You call this entrepreneurship?

Chapter 556

After Penguin's open letter was released, the effect was immediate.

The group of neutral netizens who were originally just watching the fight from the sidelines couldn't hold it anymore. What does your fight with two families have to do with us?
I am just an ordinary netizen, I will use whichever software is good.

Who do you think you are, asking us to choose between two options?

Why should we choose? Why are you so domineering?

You are not the only one who makes chat software. Who gave you the courage to be so arrogant now?

If you were really allowed to rule the world, we dare not even imagine what you would be able to do.

As a result, public opinion on the Internet escalated again, and it was one-sided criticism against the penguin. Those who had previously spoken for the penguin also changed their attitudes and positions.

"They are all apps I like. What should I do if they quarrel?"

"I like Meitu Shenqi and QQ very much, and I have made many good friends on them over the years. What should we do if we are not allowed to use them?"

"I think Penguin should choose a more generous approach that is consistent with its image and responsibility."
"I can't stand it anymore. You companies should fight each other through legal means and give us a quiet network!"
"In the end, ordinary users are the ones who suffer from competition conflicts between companies. Where are our 'relevant departments'? No one is in charge of this matter. Are we just going to let them compete unfairly like this?"

Not only was public opinion boiling over on the Internet, but newspapers and magazines also began to join in.

XX Morning Post: What Tencent forces users to ban is human nature.

XX Daily: "Beware of "Internet Troops" Fabricating "Public Opinion" on the Internet"

XX Metropolitan Daily: Penguin does not respect netizens’ right to choose and is suspected of monopoly.

Southern Metropolis Daily editorial: "The battle between Penguin and Sentinel Technologies is a vicious fight that goes against the spirit of the Internet"

XX Morning Post: More than a thousand users have joined the collective rights protection application to file an antitrust investigation against Penguin.

XX Express: "Is Penguin not prepared to give users a sincere explanation?"

Sentinel Technology released another announcement on its official website and Weibo account, "A Letter to All Users"

"Penguin's move is a serious violation of the spirit of the Internet. If our competitors continue to act on their own will, we will definitely fight back and use legal weapons to safeguard our legitimate rights and interests."

……

"It is certain that BeautyShow did use some of the code from the Beauty Tool," Zhang Pingyi said with certainty. "I suspect they even used our beauty algorithm."

Qin Shaoyan was not panicked at all when he heard this, and asked instead: "Have you secured the evidence?"

"It's already been fixed." Zhang Pingyi was a little confused, "Did Penguin really poach people from us?"

"Many of the peripheral developers of Meitu Shenqi resigned. Some stayed in Beijing, and some went to the south." Qin Shaoyan explained, "I guess some of them were recruited by Penguin."

"How could these people have access to the code?" Zhang Pingyi was very surprised. "How on earth did the Meitu Artifact project team manage it? The code could even be leaked."

"And isn't there a non-compete agreement? How did they get around it?"

"They will naturally come into contact with code when they are doing development." Qin Shaoyan was also helpless. "The management framework over there has just been set up, so some things cannot be blamed. As for the non-compete agreement, it can always be avoided as long as you find a way."

Zhang Pingyi was still puzzled. "Our employee benefits have always been very high. Why do employees leave?"

"The welfare system at Meitu Shenqi has not been established yet. Besides, these people are not core development members. They have been in the company for less than half a year. What benefits can they enjoy?" Qin Shaoyan explained helplessly, "As long as they are willing to spend money to poach people, they don't need to care about our welfare benefits."

Zhang Pingyi sighed, "What are you going to do now? Sue Penguin?"

"No." Qin Shaoyan said firmly, "Call the police and arrest them!"

Zhang Pingyi was shocked. "Catch someone?! Are you kidding me?"

"I am very serious." Qin Shaoyan's attitude was extremely firm. "I am going to arrest him, and I am going to arrest him at the other company."

"Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble by making such a big fuss?" Zhang Pingyi was a little anxious and began to dissuade Qin Shaoyan, "We are all in the same industry, we will meet each other sooner or later, why make such a fuss?"

"If we don't teach them a lesson, they will think we are easy to bully." Qin Shaoyan sneered, "We must teach them a lesson this time."

Zhang Pingyi was somewhat speechless, "How can this end after such a big commotion?"

"Don't worry about that." Qin Shaoyan looked confident, "Sometimes letting things get out of hand is also a solution."

After saying that, Qin Shaoyan raised his finger and pointed upwards, smiling mysteriously, "The higher-ups will help us sort it out when the time comes."

……

Inside Penguin Headquarters.

Ma Huateng had a solemn expression on his face and remained silent, and his capable right-hand men also kept silent.

Now Penguin has become the target of public criticism. It is easy to deal with the online scolding. Just pretend to be dead for a few days and wait for this wave to pass and everyone will forget about it.

But now public opinion has clearly escalated, and even traditional media have begun to criticize.

