RBCT Chapter 1426 Collision (5k)
Chapter 1426 Collision (5k)
Chapter 1426 Collision (5k)
Yike still faces problems, but domestic Yike groups seem to have begun to fight back.
If this signal is interpreted together with the previous one, has Yi Ke found a solution to the ice core replacement problem?
As Mr. Yu said after the autumn press conference, Yike is still negotiating with other manufacturers?
It is September now, and this is the last month of BIS's second temporary license. However, the newly released products such as Mars 9 are still equipped with chips manufactured by Bingxin. What should we do next?
The current situation seems a bit bad no matter how you look at it.
However, this time, contrary to everyone's expectations, in response to the issue of Yi Ke's product sales qualifications, BIS officially issued the third temporary license on the 8th, which guaranteed the legality of Yi Ke's sales in the US market within the year.
This calmed down the somewhat chaotic public opinion a lot.
Yike's official stance has always been to proactively resolve the issue, and BIS, unlike its slow response in March, issued the license quickly this time. It seems that neither side wants to make the situation more difficult and complicated.
Along with the BIS news, another piece of news that excited many media also came out, that is, Mr. Fang, the head of Yike, will attend the Internet industry conference to be held in Shanghai next month.
This was his first public appearance since the crisis facing Yike.
No matter how Yike releases an announcement on Nasdaq, no matter how co-founder Yu Hong or YMS President Qi He and others respond, it is a recognized fact that the real leader of Yike is only Fang Zhuo.
For more than half a year from March to September, Mr. Fang rarely made any statement, which made people who paid attention to Yike from various angles quite confused.
Now it seems that he is about to end his "seclusion" days, and the media is looking forward to it.
Similarly, the organizing committee of the domestic Internet industry conference suddenly received many requests for participation from well-known foreign media. It is obvious that foreign media also attach great importance to the appearance of YiKe’s head in public.
Perhaps because of this news, perhaps because of the license issued by BIS in a hurry, or perhaps because Yike phones are still performing well in the US market, Yike's market value rebounded slightly in September and stabilized at US$3500 billion.
On September 28th, Yike mobile phone landed in the European and Asian markets as scheduled, continuing the popularity of last year's flagship phone.
This year, there are still many evaluation agencies that disassembled Yike mobile phones, and the focus is still on the chips equipped with Bingxin International's manufacturing technology. The conclusion they gave is - no wonder Yike and Bingxin International are inseparable, the two companies have already achieved perfection in design, manufacturing and even packaging.
With the hot sales of Yike mobile phones, some media have also given time predictions. By the end of the year at the latest, by the deadline of this temporary license from BIS, Yike will finalize a new wafer foundry manufacturer. Mr. Fang’s current "effort" is a signal.
Last year's Mars 8.8 made Yike's flagship enjoy the honor of being the world's number one. This year, the last of the Big Three, Mars 9, defended this honor and perfectly inherited the popularity in the market.
Public opinions about Yike appear every now and then, if not every day. It has almost become a commercial bubble drama, which not only allows many consumers to know the information about the new flagship, but also makes many people wait for the final answer.
On October 3, the Internet industry conference was held at the "Yi Ke Center" in Shanghai. When many reporters came here, they almost felt as if they were attending the Yi Ke press conference again.
Some foreign journalists came to the venue of Yike's traditional press conference for the first time, and they couldn't help but take photos eagerly, which became a scene in the domestic media's lens.
Compared with their foreign counterparts' focus on the prospects of Yike, domestic journalists had other thoughts when attending the conference. In addition to Mr. Fang, Mr. Ma from Alibaba, Mr. Ma from Penguin, and Mr. Li from Duji also attended the conference.
In other words, the leaders of YBAT will be on the same stage again after several years.
This year, Alibaba has been expanding rapidly, competing with Yike in many fields. Duji recently encountered a humiliating offer from Yike, and Mr. Fang has not been seen for a long time...
The reporters were really excited and were particularly looking forward to this meeting.
Unfortunately, just as the industry conference was about to open, Robin, the head of Duji who was originally confirmed to attend the conference, did not come.
Why didn't Robin come?
Are you afraid of being criticized by Mr. Fang in person?
What makes people happy is that even if Robin doesn’t come, Mr. Fang is willing to respond to Yike’s humiliating acquisition.
At nine o'clock in the morning, the head of Yike, who had not appeared in the public eye for many days, arrived at the venue of Yike Center. Surrounded by him were Lei Jun of Miduan, Wei Zhe of Dada, Fan Minggang of Douyin and others. He chatted and laughed all the way, ignoring the reporters' blockade, as if he could not hear the questions they asked.
