iQiyi?
"Chairman, logically speaking, Xingyi Video's film and TV resources cannot compare with ours, but Chairman Wang is too willing to spend money. He spent 300 million yuan right away to buy a series of classic video copyrights. Many are the most classic types, making Xingyi Video's current film and TV resources exceptionally rich!"
Li Yan was silent: "..."
After a long time, he sighed:
"They haven't even started making money and have already spent 300 million to buy copyrights. They're a damn nouveau riche! Industry scum! Messing things up!"
The more Li Yan thought about it, the angrier he got:
"But no matter how rich Xingyi Video's resources are, can they be richer than our iQiyi's?"
The secretary sighed, quite helpless:
"Although I don't want to admit it, they are indeed a bit richer than our iQiyi. 80% of the shows available on iQiyi can also be watched on Xingyi Video. Of the shows available on Xingyi Video, our iQiyi only has 50%."
"No wonder users all ran away, it turns out Xingyi Video has more powerful film and TV resources!"
Li Yan was convinced:
"Richer resources + free memberships for check-ins, then it's over. Who will pay for an iQiyi membership in the future? Just check in on Xingyi Video! This is messing things up! Destroying the market! How long will their free membership for check-in event last?"
"The Android and web versions last for one month and will stop at the end of the month. The iOS and PC versions of the Xingyi Video APP have not yet been launched."
"I see."
Li Yan nodded, having a plan in mind:
"Giving away memberships only for a month is fine, but the impact is still terrifying. Get me the head of iQiyi! His performance has plummeted to such a pathetic state, yet he still reports good news and hides the bad!"
Li Yan pulled out Sun Yu's performance report, his mouth twitching:
"Look at this nonsense he wrote? 'In early December, iQiyi surged forward, surpassing LeTV, PPS, and a host of other competitors!'"
The secretary also fell silent: "..."
He thought to himself:
'As expected of President Sun, he didn't mention the 52% revenue decline in December at all, instead claiming to have surpassed LeTV and PPS and surged forward! Yes, LeTV and PPS declined even more severely, dropping by 60%-70%!'
As expected of President Gong, his wordplay is truly clever!
A talent!
Seeing Li Yan about to explode in anger, the secretary decisively withdrew and called Sun Yu.
iQiyi had just been established, and its headquarters were still in the Imperial Capital, very close to Baidu.
In its previous life, it was only after iQiyi went public that it had its own industrial park and commercial buildings in Modu.
Soon, Sun Yu nervously came to the chairman's office, feeling very unsure.
If the Chairman was looking for him, it was probably not good news!
Indeed, as soon as he entered, Li Yan slammed the table!
"Sun Yu, look at the great job you've done!"
"iQiyi's revenue dropped by 52% month-on-month, and you tell me it surpassed LeTV and PPS, surging forward!"
"You are truly a talent!"
Sun Yu was uneasy and felt wronged:
"Chairman, there's nothing I can do. That Wang Yi fellow doesn't play by the rules, directly giving away free memberships for check-ins. All major video platforms suffered heavy losses. Our iQiyi is actually doing okay."
"Doing okay?"
Li Yan was so angry he laughed:
"Yes, our competitors dropped by 60%, 70%, and we only dropped by 52%. That looks good! Should I praise you, President Sun, for your excellent leadership? And give you an extra million-yuan year-end bonus?"
Sun Yu's face turned ashen: "..."
"Since when do we only compare performance with the bad ones? Why not with the good ones? You only compare with LeTV and PPS. Why don't you compare with Xingyi Video? Why not with Youku?"
Sun Yu was speechless: "..."
Seeing Li Yan about to continue scolding him, Sun Yu's eyes darted, and he decisively began to complain:
"Chairman, it's not that I don't compare with Youku and Xingyi Video, the problem is we can't beat them!"
"Those two, one started the earliest, is the domestic video leader, a huge enterprise. The other is wealthy and powerful, backed by Chairman Wang, and has no principles! What can I do? I'm suffering too!"
Facing Xingyi Video's move to give away memberships for check-ins, it wasn't that Sun Yu hadn't thought of taking action, the problem was he simply couldn't compete!
Xingyi Video had richer resources than iQiyi and also offered free memberships for check-ins!
How could they fight this?
They couldn't!
It wasn't that he was incompetent, but that the opponent was too strong!
And in this situation, if he didn't complain and seize the opportunity to ask for resources, being scolded for nothing would be truly unfair!
With this in mind, Sun Yu decisively complained:
"Chairman, if you give me financial support, I'll also launch a check-in for free membership event. Wang Yi gives one month, I'll give three months, and we'll definitely crush Xingyi Video!"
