Yao Yuan did not plan to meet Zuckerberg when he came to the United States this time.
Unexpectedly, that bastard Zhao Haitao revealed the news, and due to social etiquette, he had to come over for a visit. In fact, it was nothing important, just a casual chat.
The social game concept proposed by Yao Yuan did help Facebook break through the bottleneck, but they did not pay enough attention to "FarmVille" - farms are popular in China, but not in the United States.
After staying for about half an hour, he said goodbye and left.
As soon as he left, an Asian man ran into Zuckerberg's office. This person's name was Gideon Yu, who was responsible for Facebook's financing matters.
"Mark, you have to meet that Russian guy!"
"what happen?"
"I don't understand what he is thinking. I have been in this business for many years. This is the first time I have seen something like this..."
Gideon Yu organized his words and spoke out an adjective: "A kind investor, as if he deliberately gave us money."
During this year's financial crisis, many Internet products cannot find their parents, and Facebook is no exception.
The Russian's name is Yuri Milner.
I didn't know where to get a large amount of funds, came to discuss investment in person, and made an offer that no one could refuse:
"200 million US dollars to acquire 2% of the shares, no preference shares, no board seats, all voting rights given to the CEO!"
The purpose of investment institutions is to make money, but in order to achieve this purpose, investors usually set various restrictions on enterprises to reduce their own risks.
Milner's plan is tantamount to completely giving up the initiative. I just give you money and I don't want any power.
"..."
Zuckerberg was stunned after hearing this. Although it was shameful to accept investment from the Russians, they gave him too much.
"Invite him over, I need to talk to him."
"OK!"
…
Another hour or so passed.
Milner, who was severely bald, walked out of the small building happily. He knew that no one could refuse his terms. He was very optimistic about the potential of Facebook. With this money, he could survive the financial crisis and develop global strategies.
Once it is rolled out around the world, users will skyrocket.
He came to his car and was about to open the door when he suddenly heard a voice from behind: "Good afternoon, sir!"
Um?
Milner turned around and unexpectedly saw an Asian man greeting him, saying, "Hello, what's the matter?"
"I'm Mark's partner. It's a coincidence that today..."
The other party handed over an English version of the business card and said with a smile: "We mainly provide some content on social games. "Grab a Parking Space" and "Friend Buying and Selling" are all our works. If you have time, you might as well chat."
Milner's eyes suddenly lit up when he heard about social games. Everyone knows the benefits of games on Facebook.
He took the business card, handed over one of his own, and said with a smile: "I just have to stay for a few days, find a time?"
"Find some time."
"Okay, I have something else to do. I look forward to our next meeting."
Milner drove away, pleasantly surprised by this extra gain. He now had a large sum of money in his hands and was not afraid of spending it, but was afraid that he would have nowhere to spend it.
Social games are undoubtedly a great growth point.
"Okay, let's withdraw too!"
Yao Yuan waved his hand and left the parking lot of the small building. He looked down at the business card in his hand and couldn't help but smile: "It is indeed this guy."
Yuri Milner was originally a researcher studying particle physics at the National Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, he went to the United States to study, changed careers and entered the financial world, and met the Russian oligarch Khodorkovsky - who was later recruited by the Communist Party.
With such little accumulation, Milner founded his own investment company DST.
This person is legendary. For example, DST’s funding sources came from both Russian oligarchs, the Russian government, and the American financial community... but they later found their way to the United States.
Now he is not well-known. He became famous after investing in Facebook, and then he invested in Twitter, Groupon, etc.
His style is to throw away money, don't ask for any power, just give you a super high valuation, and then give you money.
After 2010, he entered the Chinese market and invested in JD.com (US$500 million, 8.8% stake), Alibaba, Xiaomi (US$500 million, 7% stake), Didi, etc., with impressive results, and a good relationship with Lei Jun.
If you think about conspiracy theories, the ingredients of DST are very complicated, but Yao Yuan does not care about these, he only knows that this guy is very rich! Very rich!
…………
That night, hotel.
Yao Yuan was sitting on the sofa, drinking tea and listening to the newspaper.
Well, listen to the report.
His English level is sufficient for daily communication, but it is a bit difficult to read English newspapers. Fortunately, he brought a team and his English is very good.
"Universal is trying to sell its Rogge Pictures studio for $150 million!"
"Paramount has decided to reduce production to 20 films per year and lay off 25 people; Disney's plan to build a theme park in Florida has also been shelved; JPMorgan Chase has suspended funding for DreamWorks; Playboy stopped DVD distribution last week.
Start working hard on online distribution."
""Harry Potter 6" has been postponed to next summer; 62-year-old Stallone moves to India to make money... The Chinese market is particularly popular, and Britney Spears plans to go to China to hold a concert!"
"Mr. Yao?"
"Gone?"
"I've read it all, just these news."
Yao Yuan nodded.
The financial crisis has also had an impact on Hollywood, but it is generally controllable.
Hollywood blockbusters often cost hundreds of millions of dollars to make. Do you think it is all paid by the company? How is that possible? It is either an investment from a financial institution or a loan from a bank.
Wait until the movie makes money and then pay it back.
So what if it fails, and you have to take on debt. For example, MGM's loan amount from banks this year has reached 3.7 billion U.S. dollars, and the annual interest is as high as 300 million.
Therefore, the financial crisis affects blockbusters. Hollywood now has no money to shoot, so medium-cost ones need to be cautious and cautious. Small-cost ones don't matter. Production companies hope to make big gains with small costs.
In order to save expenses and relieve financial pressure, the eight major Hollywood companies are looking for money or want to sell their subsidiaries.
This is what Yao Yuan is eyeing.
The four pillars of American hegemony: military, finance, technology, and culture.
The core of cultural output is Hollywood. It is a movie that is actually an American theme in the guise of a commercial film. It has successfully convinced many people that the United States is a beacon of civilization and a light of universal values.
We always say that domestic media and ideological things are strictly guarded against. In fact, the same is true in the United States.
If Yao Yuan wants to join now, first of all, the big eight companies don't even think about it, and he doesn't have enough capital. The second-tier companies like Lionsgate, New Line, Miramax, etc. are also very difficult.
The next level is Relativity, Summit, Legend, etc. If you invest as a small shareholder, they will welcome it. If you want to control the power, you can buy it all at a high price.
Just like Wanda’s US$3.5 billion acquisition of Legendary Pictures, its greatest achievement is the creation of the Sweet Universe.
These are unrealistic goals. Fortunately, the Hollywood industry structure is clear, and there is another level below: subsidiaries of the eight major subsidiaries, such as Dimensional, Screenshot, Logue, etc.
Although he is at the bottom of the power structure, he is also at the top of the entire film industry.
These companies generally shoot and distribute low-cost movies, focusing on bloody violence, pornography, horror and thrillers, and action. Although they are small, they have all the necessary features and have their own production departments and distribution channels.
Yao Yuan also chose Dimen, Mubao, and Luoge, and ordered his team to start contacting them.