However, when a reporter tried hard to bring up Yi Ke's humiliating offer and Robin's temporary absence, Fang Zhuo stopped in his tracks.
"He's not coming?" Fang Zhuo was a little surprised. As far as he knew, Robin had already arrived in Shencheng.
The reporters became excited and started to confirm the authenticity of the news.
"Oh, I see." Fang Zhuo was a little regretful, and responded to the question by the way, explaining, "There is no humiliating offer. The number 0.01% sounds small, but it is actually hundreds of millions of dollars. Who has nothing better to do than to spend so much money to humiliate others? Is such a large amount of money a humiliation in your mouth?"
The reporter who asked the question was speechless for a moment. It seemed to make sense, but could Robin be like us?
At this time, another reporter asked about this matter: "Mr. Fang, why did Yi Ke suddenly want to acquire Du Ji? Is it because Robin previously publicly declared that Yi Ke had a monopoly? Are these two things related? If Yi Ke successfully acquires Du Ji, wouldn't it really become a monopoly?"
Fang Zhuo glanced at the reporter who was speaking at a rapid-fire speed and said with a smile, "Yike was not successful, right? The two things are not related. Just like you said, we didn't become a monopoly, but Duji is still around, right?"
He further explained: "I just think that Yike's current search business is doing well. If Yike were to delve deeper into this area, the industry ecosystem might be better. It's a pity that Robin doesn't want to sell, as his shares will continue to depreciate."
More problems followed.
Fang Zhuo just smiled and shook his head without answering anything else. He was just surprised by the absence of his old friend.
Yi Ke and his group continued to move forward, but the reporters' filming increased instead of decreasing. In front of them was Pony the penguin, and it was not easy to deal with these two!
Fang Zhuo saw Pony, whom he hadn't seen for a long time. He didn't try to avoid him and actually greeted him directly.
"Pony, how are you doing?"
Pony had already noticed Fang Zhuo's arrival. Seeing him walking towards him and hearing the reporters' laughter after receiving his answer, he was even more unwilling to show weakness and mentally prepared himself for a verbal battle, but he didn't expect to hear only such a light sentence.
"Not bad, how about you?" Pony replied nonchalantly.
"I've been very upset lately. There are a lot of things going on, and they're complicated." Fang Zhuo was as frank as he had been in the past few years. "Also, Alibaba has been spending money aggressively this year, and we're under a lot of competitive pressure."
Pony nodded slightly. Alibaba’s expansion this year was simply inhumane.
He was pondering over how to answer when he saw the head of Alibaba arriving on the other side.
"I'll go say hello to Lao Ma." Fang Zhuo said with a smile.
For a moment, Pony felt as if there had never been any disagreement between the two of them, as if they were still drinking and talking about the Internet. However, the emotion in his heart was shattered by Fang Zhuo's words when he turned around.
"Oh yes, I haven't found your YiXin yet. Let's add YiXin." Fang Zhuo said, turning around.
Pony's face darkened: "You..."
Fang Zhuo smiled, turned around and continued to greet the head of Alibaba.
Pony looked at the figure who was leaving. You hurt me and just laughed it off...
The head of Yike and the head of Penguin met smoothly and had a cordial conversation.
This scene was captured by many reporters, but because the front row was quite far away, no one knew what they talked about. However, that’s okay, as long as the photos are posted online, there will naturally be talented people among the public who can recognize their lip reading.
Fang Zhuo's meeting with Ma Dian was just a casual exchange of greetings. He was asked a key question, but he just smiled and said nothing.
"Yi Ke is really tied to Bing Xin. He is determined to fight to the death, right?" Ma Dian deliberately lowered his voice when asking this question.
Ever since the news broke out at the beginning of the year, his judgment has been based on his perception of Fang Zhuo himself over the past few years. With only the last quarter left, he feels the answer has become more obvious.
Yike’s negotiations with the remaining five wafer manufacturing companies in the world have all failed. Although there are rumors of further negotiations, Yike’s options have been greatly reduced.
Because of the competition with Yike, Ma Dian has also been paying attention to the problems in the semiconductor industry for a while. Although Mr. Fang is indeed one of the best presidents in the world, and although Bingxin has been moving around for a long time, now that they are on Amei Yanxuan, it may be time for a competition of hard power.
No matter what tricks Mr. Fang uses, he will probably just keep quiet if they keep watching him like this.
It is based on this judgment and recent news verification that Alibaba’s expansion this year has become more and more rapid.
When everyone was seated, Qi He, the president of YMS who was present this time, asked curiously, "Mr. Fang, what did Mr. Ma say just now?"
