Who would still start a business seriously after being reborn?

Chapter 647 Some are happy and some are sad

Cheng Yi laughed clearly, "Hello everyone at Lianxiang, my name is Cheng Yi. I'm sure you all know me well. I know that many of you would love to rush up and beat me up, right?"

The audience remained silent.

Cheng Yi laughed and said, "From now on, we're all family. We're all men, so don't be shy and speak your mind."

"Answer me, do you guys really want to beat me up?" Cheng Yi asked again.

"Yes! I want to beat you to death!" many people in the audience shouted indignantly.

Cheng Yi looked at the advisors around him and asked, "Was it all recorded?"

"It's been recorded." The advisory team member nodded.

"Hmm." Cheng Yi smiled with satisfaction and said, "Everyone who says 'yes' will have one month's salary deducted."

"grass!"

"???"

"Isn't it good to be a human? You're acting like a dog." The audience erupted in cheers again.

Cheng Yi smiled kindly and said, "Don't be anxious. Actually, I feel just as nervous as everyone else as I do standing here today."

Although the audience remained silent, everyone was secretly cursing inwardly.

You're anxious? You call this anxiety?
Cheng Yi said with a smile, "I know that change will definitely bring growing pains and make many people feel uneasy, but I promise that as long as you have the ability, are willing to believe in me, and are willing to work together with Lianxiang, Momo Group and the new Lianxiang Group will definitely provide you with a broader stage and richer rewards."

His words were firm and decisive, but not very convincing.

Everyone realized that this so-called new president's thought process seemed to be different from that of a normal person.

Cheng Yi then briefly explained the core principles of the cooperation, such as stabilizing the workforce, sharing Momo's ecosystem resources, and focusing on the mid-to-high-end market and the notebook market. He did not shy away from the issues and frankly pointed out the strategic mistakes made by Lianxiang Group in the past, but he also outlined the grand goal of regaining market dominance by relying on the Moc-os system and strong channels after being incorporated into the Momo system.

Soon, the most important part arrived.

Signed the contract.

Under the watchful eyes and flashes of countless cameras, Cheng Yi and Li Yongliang signed their names on a stack of agreements on behalf of Momo Group and Lianxiang Group, respectively.

The agreement is very simple; it had been carefully reviewed by Cheng Yi several days in advance.

I. Momo Group invested 12 billion yuan to acquire a total of 18.9% of the shares of Lianxiang Group held by Yang Yuanqing and other founding team members and some departing employees, becoming the second largest shareholder of Lianxiang Group.

II. A new board of directors and management team of Lianxiang Group were established, with Li Yongliang as chairman, Cheng Yi as president and in charge of all group affairs, and Sun Meng as chairman of the supervisory board.

Third, Lianxiang Group has fully launched the Moc-os system adaptation plan, and newly launched products will be gradually transitioned.

Fourth, Momo Group's subsidiaries, Hasee and Honor, have clearly withdrawn from the domestic mid-to-high-end and notebook computer markets, making room for Lianxiang in the market.

After the signing was completed, the two stood up, shook hands, and took a photo together. Immediately, enthusiastic applause rang out from below the stage, especially from those who had their salary docked for a month. They wished they could run up to Cheng Yi and applaud, hoping that Cheng Yi would glance at them and make them repent.

Immediately after the ceremony, Cheng Yi, in his capacity as the newly appointed president, presided over the first expanded meeting of senior executives of Lianxiang Group.

The first item on the agenda was to announce the new personnel appointments.

A number of mid-level managers who performed well or whose abilities were recognized during the Spring Breeze Action were promoted on the spot to fill nearly ten key vice president and director positions that had been vacated due to the departure of veteran members.

At the same time, it announced an organizational restructuring plan and an upcoming employee stock ownership incentive plan.

The news brought joy to some and sorrow to others within Lianxiang.

But the trend has been set, and a new era has begun.

Meanwhile, in a private room of a coffee shop not far from the Lianxiang headquarters, Yang Yuanqing watched Cheng Yi's triumphant image on the TV news, fiercely stubbed out her cigarette, her face filled with resentment and dejection. Finally, she let out a long sigh and disappeared into the sound of Lantern Festival fireworks outside the window.

The full moon rose on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, illuminating the brand-new Lianxiang Group signboard, but also chilling the hearts of Yang Yuanqing and other founding team members.

