Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 450 The Richest Man Draws His Sword
Dong Mingzhu, not to be outdone, sneered: "A lush tree can last for three years, but can it last for twenty-three years?"
Gree's technological high wall, built over 23 years, is rooted in 70,000 patents!

Lei Jun seemed unwilling to continue the debate and suddenly interrupted, saying, "In conclusion, whether the Xiaomi model can surpass the Gree model depends on the next five years."

I ask the people of the whole country to bear witness: if Xiaomi's revenue surpasses Gree's in five years, Ms. Dong Mingzhu will only owe me one yuan.

Dong Mingzhu's response was like a thunderclap: "Don't talk about a one-yuan deal on stage! I'm telling you frankly, Gree absolutely cannot lose! Besides, if you're going to bet, bet 10 billion!"

Lei Jun's pupils contracted sharply, and he was deeply shocked.

Who could have imagined that what started as a joke to "live up the atmosphere" in the VIP lounge an hour earlier would escalate from a one-dollar bet to an astronomical sum by this iron lady of the business world, spiraling completely out of control.

Host Chen Weihong then posed a difficult question to the award presenters: "A very interesting bet. Mr. Song and Mr. Wang, who do you think will have the higher revenue five years from now, Xiaomi or Gree?"

Lei Jun and Dong Mingzhu both looked towards Song Ci, the renowned strategic master in the business world.

The richest man had just accurately pointed out the characteristics of the two business models, demonstrating unique insights. At this moment, both of them were filled with anticipation, hoping for the other's support.

Song Ci raised the microphone, paused briefly, as if organizing his thoughts. The entire audience held their breath, waiting for the richest man to take sides.

"There are no traditional enterprises, only traditional mindsets. Gree's 23 years of manufacturing foundation is indeed the backbone of the country's economy."

Of course, Lei Jun's internet-based thinking is worth learning from. However, the real difference between Xiaomi and Gree lies outside their respective business models.

Lei Jun seemed to be deep in thought, and then said loudly in front of everyone, "Please enlighten me, President Song."

At this moment, all eyes in the audience were focused on Song Ci, and everyone eagerly awaited the richest man's insightful remarks.

Song Ci nodded slightly, her demeanor composed, instantly becoming the absolute focus of the entire event.
"Xiaomi's ecosystem model is more suited to the current consumer electronics cycle, but it needs to overcome the 'hollowing out' of technology."

Gree's manufacturing foundation lies in scarce resources, but it must break free from the "island mentality," otherwise the single model will be unsustainable.

The richest man paused, then said firmly, "The key to victory lies in the ability to integrate. Whoever completes the integration of the virtual and real worlds first, Xiaomi or Gree, will win the bet in five years."

The essence of integrating the virtual and the real is to make Gree's "walls" the fulcrum of the ecosystem, and to allow Xiaomi's "network" to take root in the real economy.

This brilliant discussion on "walls" and "nets" drew thunderous applause and cheers from the audience.

Lei Jun looked solemn, deeply engraving the four words "integration of reality and virtuality" in his mind.

Although he tried his best to promote the advantages of the Xiaomi model on stage, he also secretly reflected on it: if a problem were to occur in a certain link of the supply chain, it would inevitably have a strong impact on the company's production capacity.

Even the proud and arrogant Dong Mingzhu was now completely convinced and nodded in approval.

"Mr. Song's views are indeed insightful," the host complimented, then pressed on, "In this bet, which company do you favor more?"

"Xiaomi, I guess." This time, Song Ci gave a direct answer. After all, with his help, Xiaomi had already mastered fingerprint recognition technology.

With the in-depth cooperation with Tenda Group next year to develop intelligent voice functions and to make early moves in the mid-to-high-end mobile phone market, revenue is bound to surge, and surpassing Gree in five years will not be difficult.

"Actually, winning or losing the bet isn't important." The richest man changed the subject. "Xiaomi and Gree produce mobile phones and home appliances respectively, so they are not entirely comparable."

Mr. Dong and Mr. Lei, why not broaden your perspective? In your respective fields, you both have formidable competitors, such as Haier and Huawei.

Both companies are working to create a closed-loop ecosystem encompassing "data, manufacturing, and services," and are already on the path of integrating the virtual and physical worlds.

These words, seemingly intended to drag Haier and Huawei into the fray, and while appearing to be a diversionary tactic, successfully shifted the attention of Dong Mingzhu, Lei Jun, and the entire audience.

What was originally a five-year agreement between Xiaomi and Gree has quietly evolved into a fascinating "Four Kingdoms" drama.

The warmth of the awards ceremony had not yet faded, and the lights in Jingyuan Garden had already created a cozy atmosphere.

As soon as Song Ci stepped into the house, Liu Shishi greeted him with a beaming smile, naturally taking the suit jacket from her husband's hand, her tone carrying a hint of teasing:

"Mr. Richest man, your proposal on 'integration of virtual and real worlds' at the 'Economic Person of the Year' awards ceremony has already become a trending topic."

