Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 238 Chen Xiu's Business Skills: Making the Most of One Fish!
After agreeing with Chen Xiu, Zhang Yiming calmed down and, with a mixture of anticipation and hesitation, questioned his idea.

"Can we really establish Douyin Mall in the future and get a piece of the e-commerce pie?"

"As long as Douyin can change netizens' usage habits, it's only natural for Taobao to make some mistakes and for us to rise to prominence."

Chen Xiu said in a low voice.

While Zhang Yiming was still silently analyzing his words, Su Xiao had already understood their meaning.

"In the same competitive landscape, as long as the industry leader doesn't self-destruct, it's very difficult for others to surpass it. So we need to cooperate with Taobao first, learn from their experience and expertise, and wait for them to make mistakes."

"What if they don't make any mistakes?"

Zhang Yiming looked up and only caught a glimpse of a smile on Chen Xiu's face.

"Once a company reaches its peak, its managers are prone to complacency. Too much praise from those around them can also lead them to take things for granted. If every company could avoid making mistakes, we wouldn't witness so many ups and downs."

"..."

Zhang Yiming raised an eyebrow, nodded as if he had a realization, and then quickly became excited again.

"The Douyin Mall is a matter for the future. What we need to do right now is to establish a partnership with Taobao and add the shopping cart feature to Douyin..."

At this point, Zhang Yiming suddenly stopped with a strange expression and silently turned his gaze to Chen Xiu's face.

Su Xiao thought for a moment and made a similar reaction.

Seeing this, Chen Xiu glanced around, thinking to herself: Why are they all looking at me? I still need to negotiate with Taobao to establish a partnership… Oh~~
"You two mean I should talk to Taobao?"

"Although my communication skills are okay..."

Zhang Yiming's self-aggrandizing remarks, ignoring the facts, made Chen Xiu and Su Xiao both glance at him.

"Ahem, but your communication skills are probably the best among the three of us, and aren't you already familiar with Ma Yun?"

"I can't possibly go, can I?"

Su Xiao asked, noting that while she excelled in internal management, she was far less adept at external social interactions than Chen Xiu.

"No, that won't do. I'll go talk to Ma Yun. It shouldn't be a big problem."

Chen Xiu waved her hand and accepted the job with a thoughtful expression.

"If you take charge, I think this will definitely work!"

Zhang Yiming clapped his hands lightly with a beaming smile. Chen Xiu's skill in social maneuvering was already well-known two years ago when he invested in Didi.

Last year, he showcased his social skills to both those inside and outside the industry.

First, he formed a close friendship with Wang, the richest man in China, despite their age difference. Then, he went to Shenzhen to discuss a business deal and started a personal relationship with Pony Ma by going to the gym together. Finally, he had a meal with Ma Yun, closed a deal, and Ma Yun praised him highly...

He swept the top three spots on the rich list; such a circle of friends is truly astonishing.

Moreover, these three people have very different personalities, yet Chen Xiu manages to get along well with each of them.

Zhang Yiming couldn't argue with this skill; he simply didn't think he could learn it.

After clapping, Zhang Yiming saw Chen Xiu still deep in thought and couldn't help but tease him, "Well? Have you figured out how to persuade Ma Yun to cooperate with us?"

"I'm thinking, what should I ask Ma Yun for during the negotiations..."

"You still want something from him?"

"That's right! We're helping Taobao drive traffic, so how could they not offer some tangible benefits?"

Chen Xiu's matter-of-fact attitude surprised Zhang Yiming. He only thought that cooperating with Taobao would increase Douyin's valuation and allow for a larger share of the Series B funding.

But unexpectedly, this collaboration with Taobao could actually bring them some benefits...

Su Xiao, who had been silent until now, saw that Zhang Yiming was not responding and spoke up to say what Chen Xiu had not said.

“Ali’s family is big and powerful, so we will naturally benefit from cooperating with them. But as Xiaoxiu said, those who stand at the top are often complacent. If we package our cooperation as Douyin serving Taobao, then of course we can ask for profits.”

"That's it."

Chen Xiu nodded, thinking: Since we've already partnered with Taobao, why not partner with Pinduoduo as well? It's all about adding items to the cart anyway; with this resource, we should be able to negotiate Pinduoduo's Series C funding.

Douyin's partnership with Taobao will inevitably boost its valuation. The collaboration will also provide Douyin with e-commerce experience, laying the groundwork for future development. The benefits Chen Xiu seeks will certainly be advantageous to the company's growth. Partnering with Pinduoduo, besides further increasing Douyin's valuation, also allows Chen Xiu to secure personal gains – this is what's meant by synchronizing public and private interests…

He's really mastered the art of maximizing the use of this fish.

"Old Zhang, didn't you say you had two ideas? The first one is clear, but what about the second one?"

Chen Xiu asked Zhang Yiming with a relaxed expression.

He originally thought that he possessed memories of the future and could help Douyin develop even faster.

