After coming out of the teahouse, Wang Tao's mind was filled with Chen Pingjiang's words, "change the world."
This phrase had an exceptionally powerful impact on a tech enthusiast like him.
If it weren't for his extraordinary passion for technology, why would Wang Tao drop out of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in his third year?
"Teacher Zhu, I feel that we will definitely succeed this time. Integrated aerial photography drones are a good direction. Now we have people, money, a venue, and a factory, so there's no reason we can't make it happen."
Zhu Xiaorui also nodded:
"When I first saw some news about CEO Chen, I thought he was no different from other internet entrepreneurs, just another profit-driven person. After talking with him today, I realized I was completely wrong. This kind of patriotic and public-spirited sentiment is something I've never seen before."
Guo Jia also smiled:
"I say, you two, stop dawdling. Go back soon and share the good news with your colleagues. After that, you still need to pack and book flight tickets."
"Right, right, hurry back. We can have dinner together tonight."
On the other end, Bu Housheng and Chen Pingjiang were walking on the road.
"CEO Chen, I'm a bit unsure about your investment style. What criteria should I use when investing in high-tech companies like this in the future?"
Chen Pingjiang would often raise valuations by dozens of times to make a big gamble, which left him perplexed.
To this, Chen Pingjiang could only spread his hands:
"You should still follow your own style. I operate purely on intuition; I invest in people."
"What about Kuaibo?"
"Kuaibo is different. Renrenwang's next step is to lay out its entertainment industry strategy, and Kuaibo, as a leading player in the industry, can easily transition into a streaming video platform."
Is Wang Xin a person worth investing in?
Chen Pingjiang thought he should be.
Putting aside everything else, domestic otaku all owe Kuaibo a word of thanks.
It was its companionship through so many happy times that introduced many "teachers" to everyone in that information-scarce era.
"If Kuaibo were still around, other players would have nothing to do."
This was not a joke, but an objective statement of Kuaibo's industry position.
Kuaibo's advantage lay in integrating different playback engines, applying P2P technology, and supporting mainstream audio and video formats like MKV, RMVB, and WMV.
Furthermore, Kuaibo allowed users to watch videos while downloading, eliminating waiting, which was almost a "dimension-reduction strike" against other video playback websites.
Due to its fast, efficient, and free features, almost all computers with internet access at the time had Kuaibo installed.
Kuaibo had an extremely high penetration rate among domestic users, once reaching 70%.
During its heyday, its users numbered in the hundreds of millions.
Specifically, by the end of 2012, Kuaibo announced that its user base had exceeded 200 million, with 120 million active users and 150 million daily online views.
In 2013, Kuaibo's user count reached 300 million, making it one of the most popular video sharing platforms in China at the time.
At that point, China's internet user population had just surpassed 500 million, meaning Kuaibo's user base was equivalent to the combined total of its video playback competitors.
There were some inevitable factors in the outcome for Kuaibo and Wang Xin.
Ignoring copyright was a wrong path, and the matter of "adult content" is open to different interpretations.
It stepped on many people's toes, and with no one protecting it, misfortune was inevitable.
In other words, even if Kuaibo was at fault, its crime was not punishable by death.
In the era of rampant growth for internet industries like live streaming, many companies operated in gray areas.
Kuaibo was not the only one accused of involvement with adult content; others faced delisting or fines, but only Wang Xin went to prison.
To some extent, Wang Xin is deserving of sympathy.
Otherwise, after his release from prison, so many business magnates wouldn't have strongly supported him, offering both personnel and funds.
When he saw Wang Xin, Chen Pingjiang couldn't help but notice that most of these internet magnates wore glasses, with very few not wearing them.
A standard programmer's attire.
After seeing Chen Pingjiang, Wang Xin appeared a bit reserved; he couldn't quite grasp Chen Pingjiang's background.
The current Wang Xin was not yet prominent enough to be remembered by the world.
From a broader perspective, Wang Xin was remembered by the public for his eloquent defense and technical explanations in court in 2016.
His famous quote, "Hooking up couldn't have made Momo what it is today, just as counterfeit goods couldn't have made Taobao what it is today," still circulates online.
That was the first time in domestic history an internet-related case was live-streamed.
