Restart life

Chapter 410 0400 [Investing in Gaode]

Chen Guiliang's promotion on Hunan TV was quite successful.

At least, loyal viewers of Hunan TV already know that HarmonyOS smartphones are cool. If they had one of their own, they'd definitely be the center of attention wherever they go.

Chen Guiliang returned to Beijing and submitted his graduation thesis just before the deadline, waiting to defend it next month.

Then he busied himself preparing for the HarmonyOS phone.

It's not just about advertising, but also about the applications within it, especially map applications.

Although the Android system had already been released, Chen Guiliang still tried to develop his own system and release it for free to attract other companies to use it.

What if it works? We have to give it a try.

If all else fails, just stick with Android.

If the HarmonyOS system succeeds, then making electronic maps will be very profitable, especially since Google Maps is about to withdraw from China.

But map software is a special case; it's really difficult to make.

Initially, Chen Guiliang planned to cooperate with SuperMap Software because SuperMap's R&D center was located downstairs from ByteDance.

He talked to SuperMap last year, but SuperMap only provides the development platform and doesn't develop commercial map software itself. Collaborative development also failed; they simply couldn't reach an agreement.

Chen Guiliang inquired around and learned that Baidu Maps and Tencent SOSO Maps were both cooperating with NavInfo at the time.

Baidu and Tencent lack surveying and mapping qualifications and cannot directly develop map software. Both companies are skirting the rules, with the underlying map data provided by NavInfo; they are merely "service providers" for the map software.

If NavInfo were to terminate the cooperation one day, Baidu and Tencent's map software would have to be removed from app stores immediately.

In order to avoid being controlled by others, Baidu and Tencent each acquired a company with surveying and mapping qualifications—the acquisition price was particularly high because the number of private qualifications was limited, and even if you had money, you might not be able to buy one.

Chen Guiliang wanted to take it one step at a time and directly invest in AutoNavi.

However, Gaode is preparing for its IPO and does not accept investment at all.

……

"Mr. Chen, are you still short-staffed?" Lu Zhihui suddenly called.

Chen Guiliang smiled and said, "You're welcome anytime."

Lu Zhihui lamented, "Last December, Goldman Sachs laid off some employees, but I wasn't one of them, so I thought I was fine. Who would have thought that with the financial market recovering this year, there would be a second round of layoffs? Sigh! Damn it, even though I had such good performance before, I still got laid off by Goldman Sachs."

"Haha, I should thank Goldman Sachs for getting such a great talent." Chen Guiliang appeared eager to recruit talent.

Lu Zhihui was probably really angry, and continued to complain: "I know why I was laid off. Because I'm Chinese, but not a second-generation rich kid. The fact that I wasn't laid off in the first round is already a sign that they valued me!"

A few days later, Lü Zhihui flew back to China and quickly completed the onboarding procedures.

His position is Vice President of Investment.

This arrangement did not cause resentment among veteran employees, after all, Lü Zhihui's achievements were undeniable—successfully orchestrating ByteDance's IPO.

It's better to come early than to come by coincidence.

In his second week at the company, Lü Zhihui already had things to do.

Chen Guiliang had been hoping for ByteDance's stock price to fall so he could buy his own shares at a lower price. But this year, instead of falling, it rose.

It has finally fallen.

Moreover, the reason for the stock price plunge was completely unexpected by Chen Guiliang.

Green Dam!

On May 19, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued a "Notice on Pre-installing Green Internet Filtering Software on Computers." The notice requires that computers manufactured in China after July 1 should be pre-installed with the new version of "Green Dam - Youth Protection."

This is supposed to pre-install Green Dam on computers, what does that have to do with my social networking sites?
Because the American media is stirring up trouble!

The news of Google's impending withdrawal from China has caused a great stir, with American newspapers ignoring the facts and launching a frenzied attack.

Meanwhile, Twitter was officially blocked by China this year due to its excessive sensitive content, requiring Chinese users to use a VPN to access it. This was also widely reported by American media.

Now that Green Dam has been launched, the Americans will naturally seize the opportunity to do something about it again.

They claim that Green Dam is Chinese government surveillance software that allows them to access the personal information of all computer users. Now they're monitoring computers; the next step is monitoring websites.

Sina, NetEase, and Sohu, whose stock prices soared this year, suffered a major blow due to Green Dam, and their stock prices collectively plummeted.

Baidu, on the other hand, is completely unaffected, because Baidu is a search engine.

ByteDance's stock price fell the most because ByteDance mainly focuses on online social networking. This area is considered a key target for surveillance.

On the day Green Dam was demonized by the US media, ByteDance's stock price plummeted by 14%.

The price continued to fall afterward.

It is estimated that some institutions took the opportunity to short ByteDance, as its smaller size makes it easier to manipulate.

The stock price continued to fall until early the following month, when ByteDance's stock price had dropped to just over two dollars.

Chen Guiliang put Lü Zhihui in charge of the operation, spending all the US dollars that Youke hadn't used up last time, the millions of dollars he made from shorting Lehman Brothers, and the funds that Chen Guiliang had prepared in advance, to buy ByteDance shares.

The operation is complete, and ByteDance's shareholding structure has changed again:
Chen Guiliang 51.48%.

Guo Feng 4.04%.

The employee stock option pool is 9.60%.

Game Science 6.75%.

Only 28.13% of the shares are still outstanding.

ByteDance's stock price quickly stopped falling and rebounded, although the recovery was slow, it continued to rise.

After all, the financial statements are there for all to see.

This is because it's not just the company buying back shares; Chen Guiliang is also personally increasing his shareholding, proving that the boss has great confidence in the company.

The last person to do this was Ding Sanshi!