Li Yan's mouth twitched: "..."
What nonsense was he talking about?
If you give away three months, will I still make money?
But after this series of complaints, he also saw Sun Yu's predicament, and his tone softened a bit:
"We'll talk about this later. First, tell me, how do you plan to counterattack? It needs to be reliable and practical, no 'three months of free membership' nonsense, that's not realistic!"
Sun Yu beamed with joy, that was exactly what he was waiting for!
"Chairman, I've carefully compared both sides' resources, and currently iQiyi's film and TV library actually lags behind Xingyi Video! We need to increase investment and purchase more classic film and TV resources to catch up with Xingyi Video."
Sun Yu continued:
"Then, we need to further increase investment, snap up more new dramas and exclusive dramas, preferably securing all the exclusive dramas that are likely to be popular next year. This way, iQiyi can stand out and surpass Xingyi Video, LeTV, Sohu, and even Youku!"
Li Yan understood now; this guy's two strategies boiled down to one core: buying copyrights!
To put it plainly, he wanted money!
Sun Yu had raised this issue before, asking for more funds to buy copyrights, but Li Yan had refused.
There was nothing he could do; even though Baidu was a large company with vast resources, it also had many areas where it spent a lot of money.
To say nothing else, Baidu Maps has been burning money since its development, completely operating at a loss.
But to "burn to death" Amap, Baidu had to keep spending.
Thus, iQiyi's budget was significantly reduced.
But with Xingyi Video making such a big splash, he couldn't be stingy.
"Alright, I'll give you another 100 million to buy film and TV resources!"
"Only 100 million!"
Sun Yu's mouth twitched:
"Chairman, Xingyi Video spent 300 million on classic old dramas and another 200 million on next year's exclusive new dramas. You're only giving me 100 million!"
Li Yan was momentarily speechless:
"200 million! That's it! Tell me other methods. If everything has to be solved by spending money, what use are you senior executives?"
"200 million, good!"
Sun Yu beamed with joy.
Fortunately for Wang Yi, he had an extra 200 million in budget:
"Chairman, I've thought about this. Currently, Xingyi Video only has an Android client; its largest user base is actually on the web! For example, iOS users and PC users who don't have the Xingyi Video APP, if they want to watch Xingyi Video, they all use Baidu to search for the Xingyi Video web version. Their web version also has a check-in for free membership event!"
Li Yan understood:
"You mean to restrict keywords for Xingyi Video website on Baidu's search engine? Push its ranking to the back?"
"Exactly!"
Sun Yu nodded:
"Not only should we restrict Xingyi Video's keywords and lower its ranking, but we should also link iQiyi to it. In the future, whoever searches for Xingyi Video, iQiyi should appear first! Xingyi Video website should be at the very end! It would be best to directly block it. As for the reason, just say it's suspected of having sensitive issues and access is not recommended!"
Li Yan was silent: "..."
He really wanted to say that this kid was truly shameless.
But, it seemed very effective.
As Sun Yu said, currently, Android users of Xingyi Video only accounted for one-third; the majority were still web users!
And most web users searched for Xingyi Video on Baidu and then jumped to it.
As long as the keyword 'Xingyi Video' was restricted, it could prevent user access to a certain extent.
If it were directly blocked, that would be even more perfect!
If 'Xingyi Video' couldn't even be searched for, how many new users could the Xingyi Video web version gain?
And relying solely on the Android client, how much volume could it generate?
Currently, the number of smartphones was not large, and their screens were small, making watching dramas unpleasant.
The main way to follow dramas was still through PC web pages!
In those days, there were over a dozen video platforms, and not many people downloaded video clients.
No other reason, clients constantly needed updates, and with so many platforms, nothing was as convenient as the web version.
"Okay, your suggestion is good. I'll have the search engine department restrict and block Xingyi Video immediately!"
Li Yan made a decisive decision, and the reason would be as Sun Yu suggested:
'Suspected risk, restricted access!'
Although this kind of behavior was undignified, it was effective.
Internet platforms restricting, blocking, and suppressing each other was not a new phenomenon.
After all, cross-linking theft and mutual uninstallation existed!
The current 3Q War was also in full swing!
Sun Yu beamed with joy:
"Chairman is wise. I will immediately go on a massive acquisition of exclusive copyrights. This way, Baidu will block Xingyi Video, cutting off its development. iQiyi will then use a large number of high-quality exclusive dramas to win back Xingyi Video's existing users, destroying its current foundation. With these two prongs, Xingyi Video will be completely finished."
