It can be said that a heavy snowfall in the capital in 2012 made everything possible for Didi and Cheng Wei.
A heavy snowfall has made it difficult to use cars in the capital.
Taxi-hailing software came into being, and Cheng Wei was one of the first to try it out.
"Sometimes I also think that my life is really good. I almost died many times and was pulled back again."
Cheng Wei drank a few glasses of red wine, and the conversation started.
"I remember it very clearly. It was the summer of 2011, when I was still at Ali and was sent by the company to Beijing on a business trip to meet clients.
As a result, there was an autumn rain, so I took a taxi at Jimenqiao. I started taking a taxi at 4:30 and didn't get there until 5:00.
Finally, we encountered an empty bus, but we refused to take it because we had to change shifts.”
"Another time, my relatives from my hometown came to Beijing, and we made an appointment to have dinner near Wangfujing at 7 p.m.
My relatives called me at 5:30 and said they were taking a taxi, but they called me again at 8:00 and asked me if I could pick them up.
Cheng Wei recalled: “I was determined to start a business at that time, and these two experiences also made me realize that the travel market needs a taxi-hailing software.
Later, my old leader and I resigned to start a business together, and we have Didi today."
"Mr. Cheng's keen sense of smell is admirable."
Chen Dongcheng raised his glass, and Cheng Wei and Chen Dongcheng clinked their glasses: "I don't dare. I thought about it for nine months before I made up my mind to leave Ahli."
Peng Zhijian explained: "When Cheng Wei left Ali, he was already the deputy general manager of the business unit and had a bright future."
Chen Dongcheng nodded and understood that Cheng Wei was not willing to be inferior to others, he was ambitious and courageous.
“When I first founded Didi, most of my friends around me were against it and said it was unreliable.
Because at that time, most drivers didn’t even have smartphones, let alone install taxi-hailing apps.”
“But it was precisely because the market foundation at that time was immature that I had the opportunity.
I went through a lot of bumps and bumps along the way and met a lot of noble people.
Mr. Zhu from Jinshajiang, Mr. Zhang Bo from the company’s CTO, Mr. Peng from Tengxun, and of course you, Mr. Chen.”
Cheng Wei said in a sincere tone: "As long as there is no news from CEFC, I will accept your funds immediately."
After the meal, Chen Dongcheng was quite satisfied. At least he had become familiar with Cheng Wei.
…
Early the next morning, Chen Dongcheng went to Didi headquarters.
Cheng Wei enthusiastically took Chen Dongcheng to visit the company, and then invited Chen Dongcheng to his office to make tea and chat.
"Mr. Cheng, is this Mr. Chen?"
While we were chatting, there was a knock on the door, and a middle-aged man wearing a black tunic suit walked in.
Cheng Wei stood up with a smile: "Mr. Chen, let me introduce to you. This is my old leader and co-founder of Didi, Wang Gang."
Chen Dongcheng is very familiar with this famous name.
It can be said that among Didi’s future giants, Wang Gang is the one who makes the most money.
When he started his business, he invested 700,000 yuan in Cheng Wei, and 700,000 yuan could only buy one toilet in the capital.
Wang Gang invested in a company like Didi, and his initial investment earned him billions in returns.
"Hello Mr. Chen, Cheng Wei kept talking to me when he came back yesterday, saying that he must let me come to meet you. I didn't expect Mr. Chen to be so young. On behalf of all Didi employees, I would like to thank Mr. Chen for your optimism."
Wang Gang spoke in a leisurely tone, and Cheng Wei pulled Wang Gang to the sofa and sat down as usual.
"Mr. Chen, CEFC Fund has announced its withdrawal. Do you still insist on a valuation of one billion US dollars?"
Cheng Wei made a shocking revelation to Chen Dongcheng as soon as he came up.
Chen Dongcheng was somewhat surprised by CEFC's withdrawal.
"My weak wishes come true, are you already so awesome?"
Chen Dongcheng muttered in his heart, but said calmly: "My valuation of Didi remains unchanged, because I am optimistic about you, Mr. Cheng. Under your leadership, Didi will defeat Kuaidi and even Uber."
"Thank you Mr. Chen."
Cheng Wei also breathed a sigh of relief, finally finalizing the C round of financing.
Didi's ammunition was suddenly sufficient, and he could at least fight Kuai for a while.
"Mr. Chen, I am in urgent need of funds. Can you get the funds into your account as soon as possible?"
Cheng Wei is really short of money, and now it's coming in a hurry.
If Didi does not raise funds, it will lose market control.
"Sign the agreement today and the payment will be received immediately."
Chen Dongcheng also acted resolutely and wanted to finalize the investment in Didi as soon as possible.
"readily!"
Cheng Wei shook hands with Chen Dongcheng excitedly: "Mr. Chen, I would like to invite you to join Didi's board of directors."
For Cheng Wei, being able to get 100 million US dollars within a week is already very satisfying.
And Chen Dongcheng directly promised to make money on the same day, which was definitely a huge surprise!
"Join the board of directors?"
Chen Dongcheng thought about it and felt that it was not impossible.
Chen Dongcheng knows Didi's development path. If he becomes a board member, he can help Didi avoid detours and achieve a sharp increase in valuation as soon as possible.