At that time, traditional paper media was still quite intimidating, and its influence in later generations was completely different from that in later generations.

Facing criticism and questioning from traditional media, you cannot just remain silent.

Ma Huateng called everyone together for a meeting to discuss how to do public relations.

The public relations department is now completely helpless. Faced with this catastrophic level of public opinion storm, they are powerless even if they have the power.

Because all plans had to be finally approved by Mr. Ma, he was not satisfied with any of the plans they gave him and had revised them more than a dozen times.

The PR manager was so angry that he lost his temper. It's not that he couldn't think of a good solution, but he didn't dare to say it out loud. As long as Penguin apologized and gave in immediately, and cancelled the previous ban, public opinion would be reversed immediately.

But can this be said?
Anyway, the company belongs to the boss and they can handle it.

Ma Huateng is very anxious now. He feels that he and the penguin are trapped in a big whirlpool and cannot get out no matter how hard they struggle.

"You can speak freely and say whatever comes to your mind." Ma Huateng said slowly.

There was still silence in the conference room, and no one spoke.

Ma Huateng was about to say something when his cell phone suddenly rang. He was about to hang up, but after taking a closer look at the number, he quickly picked up the phone.

After the call was connected, the person on the other end only said, "The police from Beijing are on their way to your company."

Then the phone was hung up, and Ma Huateng was stunned after hearing it.

Seeing that Ma Huateng looked unhappy, everyone present started to ask what had happened.

Ma Huateng said in a difficult tone: "The police from Beijing... are on their way to the company."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was an uproar in the conference room, and everyone's faces were filled with disbelief and shock.

"What are they going to do?"

"Qin Shaoyan was too cruel! How could he do this?! Is there any morality at all?"

"The mall is like a battlefield."

At this time, someone stood up and said anxiously: "Boss Ma, please leave quickly. We will stay to deal with the police."

When Ma Huateng heard this, his heart moved and he subconsciously thought about how and where he should go.

At this time, Vice President Zeng Qing stepped out and scolded, "Shut up, what nonsense are you talking about? Why is President Ma leaving?"

After saying that, he looked at Ma Huateng and said, "Boss Ma, it's not too late to figure out the situation first."

Ma Huateng thought about it and felt that what Zeng Qing said made sense. It would be unreasonable for him to just leave like that.

But he felt a little unsure about staying, so after thinking it over, he immediately picked up his phone and walked out of the meeting room.

At this moment, Ma Huateng didn't care about anything else and called Qin Shaoyan directly. As soon as the other party answered the phone, he asked directly: "Qin Shaoyan, what do you want to do?!"

Qin Shaoyan said with a smile: "Brother Xiao Ma, don't be afraid, the police are not going after you."

Hearing this, Ma Huateng felt inexplicably relieved, but he asked again in a tough tone, "What do I have to be afraid of?"

"Why did you call the police to our company? What on earth are you going to do?"

Qin Shaoyan did not shy away from the question and said directly: "A former employee of our company stole the software source code. The software was jointly developed by our company and the police department. It has special uses and is a confidential project. It has been classified as a state secret."

"This employee is now suspected of stealing state secrets, and the police are taking him away for investigation."

"According to reliable information, this employee works at your Penguin Company, so the police went there."

Stealing state secrets?

When Ma Huateng heard this, he was stunned at first, and then he felt a chill in his heart.

Qin Shaoyan, you are too cruel. This accusation is too big.

This is not an ordinary crime.

It's a leak.

Ma Huateng was shocked and angry, and asked back: "You are not lying to me, are you? Are you trying to pretend to build a plank road but secretly attack Chencang?"

"Brother Xiao Ma, what are you talking about?" Qin Shaoyan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "With our relationship, how could I lie to you?"

Ma Huateng was not willing to believe Qin Shaoyan's words, and continued to ask: "The police came to take only one person away?"

"Well, they may also take a few people from your company to assist in the investigation." Qin Shaoyan added, "But don't worry, the level won't be too high."

Ma Huateng thought about it and felt that there was no need for Qin Shaoyan to lie to him.

But if the police come to arrest someone, I don’t know what everyone will think after the news gets out.

And could this incident be a warning from Qin Shaoyan?
If I can take a few employees away this time, can I take higher-level executives away next time?

Ma Huateng returned to the office worriedly. Looking at the panicked crowd, he waved his hand and said, "It's okay, everyone sit down."

He was just about to say a few words to comfort her when he suddenly received another call.

Hearing the voice on the other end of the phone, Ma Huateng's expression was obviously much more relaxed.

Zeng Qing, the vice president sitting next to him, asked cautiously, "Boss Ma, whose phone is this?"

Ma Huateng was obviously relieved. "It was a call from the leader of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, asking me to go to Beijing for a meeting."

Hearing this, everyone felt relieved.

If the higher-ups come forward to mediate, this matter will be easier.

(End of this chapter)