From January 7th to 8th, 2016, 20 hours of the trial were broadcast live, with 40,000 people simultaneously online, and over 1 million views.
What programmers remembered most was Wang Xin's argument in court that "technology is innocent."
The "principle of technological neutrality," a consensus within small circles, gradually entered the public eye.
"CEO Wang, I've long admired your reputation,"
Chen Pingjiang said with a smile.
Wang Xin even thought for a moment that he had misheard, or that Chen Pingjiang was mocking him.
Compared to Chen Pingjiang, what great reputation did he have?
Seeing the curious expression on Wang Xin's face, Chen Pingjiang continued:
"Graduating from vocational school and bringing Kuaibo to such heights through your obsession with technology, I truly admire that."
"Oh, it's nothing. I wonder what CEO Chen wants to talk about with me?"
"Just a chat."
"Just a chat?"
Wang Xin was stunned.
You, a big boss, traveled thousands of miles to Shenzhen just to chat with me?
You must have too much free time.
The moment he opened his mouth, Chen Pingjiang spoke startling words:
"CEO Wang, you currently have one foot almost in prison. If we don't talk now, you might be in there in a few years."
Wang Xin's heart skipped a beat.
After all, Chen Pingjiang's influence far surpassed his.
But then he thought, he hadn't really done anything wrong.
"CEO Chen, what do you mean?"
If an ordinary person had said that, Wang Xin might have slapped them.
"Kuaibo has two major original sins: pornography and copyright. If you insist on running wild down this path, you'll stumble sooner or later."
Hearing this, Wang Xin breathed a sigh of relief:
"I thought it was something serious, you scared me. If it's just that, CEO Chen, aren't you being a bit alarmist? Essentially, Kuaibo is just a platform; the content is all uploaded by users and has nothing to do with us. By the same logic, users choose what content they want to watch. Isn't Taobao full of fake goods and high imitations? Are they going to arrest and sentence Lao Ma?"
Indeed, Wang Xin was the kind of person who wouldn't give up until he hit a wall.
It was precisely this personality that would eventually lead him to "tread the sewing machine."
In contrast, his competitors were much smarter.
Before Kuaibo's incident, its counterparts had already taken action.
Xunlei had thoroughly purged resources involving pornography and copyright disputes before its IPO in 2013.
Baidu Video completely shut down its P2P (peer-to-peer) function after receiving a 250,000 fine.
Only Kuaibo was still charging ahead, like a stubborn ox that couldn't be reined in.
Chen Pingjiang toyed with the lighter in his hand and scoffed:
"Are these words just for you to comfort yourself? If you say this to the prosecutor and the judge, who will listen to you? In the era of wild growth for the internet, everyone could explore gray areas. But once everything needs to become regularized, do you believe you'll be the one to stick out?
You can certainly say Kuaibo is just a platform, but platforms also have a responsibility to regulate. Just like my Renrenwang and Weibo, if someone posts false, untrue, or even sensitive adult content on social media, should I just let it be?"
"Don't use the 'platform theory' to defend yourself. Kuaibo's rapid development relied on gray industries. Kuaibo and 'small movies' were mutually dependent. Kuaibo relied on 'small movies' to quickly seize the market, while 'small movies' experienced a golden age thanks to Kuaibo."
Wang Xin found it hard to argue against Chen Pingjiang, because Chen Pingjiang was speaking blunt truths that he couldn't avoid.
After much thought, Wang Xin blurted out,
"But technology is innocent."
Chen Pingjiang shook his head with a smile:
"You know what? That statement of yours is itself meaningless nonsense. Of course technology is innocent; do you need to emphasize it? No technology or science can be guilty, that's common sense. The only difference lies in whether you have subjective actions.
Let me ask you, did you not know that Kuaibo was used to watch 'small movies'? You obviously knew, and not only did you know, you condoned it, quietly extracting benefits from it. What's more, not only do you know, your servers might even contain them."
"Baidu Search is plastered with advertisements for the Putian hospital network. Can Baidu also claim they are just providing a platform? Clone embryo technology itself is innocent, but if someone clones a real human being, that violates ethics."
The resounding words left Wang Xin a bit dazed.
