Yao Yuan was still immersed in some work. The room was quiet and empty. Across a screen was the large conference hall. He looked up from time to time. Damn, he was a little scared to be alone!
After a while, brisk footsteps were heard outside.
That was the sound of the soft soles of sneakers rubbing against the floor, not the clicking of high heels. It sounded like Yin Yin.
"Are you done?"
"It's done!"
"I bought fried chicken, Coke, and a burger."
"Why did you buy it?"
"I don't think I'll be able to eat at night. I'm just chatting. I'm so hungry. I need to pacify my stomach first."
Yinyin opened the paper bag and took out a portion of chicken nuggets, a portion of chicken wings, a hamburger and a cup of Coke, which fully demonstrated the meaning of the word "stomach pad".
Yao Yuan took out a fruit knife, cut the burger in half, walked to the window while eating, looked at the core area of Haidian that had entered the evening rush hour, and said: "I guess there will be a traffic jam, there is too much traffic here."
"Yes, there are people in every store I look at. The Tuanjie Lake side looks like a village."
Yinyin sat on his desk, holding a Coke in one hand and chicken wings in the other, and asked: "Is Son Masayoshi Japanese? Why did he choose a Chinese name?"
"His grandfather's name is Sun Zhongqing, and he is of Korean descent, but according to him, his ancestral home is in Putian, Fujian, and he immigrated to North Korea during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, so his ancestors are Chinese."
"Nanbei Dynasty? Why didn't he say it was Xu Fu's five hundred boys and girls? It's so close!"
Yinyin gave him a sip of Coke and asked, "How is this guy?"
"Let's open it 50-50. There are times when there are huge profits and there are times when there are huge losses. I prefer the Chinese market."
Fried chicken was invented specifically for human taste buds. Yao Yuan ate a few pieces and even managed to get rid of the gluttonous bug. He eliminated them all in three attempts.
Touch your belly, um, it feels like a cushion.
SoftBank spent US$11.87 billion to acquire Vodafone (mobile phone operator) last year, and incurred a huge debt of 1.9 trillion yen. It is currently under great pressure.
But the characteristic of Masayoshi Son is that he dares to spend money, otherwise he would not have spent US$430 million to invest in the school network and US$250 million in pptv.
I made an appointment at eight o'clock and left at seven o'clock.
Taking the elevator from the 18th floor to the underground garage, you feel like you are patrolling down the river, because every person who comes in will greet "Mr. Yao", and then worry uneasily that the boss will think that he has not worked overtime and that he has failed at a young age.
The distance to the Oriental Grand Hyatt Hotel is not very short. Start from Zhichun Road, walk to Madian Bridge, North Second Ring Road, East Second Ring Road, and then turn to East Chang'an Street.
Even though I deliberately delayed going out, I was still stuck in traffic and almost late.
Entering a private room, there were two men and one woman sitting inside. The leader was in his 40s and had an elegant temperament, but his hairline was slightly bald and he had brush-shaped bangs to cover it up.
This person is Song Anlan, the main partner of SoftBank China.
I graduated from Tsinghua University, studied from undergraduate to doctoral degree, and then went to the United States to study for a postdoctoral degree. I am a talent who truly understands information technology.
Among Jack Ma’s many myths, there is one called “Getting Masayoshi Son’s $20 million investment in 6 minutes”, which is indeed true, but it was Song Anlan who was the matchmaker.
"Mr. Yao, I have admired you for a long time!"
“Don’t take it seriously, don’t take it seriously!”
The two shook hands, and Song Anlan spoke with a Hangzhou accent.
If it is a start-up company, there is a set process for meeting investors, just like Jack Ma. You are given a limited time, you introduce yourself, and then the investment institution votes to make a decision, just like an interview.
There is no need for it now. Maiwo is a very mature company with the largest market share.
There are only two things that need to be discussed: valuation and equity!
Song Anlan was very well prepared. He even brought a notebook with him, sorted out various data, analyzed and compared it, and finally gave a valuation: 3 billion US dollars!
To be honest, I underestimated Maiwo, but I didn’t underestimate it too much.