"What can we say? Just say hello to each other. Who is a good person and would dare to provoke the other person in person?" Fang Zhuo answered casually.
The people around fell silent. Well, Mr. Fang was not trying to provoke. He was just joking with an old friend.
Many people came to this year's Internet industry conference, and almost all those who have emerged in recent years came. Although there are shadows of giants, there are still many successful companies in vertical segments such as Momo, Jumei, Xiaohongshu, Mogujie, Mayu, and BOSS Direct.
Emerging companies are happy to participate in such occasions, and this time, seeing the meeting with Mr. Fang, Mr. Ma, Pony and others made me feel that the trip was worthwhile.
The morning passed peacefully with the usual opening, speeches and presentations by several mobile Internet companies.
By the afternoon, when the big names came on stage, everyone perked up.
What is even more regrettable is that Pony from Penguin did not come on stage, only Alibaba and Yike came on stage, which seemed to confirm the change from the four giants YBAT to the two poles YA in disguise.
The host exchanged a few pleasantries with the two giant leaders and talked about the trends in mobile Internet, and the topic quickly turned to the competition between the two companies.
Originally, this was a routine topic, but Fang Zhuo took it up without any hesitation and briefly commented on Alibaba's expansion in the first half of the year.
"Alibaba went public again and achieved great success. As you can see, it started a radical expansion in the first half of the year. My feeling is, well, that's the word, radical."
"I think that the bigger and more influential a company is, the more restraint it should exercise."
Upon hearing this, Ma Dian responded without hesitation: "Has Yi Ke restrained himself? Yi Ke is almost beating Du Ji to death. Mr. Fang, I don't think Ali is radical. I think Ali should continue to move forward. In the future, I hope Ali can still bring down the price of Yi Ke's mobile phones!"
There was laughter at the scene, and the close combat between the two big guys made the scene more interesting, and combined with the competition between the two giants of YA this year, it was even more interesting.
"Hey, don't laugh, I'm serious. Alibaba plans to invest in a mobile phone brand that can undercut Yike's price at the beginning of next year." Ma Dian said half seriously and half jokingly, "The domestic industrial chain is quite mature, and it is completely possible to have high quality and low prices. Mr. Fang, you don't mind if we lower the price of mobile phones, right? Alibaba is willing to pass on the profits to consumers."
Mobile phones are undoubtedly Yike’s core business.
When Yike attacked Penguin and Duji, it was targeting the core business of the other party. This tactic is now on the table for Ma Dian, and the issue of high product prices is also a little sensitive.
Fang Zhuo just took a sip of tea and smiled: "Mr. Ma wants to lower the price of mobile phones to benefit consumers. This is very good. If Alibaba makes high-quality and low-priced mobile phones, Yike will welcome it."
"In fact, Yike has also contributed to the maturity of the domestic industrial chain. We are willing to see a hundred flowers bloom."
"Besides, Mr. Ma, there is no need to be so sharp. There are many ways to solve the problem. The one you mentioned is one, and Yike is also doing the same. I think once our Yike new phone comes out, the price of Samsung phones will be driven down by us."
Someone at the scene shouted: "Apple has also started to reduce prices!"
Fang Zhuo paused, then turned to Ma Dian and said, "Look, Apple has also been defeated. We can make high-quality and low-priced mobile phones that are recognized by the global market. Mr. Ma, don't you think so?"
Ma Dian pondered for a moment, and what was powerful was not the words, but the fact that they were supported by facts.
He was not averse to such debates, but was very good at it, and replied with a smile: "Yes, Yike is very successful. Our future goal is to cultivate brands that even successful companies like Yike will consider pricing. As long as Mr. Fang is willing to consider it, it will be a success."
"I hope to see such a future. More healthy competition is always better, just like Yigoo wants Alibaba to think twice before taking its radical steps. I think this kind of competition is beneficial." Fang Zhuo introduced a new object.
"Mr. Fang has been trying to attribute the word 'radical' to Alibaba today, which is incorrect." Ma Dian does not accept this concept. "Alibaba's situation is different from Yi Ke's. I can probably understand the restraint that Yi Ke needs now."
He tactfully mentioned the challenges Yike is facing now, which is an unconventional situation in the business world.
"I really want to discuss this with Mr. Ma today, mainly because I really have doubts." Fang Zhuo was not provoked and directly pointed out the situation of his opponent. "If Alibaba's current e-commerce business is summarized in eight words, it is Taobao setting the stage and Tmall performing the show."
