Restart life

Chapter 495 0485 [Map War]

Sun Yuguo, Chairman and General Manager of NavInfo, is currently on a business trip, personally traveling to the Netherlands to discuss the acquisition of Mapscape.

The negotiations went smoothly, and he even enjoyed the Amsterdam night view accompanied by the Dutch.

An international call came in, and Sun Yuguo heard a hurried voice: "Chairman, ByteDance has made a takeover bid for us. ByteDance is now our company's second-largest shareholder!"

"What did you say?" Sun Yuguo, who had been drinking, suddenly sobered up.

His assistant said, "The company that has been secretly acquiring us for the past few months is ByteDance."

Chen Guiliang used hundreds of accounts to gradually accumulate shares of NavInfo, which couldn't possibly go unnoticed. The only problem was that no one knew who was pulling the strings behind the scenes.

In fact, NavInfo's shareholders are quite happy for someone to do this, because it can boost the company's stock price.

In mid-last month, the lock-up period for the listed company ended, and multiple institutional and individual shareholders, including Chairman Sun Yuguo, reduced their holdings and cashed out.

The stock price subsequently fell again, and Chen Guiliang took the opportunity to continue accumulating shares.

After the collective reduction of holdings by the old shareholders, the largest shareholder is China Siwei (state-owned assets), with a shareholding ratio of 13.9%.

None of the other shareholders held more than 5% of the shares, making ByteDance the second-largest shareholder!
After thinking calmly for a while, Sun Yuguo called the chairman's assistant: "Please contact Mr. Chen Guiliang for me. I need to speak with him as soon as possible."

"Okay, I'll contact them right away." Assistant Dong hung up the phone in a hurry.

It was already past midnight in the Netherlands when Sun Yuguo finally got the phone number and eagerly dialed Chen Guiliang: "Hello Mr. Chen, this is Sun Yuguo from NavInfo."

"Hello, Chairman Sun, I've long admired your name," Chen Guiliang said.

Sun Yuguo asked, "Does your company intend to continue making acquisitions?"

Chen Guiliang gave an ambiguous answer: "There are no specific plans for this at the moment."

Sun Yuguo cautioned, "If your company continues to increase its stake, it's best not to exceed 10%. In particular, it shouldn't exceed China Siwei, as that's a state-owned shareholder!"

"I understand, thank you for reminding me, Chairman Sun," Chen Guiliang said with a smile.

Sun Yuguo said, "I'm currently in Europe and won't be back in China for another two or three days. I'll treat Mr. Chen to dinner then."

Chen Guiliang said, "I should be the one paying."

Over the next ten minutes, the two sides had a cordial and friendly exchange.

These days, regulations are still quite strict, so Chen Guiliang certainly wouldn't dare to exceed the state-owned shareholders, and it's even inconvenient for him to hold more than 10% of the shares.

But in a few years it won't matter anymore. Due to NavInfo's new share issuance, the state-owned shareholding ratio will even drop below 10%, and the company will directly become "without an actual controller".

In another timeline, Tencent invested in NavInfo, consistently holding about 0.2% less of the shares than state-owned assets.

Although Tencent could easily become the largest shareholder with just a little more money, it remains committed to not increasing its stake and is determined not to turn the company into a privately controlled entity.

A few days later, Sun Yuguo, who had already returned to China, held a press conference to announce that Chen Guiliang had become a director of NavInfo. Furthermore, NavInfo will engage in in-depth cooperation with ByteDance.

NavInfo's stock price surged!

In fact, NavInfo's stock price surged the day after ByteDance made its share purchase.

Especially now that Weibo is so popular, a large number of "stock recommenders" are flocking to ByteDance's Weibo platform.

They swarmed their fans, saying, "ByteDance is the fastest-growing company in China, and now it has become the second-largest shareholder of NavInfo. This is definitely a long-planned move with grand ambitions! Trust me, you can buy NavInfo stock without hesitation!"

It hit the daily limit for a week in a row.

At the press conference, a reporter asked, "Mr. Chen, what are your long-term plans regarding your investment in NavInfo?"

Chen Guiliang smiled and said, "Of course, map software is a very important traffic entry point. It's not convenient to disclose the long-term plan for now, but ByteDance will establish a joint laboratory with NavInfo, and engineers from both sides will share core data that is permitted by law. Next, the joint laboratory will develop exclusive features for ByteDance, features that other companies cannot purchase."

Which other companies are included?
Of course, it's companies like Baidu and Tencent that purchase data services from NavInfo.

Another reporter asked, "Mr. Chen, the largest shareholder, China Siwei, currently holds less than 14% of the shares. Will you continue to acquire shares to make ByteDance the largest shareholder?"

Chen Guiliang's expression turned serious: "NavInfo's parent company is China Siwei, and China Siwei's parent company is China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. I have no intention of changing the state-owned relative controlling stake in NavInfo!"

The third reporter asked, "Companies including Baidu and Tencent, all of their map software, are buying data from NavInfo. Now that you're a director of NavInfo, will you propose restricting their services?"

Chen Guiliang said, "As everyone knows, I never keep things to myself. My various platforms are open to other companies. No matter which company you are, you can rest assured to purchase NavInfo's data services."

Don't be so sure!

Upon learning the news, Tencent immediately convened a meeting of its senior management and came up with two solutions.

The first plan involves Tencent also investing in NavInfo, holding more than 5% of the shares, and engaging in a battle of wits with ByteDance at NavInfo's board meetings.

