Reborn: Billionaire in College

"Da da da!"

Zhang Yiming tapped the conference table in front of him with his fingers angrily. "What he did was too dirty. How can this be considered fair competition?"

Chen Pingjiang waved his hand, "Okay, Lao Zhang, if you want to blame someone, blame yourself for not being alert enough and for having imagined them too well. Now you know why I called you and Lao Lin to a meeting last time, right?"

Zhang Yiming realized that he had lost his composure and apologized quickly.

In fact, it’s no wonder that he was angry.

Domestic business wars, at most, involve attacking products and making some negative comments in private. How can they contain as many ugly tactics as the American capitalists?
This story has to start from the beginning of the year.

Since TikTok became popular in North America and the global market, it has topped Apple's free APP download list for many weeks in a row.

The total time users spend on their phones is obvious. If they spend more time on TikTok, they will naturally spend less time on other social media apps.

This is easy to understand. For example, after the launch of Douyin, it had an impact on Weibo.

As a result, Zuckerberg realized that TikTok's short video model posed a threat to its core business (especially Instagram and Facebook), so he quickly launched a product with similar functions.

Reels!

Yes!

Zuckerberg launched the short video feature Reels on Instagram and Facebook in an attempt to replicate TikTok's successful model.

The design and functions of Reels almost completely imitate TikTok, including full-screen vertical videos, music backgrounds, algorithm recommendations, etc.

Speaking of this, I have to talk about this digression.

With the explosion of TikTok, more and more people have turned their attention to the App, and they have discovered that the App is extremely powerful.

In comparison, the functions and interfaces of Facebook and Instagram seem outdated, and some of their functions are against human nature.

In the past, the Internet was all copied from American software, but now it’s the other way around.

Zuckerberg has invested a lot of resources in promoting Reels, and even used cash reward programs to attract creators to post content, trying to snatch users and creators from TikTok.

But unfortunately, TikTok has suppressed Reels with its first-mover advantage and excellent algorithms.

This particularly distressed Zuckerberg.

The former good son-in-law suddenly turned into the leader of the anti-fans and tore off all his disguise.

Not only has he discredited Tiktok several times in speeches at several universities.

In addition, he has publicly questioned TikTok's data privacy and security.

The matter is not over yet. This guy is still lobbying everywhere, using the excuse of national security.

Tiktok is currently facing the first round of scrutiny.

Liang Ruobo was also quite angry. "This guy came to visit me a few years ago. At that time, Lao Zhang and I were still starting a business in Beijing. He kept saying that he loved China, but I didn't expect him to change his attitude so quickly."

Chen Pingjiang sneered: "It's all just about interests."

Zhang Yiming: "Mr. Chen, how should we respond now? They are still waiting for our news."

"It's rude not to reciprocate. If Facebook wants to enter the mainland, forget it." Chen Pingjiang continued, "This kind of person is afraid of power but not morality. The weaker you are, the more he will think you are easy to bully. He will expose it to the media and publicly accuse Zuckerberg of cyberbullying and maliciously smear him."

"In recent years, he has turned evil very quickly, and Americans don't like him very much. So we can use TikTok to criticize him. We should stand with the American people!"

"But things won't end here. Tiktok wants to mobilize the masses and is deeply bound to the American people. If they want to touch us at that time, they will have to think twice." After seeing off Zhang Yiming and the other person, Chen Pingjiang sat on the sofa and pondered.

The opponent's siege of Tiktok has not yet started in full swing, but there is no doubt that the first shot has been fired.

The next offensive will only get stronger!

All he has to do is try his best to ensure Tiktok survives, even if it is just to survive!

Just ensure sufficient voting rights and control.

…………

After coming out of Chen Pingjiang’s office.

Zhang Yiming sighed, "Now I realize how wise Mr. Chen is. Before, I didn't quite understand why Tiktok Global was spun off from the parent company. Now I understand that this is to use barbarians to control barbarians."

Liang Ruobo thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Chen seems to be very interested in the North American market. He didn't react at all when our Indian market was banned."

Zhang Yiming: "Because the North American market is very special. After all, the benefits and influence are huge."

Liang Ruobo shook his head. "I think he doesn't care much about revenue, but rather about influence. We can't deny that if an app is successful in the United States, it can almost sweep all English-speaking regions, and it will be easy to occupy a certain share in the world."

"Therefore, we must work hard to ensure that TikTok survives in North America, even if it is very passive. And we must adjust our mentality and deal with it. After all, it is another country, not our territory."

Zhang Yiming nodded and said, "Then we should quickly open the live broadcast function of TikTok, bind it tightly to content creation, and defeat Reels with the ecosystem."

"With all due respect, if Zuck doesn't play dirty, he'll never be able to beat us. Their algorithm doesn't provide enough personalized experience, and their core functionality is still on Instagram."

A week later, TikTok's counterattack came with great force.

First, we actively shaped the brand image, emphasizing its value as a global cultural platform, especially its influence among young people. We also held online events and challenges to attract users to participate and spread positive content.

Then, with a wave of his hand, 200 million US dollars was thrown out, with the purpose of creating a unique cultural community, giving money to Internet celebrities, encouraging users to share original content, and forming an atmosphere that is completely different from other platforms. This sense of cultural identity makes users more loyal to TikTok.

In addition, it has publicly accused Facebook of using "cyber bullying" to suppress its competitors, including hiring public relations companies to spread negative information about TikTok.

No matter whether it's useful or not, let's try to gain some sympathy first.

As long as the company is deeply tied to its users and maintains rapid growth by leveraging its strong product capabilities and user base, it will be able to dispel the rumors.

The most crucial step is to select a new CEO for TikTok.

After all, the current CEO speaks English, so there are still barriers in communicating with Zhang Yiming and Liang Rubo. He is not familiar with them, or cannot be trusted.

Because of TikTok's special situation, it is necessary to choose a CEO who is trustworthy, familiar enough with the Western market, has an international perspective, and can maintain the brand image.

But such people are hard to find.

Zhang Yiming searched for a long time but couldn't find a good target, so he found Chen Pingjiang again.

Chen Pingjiang didn't say anything, just wrote a name on the paper.

"Zhou Shouzi?"

He had never heard of the name.

After checking back, I found out that this person is actually the CFO of Xiaomi? (End of this chapter)