Yao Yuan smiled and asked: "What is the valuation of this 3 billion?"
“Nature is community.”
"Oh, that means Mai Mai is not included, right?"
"Mr. Yao, you are kidding. Of course we want to invest in the overall business."
"The community has 80 million users, and MaiMai has 110 million. I can earn 200 million a year from ring tones. And the product you use as a benchmark, Facebook, only has 30 million users so far, and Microsoft values it at 15 billion US dollars!"
Sorry, I can't see your sincerity."
"Mr. Yao, you can't look at things this way..."
Song Anlan said calmly: "Everyone knows that American network products have the highest value. In addition to their right to speak, media advocacy and capital support, there is another important reason, which is that products that have been very successful in the United States.
It can often spread around the world and cater to the global market.
Domestic products cannot do this.
Although Facebook currently has 30 million users, it may have 1 billion, 2 billion or even more in the future. Even if Maiwo does its best, it will only dominate the country, not to mention that you cannot get all Internet users across the country to register."
Song Anlan's words are unpleasant, but they are true.
The advantage of the domestic Internet is its vast market; the dilemma is that it is difficult to go overseas. This is not only a problem of products and capital, but also an ideological confrontation.
"..."
Yao Yuan was silent for a moment and said slowly: "I won't give you MaiMai. What I packed includes Maiwo Community, CRBT and Kiwi Game Studio.
Yes, it is difficult for Maiwo to go overseas. It can only develop users in China, but who said that I will definitely use the community to go overseas?
I founded the prototype of Maiwo in 2002 and got on the right track in 2003, a full year earlier than Facebook. Functions such as sending gifts, likes, friend updates, etc. were all pioneered by us. Facebook just picked up the wisdom of others and borrowed the light of the United States.
This year Zuckerberg opened up the platform with the intention of bringing more gameplay to Facebook and attracting users, and we were at least a year ahead of him on this."
"you mean?"
"A social game of course!
"Grab a Parking Space" and "Friend Buying and Selling" have brought at least 20 million users to Maimai. Many people wonder, why don't I put it on the community?
Because I feel there is a mismatch, I have a better project, a social game that can make people of all ages, regardless of gender, obsessed with it. That is what is prepared for the community.
Facebook is open, and it just so happens that we use games to go overseas, not only on Facebook, but also on Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and Malaysia. As long as they have social networking, we can make games that they like.
Communities have ideological constraints, but social games do not!
We have long been accustomed to using one country to challenge the whole world. Some people are also accustomed to comparing the strongest points of other countries with their own weakest points, and then devaluing themselves as worthless.
It doesn't matter!
Even if Maiwo does not have the strongest point, even if the number of users in the future cannot match Facebook, we can still go global in our own way and let the world know our products!"
"..."
Song Anlan's face turned red and white. Although his words meant to lower the price, they also contained a trace of true thoughts.
Yao Yuan looked at him and said: "And I hope this is not financing. I want to transfer part of the equity."
Financing refers to increasing capital and expanding shares, and the money invested should be retained in the company for development. Equity transfer means that individuals sell the equity in exchange for funds.
"What are you doing?"
Song Anlan was startled, but then realized, oh, it was for making a mobile phone.
For a moment, he couldn't help but feel a hint of admiration for Yao Yuan. It's so rare! It's so rare! He paused and asked the most practical question: "Mr. Yao, do you want the community to be listed in the future?"
"A few months ago, my answer would have been no, but now I accept the way capital plays, and I naturally follow the rules."
Yao Yuan stood up as he spoke, stretched out his hand and said, "I think we have completed what we need to communicate. It's getting late, so we should go back."
"Okay, I also hope to reach an agreement as soon as possible!"
Yao Yuan left immediately and took Yin Yin out.
Song Anlan reviewed the conversation just now, and there are two key points: Maiwo will use games to expand the market, and Maiwo will be listed on the market!
This is enough. What SoftBank wants is profit returns and results. Of course, the other party despises the valuation of US$3 billion, and it needs to have a good communication with Son.
He had long heard about Yao Yuan's reputation, and today he saw that he was well-deserved and could be called an idealistic martyr.