"Tmall has developed very quickly and has also invested in warehousing and launched brands, which has brought great competitive pressure to Yigoo."
The head of Yike was candid about the pressure that Yiguo was facing, which was a subtle sign of weakness and was not common.
Ma Dian on the stage and the guests and reporters in the audience all became focused.
Sure enough, there is a twist.
"However, Alibaba's slogan is 'to make business easy'. In my opinion, whether it is Taobao or Tmall, the entire platform of Alibaba will ultimately come down to the business of traffic."
Fang Zhuo saw Ma Dian frowning slightly, and he continued to explain: "Mr. Ma insists that Taobao is free, so how does Taobao make a profit? It needs to charge sellers for traffic fees, run advertisements, and attract clicks. I looked at Alibaba's financial report and Yigoo's estimates. The traffic advertising fees earned by Taobao account for about 4% of the total GMV."
"As for Tmall, it collects advertising fees and commissions, and has started to build brands and operate its own business. I see that Alibaba is also making a big push into new retail this year, and has launched an offline Hema Fresh. I don't quite understand this strategy."
"This will inflate the revenue figures, but the profits may not be good, and it will also take away Taobao's traffic."
"In the past, Alibaba was engaged in a relatively simple advertising business. Now Alibaba is engaged in sales. The scale and difficulty are different. Is this the idea of Mr. Ma or Zhang Yong?"
Fang Zhuo smiled and said, "After all this competition, it all comes down to a competition of traffic. Is Alibaba's traffic pool enough? I heard from Yigoo that they are going to develop new traffic on TikTok."
Who is the traffic king in China today?
Only Yi Ke Department is left.
If the focus of competition is attributed to competing for traffic, according to this logic, Alibaba is bound to fail.
"Mr. Fang has always been good at misleading people. I have suffered from this before." Ma Dian defuses the attack with a light sentence and successfully causes laughter, making the atmosphere less tense.
Everyone at the scene knew that Mr. Fang worked through his circle of friends, and it was said that he really got things done for Alibaba.
Wei Zhe, who is sitting not far from Mr. Fang, is the former CEO of Alibaba. Now he is the founder of Dada under the Yike system. His ability to "bewitch people's hearts" is evident.
"Mr. Fang said that the final battle will be about traffic. If traffic is really that useful, then Pony would not have lost." Ma Dian's example made many people look at the head of Penguin in the audience.
Pony had a blank expression on his face. He was already envious of Robin who changed his mind at the last minute. He really shouldn't have come...
This is also a real-life case, which almost refutes the logic of Yi Ke’s leader.
Ma Dian continued, "This is an era that can destroy you but has nothing to do with you. It is an era where you are robbed across borders but you are powerless to fight back. It is an era where you wake up too slowly and don't even need to wake up. It is an era where it is not that your opponent is stronger than you, but that you don't even know who your opponent is!"
"In this era of cross-border development, only by constantly moving forward, innovating, and combining the Internet with new industries can we achieve continuous success."
“Mr. Fang thinks Alibaba is radical, but it is precisely this so-called radicalism that has brought Alibaba to where it is today, and has also allowed Alibaba to continue to try, make mistakes, correct mistakes, and move forward!”
The head of Alibaba raised the proposition, which drew applause from the audience.
Fang Zhuo waited until the applause died down and added: "Mr. Ma is right. Let me add one more thing. If Taobao merchants think that the data fees are too expensive, then they can look forward to the new Yigoo."
There was laughter again in the meeting room. It seemed that Mr. Fang used reality to pull Mr. Ma back from the proposition.
Ma Dian also laughed, and pointed at Fang Zhuo helplessly.
The argument between the two bosses seemed to be a footnote to the fierce competition between Yike and Alibaba. The real collision between the two giants was much more brutal than what they said.
Thus, there was no press interview session on the first day of the industry conference. In the evening, Fang Zhuo was escorted out of the venue quickly without engaging with the media reporters, leaving them with the hope of an interview the day after tomorrow.
However, a report from foreign media suddenly pushed Yi Ke's incident to a more violent level, causing crazy discussion.
The New York Times published an anonymous tip online. The content came from a recorded phone call. One party was Fang Zhuo, the head of Yike, and the identity of the other party was unknown, but he sounded like an administrative staff member of BSI.
The two quarreled over the cooperation between Yi Ke and Bing Xin.
At the end of the recording, the BIS people issued a warning: "Mr. Fang, if you don't terminate your damn cooperation with Bingxin, Yike's business will be completely destroyed!"
Fang Zhuo's voice is very recognizable and clear, and there is no hesitation in the recording: "Fuck u, come on!"
(End of this chapter)