And the root of all evil in the struggle between Momo Group and Lianxiang Group is the headquarters of Microsoft Asia United Group.

Waters' office resembled a victory command center, with heart-pounding data displayed on a whiteboard.

MSN Messenger's market share in China: 86.7%
MSN Daily Active Users: 1.41 million

[Average daily usage time of MSN-TS voice calls]: 87 minutes.

Waters lay back in the chair, his face beaming with an almost intoxicating joy and an air of complete confidence.

In his view, the war with Momo Group, in the two key battlegrounds of social networking and casual games, is nearing its end.

QQ's collapse was even faster than he had been most optimistic about.

That once invincible penguin is now on its last legs, a dead goose.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Waters said, turning his chair around to the equally excited executives standing in his office, "we have witnessed history. With unparalleled strength and strategy, we have made MSN the undisputed king of social networking in China!"

A round of applause and applause erupted in the conference room.

Marketing Director Sarah excitedly added, "More importantly, users have become completely accustomed to our interface and operating logic. Although we have borrowed from QQ in many ways, users now think that this is what MSN should be like, and our ecosystem stickiness has been formed."

Waters nodded in satisfaction and smiled, "That's right, we have achieved a decisive victory in the battle for the social media entry point. Next, it's time to consolidate our gains and fully monetize our traffic advantage. James, how are the preparations for 'KartRider' coming along?"

James immediately stood up and reported confidently, "The server stress test passed perfectly, guaranteeing a resounding success in the public beta."

Waters placed its order two weeks in advance for the open beta launch of KartRider.

February 14th is Valentine's Day.

This is also the first important festival for young people after the Lantern Festival in China, and he wants to make KartRider the most romantic gift for this Valentine's Day.

Two days later, on the seventeenth day of the first lunar month, February 14th, Valentine's Day.

The internet that day was almost entirely flooded with announcements of the open beta launch of KartRider.

MSN pop-ups, headlines on major portal websites, pinned posts on gaming forums...

All channels are frantically pushing the same message.

Microsoft took marketing to the extreme, launching Valentine's Day limited-time events and items such as a special track for couples and a heart-shaped nitro boost.

At 10:00 AM, the public beta server opened on time. The instant influx of players nearly filled the login queue.

Countless couples, friends, and classmates joined the game with a single click via MSN to form teams.

The adorable characters, smooth drifting, intense racing, and seamless MSN voice communication instantly captured the hearts of young gamers.

The public beta data is breaking records at an astonishing rate:

Within 1 hours of the server opening, the number of concurrent online users exceeded 50 million!
Within 3 hours of the server opening, the number of concurrent online users exceeded 100 million!
Within 8 hours of the server opening, the number of concurrent online users exceeded 130 million!
During prime time that evening, the number of concurrent viewers remained consistently above 200 million, and continued to climb...

Microsoft cleverly incorporated some of the subsidies that were cut from the previous AFK (away from keyboard) game card redemption event into the game's daily check-in and quest system.

Players can earn substantial points by completing just a few matches each day. This model of earning money while playing games greatly stimulates user engagement and retention.

In internet cafes across the country, the roar of "KartRider" and the cheers and screams of players have replaced the usual sound of keyboards being typed.

After months of exposure to Microsoft, the MSN butterfly icon and the KartRider logo have become the most popular cultural symbols.

Waters looked at the curve on the real-time data panel that was sprinting upwards at almost a 90-degree angle, and he could no longer suppress his smile.

He could almost see the gaming sector, on which Momo Group depended for its survival, being dismantled piece by piece by him.

In stark contrast to Microsoft's celebration, the headquarters of Tencent in Deep Summer City was eerily silent.

In Ma Huateng's office, the curtains were drawn and the ashtray was piled high with cigarette butts.

He sat alone in the dark, his computer screen displaying a ghastly green data panel of all of Tencent's products.

QQ's online user count has plummeted to an all-time low, the number of active groups has decreased significantly, and updates to QQ Spaces have almost come to a standstill.

Most fatally, the core casual games in QQ Games Hall, such as QQ Tang and Sweet Home, experienced a precipitous drop in data.

On the day of the open beta launch of KartRider, the combined daily active users of all these games were less than one-tenth of the other's.

On the table was an internal investigation report.

The report shows that more than 70% of churned users said that the main reason for switching to MSN and KartRider was not only the better benefits and subsidies, but more importantly, that their friends were there.

