I can become stronger by paying salaries. I have one billion employees!

Chapter 283 O2O Strategic Layout, Grand Circulation Model! The 3B War Begins!
"Mr. Cheng, I didn't expect that the commercial operation center of Baidu Maps is not as good as the planning department of Didi Chuxing. Your plan is brilliant. I'll take you to see the boss."

Before Cheng Wei could react, Liang Zhixiang praised him again with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Wei blushed, subconsciously pushed up his glasses, and said awkwardly, "Yesterday, Gaode Maps updated and added Kuaidi Dache and Kuaipao food delivery services to its function modules."

Gaode Maps?

Liang Zhixiang was slightly taken aback.

Baidu has many business lines. Although he is the vice president of Baidu, he is not in charge of Baidu Maps, so he naturally could not learn about this industry change in the first place.

After all, only 24 hours have passed since Gaode Maps was updated and redesigned.

"Okay, I understand." Liang Zhixiang was immediately disappointed. He thought it was Cheng Wei's idea, but it turned out to be a competitor's strategy.

Privately, the heads of Legend Capital and Today Capital communicated with Robin Li, wanting to oust Cheng Wei.

The three investment institutions hold a combined 58.2% stake, far higher than Cheng Wei's 34.3%.

In addition, Didi Chuxing did not adopt an AB equity structure at its inception, and Cheng Wei did not sign any concerted action agreement or voting rights entrustment agreement with investment institutions such as Baidu, Legend Capital, Hillhouse Capital, and SIG Asia during each round of financing.

Therefore, Cheng Wei has effectively lost control of Didi Chuxing.

To put it bluntly, Cheng Wei's work skills were all focused on business development. With his background in the Huagong Iron Army, he was able to fight Cheng Weixing to a standstill in the subsidy war and the market competition.

If it weren't for the support of Senlian Capital behind Kuaidi Dache, which provided both funding and traffic, Didi Dache might not be in such a passive position.

However, Cheng Wei's management skills, organizational and coordination abilities, strategic insight, and decision-making ability are all unsatisfactory.

This is also the main reason why Legend Capital and Today Capital want to change their management.

Cheng Wei has ability, but not much, and it's not comprehensive enough.

Currently, Robin Li is still considering whether to join forces with Legend Capital and Today Capital to oust Cheng Wei from his position as CEO of Didi Chuxing.

"Knock knock knock—" Liang Zhixiang raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" A deep male voice came from inside the room.

Liang Zhixiang led Cheng Wei through the door and went inside.

When Li Yanhong saw Cheng Wei, his heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself: Is this guy going to come asking for money again?

"Hello, Mr. Li," Cheng Wei greeted him with a slight forward lean and a smile.

"President Cheng, please have a seat." Li Yanhong smiled faintly.

Although he didn't particularly like Cheng Wei, he still had to put on a show of politeness.

"Mr. Li, Gaode Maps updated its software yesterday, adding ride-hailing, food delivery, and group-buying functions to the product homepage. Gaode Maps users in Hangzhou, Nanjing, Luzhou, Beijing, and other places can now use the online ride-hailing service."

Cheng Wei stated this directly.

Upon hearing this, Li Yanhong narrowed his eyes and his mind raced as he pondered the deeper meaning behind Xiao Jun's actions.

The core need of electronic map users is travel, but travel is often accompanied by derivative needs such as "eating, drinking and entertainment". After integrating food delivery, group buying and ride-hailing services, users can complete a series of closed-loop operations such as "checking routes → looking at group buying → ordering food delivery → calling a car" on the platform without switching apps.

While Baidu Maps offers UGC services such as map APIs and merchant labeling for monetization, it falls far short compared to Gaode Maps.

Li Yanhong was the top scorer in the college entrance examination in the 1980s and a top student at Peking University. He was not stupid and figured out the key to the problem after a little thought.

He then looked at Cheng Wei and said, "I understand what you mean. The development of product features takes time. I will have General Manager Liang inform you when the time comes."

The implication is that Baidu has copied Gaode Maps' operational methods!
By using map navigation as a traffic entry point and leveraging local life services, we can extend user dwell time and improve monetization efficiency. This not only enhances user stickiness and opens up new profit models, but also achieves a positive cycle of 'traffic → scenario → monetization'.

Li Yanhong became more and more excited as he thought about it, and increasingly felt that investing in Didi Chuxing was the right move.

"Thank you for your support, Mr. Li." Cheng Wei breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Li Yanhong agreed so readily, and the huge weight that had been weighing on his heart was lifted.

Kuaidi Dache has Gaode Map, and Didi Dache has Qiandu Map. It remains to be seen who will win.

After receiving Li Yanhong's promise, Cheng Wei was immediately filled with confidence and then got up to take his leave.

After seeing the person off at Qiandu, Liang Zhixiang turned around and went back to Li Yanhong's office.

Based on his understanding of his boss, Li Yanhong must have something else to instruct him on.