The hand holding his water cup began to tremble slightly, and the water in the cup rippled due to the shaking.
Chen Pingjiang was delighted; the desired effect had been achieved.
"CEO Chen."
Wang Xin took a sip of water to calm himself down, then asked:
"I want to ask, what is the purpose of you telling me all this?"
"Naturally, I can't bear to watch you charge ahead on the wrong path and eventually land yourself in jail. I have a high regard for your character and your technology. If possible, I and the enterprises behind me are willing to become a driving force in your career."
Wang Xin chuckled:
"So, CEO Chen, you simply wanted to acquire a stake in Kuaibo or buy it out all along, and what you said earlier was just sensationalism to scare me?"
Chen Pingjiang raised an eyebrow:
"Scare you? Not really. While Kuaibo has some value, it depends on who's looking. For me, its value is just average. Without Kuaibo, I can go to Baofeng Yingyin or Xunlei, or even make one myself. You are free to disregard my words and continue to charge ahead on this path; we'll see in a few years. Moreover, even if I invest in Kuaibo, I wouldn't allow it to develop along its old path."
Chen Pingjiang was right.
Even if Kuaibo had his backing, at most it would only save Wang Xin from imprisonment.
In the end, Kuaibo still had to change its path.
Cracking down on pornography and illegal publications, and standardizing copyright, were historical inevitabilities that Chen Pingjiang could not prevent.
Thinking this, Wang Xin nodded in agreement.
Given Chen Pingjiang's status, if he were truly interested in Kuaibo, he would just say so directly; there would be no need for such circumlocution.
"I want to ask, according to CEO Chen, how should Kuaibo develop?"
"Two paths. First, refer to YouTube and become a video content sharing website. Second, refer to Netflix and become a membership subscription-based streaming platform."
Wang Xin shook his head:
"The first path is not an option. Bandwidth and storage costs alone are terrifying enough, and development would be very slow, overly reliant on ad revenue. Can you elaborate on the Netflix model?"
"Simple. Continue operating under your current model for two more years, and I guarantee you won't encounter any problems during this period. Use these two years to seize as much market share as possible, while simultaneously acquiring a large number of copyrights for various films and TV series.
Leveraging Kuaibo's dominant position on PC, extend to mobile, and simultaneously use content advantages to also dominate the content side. At the same time, use Kuaibo Xiaofang, which is a TV box, to gradually achieve dominance on TV.
After this, enter the cinema industry, climb to the peak of cinema O2O, and ultimately achieve 24-hour uninterrupted viewing, from small mobile screens to IMAX big screens, 360-degree all-angle viewing."
"Reaching this point, Kuaibo would be a giant across four platforms: PC, mobile, cinemas, and TV. Focus on acquiring copyrights and producing original films and TV shows to increase membership. In the future, those who own copyrights will rule the world."
Wang Xin couldn't help but swallow, thinking,
"Good heavens, how long has he been pondering Kuaibo? He's laid it all out clearly for me."
"Begging your pardon, it's a good path. But CEO Chen, since you've laid it all out, why don't you do it yourself? You have the people, the money, and the channels. It should be very simple, right?"
"Internally, we've long decided that we generally won't expand into new tracks. You are the expert in video. Rather than exerting ourselves and spreading our focus, it's better to integrate Kuaibo into our ecosystem."
Chen Pingjiang only said half of it; there was another half he didn't say.
Lack of energy was true; there were simply too many projects now.
AutoNavi Maps, Renrenwang, Weibo, WeChat, Zhihu, group buying, food delivery, catering groups, Juzi phones, and in the future, electric vehicles and other high-tech ventures.
For things like entertainment, Chen Pingjiang really didn't need to do it himself; just investing, like with JD.com or DJI, would suffice.
Another layer of reason was that Chen Pingjiang was consciously controlling the group's scale to avoid becoming a public enemy in the industry later on, wanting to do everything, get involved in everything, and ultimately facing the iron fist of antitrust.
Even powerful companies like Tencent and Alibaba cannot claim the No. 1 spot in every single track.
Tencent has many projects that didn't take off, and Alibaba will also face crises in the future.
Instead of doing everything oneself, it's truly better to retain core competencies and simply invest in others.
