Lin Yi only found out after receiving the invitation.
The Sino-US Internet Forum was originally created by Microsoft. As one of the earliest Silicon Valley giants to enter the country, Microsoft has been established for many years and has a wide network of contacts.
So we organized such an event with the Internet Society here, which is roughly equivalent to a regular exchange summit between the two countries.
In the past, the level was not very high, and could not keep up with the so-called "World Internet Conference" in Wuzhen. In previous years, the participants were basically vice presidents of major companies.
But the scale of this forum this year was extraordinary. As part of the Chief Elder's visit to the United States, all the people accompanying him were domestic Internet giants.
For example, the two horse bosses who Lin Yi was still talking about to Wang Xing about "the king does not see the king" all appeared in this entourage honestly.
If this kind of battle was just to greet him, Lin Yi felt that he would be a little embarrassed no matter how big his face was.
Lin Yi also unexpectedly discovered his sponsor father Robin Li in this team. Although the "father's love" has disappeared, to the outside world they are still a family that loves each other.
So he greeted him very proactively: "I heard before that the Xiong Factory was not represented by someone else, and I felt strange."
Robin Li looked at him with a look he had never seen before, as if to say why this guy was so ignorant, but he just explained:
"I originally had some other things to do, but I made temporary adjustments and finally decided that it would be better for me to participate in person."
Lin Yiyi was not surprised by this statement. This kind of opportunity can come by oneself, and of course one should. The reason is self-evident.
He also found an acquaintance among the crowd, so he pointed there and asked:
"Why is Cheng Wei here too?"
This time Robin Li thought about it and said something very sincere to him: "Lin Yi, if you don't want to embarrass everyone, I hope you can go and talk to him."
Hiss, everyone...
Lin Yi understood, it seemed that this was the purpose of calling him here.
Sure enough, Lin Yi's seat on this intercontinental flight happened to be next to Cheng Wei's. During the trip, the latter took the initiative to chat:
"I think the two of us are quite destined to the United States. Before today, the happiest meeting I can think of was our chance encounter at the San Francisco Airport almost a year ago."
"Lin Yi, I very much hope that this trip can continue the tacit understanding we had last time and leave something memorable for both parties."
To be honest, Lin Yi didn't expect Cheng Wei to be able to arrange this kind of schedule to this extent. It seemed to be quite magical.
Even if it was just to complete what he promised Liu Jianni, Lin Yi had to talk to him.
"Mr. Cheng, you know very well that the reason why we were so harmonious last time was, firstly, because we found a common language in scolding Kalanick, and secondly, because the meeting was too short and there was no time to quarrel.
"
"We have completely avoided all previous differences, but when you want to discuss other topics with me, I think you must realize that the huge gap between us has reappeared."
"Mr. Cheng, this is not the first time we have discussed this matter. Since I decided to start a taxi app two years ago, this seems to be the countless times you have tried to persuade me. I think you should know my answer best.
.”
As he said, Cheng Wei had dealt with Lin Yi a lot, so his reaction was not surprising.
"It's okay to chat. We don't have anywhere else to go on the plane."
Well, looking at the investors who had sent invitation letters before traveling thousands of miles away, and looking at Robin Li's face, Lin Yi decided to give him a flight time.
"Then at least we don't have to repeat the topics we talked about before. Does Mr. Cheng have any fresh news or opinions that you can give me?"
"It really does."
Cheng Wei did not disappoint him, "Did you know that Kalanick of Uber raised the financing target of the subsidiary he spun off from US$1.2 billion to US$2.5 billion?"
Lin Yi answered truthfully: "I really don't know that."
Cheng Wei asked: "Then why do you think he raised the amount to 2.5 billion?"
Lin Yi thought his sales pitch was boring, but he still replied: "It's just because Wanli Travel announced a financing of 1.2 billion first, so he set the target at 1.2 billion."
"Following Dudu's announcement of financing of 2.4 billion, 1.2 billion is not enough to challenge Dudu in this region, so he decided to increase it to 2.5 billion to beat you. Of course, this amount of money is not temporary even for Uber.
It can be raised in half a moment."
Cheng Wei was satisfied with his answer: "Look, you have also realized that Lin Yi, no matter how much you attack Kalanick, Uber still regards you as the biggest competitor in the region."
.”
"Sometimes our opponent is a mirror we can use to see ourselves."
"Admit it, Lin Yi, you are already lagging behind."
Lin Yi said with a normal expression: "After the subsidy war last year, Dudu Taxi fell behind for a year. Did Mr. Cheng admit this fact at that time?"
"There's no use denying it."
Cheng Wei didn't know who he was talking about, so he threw out another piece of news, "Lin Yi, when I go to the United States this time, I'm not just attending this summit."
"Although Liu Qing is not on this plane, she will fly to the United States at the same time and meet me in Seattle after the meeting."
"Then we will visit high-tech innovation pioneers such as Apple, Tesla, and Airbnb. And most importantly, we have negotiated with Lyft to invest in each other and cooperate to fight Uber's global influence. We are just waiting for me to sign the contract."
Lyft, at least between these two people, needs no special introduction. It is Uber's biggest competitor back home in the United States.
"I don't mind telling you in advance that Dudu will soon invest US$100 million in Lyft. Will Wanli Travel have enough money to make such an arrangement now?"
"Of course, how much money is invested is not the key. The key is that in addition to Uber treating me as the biggest competitor in the region, I have also set my sights beyond the three-acre area we struggled with in the past. The pattern of our competition in the future may be
Big difference.”
"Lin Yi, I admit that you have been my most feared opponent for more than two years. I have a strong feeling that the winner of this industry will emerge between the two of us."
"I feel like now is that time."
"Lin Yi, your withdrawal now is a decent result for everyone, and I won't discuss the position with you."
"As long as you agree to the merger with Wanli Travel, if you want to take the money and leave, Liu Qing and I promise to convert all your shares into cash within a year. Do you know how much money that is?
, to be honest, I can’t help but be envious.”
"If you are still optimistic about the development of the taxi-hailing industry, you can choose to continue to retain your shares. Then you should become the largest individual shareholder after the merger. You know that its value will definitely increase."
Lin Yi was not anxious to calculate how much his shares were worth, but found it a bit funny.
"When we last met, Mr. Cheng promised to leave me a seat on the board of directors. Is the only option this time is to take the money and leave?"
"This time, that time."
Cheng Wei took time to adjust his clothes and said, "Lin Yi, you don't think I have the ability to arrange you into this trip, do you?"
"In view of our friendship over the past two years, I can reveal a little bit to you."
"If you still don't want to listen to my advice today, then I won't be the one to advise you next time."