After receiving Chen Dongcheng's confirmation, Cheng Wei happily called several current executives of the company and solemnly introduced Chen Dongcheng.
"Mr. Chen has joined the company and will become a member of the board of directors. Everyone welcomes him."
Cheng Wei took the lead in applauding, and several other executives in the conference room were a little surprised.
This was the first time for them to meet such a young director.
Chen Dongcheng came up and struck hard: "Everyone, Didi has reached the point of life and death."
A group of senior executives looked at Chen Dongcheng inexplicably. Is there something wrong with this director's brain?
"As far as I know, Uber has already planned to enter the country and start competing for the market."
Chen Dongcheng looked calm and what he said was true.
Uber has begun to consider entering the country, and anyone with a bit of business sense can feel it.
The potential of the domestic market in the United States has been drained by Uber.
If Uber wants to continue to maintain its high valuation, it can only expand globally.
Cheng Wei looked serious: "Mr. Chen is right, Uber does not give up on China.
They started trial operation in Shanghai in August last year, and I think everyone should know what this means."
All the executives looked solemn, which means that the city is Uber's bridgehead into the country.
Once Uber really enters the country, no one dares to think about that situation.
There is a 99.9999% chance that Didi will be defeated by Uber.
The valuations of the two are quite different. Didi has just reached one billion U.S. dollars.
Uber has become a leading company in the United States, with a valuation of $3.5 billion.
This is not the scariest thing, Uber is now spreading news.
It is seeking a new round of financing and is seeking a valuation of US$17 billion.
Equivalent to 17 Didi.
Once such a huge opponent enters the country, everyone shudders just thinking about it.
"It will take time for Uber to enter the country. At least until June, Uber will not make any large-scale moves."
Everyone looked at Chen Dongcheng, with some confusion and some relief.
"A valuation of US$17 billion is not that easy to obtain. Even if you hire the top investment bank, it will take at least three months."
Everyone looked relieved and exhaled in unison.
"In the past six months, what we should do is to defeat Kuaidu as quickly as possible, make sufficient capital reserves, and face Uber."
Cheng Wei smiled bitterly and said: "Director Chen, we are not good at financing. This financing was also helped by Mr. Peng from Tengxun."
"If you don't understand, just go dig it. Liu Qing, have you considered it?"
Cheng Wei was stunned: "You mean Liu Qing from Goldman Sachs?"
Chen Dongcheng's thoughts confused Cheng Wei for a while.
To dig Yanagawa Haru’s daughter, you should dig it from Goldman Sachs, you can’t figure it out!
Cheng Wei swallowed his saliva and felt really excited.
He started as an ordinary product manager and brought Didi up little by little. The most important thing is talent.
At present, Didi has no professionals who understand financing, so it has to poach talents.
Cheng Wei’s main task in daily life is to recruit talents for Didi.
Didi will also welcome this strong woman to join the company in its history, but the time was brought forward half a year by Chen Dongcheng.
Without advance notice, Chen Dongcheng doubted whether Didi would be defeated by Uber all of a sudden.
Historically, Didi suffered heavy losses and barely managed to beat back Uber.
The price paid makes every Didi shareholder feel pain.
The reason is naturally that they were not fully prepared. Faced with Uber, which had just finalized a valuation of US$17 billion, it was almost beaten to its knees.
Although Chen Dongcheng doesn’t understand financing, he knows how to help Didi acquire Kuaidi as quickly as possible.
Only the merger of Didi and Kuaidi will have the ability to compete with Uber.
They are just killing each other, and only Uber succeeds in the end.
People in the conference room looked at each other in confusion. Why did they talk about poaching Liu Qing from Goldman Sachs while chatting?
They all felt that these two big guys were really a bit whimsical.
Liu Qing has worked at Goldman Sachs for twelve years. Is he so easy to find?
Who would have thought that instead of being the general manager of Goldman Sachs China, he would come to Didi to work for Cheng Wei?
"How about I give it a try?"
Cheng Wei was a little ready to make a move.
He also did not expect that Chen Dongcheng would find another way to propose poaching people from Goldman Sachs.
Cheng Wei has never had this idea before and doesn't even dare to think about it.
"As the deputy general manager of Tengxun Strategic Investment Department, Mr. Peng must have connections."
Chen Dongcheng said with a bad smile: "We might as well hide the news of successful financing and seduce Liu Qing."
Cheng Wei's face was full of surprise, and he nodded excitedly for a while: "Okay, Goldman Sachs did contact us before, but the offer was too low and I rejected it."
Didi now accounts for 60% of the market share, and has become the industry leader.
In terms of playing fast, only by holding Ahri's thigh can there be a chance of a comeback.
Goldman Sachs naturally noticed it, but the previous tentative quotation was directly passed by Cheng Wei.
Goldman Sachs' quote was still a bit low, and there was no further news.
Wang Gang is usually calm and rigorous, but at this time he couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Thank you for thinking of it."
Chen Dongcheng and Cheng Wei looked at each other and smiled. Those who achieve great things do not stick to trivial matters.
As long as it can recruit Liu Qing, Didi will have the capital to compete with Uber. This is the most important thing.