"Victor, regarding the group-buying and food delivery businesses, is a self-operated model better, or is it better to integrate with third-party services?"

Li Yanhong looked up and saw Liang Zhixiang walking in, and asked him out of the blue.

Liang Zhixiang understood his meaning. He frowned, pondered for several seconds, and then boldly replied, "Self-operated!"

Baidu Maps is the core business of the group. Wouldn't it be like doing free work for someone else if we integrated third-party services?

“You think exactly the same way I do.” Li Yanhong’s lips curled up slightly, and a smile appeared on his face.

Under Chen Yansen's influence, Li Yanhong developed a strong interest in the local life services industry layout a year in advance, wanting to build a super scenario of 'location + consumption'.

the other side.

Chen Yizhou of Renren.com sat on the sofa and smiled as he offered a price: "2.7 million US dollars."

"Mr. Chen, don't joke around. Is Nuomi.com really worth 2.7 million US dollars? A month ago, Lashou.com was only offered for 3 million US dollars."

Chen Yansen's voice came from the speaker, seemingly full of laughter, but full of disdain.

Within the group-buying industry, Meituan and Dianping are in the first tier, with monthly transaction volumes exceeding 10 billion yuan. Lashou belongs to the second tier, not quite at the top but not at the bottom either, with monthly transaction volumes between 5 million and 6 million yuan.

Wowo.com and Nuomi.com belong to the third tier, with monthly transaction volume of 3 to 4 million yuan. They have not yet made a profit, with a single quarterly loss of up to 600 million US dollars.

They want to get rid of their burdens but also want to sell at a high price?
How can such a good thing happen!
Chen Yizhou's expression froze. Being mocked to his face by a junior made him unhappy, but in order to sell Nuomi.com, this "burden," he suppressed his anger and patiently explained, "Lashou.com is declining, while Nuomi.com is still steadily growing in terms of order volume, revenue, and market share..."

"1.6 million US dollars." Chen Yansen interrupted the other party directly, cutting off 1.1 million US dollars in one stroke.

"Mr. Chen, this kind of pricing isn't how you normally conduct business," Chen Yizhou asked curtly, his brows furrowed.

That bastard Chen Yansen offered a 40% discount right off the bat; that price is utterly insulting.

“The real value of Nuomi.com is not as high as you think. After I take over, I will need to reorganize the organizational structure, the ground sales team, and the system architecture. $1.6 million is the highest offer.”

Chen Yansen snorted coldly and retorted defiantly.

You're selling yourself, and you can't even bargain?
"Since Mr. Chen isn't sincere, then forget it." Chen Yizhou angrily hung up the phone.

Renren Games earns 700 to 800 million US dollars per month, and for now, it can still withstand the losses from Nuomi.com. 1.6 million US dollars?
Isn't this just treating beggars badly?
At this time, Nuomi.com's middle and senior management also received word that the group was planning to sell Nuomi.com.

The buyer is most likely Senlian Capital!
Upon learning this, Zhang Xuhao looked bewildered. Could it be that he, too, was destined to work for Chen Yansen?
"I heard that Kuaipao's benefits are amazing. You can get 60-70% of your monthly salary just from overtime pay. When is the boss going to sell? I can't wait!"

Is this information accurate?

"Nonsense! Remove the 'ma' (吗). This is what Mr. Shen's assistant said, so I think it's pretty much true."

The news spread quickly online.

"Zhang Xuhao, come with me." At this moment, Shen Boyang, CEO of Nuomi.com, stood at the intersection and shouted at Zhang Xuhao.

"Mr. Shen, you wanted to see me?" Zhang Xuhao quickly ran up to Shen Boyang and said.

"You've heard about Mr. Chen's plan to sell Nuomi.com, right?" Shen Boyang asked.

Zhang Xuhao was taken aback, gave a dry laugh, and didn't know how to answer.

It seems that the news of Senlian Capital's acquisition of Nuomi.com is not unfounded. The thought of continuing to fight alongside his three old buddies, Wang Yuan, Kang Jia, and Deng Ye, makes him feel particularly complicated.

"You know that's good. Pack your things and come with me to the headquarters of Baidu this afternoon," Shen Boyang continued.

"President Shen, shouldn't we go to Luzhou or Xucheng?" Zhang Xuhao asked curiously.

"The acquiring party is Qiandu, so why go to Luzhou or Xucheng?" Shen Boyang asked, full of doubt.

"Oh, I misheard you. What time do we leave?" Zhang Xuhao asked with a smile, not bothering to investigate further.

"It's three o'clock this afternoon. You still have two hours to prepare. Don't let me down," Shen Boyang said sternly, patting Zhang Xuhao on the shoulder.

Li Yanhong wanted to gain a comprehensive understanding of the group-buying and food delivery businesses, and Zhang Xuhao was the most suitable employee to accompany him from Nuomi.com.

