What's wrong with me being a rich man?

Chapter 409 Flirting from Afar
Xing Hongyu, the general manager of Weishi Business Unit, has been very busy these past few days.

Whether it's external pressure or internal concerns about resource allocation, it all fuels his determination to do his job well.

From search to Weibo to Weishi, this is already my third business unit to manage within Tencent...

Xing Hongyu wasn't sure if he had any special reputation among bosses like Pony and Liu Chiping, but he knew he had to cherish this opportunity.

That evening, they worked overtime to discuss the next steps for Weishi. One of the main issues was whether to increase the recording time of videos. Many users had reported that 8 seconds was too short and hoped to allow for longer recording times.

However, Weishi is positioned to compete with Vine. If Vine remains unchanged, can Weishi change...?

Xing Hongyu's stance can change; we must listen to the voices of users and better meet their needs.

He was then criticized.

"Vine has now topped the free app charts on the US Apple App Store, with over 10 million daily active users, which already shows its phenomenal status!"

"Did it increase the duration? It's only 6 seconds!"

"Doesn't it know it can increase?"

"Mr. Xing, this is the essence of fragmentation and minimalism. This format is the most suitable for users. We need to consider the voices of more users, not just a small group of users."

Xing Hongyu was speechless. Just because he became the general manager of the business unit didn't mean he could make the software do things his way. Moreover, when learning from other software, it was difficult not to be constrained by the other party's situation.

Vine's current data trend is too impressive. It gained 10 million users in just 3 months after its launch at the beginning of the year. The daily active user data has not been disclosed, but judging from its popularity, it is at least in the millions. And all of this was achieved on Apple's iOS version.

It released its Android version last month, quickly reaching a wider user base. It is said that the total number of users this month has exceeded 2500 million, and the daily active users are approaching 1000 million.

Such a splendid performance provides sufficient support.

Xing Hongyu returned home feeling dejected, his mind replaying the reasons his colleagues kept bringing up, especially the "6-second narrative."

What made him even more hesitant was that President Liu Chiping had given him separate instructions: he had to follow Vine...

—A 6-second narrative.

—If it doesn't add it, why should we add it?
—Let the market data speak for itself.

Xing Hongyu thought about the discussion during the day and felt that it was both absurd and that his own ideas were really problematic.

He had just lain down in bed, trying to drift off to sleep, when a WeChat message notification suddenly popped up on his phone screen.

Xing Hongyu clicked on it casually and saw with suspicion a friend request from "Yu Xing".

His first thought was, "Which colleague or business partner has the same name?"

Upon seeing the self-introduction of "Yu Xing," Xing Hongyu was so shocked that he sat bolt upright in bed. Huh? ???

This……

Is it really that person surnamed Yu?

How come he knows how to use WeChat?

Xing Hongyu replied instinctively, "Good evening, Mr. Yu."

He then hesitated about how to deal with this person.

Xing Hongyu's past business had no conflict with Yu Xing, but the damage Yu Xing caused to Tencent is still bleeding. From this perspective, the other party is a formidable enemy. But then again, everyone knows what WeChat is doing to pressure WeChat.

"Mr. Xing, it's like this, my colleagues and I were discussing Vine and Weishi, and a question arose: should content-based platforms like these prioritize content above all else, rather than just pursuing user scale?" After a brief greeting, Yu Xing got straight to the point.

Xing Hongyu had already gotten out of bed and unconsciously walked into the study, but he was still in a daze staring at the message the other party had sent. The tone of the message made it seem as if the other party was a colleague from the office next door...

He sat at his desk pondering the other person's question, while also hesitating whether to continue the conversation. Xing Hongyu snapped out of his thoughts, and seeing that the other person didn't continue asking questions, he suddenly realized that he had been thinking for too long. He paused for a moment, then replied, "This question... well, Mr. Yu, now that you mention it, we were also discussing Vine and Weishi today. Do you think Weishi needs to increase the recording time?"