After hearing what Zhang Yiming said today, he realized that the other party must have had some extraordinary abilities to develop Douyin. If the two of them could align their ideas, their plans would definitely be even better.

Feeling Chen Xiu's approval and expectations of him, Zhang Yiming unconsciously curled the corners of his mouth.

"For the second approach, I suggest launching the Dou+ feature! This feature would provide Douyin creators with a video boosting tool, increasing the exposure of their short videos and effectively boosting views and interactions. Of course, this would require a paid subscription." "So, it's selling exposure times from public domain traffic?"

Chen Xiu concluded that he hadn't expected Dou+ to appear so soon, but Zhang Yiming had anticipated it so quickly.

"Yes! It's about selling public domain traffic. Our daily active users have very high engagement, which makes it a promising monetization channel."

"I think it's not the right time to launch Dou+."

Su Xiao suddenly raised her hand and poured cold water on Zhang Yiming.

Seeing Zhang Yiming's sullen expression, she was about to explain when she caught a glimpse of Chen Xiu's nod and realized that her idea was correct.

"Douyin's daily new downloads are indeed improving, but its overall traffic is still behind Kuaishou. If we rashly launch Dou+'s traffic payment model, Kuaishou may retaliate against this."

“What you said is something I’ve thought about, but the Dou+ feature wasn’t originally designed for ordinary users. It’s designed for internet celebrities with millions of followers. With high traffic, these internet celebrities have their own channels to monetize it.”

"The share of live streaming tipping is still too low; the Dou+ feature probably won't be sustainable..."

"Douyin's user base will only continue to grow. With a large enough user base, there will be more monetization channels. This public domain traffic is the greatest asset."

The two of them took turns expressing their opinions.

Chen Xiu felt that both opinions made sense, and that listening to either one was correct.

Su Xiao values ​​the current development and doesn't want Douyin, which is on a strong upward trend, to encounter any setbacks; Zhang Yiming, on the other hand, is focused on the future, and may be trying to use this method to inflate Douyin's valuation because of the $10 billion needed to acquire Musical.ly...

In the end, both sides turned their attention to Chen Xiu.

Chen Xiu tapped his finger on the table and said, "Old Zhang's idea is actually very good. Dou+ is also a very promising revenue stream, and it doesn't require revenue sharing with creators..."

Hearing Chen Xiu's approval, Zhang Yiming's expression didn't look too good, because he knew what would follow such a start.

"but……"

Zhang Yiming indeed curled his lip, while Su Xiao pushed up her glasses expressionlessly.

Chen Xiu continued, "Dou+ is a paid promotion, so it's best to put it off until later, when Taobao's shopping cart function has started to show results and the user base has grown to a higher level."

"From a profit perspective, what users are willing to pay for promotion must bring greater benefits. As long as Taobao merchants realize that Douyin's shopping cart increases their store's sales, the Dou+ feature will be an inevitable outcome!"

"My personal suggestion is that the Dou+ feature can be launched in the third or fourth quarter. The priority now is to reach a cooperation agreement with Taobao. I will call Mr. Ma later and try to get it done before the end of this month."

After pondering this well-reasoned analysis for a while, Zhang Yiming nodded in agreement.

"It would indeed be more appropriate to launch it in the third or fourth quarter."

"I also agree with this timing."

Su Xiao nodded slightly.

According to the user growth graph, Douyin's total number of users will definitely reach 3 million in the third and fourth quarters of this year, and the daily active users will be several orders of magnitude higher than they are now.

The Dou+ feature will only be meaningful if there is enough traffic; it's definitely too early now.

Seeing that his suggestion had been accepted by both parties, Chen Xiu said, "Let's continue discussing the TikTok issue."

TikTok launched overseas last November. The Musical.ly that Chen Xiu and his team have been discussing has very similar functions and interface to Douyin.

Because Musical.ly appeared earlier, it is the original version.

It's not uncommon in the internet industry for overseas apps to launch first, followed by domestic versions that catch up and surpass them.

The three of them, Chen Xiu, discussed only whether Musical.ly could accept a lower acquisition price and how long the negotiations could drag on.

After discussing development-related issues, the three went to confirm the stock option pool reserved for employees, totaling 10%, which would be diluted with each round of financing.

After the option pool was established, Chen Xiu's personal investment company and ByteDance's shares in Douyin together became 90%.

After the Series B funding round, prices will continue to decline.

After discussing all the work-related matters, Douyin's year-end meeting finally came to a close.

Seeing that Chen Xiu and Su Xiao had something to say, Zhang Yiming, not wanting to be a third wheel, made an excuse about having company business and left the meeting room first.

Turning to Su Xiao, who was dressed in a business suit, Chen Xiu said, "Sister Xiao, let's have lunch together later."

"Are you free?"

"Hehe, I can still have lunch with you."

"I have another meeting..."

"I'll wait for you. It'll be a good opportunity to go see Xiaoyu and Lao Hou."

Su Xiao adjusted her glasses, nodded slightly, and as she turned to leave, a slight smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.

(End of this chapter)