Song Ci was taken aback upon hearing this: "So fast?"

He originally thought that Lei Jun's "10 billion" bet with Dong Mingzhu would definitely attract attention across the internet, but he did not expect the storm to come so quickly, in just one hour.

Liu Shishi lightly tapped her delicate chin, revealing the answer: "Because Huawei and Haier have already publicly responded on Weibo!"

These words immediately piqued Song Ci's interest. She quickly walked to the sofa, sat down, and immediately picked up her phone to refresh Weibo.

On the screen, a post from twenty minutes ago was clearly visible.

Huawei's rotating chairman Guo Ping suddenly spoke out, his words revealing a sharp edge: "Chairman Song's 'wall and network theory' is exactly what Huawei wants."

For Huawei, communication equipment is the "wall," and its consumer business is the "network." Huawei is willing to enter this five-year battle to validate its business model.

If Huawei's 2017 revenue is lower than the combined revenue of Xiaomi and Gree, Huawei is willing to donate one billion yuan to its R&D fund!

Another accompanying image is highly futuristic: base station towers and mobile cloud services intertwine to form a DNA double helix, cleverly symbolizing the deep integration of Huawei's two core businesses.

A stone stirred up a thousand waves.

Huawei's involvement directly propelled the topic of "the real vs. virtual battle of the 10 billion yuan bet" to the top of Weibo's trending topics list.

"Interesting." Song Ci's eyes flashed with interest as she continued to swipe across the screen, carefully sorting out the ins and outs of the matter.

Just five minutes after Guo Ping, representing Huawei, announced Huawei's entry into the competition, Zhou Yunjie, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Haier Group and President of Haier Electric Appliances, revealed the "ecosystem card" on Weibo:
"Virtual and physical networks are all woven for the users! Haier's seven smart ecosystems have covered 200 million households."

The bet was escalated: If Haier's white goods revenue falls short of Gree's in 2017, it will donate 1 billion yuan to research and development, just like Huawei. Haier's accompanying image showed various home appliances surrounding the data flow of the "Haier U+ Smart Brain," visually showcasing its ecosystem layout.

The entry of two industry giants instantly ignited a nationwide discussion:
"Song Ci's move to 'shift the blame' at the ceremony was actually a calculated move! Gree vs. Xiaomi was originally a contest between traditional manufacturing and the Internet model, but by bringing Huawei and Haier into the fray, he directly elevated the situation to a standard battle of 'virtual-real integration'."

"While Dong Mingzhu and Lei Jun were still agonizing over revenue figures, Song Ci had already gotten the four giants to validate his industrial internet theory. The richest man's strategy is terrifying!"

"That's brilliant! He's broadened the horizons in one go. Boss Song has used this billion-dollar bet to give China's manufacturing industry a 'public lesson in integration'."

"Mr. Zhou, let's put the bet aside for now. Could you remake 'Haier Brothers'? The picture quality is just too blurry right now. @HaierZhouYunjieV"

"After checking the data: In 2012, Xiaomi's revenue was estimated at 300 billion yuan, Gree's at 1000 billion yuan, Haier Group's at 1600 billion yuan, and Huawei's at a staggering 2200 billion yuan."

"No wonder Song Ci advised Lei Jun and Dong Mingzhu to take a closer look at their strongest competitors in their respective fields. The difference in their perspectives is truly striking! I feel that Huawei could take another challenge and see if its revenue can surpass the combined revenue of Xiaomi, Gree, and Haier in five years?"

"Actually, Huawei's mobile phone business isn't top-tier right now, only slightly better than Xiaomi. Excluding the major segment of carrier network business, its mobile phone revenue is estimated to be just over 400 billion yuan. From this perspective, the two companies can really compete head-to-head."

"Haier's strongest products are washing machines and refrigerators, but it is indeed crushed by Gree in the air conditioning sector. If Gree wants to develop further, it really needs to expand horizontally and enter the entire white goods sector. Song Ci was right when he said that Gree's strongest competitor is Haier."

"As Huawei employees, to be honest, the confidence we have in taking this gamble comes from this: Huawei expects to sell 0.5 million mobile phones next year, and strives to reach 2 million units by 2017. And communication patents are Huawei's most robust ecosystem!"

Song Ci's fingertip hovered over the phone screen as she looked at the trending topic "Romance of the Four Kingdoms: When Will Tengda's End Be?" Her heart was burning with excitement, wondering if she should add fuel to the fire.

Liu Shishi placed the warm Pu'er tea on the coffee table and chuckled, "Honey, with Huawei and Haier involved, this bet has become a nationwide frenzy. It would be a shame if you, the referee, didn't join in the fun."

Song Ci nodded, lowered his head in deep thought, and began to carefully edit his blog post.