"Very good, get it done as soon as possible! Video platforms are one of Baidu's core strategic layouts, and there must be no problems."
Li Yan sneered:
"His H.265 technology is good. Once we've crushed Xingyi Video, we'll acquire it directly!"
"Yes!"
Baidu acted quickly.
Ten minutes later, when users searched for 'Xingyi Video' again, the first result displayed was 'iQiyi Video Website'!
Following that were a bunch of pirated video websites and some news about Xingyi Video.
It wasn't until the second page, in an inconspicuous spot, that 'Xingyi Video Website' appeared.
But most users didn't have that patience.
If they couldn't find it with one search, they would probably give up, especially new users!
And some people who flipped to the second page and found 'Xingyi Video Website', tried to open it, only to find a message saying it was suspected of containing sensitive content and access was restricted...
They had no choice but to give up.
It could be said that Baidu directly blocked Xingyi Video (website)!
This incident quickly caused an uproar.
Immediately, people went to Tieba to post and complain about it.
But soon, these posts were quickly deleted!
Helpless, many netizens could only post on channels like Weibo and Meiyou.
For a while, public opinion completely exploded on Meiyou Social Square:
"Sisters, my xphone 1 hasn't arrived yet, so I can only watch Xingyi Video on my PC web browser. Why can't I search for it anymore?"
"Yeah, I can't find it either!"
"I search for 'Xingyi Video,' and it recommends 'iQiyi' to me."
"So it's like this for everyone. I scrolled through three full pages of search results and still didn't see 'Xingyi Video Website'!"
"Damn, I searched for five minutes and finally found it, but Baidu prompted that the website was suspected of containing sensitive resources and access was forbidden!"
"What the hell is Baidu doing? Are they trying to block Xingyi Video?"
"Exactly, that's what it is. I switched to 360 Browser and could find Xingyi Video website."
"QQ Browser also works fine."
"Sogou works too!"
"It's confirmed, Baidu is blocking Xingyi Video website. Why?"
"Why else? Baidu is iQiyi's major shareholder, holding 70% of the shares. Of course, they don't want Xingyi Video to grow big."
"Damn, Baidu's behavior is too ugly, isn't it?"
"Exactly, garbage! Openly blocking Xingyi Video like this, I won't use Baidu anymore, I'm switching to QQ Browser."
"I'm switching to Sogou, not using Baidu anymore anyway."
"Baidu is just jealous because Xingyi Video is so generous with free memberships."
"Hmph, with them doing this, I'm even more determined to get a Xingyi Video membership."
"Exactly, previously iQiyi member, from now on Xingyi Video annual member."
"Kuai Bo is still the best, it has everything."
"Kuai Bo is useless, it doesn't have 'Xia Lan'!"
"Right, 'Xia Lan' has aired four episodes, and Kuai Bo has no resources."
"Chairman Wang already gives everyone free memberships, so watching pirated content is immoral, right!"
"Haha, true, to give us the best experience, Chairman Wang spent 20 million to reboot 'Xia Lan'. I really should support it."
"Abandon Baidu, support Xingyi Video!"
"Abandon Baidu, support Xingyi Video!"
...
Wang Yi had just returned to the company and was changing clothes when Jian Ziyan rushed in, coincidentally seeing Wang Yi bare-chested:
"Chairman, you..."
Wang Yi: "..."
"Cough cough, I didn't see anything!"
Saying that, Jian Ziyan blushed and backed out.
Wang Yi was speechless.
In his apartment in the science park, he was usually undisturbed, so he didn't have the habit of locking the door.
Wu Shuang and Jian Ziyan would always knock when they came!
This time, Jian Ziyan just rushed straight in!
How reckless!
Luckily it was just his upper body; if his lower body had been exposed too, that would have been a huge loss!
Wang Yi changed his clothes and went to the first floor.
Jian Ziyan stood in the living room, so embarrassed she was curling her toes:
"Chairman, I... I... I didn't see anything."
In the room next door, Wu Shuang's eyes lit up, watching the scene with great interest:
"What did you see? There's gossip! Big gossip!"
Wang Yi was utterly speechless and said indifferently,
"What happened? Why the rush?"
"It's like this, Chairman, Baidu blocked our 'Xingyi Video,' saying it's suspected of having sensitive content and restricting access!"
Wang Yi: "..."
"Damn, I was worried about BAT taking action, but I didn't expect it to come so quickly!"
Wang Yi was utterly speechless:
"And when they struck, it was in such a decisive way. Striking a snake where it's most vulnerable, their attack was truly precise!"