The second option is for Tencent to invest in other map companies and get rid of its dependence on NavInfo as soon as possible.

Pony Ma personally made the decision, choosing the second option and setting his sights on AutoNavi, which is listed in the United States.

Ma Jie's recent actions caused AutoNavi's stock price to plummet, and it's now in a slow recovery phase. This presents a good opportunity for Tencent to make its move!
Tencent quietly purchased AutoNavi shares without revealing any information.

Baidu was even more direct. Robin Li had been negotiating with Changdi Wanfang, but the price difference between the two sides was too great, and the acquisition plan could not be finalized.

Now, Baidu is afraid of being secretly sabotaged by ByteDance, and Changdi Wanfang is facing greater competitive pressure from NavInfo.

Both sides quickly reached an agreement, each taking a step back and sticking together for mutual support.

Just half a month later, Baidu held a press conference where Robin Li personally announced that Baidu had spent $3.5 million to acquire Changdi Wanfang in its entirety!

All I can say is, Baidu is damn rich.

Tencent, which had been quietly accumulating shares in the US stock market, couldn't sit still any longer and began contacting existing shareholders of AutoNavi. Tencent spent $2.9 million to acquire a 28% stake in AutoNavi at a premium, instantly becoming AutoNavi's largest shareholder.

The news drew attention from the industry.

ByteDance, Baidu, and Tencent have all made moves, each entering the map industry. Is this the start of a map war?
Still reeling from the scandal, Ma Jieke was spurred into looking for a map company.

Ma Jieke's first choice was Careland, but the acquisition was extremely difficult. At that time, Careland was the dominant player in China's in-vehicle navigation industry, and it had no shortage of funds or competitive pressure.

……

"Mr. Chen, congratulations! Your business is booming!" Dean Zhu from Peking University's Yuanpei College called.

Chen Guiliang laughed and said, "Luckily, luckily."

Dean Zhu said, "We've been asking you to come before, but you can't refuse again this year, can you?"

“I’ll definitely be here this year,” Chen Guiliang asked. “Is it for the graduation ceremony or the opening ceremony?”

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Yuanpei Program at Peking University. As a graduate of the Yuanpei Program, Chen Guiliang will definitely have to go back to participate in the celebrations.

Dean Zhu said, "On the tenth anniversary, please attend the opening ceremony of Yuanpei College. Give a speech to the junior students and encourage them to work hard."

Chen Guiliang said, "No problem, I'll make time no matter how busy I am."

Dean Zhu pressed his advantage: "How about you attend Peking University's graduation ceremony next year? The university has invited you for two consecutive years, but you've declined both times."

Chen Guiliang said, "Alright, I'll definitely be there next year."

"Then I'll have to report this to the school." Dean Zhu was afraid that Chen Guiliang would change his mind.

Chen Guiliang laughed and said, "Haha, since I've agreed, I definitely won't go back on my word."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Guiliang lay down in his office to rest.

While I'm at it, I'll browse Weibo.

Today's top Weibo headline is "China-Vietnam hacker war".

The US is secretly stirring up trouble, provoking conflict in the South China Sea. Vietnamese hackers launched the first attack on Chinese websites, prompting a defensive counterattack from the Chinese Red Hacker Alliance, resulting in a heated online battle these past two days.

The root cause is the US debt crisis.

During the economic crisis, the US printed money like crazy, while China and Russia expanded the scope of Euro settlements. Then, the US stirred up trouble in the EU, aggressively suppressing the Euro and creating the European debt crisis, while the US took the opportunity to reap the benefits from its allies.

Now they're messing with China again, constantly instigating trouble in China's neighboring countries.

Doesn't it feel very familiar?

Ten years later, the Americans will do it again, using similar methods, but with even greater intensity.

Starting this year, the atmosphere of public opinion on the Chinese internet has deteriorated sharply, and the United States is undoubtedly behind it.

A large number of public intellectuals are quietly taking US dollars and seizing every opportunity to smear China. They create a media frenzy whenever something happens, and spread rumors even when nothing is wrong.

As Chen Guiliang scrolled through the indignant comments from netizens, his mother, Yao Lan, suddenly called.

"Guiliang, I've found the cook you asked me to find," Yao Lan said.

Chen Guiliang asked, "What's wrong with Auntie?"

Yao Lan said, "She used to be a canteen worker at the salt factory. When the salt factory went bankrupt, she was laid off. She and her husband opened a small restaurant, and I heard they were very good cooks. Her husband got cancer, spent a lot of money on treatment but couldn't get better, and died at home two months ago. Your uncle introduced her to her, and she seemed to be a good person."

The so-called uncle-in-law was Chen Guiliang's cousin's second husband, the one who was a leader in the salt factory.

All the salt factories within Longdu City have now been merged into a single salt industry group. Many factories have been closed down or restructured, resulting in a large number of laid-off workers. Even Chen Guiliang's uncle-in-law has retired early and is now working as an advisor for the salt industry group.

"Let her come, give her a trial period," Chen Guiliang said.

Ah, with a cook now, I finally don't have to eat Bian Guanyue's cooking anymore.

It wasn't particularly bad, but Chen Guiliang is a picky eater. We're rich now, so we should enjoy ourselves; food is our top priority.

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(This chapter was uploaded a long time ago, but I didn't realize it wasn't stuck in the review process...)
(End of this chapter)