Liu Shishi sat quietly beside her husband, leaning slightly on his shoulder. Without disturbing him, she tilted her head and gazed at his handsome profile.

When the clock struck 11 p.m., Song Ci posted a long blog post on Weibo:

Title: Connecting Everything, Enabling the Future: Building an Intelligent Ecosystem of the Internet of Everything—A Love Letter to Huaguo Industrial

Text: "When we look to the world five years from now, we will find that the essence of all business competition is a battle for ecological niches."

Gree's patent wall, built over 23 years, is a stabilizing force for the real economy; Xiaomi's ecosystem, woven with internet thinking, is the currency of the digital age.

But the future kings will surely be those who can break down barriers by fusing "walls" and "networks" into new infrastructure. This is the core logic behind my "virtual-real integration" strategy.

First, technological convergence: from confrontation to symbiosis.
Huawei's base station and mobile cloud service DNA double helix structure reveals the inevitability of communication technology penetrating into terminals.

If Gree's expertise in precision manufacturing is applied to the development of communication modules, the yield rate of its chips can be increased by more than 30%.

If Xiaomi's ecosystem companies adopt Huawei's communication technology, the device interconnection latency will be reduced from 3 seconds to 0.5 seconds. This is not a zero-sum game, but a multiplier effect of technological synergy.

Second, scenario reconstruction: from single product to system.
Haier's smart home brain has covered 2 million households, but it lacks in-depth mining of user behavior data.

If data parameters from Gree's temperature control and motor control technologies are introduced, its air conditioning energy consumption algorithm can iterate to a "climate adaptive" mode, saving up to 1200 yuan in electricity costs per unit per year.

In contrast, if Gree integrates the health monitoring data from Xiaomi's smart band into its refrigerator's food management system, the refrigerator can proactively recommend recipes and link up with the oven to preheat—this would be a true revolution in user experience.

Third, ecological upgrading: from competition to infrastructure.
Tenda Technology Group will officially launch its "Internet of Everything" strategy in 2013, with the core being the construction of a cross-platform technology platform. Our self-developed TenOS system will enable compatible conversion between Android applications and IoT protocols.

If Huawei and Gree are willing to open up their device interfaces, Tenda can provide the underlying connection framework, while Xiaomi's ecosystem companies can focus on hardware innovation. This division of labor may give rise to a trillion-dollar smart hardware market.

Finally, I want to say: the ultimate outcome of business warfare is not a zero-sum game of market share, but the exponential growth of ecological value. The future era is the era of the Internet+, where everything is intelligently connected!

The moment Song Ci pressed the send button, the living room was so quiet that you could almost hear the roar of the data torrent rushing in.

The soft glow of the phone screen spilled across his deep pupils; there was no clamor of gambling, only a grand blueprint.

Gree's blue, Xiaomi's orange, Huawei's red, and Haier's green—four colored dots of light are being drawn by an invisible force, slowly falling into the silvery spiderweb woven by cloud computing and artificial intelligence at Tengda.

Tenda's next strategic move is already clear: using WeChat as a social entry point, extending to full-domain connectivity of "people-device-scenario", and ultimately building a super ecosystem of "social-IoT-AI".

Through seamless collaboration of hardware, software, and services, WeChat is being upgraded from a "connector of people" to a core connector that "connects everything," becoming the underlying infrastructure of the intelligent era and quietly laying the groundwork for the future industrial internet and metaverse.

"Honey, look! Haier's Zhou Yunjie reposted your blog post in a second!" Liu Shishi exclaimed, holding her phone with surprise in her voice.

Song Ci didn't raise his head, but the corners of his mouth slightly turned up.

He had anticipated that Haier would be the first to respond, and WeChat, as a carrier of "connecting everything," was an irresistible lure for Haier.

As long as Haier and Tenda join forces, they can promote ecological upgrades, create a "smart home" closed loop, and gradually transform from traditional home appliance manufacturers into ecological platforms.

Song Ci, the "long-dormant" billionaire, actually updated her Weibo, instantly igniting the comment section:
"Boss Song has finally remembered his Weibo account password!"

"The richest man has officially made his move! I knew his 'wall-and-network theory' and 'virtual-real integration' were more than just empty words. 'Internet of everything'—his ambition is just too grand!"

"What 'love letter to industry'? This is clearly a proclamation of surrender!"

"It's hard to say who will win or lose among the four giants five years from now, but Tenda is definitely guaranteed to make a profit—relying on its 'social stickiness + traffic advantage,' it will reap the benefits without a hitch!"

Looking at the comments, Song Ci smiled smugly.

This war without gunfire, under the framework of "Internet of Everything" he built, has quietly completed a restructuring of business genes, and large, medium and small enterprises will inevitably accelerate their embrace of the Internet.

As Liu Shishi gazed at her husband's sharply defined profile, she suddenly understood the true meaning of his WeChat signature, "Connecting Everything."

(End of this chapter)