Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 454 Duoshan App Fails, Chen Xiu's Well-Prepared Show

January 18th was the third day after the official release of the Duoshan app, and also the second day after Chen Xiu went to Shenzhen to negotiate with Pony Ma.

Douyin has announced that it has officially connected with the Duoshan app!
Users with Douyin accounts can open an account directly on the Duoshan app and invite friends from Douyin to build a social network with acquaintances.

At the same time, Tencent also lifted WeChat's block on the download link for the Duoshan app.

The penguin's attitude changed so drastically in just a few days that people in the internet industry couldn't help but wonder who had such great power to persuade the penguin.

This answer may forever remain a mystery to most people, but it is actually an unspoken understanding within a small circle of people.

There aren't many people who can connect with ByteDance, Douyin, and Tencent. The incident of persuading Pony Ma to unblock WeChat was already successful once last year.

Taking both conditions into account, the answer is not hard to guess.

Just as internet giants were marveling at Chen Xiu's social skills, Duoshan app, which had received traffic boost from Douyin after its restrictions were lifted, failed to deliver a satisfactory result.

Two weeks after its launch, no matter how much traffic Douyin (TikTok) directed to it, Duoshan would let that traffic slowly flow away, leaving not a single drop, just like a bucket full of holes.

Faced with such results, Zhang Yiming, who strongly advocated for Duoshan's IPO, felt extremely frustrated and even made a self-criticism at ByteDance's board meeting at the end of the month...

"Why do you think Duoshan failed?"

Upon hearing Zhang Yiming's question, Chen Xiu also shifted her attention from the Tyndall effect beams projected through the office window to him.

Unexpectedly, what came into view was a face with furrowed brows and a puzzled expression.

The usual Mickey Mouse-like smile was nowhere to be seen on Zhang Yiming's face today.

Chen Xiu raised an eyebrow and asked in return, "Why did Tencent's Weishi, launched last year, fail?"

"Because users are already used to Douyin, they won't adapt to a new software with similar functions."

"The same principle applies to Duoshan. Users rely on WeChat far more than on Douyin, and this reliance extends to all aspects of life. They use WeChat to make purchases, so how can they live without it?"

"I originally thought that Douyin could change user habits, and under its guidance, Duoshan could too..."

Zhang Yiming pouted in frustration, feeling a sense of unexpected disappointment at Duoshan's rapid failure.

Chen Xiu seemed unconcerned: "Duoshan's product development team only has a dozen or so people, and we didn't invest much resources in the early stages. Apart from losing some advertising fees, there's nothing else. Just consider it gaining experience."

"Um……"

Zhang Yiming nodded silently, then quickly looked up, his dejection gone, and stared intently at Chen Xiu.

Chen Xiu paused for a moment, then said, "What's wrong? I asked Douyin to drive traffic to Duoshan and link the account, so I only charged you a small advertising fee. That's reasonable, isn't it?"

"No, I wasn't thinking about advertising fees!"

"Then why did you suddenly do that?"

"I'm just curious, how exactly did you convince Pony Ma to both maintain the cooperation on Douyin's Spring Festival red envelope distribution and remove WeChat's blocking of Duoshan's download link? I asked you last time, but you didn't tell me. Can you tell me this time?"

Zhang Yiming smacked his lips in confusion, his tightly furrowed brows above his glasses continuing to twitch upwards.

The nature of STEM guys is that when faced with problems they don't understand, they tend to get to the bottom of things.

He had already asked Chen Xiu about this question when Douyin was linked to Duoshan and WeChat was unblocked.

At that time, Chen Xiu only said "the plan is not perfect" before abruptly ending the conversation.

Now that the old story has been brought up again, Zhang Yiming is eager to hear what kind of deal Chen Xiu and Pony Ma actually reached.

Faced with his question, Chen Xiu, who had already finalized the cooperation plan in the past two weeks, thought for a moment and then briefly recounted the content of her last meeting with Pony Ma and Liu Chiping in Shenzhen.

After hearing this, Zhang Yiming's small eyes widened to almost the size of walnuts as he stared blankly at Chen Xiu.

After making eye contact with him for two seconds, Chen Xiu asked, "What do you think of this cooperation plan?"

"Cattle!"

Could you provide a more detailed evaluation?

"Awesome!"

After saying that, Zhang Yiming immediately shifted his position and squeezed next to Chen Xiu, grabbing his hand with a firm and ardent look in his eyes.

"Wow, such a great plan! Why did you choose to partner with Tencent? ByteDance could also establish a subsidiary to acquire Line, and then merge it with TikTok, directly connecting the short video and instant messaging sectors, making the new company an international internet giant!"

You little rascal, why do you love to resort to underhanded tactics and steal chickens?

Chen Xiu silently criticized Zhang Yiming's idea, while firmly refusing aloud: "ByteDance is already a shareholder of Douyin, why do we need to try and profit from it twice?"

"This is different! We're on the same side, but over there at Tencent... (Oh no, they're on the same side as Chen Xiu too)"

"Tencent is also one of our own. Including the pre-IPO round, they have participated in three rounds of financing for TikTok and are the largest shareholder besides Douyin Holdings. They have also decided to subscribe to shares in the IPO."

"I know."

Zhang Yiming lowered his head dejectedly, sensing that his plan to steal chickens was probably doomed.