"How about we stop here for today? I want to go back and think about it, and for such a big matter, I also need to discuss it with Li Qing and Zhou Hongyi; they are also shareholders."
"Alright, then I'll wait for your good news."
Watching Wang Xin leave, Bu Housheng couldn't help but ask:
"CEO Chen, what you just said, was it to scare him, or...?"
"You guess!?"
Chen Pingjiang smiled mysteriously.
"I can't guess."
"Naturally, it wasn't to scare him. If Kuaibo doesn't change, society will make it change. LeTV is going to be listed in two months, right? Recently, they've been acquiring copyrights everywhere, and so have many other companies.
Think about it: once these companies become content providers, won't Kuaibo become a thorn in their side? I painstakingly spent money to buy copyrights, and I haven't even recovered the costs, yet users are watching pirated content through Kuaibo . Who could stand that?"
"Moreover, it's inevitable that Kuaibo's servers contain 'small movies,' and in a few years, this area will definitely be subject to regulation."
For Chen Pingjiang, who in his previous life owed "Boss Wang" a membership, he would help if he could.
If he remained obstinate, then their paths would diverge.
...
Wang Xin truly took Chen Pingjiang's words to heart.
On his way back, he was somewhat distracted, his mind filled with Chen Pingjiang's voice.
Back at the company, his colleagues also noticed Wang Xin's uneasiness.
Upon asking, they understood what had happened.
"It seems our company has indeed grown and expanded, attracting the attention of giants."
"Lao Wang, you're not actually planning to join them, are you? In my opinion, there's not much need. Without Renrenwang and Chen Pingjiang, haven't we still developed to this point today? As for what he said, he's just trying to scare people. If they're going to arrest people, then none of those at Xunlei would escape either. On the contrary, we shouldn't be intimidated by his words and throw ourselves into disarray."
"Really? I actually think what CEO Chen said makes sense. At his level, he definitely has access to much more information than us. What if the state's next step is a severe crackdown on copyright and 'small movies'?"
Everyone spoke one after another, but no one could convince anyone else.
A person's reputation casts a long shadow; it was impossible to say they didn't care about Chen Pingjiang's words at all.
But no one wanted their well-developing company to be taken over, and even less did they want to change their existing strategy because of Chen Pingjiang's words.
Everyone stopped talking and looked at Wang Xin.
But Wang Xin himself couldn't decide.
He finally made a call to the "Red-Clad Guru."
Lao Zhou on the other end of the phone was delighted as soon as he heard.
Such a good thing! As long as it could be connected to Chen Pingjiang, this business could be done.
Recently, he had been so troubled by Tencent that he couldn't eat or sleep well, and desperately needed support.
Moreover, once Chen Pingjiang invested, wouldn't the value of his shares also rise?
It took Wang Xin two or three full days of contemplation before he finally made a decision.
This decision was not easy to make.
If he hadn't returned home and seen his children, Wang Xin wouldn't have come to a conclusion so quickly.
Regardless of whether Chen Pingjiang was being alarmist or had ulterior motives, a gentleman does not stand under a precarious wall.
When Chen Pingjiang received Wang Xin's call, he smiled.
Now, Renrenwang and he himself had established a dominant position.
In fact, apart from exceptionally powerful and self-important companies, generally speaking, if one wanted to invest in a company, rejections were rare.
Because Renrenwang not only had money but also resources, controlling traffic entry points.
"Tomorrow, you go to Kuaibo company to discuss the follow-up matters. I'll head back to Dongjiang first."
Bu Housheng nodded:
"I'll call my colleagues in the legal department right away."
By the time Chen Pingjiang returned to Dongjiang, the people from DJI had also only recently arrived.
When Lin Bin heard about this, he was a bit confused.
How did the big boss just casually convince a company during one trip out?
And it was a drone company at that.
Isn't that idea too outlandish?
Is there a market for model aircrafts?
Aren't aerial photography devices extremely expensive?
Will anyone buy those things?
With all these questions, Lin Bin received Wang Tao and Zhu Xiaorui's group.
He had originally thought it was a large enterprise, but to his surprise, Lin Bin was stunned the moment they met.
This... wasn't it a bit too humble?
(End of Chapter)