The collapse of social networks is the most fatal blow.

“It’s all over…” Ma Huateng muttered to himself, his voice hoarse like a broken gong.

He picked up the bottle on the table and took a big gulp straight from the bottle opening. The strong alcohol burned his throat, but it couldn't numb the pain and despair in his heart.

He rarely drinks, and he's never drunk alone before, but now he's learned to.

He remembered Cheng Yi's promise: "Around the fifteenth of the first lunar month, I'll bring you back to your peak."

But now that the Lantern Festival has passed, there has been no movement from Momo Group, while Microsoft's offensive has been growing stronger and stronger.

He even began to suspect that Cheng Yi had given up on Tencent and abandoned the social media front.

Do you think that games and hardware are the key, and that QQ is a mess that is beyond saving?

A subordinate cautiously knocked on the door and entered, intending to report on his work. However, upon seeing the once spirited president now in such a dejected state, he swallowed back the words he was about to say and silently left the room.

A pessimistic mood, as if the company were collapsing, permeated the entire Penguin Group.

The resumes of key technical personnel began to circulate quietly outside, and the usual liveliness in the employee cafeteria was replaced by dullness.

Ma Huateng's drinking to drown his sorrows was not only due to the company's predicament, but also because he felt saddened that the product he had poured so much effort into was coming to an end.

It was a feeling of utter helplessness, almost suffocating.

While Microsoft was sweeping through the social gaming market and Tencent was in despair, Jingzhou, the headquarters of Momo Group, presented a puzzling calm.

The Momo Technology Industrial Park remains busy, but the focus seems to be completely off dealing with Microsoft's offensive.

Cheng Yi is now stationed at Lianxiang Group, while the daily affairs of Momo Group are handled by the President's Advisory Group.

Momo Group's current strategic direction is so simple and clear that it's baffling.

Hasee continues its strong performance in the low-end market, while Honor, in accordance with the agreement, has begun to systematically reduce its promotional efforts in the domestic mid-to-high-end and notebook markets, shifting resources to overseas markets and specific sectors.

Under Cheng Yi's guidance, the newly acquired Lianxiang Group is focusing all its efforts on adapting to the Moc-os system and developing new products.

The core MMORPGs such as "Honghuang Zhanji" and "World of Warcraft" continue to operate as usual, and even launch new versions and events. However, Momo Games has not taken any targeted promotions or countermeasures against the strong rise of "KartRider", as if this once popular competitor does not exist.

This "you do your thing, I'll do mine" strategy has confused outsiders, especially Microsoft.

Waters even mocked in an internal meeting: "Mr. Cheng Yi seems to have admitted his failure in the online traffic field and intends to hold on to his internet cafes and hardware territory. Unfortunately, without online traffic entrances and content ecosystem, how long can his hardware empire last?"

At this moment, Cheng Yi was also issuing his first group-wide directive from the president's office at Lianxiang Group.

He glanced at the newly promoted vice presidents and key department directors in front of him and said calmly, "Within a week, all finished computers in the group's inventory must have their operating systems updated and pre-installed with Moc-OS. Models sold through offline channels should also be updated simultaneously."

"At the same time, we launched the 'Old Customer Care Program,' which provides free replacement of all Lianxiang computers with the Moc-os system, regardless of the year they were purchased, as long as the customer is willing. We promise that after the replacement, the system's running speed and response efficiency will be improved by at least 30%."

The office was completely silent.

Several executives were stunned by this impossible task.

A week?
This involves tens of thousands of stores nationwide, a massive inventory system, and complex after-sales processes.

How could a week possibly be enough?
"President Cheng, isn't this timeframe too tight? Just the logistics and personnel allocation alone..." A vice president in charge of the supply chain asked, forcing himself to speak.

Cheng Yi interrupted him, saying, "This is not a discussion, it's an order. Momo Group's ground sales team will fully cooperate with you. What I want to see is not difficulties, but results. I want to see the overall data in a week."

"Alright, that's enough for now, meeting adjourned!"

A group of executives left Cheng Yi's office, all secretly complaining. They were used to the mixed work model of a semi-state-owned enterprise and a semi-private enterprise, and had never experienced such a high-intensity state before.
However, this new president was no pushover; within three days of taking office, he laid off dozens of key members.

Sigh, let's do it! Let's put all our effort into it!

Just treat it as dealing with this idiot CEO.

(End of this chapter)