Chen Xiu continued: "I have actually considered a plan to have TikTok go public and then acquire Line separately, but if we do it that way, the money that TikTok raises from its IPO will not be enough."

"In addition, Line is currently operating at a loss. Even if it manages to acquire TikTok, it will only be adding a bloodsucker to itself and wasting management resources."

"The advantage of bringing in Tencent is that they have abundant funds and rich experience in operating instant messaging apps. However, it would be useless for Tencent to take over Line alone. They must rely on TikTok's traffic to attract new users and grow the app."

"The acquisition of Line by TikTok and Tencent is a win-win situation, where both parties benefit and support each other. These are advantages that ByteDance does not have."

This analysis is well-reasoned and supported by evidence.

Even though Zhang Yiming was reluctant, he had to admit that Tencent was indeed a very good partner. "And..."

Chen Xiu paused for a moment, and the expression in her eyes suddenly darkened.

"As the most successful company in overseas development, if TikTok wants to develop safely and sustainably, we should find a strong ally rather than shutting ourselves off and doing business on our own."

"That's true."

"Don't tell anyone about this plan for now."

"clear."

Zhang Yiming nodded solemnly, his expression showing regret, but he put aside his thoughts.

Relieved, having learned the hidden information, Zhang Yiming's previously puzzled mind suddenly flashed with a flash of inspiration.

"Huh? So, is Tencent trying to use this incident to test Douyin's ability to drive traffic to chat apps by having WeChat unblock the download link for Duoshan?"

"On this point, I first need to convince them that Duoshan is completely incapable of competing with WeChat..."

Chen Xiu's lips twitched slightly, but she still managed to soften her hurtful words.

Zhang Yiming pursed his lips, not entirely oblivious to the underlying meaning.

"Ahem, now that the plan has been finalized, when exactly will it be implemented?"

"Once TikTok completes its IPO filing and confirms its listing date, it can begin. There will be quite a show then..."

"What's the show?"

"This has nothing to do with you, and it has nothing to do with the company either."

The implication is that it's his own business, and considering the current context, it should also be related to penguins.

Zhang Yiming squinted, his fingers twitching slightly, secretly pondering what Chen Xiu was talking about.

Seeing him sitting beside her, pondering her, Chen Xiu couldn't help but change the subject, saying, "I also have something I want to ask you. Could you help me answer it?"

"Huh? What's the matter?"

"Pony Ma told me that Duoshan, Toilet MT, and Chatbao will be launched together. Did you guys plan to do this together?"

"If it weren't pre-arranged, how could such a coincidence happen?"

Zhang Yiming glanced at Chen Xiu with a somewhat unfocused look and said, "ByteDance is currently in talks with Smartisan Technology about an acquisition. They also learned that Luo Yonghao is developing Chatbao. Considering that their functions are the same, they agreed to release them at the same time to divert WeChat's attack."

“Luo Yonghui…”

Chen Xiu's expression was somewhat strange; she hadn't expected to have such a brief encounter with this number one online troll.

Seeing the change in his expression, Zhang Yiming adjusted his glasses and asked curiously, "Do you know Luo Yonghui?"

"I wouldn't say I know him personally, I've only watched his stand-up comedy online."

"Oh, I thought you two had some connection!"

"better not."

Chen Xiu shook her head and thanked him, indicating that she had absolutely no intention of getting involved with this top internet commentator.

"Where do you plan to place Smartisan Technology after acquiring it?"

"Their team is pretty good. Although the phone sales aren't high, the specifications are still acceptable..."

Zhang Yiming's explanation ultimately fell silent after seeing Chen Xiu's eyes gradually narrow.

After a moment of silence, he asked, somewhat puzzled, "What's wrong?"

"The smartphone market has already entered a period of saturation. In the next few years, phone manufacturers will not be able to make any major breakthroughs other than focusing on performance. At this point, you still want your team to make phones?"

"The main reason is that their brand has a certain market foundation, and it would be a pity to give it up. Moreover, one of the conditions for them to accept the acquisition was to retain their mobile phone business."

“I will vote against this proposal at the board meeting.”

In Chen Xiu's view, if ByteDance were to invest in and experiment with smartphones, it would be a complete waste of resources, and opposition would be the only normal choice.

However, his firm refusal made Zhang Yiming frown.

"We haven't succeeded in the instant messaging field, and you've decided that smartphones are not worth trying. So what field do you think ByteDance should choose for its next development?"

This problem has been troubling Zhang Yiming for the past two years.

Toutiao's growth has now stalled, and other apps haven't shown any particularly impressive performance either.

According to the original plan, ByteDance should now bet everything on Douyin and TikTok.

However, due to Chen Xiu's appearance, Douyin, which originally belonged entirely to ByteDance, has now become a new company, with ByteDance only being the major shareholder. The nature of the company is still different.

If an internet company doesn't have a core business to sustain itself, it's essentially entering a countdown to its demise.

Chen Xiu had also thought of this when Zhang Yiming asked the question.

As a shareholder of ByteDance, and knowing that Douyin's development is inseparable from ByteDance, Chen Xiu, after careful consideration, actually gave Zhang Yiming a practical and feasible direction.

"How about you consider going into AI?"

(End of this chapter)