"Yes, Chairman. Our Xingyi Video has only launched an Android APP; other platforms are still primarily web-based. Now that Baidu has blocked us, it will definitely have a huge impact!"
Jian Ziyan pulled out an iPad and brought up some data:
"Chairman, look, the number of new Xingyi Video users in the last hour has decreased by 40% compared to the hour before! The web version has decreased by 80%!"
"Baidu is truly ruthless!"
Wang Yi sighed.
Currently, Baidu was still the most used search engine in China.
The other few combined, even multiplied by two, were not as big as Baidu alone.
Now with Baidu's block, they instantly lost half their territory.
Fortunately, after being blocked, some people would still choose to switch to other browsers and continue searching.
But many others, upon seeing no search results, simply gave up!
This brought a tremendous impact to Xingyi Video.
No wonder Jian Ziyan was so impulsive; it turned out such a big incident had occurred!
"Chairman, how do we respond? Baidu's block has too great an impact."
Jian Ziyan couldn't help but say.
"Don't rush, everything has two sides, and we need to think carefully about how to respond!"
Wang Yi spoke calmly, first opening the refrigerator, taking out two cans of iced cola, and handing one to Jian Ziyan.
Then he opened another can for himself, drinking it while falling into thought:
"Ziyan, what do you think we should do now?"
Jian Ziyan was already prepared:
"Launch the iOS and PC versions of Xingyi Video APP as soon as possible. This way, even if Baidu blocks the web version, users can download the APP!"
Wang Yi waved his hand:
"You're half right. Launching the client as soon as possible can indeed reduce the impact, but it will still be affected. If Baidu can block Xingyi Video website, it can naturally also block downloads of the Xingyi Video app!"
"Right, currently, netizens still prefer to use Baidu to search for and download apps... This... sigh!"
Jian Ziyan also fell silent.
Baidu controlled the search engine, making it virtually invincible, doing whatever it pleased!
Blocking Xingyi Video was simply too easy.
"Then what should we do?"
"Simple, the APP needs to be developed, but public opinion also matters!"
Wang Yi smiled slightly:
"Since Baidu is asking for trouble, let's send them to their doom!"
"Ziyan, immediately arrange for trending topics, expose this matter fully! Do they really think they can do whatever they want just because they control the search engine? What a joke!"
"The more such a platform, the easier it is to fall! Remember, users are the foundation!"
"Okay!"
Jian Ziyan agreed.
"Also, how many people have been recruited for browser development? What's the progress?"
The people Wang Yi had Jian Ziyan recruit included talent for AI voice assistants, AI algorithms, big data, and search engines, among others!
"We've recruited some. Currently, the X search engine is under development, but it will still take some time. After all, a search engine is not built in a day, especially the establishment of its database!"
Wang Yi nodded:
"Good, continue recruiting, headhunting, and get it up and running as soon as possible! Whether it's public opinion or launching the Xingyi Video APP, these are all temporary solutions, not getting to the root of the problem. Building our own search engine and overturning Baidu is the way out!"
"Okay, Chairman."
"Furthermore, since Baidu has lost all face, we don't need to show any mercy either. Have the HR department step in, throw money, and poach all of Baidu's core search engine executives, experts, and elites. No need for excessive salaries, just 1.5 times Baidu's current pay! Poach everyone we can! Damn it, let's empty out Baidu first! For those we can't poach, we'll force Baidu to raise salaries by 50%, increasing their costs!"
"Okay! Chairman, I'll arrange it right away!"
Jian Ziyan acted quickly, immediately arranging for people to handle it.
Wang Yi thought for a moment, then dialed Song Sining's number again:
"Chairman, about Baidu blocking us..."
"It's fine, I'll handle this. But we need to start building our own data center!"
Currently, Xingyi Technology was leasing servers.
But once businesses like search, AI voice assistant, and AI customer service go online, along with Xingyi Video and Xingyi Music, all will require servers.
Constantly leasing means cost is one aspect, and insecurity is another.
It's better to build our own servers directly!
Now that Baidu has declared war, it's an all-out war.
Baidu thought it was just a simple battle between iQiyi and Xingyi Video, but Wang Yi was preparing to launch a full-scale attack on Baidu in areas such as search engines, cloud services, social media, and even maps!
Baidu thought it was a BAT giant, thought Xingyi Technology was an emerging enterprise, thought Wang Yi was easy to control, and that blocking them would be the end of it.
Then they were gravely mistaken!
If it were another company, being blocked and suppressed by Baidu, they might be helpless, even forced to sell themselves to survive.
But Wang Yi was different; not only would he not compromise, he would launch a full-scale offensive!
(End of Chapter)