He didn't reply; not only did he not reply, but he also abruptly shifted the focus to the problems he was facing.

Unexpectedly, the other party answered the question directly.

Yu Xing replied, "I think it needs to be increased. Eight seconds is a bit short, and this kind of fragmentation is too much. Fifteen seconds would be better, as it would give more creative space, and users themselves can choose the length."

Upon seeing President Yu's answer, Xing Hongyu disregarded the other party's past with the company and immediately brought up the discussion from earlier that day: "That's exactly how Vine is!"

Yu Xing's reply was quick: "The format pioneered by Vine is very good, but that doesn't mean it's always right. Just like some giants used to rely on instant messaging, it wasn't always right either, otherwise why would they have fallen into a tough battle? The principle is the same. Short videos will inevitably have to be explored, and this exploration is based on user needs. The so-called 6 seconds or 8 seconds, is it just a recording issue?"

"Are you guys really that inflexible? If you won't change things just because Vine won't change them, then this 8-second setting is also a change, isn't it?"

"I said before that your product operations had some big company problems, and it seems I was right."

Looking at the several replies from President Yu, Xing Hongyu wished he could say these words in the company's conference room, and even wished he could invite him over tomorrow to say them in front of his colleagues!

However, it cannot be said.

The problems associated with large corporations seem ridiculous when viewed in isolation.

He sighed twice, not agreeing with the other party's criticism, worried that President Yu would just take a screenshot and post it on Baixiaosheng.

Xing Hongyu went back to look at President Yu's original question and shared his thoughts: "Content platforms are indeed quite different. I wouldn't say that content is absolutely the most important thing, but I think that, given the current situation, the two are at least equally important."

He obscured the supporting data and content of Weishi, only stating his opinion.

“Well, it feels different to run Weishi, right? In our discussions, we also feel that acquiring mobile internet users at this stage is relatively easy for first- and second-tier companies.” Yu Xing took some time to reply this time. “The players who can enter the race have a relatively balanced starting line, and the importance of other aspects becomes more prominent.”

His next question was: "But I see that Weishi is learning from Weibo in terms of content, and it also uses the celebrity effect. Is this just the initial content launch, or is there a series of plans?"

As Xing Hongyu discussed this, he gradually became excited and replied, "Indeed, we have taken Weibo's development into account. I have done a lot of research in this area before. The celebrity effect can quickly bring traffic and content, but the celebrity effect is just a catalyst and will not become a moat. This approach is to transform it into a sustainable platform ecosystem."

Yu Xing found this description interesting and continued the conversation from that angle.

The two chatted for quite a while without realizing it.

Yu Xing concluded the conversation by saying, "Mr. Xing, thank you for your exchange. I feel I have benefited greatly. I wish Weishi all the best."

Upon seeing this, Xing Hongyu finally couldn't help but ask in confusion, "President Yu, you're too kind. I've also benefited greatly from this. Well, actually, I'm quite curious, why are you talking to me about these things?"

After all, the relationship between the two sides isn't exactly good, and this kind of genuine communication can be very helpful.

Yu Xing understood Xing Hongyu's meaning and replied, "I think it will be difficult for Tencent to do a good job with Weishi."

Xing Hongyu felt a chill in his heart; the other party's identity seemed to become conspicuous again after those words.

He paused for two seconds and said, "I have confidence in the future of Weishi. Weishi will get better and better, just like WeChat. Mr. Yu, didn't you use WeChat too?"

Yu Xing replied, "I downloaded WeChat just to chat with you. It's getting late, let's chat another time. Thank you for your explanation, Mr. Xing."

Xing Hongyu looked at the other party's last sentence and suddenly felt a little embarrassed, but also felt extremely honored.

He tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep, and finally decided to talk to President Liu Chiping again the next day about the necessity of optimizing Weishi.

The next day, Pony Ma and Liu Chiping, who were in different offices, communicated briefly about work via WeChat.

Then, both of them noticed a strange recommendation on WeChat – People You May Know: Yu Xing.

(End of this chapter)