As the founder of Ele.me, no one understands the operational rules of the food delivery industry better than him.

Zhang Xuhao then realized that the person who wanted to acquire Nuomi.com was Li Yanhong.

Is Baidu also looking to enter the group-buying and food delivery market?
Two hours later, he sat in the passenger seat of Shen Boyang's car, following Chen Yizhou's Rolls-Royce, and drove into the headquarters of Qiandu.com.

Compared to Nuomi.com, Baidu's headquarters building is much more impressive, covering an area of ​​91500 square meters. It is located in the heart of China's internet industry cluster, adjacent to Lenovo's R&D base, Digital China, and Zhongguancun.

It's worth noting that among the BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) companies, Baidu ranked first, demonstrating its high standing in the internet industry in 2012.

Chen Yizhou, accompanied by his assistant, Shen Boyang, Zhang Xuhao, and others, arrived at Li Yanhong's office under the guidance of Liang Zhixiang.

Li Yanhong caught sight of Chen Yizhou and the others, and quickly stood up to respond. Although the market value of Chen Yizhou's Renren Group was not high, the other party was still a big boss with a net worth of several billion. The fact that he was willing to come to Qiandu in person clearly showed him a lot of face.

"Mr. Chen, it's been a long time. The last time we met was at the Shenzhen Technology Exchange Conference in March. Who are these gentlemen?" Li Yanhong asked.

"Shen Boyang, CEO of Nuomi.com, and Zhang Xuhao, head of Nuomi.com's North China region, were originally the founders of Ele.me."

Chen Yizhou explained truthfully.

Zhang Xuhao sighed inwardly. Defeat was defeat. Although the title of founder of Ele.me made him feel ashamed, he had no choice but to bow his head and greet Li Yanhong with a forced smile in the workplace.

Next, the group chatted about the group-buying industry and then about the food delivery industry, but Li Yanhong didn't mention the acquisition at all.

Listening to the experience sharing of industry veterans Shen Boyang and Zhang Xuhao, Li Yanhong gradually developed a clearer strategic plan for the closed loop of Qiandu.com's O2O ecosystem.

At the same time, he also learned from Chen Yizhou the other party's true intentions in selling Nuomi.com.

Although the group-buying war has entered its final stage, the five major platforms—Meituan, Dianping, Lashou, Nuomi, and Wowo—are still in the final battle to narrow down the competition to four out of five. In order to compete for more market share, they are subsidizing merchants and users with up to $600 million per month.

Only 600 million US dollars a month?
Upon hearing this, Li Yanhong remained completely unmoved.

Perhaps the fact that Didi Chuxing was losing 5000 million US dollars a month had numbed him.

After learning about the situation, Li Yanhong only gave a few ambiguous replies.

Seeing this, Chen Yizhou quickly lowered his target price from US$2.7 million to US$2.4 million.

"Mr. Chen, let me think about it first. Whether it's 2.7 million US dollars or 2.4 million US dollars, it's not a small amount. It needs to be approved by the board of directors." Li Yanhong made up an excuse casually.

After seeing Chen Yizhou and the others off, Li Yanhong dialed Zhu Xiaohu's number again.

The last time the other party approached him, they wanted to sell Lashou.com to Baidu for 3.2 million US dollars.

He wasn't interested then, but now he is.

Li Yanhong's idea was similar to Chen Yansen's: Lashou.com had a higher monthly transaction volume and market share, and the price difference was only tens of millions of US dollars. It was better to buy Lashou than Nuomi.

Chen Yizhou left the headquarters of Baidu with a dark expression the whole time. He understood perfectly well that Li Yanhong was trying to lower his price.

Chen Yansen is ruthless in his bargaining, while Li Yanhong is adept at using tricks.

Chen Yizhou took a deep breath, planning to delay for a few more days and then lower the price to 2.2 million US dollars. If Li Yanhong did not agree, then they would part ways.

He refused to believe that among so many potential buyers in China, not a single one was willing to pay a high price.

……

……

The following morning, 360 Search quietly went live.

After achieving great success in the mobile phone industry, Zhou Hongyi expanded his business into the search engine field.

Previously, the default search engines for 360 Browser and 360 Navigation were Google and Baidu, but now they have been changed to 360 Search.

"There is a search giant in China that monopolizes 80% of the market share, leaving users with no choice. Google also frequently experiences network outages. With no choice, the search giant dares to manipulate search results at will. I created 360 Search not to make money, but to break the monopoly, improve search quality, and make users the winners!"

Half an hour after the product went live, Zhou Hongyi posted a Weibo post.

Although no names were mentioned, netizens all know that Zhou Jiaozhu was criticizing Baidu.

"Well done, Master Zhou! A thousand search results are full of ads, I support you!"

However, Zhou Hongyi deleted this comment immediately.

"Master Zhou" is not a compliment; it's a way of using Lei Yijun's words to insult him as Dongfang Bubai (the Invincible East).

(End of this chapter)