……

Ding Sanshi didn't react, but Zhang Chaoyang was already complaining about Green Dam.

Among the three major portal websites, Sohu's stock price plummeted the most due to Green Dam.

Zhang Chaoyang even tagged Chen Guiliang: "President Chen, you've really gone all out this time, spending money to increase your stake in ByteDance. Don't you have anything to say about it?"

Chen Guiliang responded, "It didn't cost much. It was a good opportunity to buy at the bottom. What difference does it make who you buy from? Buying from your own company's stock isn't bad." Zhang Chaoyang tagged Chen Guiliang: "Learning from Ding Sanshi?"

Chen Guiliang replied, "Pretty much. Wish me luck in passing my graduation thesis defense!"

Zhang Chaoyang: "..."

A group of IT company CEOs: "..."

Countless netizens flocked to watch the spectacle and offered their sincere blessings to Chen Guiliang.

Wishing Mr. Chen a happy sixth birthday.

"Chen Shiyi, you should continue your studies. That way, we'll share a common identity: we're both students!"

"Quickly send me a HarmonyOS phone, and I'll ask Buddha to bless you so you can graduate smoothly."

"..."

Chen Guiliang sent those guys a middle finger emoji.

Then I rode my bicycle back to school.

That old bicycle, which hadn't been ridden for two or three months, was surprisingly not stolen when it was left downstairs at the company.

However, the tires had completely deflated, and the car body was covered in dust.

You have to see things through to the end.

If I don't ride today, I probably will never ride again in my life.

Chen Guiliang got a rag and a bucket of tap water, and carefully wiped the dust off the car body. He also unscrewed the bell and cleaned the inside.

Then I took out the equally dusty air pump and filled the bicycle tires.

A crowd of onlookers gradually gathered.

"Mr. Chen, where are you going on your chariot?" an older woman asked.

Looking back, Chen Guiliang vaguely remembered that he had worked in academic research and ancient book publishing back then, and his company was next to ByteDance when he started his business.

"Wasn't your publishing house taken over by Peking University Press?" Chen Guiliang asked.

The older woman said, "I also graduated from Peking University, and now I work for Peking University Press. I'm in charge of this publishing business in the Science Park now."

Chen Guiliang then asked, "What about the other partners?"

The older sister sighed, "We've all gone our separate ways long ago. Alas, things have changed."

Chen Guiliang put away the air pump: "Let's talk later, I have to go to my thesis defense."

"I hope you're still a student next year!" the older sister said with a smile.

Chen Guiliang, acting like a little kid, said, "Rebound! Curse ineffective."

The onlookers all laughed.

Pshaw, what are you guys laughing at?
My student days are almost over, can't I at least show off my childlike side one last time?
Chen Guiliang stopped his bicycle at the entrance of the science park, tossed a cigarette to the gatekeeper, and said, "Grandpa, could you watch my air pump?"

"Alright, leave it here, I guarantee it won't get stolen," the gatekeeper said with a smile.

Jingle bell bell~~~~
Chen Guiliang kept ringing the bicycle bell and pedaled furiously with a youthful spirit, feeling as if he had returned to his school days.

When he entered the school gate, he even planned to greet the gatekeeper.

But then the gatekeeper at the North Gate was replaced.

The security guard was in his thirties and had been studying on his own, so he probably passed the postgraduate entrance exam.

He might have gone to work.

Let's wish him well.

"I have a little donkey, but I never ride it..." Chen Guiliang hummed a song as he strolled through the campus in a cheerful mood.

People would greet him from time to time.

It seems that despite not returning to campus for a long time, he is still quite popular at Peking University.

When I arrived at the thesis defense venue, the classroom was already quite full, filled with this year's undergraduate graduates.

"Haha, Senior Brother Chen is here too."

As soon as Chen Guiliang entered the classroom, people cheered and shouted, and everyone stared at him.

The main reason is that he hasn't shown up at school this year.

After Chen Guiliang sat down, his outgoing classmates all came over to chat with him.

A short while later, one of the defense committee members walked in.

The classroom instantly became much quieter.

Chen Guiliang's phone rang, and he apologized and went outside to answer it.

It was a call from Xiong Xiaoge of IDG.

"Mr. Chen, are you interested in investing in AutoNavi?" Xiong Xiaoge asked.

Chen Guiliang was completely bewildered: "Didn't they refuse to accept investment?"

Xiong Xiaoge explained, “Walden International is one of the lead shareholders in AutoNavi’s Series A funding round. Behind Walden is a limited partner (LP) in the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS). This fund is currently short of funds and is trying to raise capital everywhere. They plan to sell a portion of the existing shares in AutoNavi’s Series A funding round, with a total value of approximately $3000 million. We at IDG are planning to acquire $500 million worth of shares, and by the way, are you interested?”

"That's quite a coincidence." Chen Guiliang hadn't expected such a thing to happen.

A company that is preparing for an IPO actually has an A-round shareholder willing to sell existing shares.

Extremely rare!

Of course, anything can happen during a global financial crisis.

Although there is profit to be made once an IPO is listed, no one can say for sure whether an IPO will be successful. Very few new stocks have been approved in the US in the past year.

As for the LP behind Walden, it's called the California Public Employees Retirement Fund. They probably suffered huge losses during the economic crisis and now have no money to pay public employees' retirement pensions. They can't wait for AutoNavi to go public and want to withdraw their money—even so, they still have several times the profit.

Chen Guiliang said, "I immediately sent someone to contact Gaode. Thank you, Mr. Xiong, for the information."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Guiliang immediately called Lü Zhihui again: "Gaode's Series A shareholders want to sell their existing shares. The company is preparing for an IPO. We must secure it!"

(End of this chapter)