Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 511: Pony Ma's cameo appearance, the merger issue of TikTok and Line.

Shennan Avenue, Penguin Building.

Since the Penguin Coastal Building was completed and put into use two years ago, Pony Ma and other senior executives have moved their workplace to the new building.

However, today, after his lunch break, the company's big boss returned to the old building and personally led his assistant team to do a simple renovation of his old office.

What was even more surprising was that after the office setup was completed, a group of staff members carrying photography and monitoring equipment entered Pony Ma's office.

The person in charge is Chen Xiu, a well-known celebrity shareholder of Tencent.

Seeing this, many people began to speculate privately: Did Chen Xiu pull Pony Ma into making a movie? No way, given Pony Ma's introverted personality, she doesn't seem like someone who would like to appear on screen!

All sorts of speculation were kept out of reach of the office.

Once inside, Guo Fan had already instructed the photographer to find the right camera position and the lighting technician to set up the lighting. The rest of the staff left the office, leaving only Chen Xiu and Pony Ma to begin filming.

Pony Ma plays a venture capitalist in the movie, and penguins will not appear in the film.

Among the internet moguls, he is considered one of those who are more concerned about his image. For him, suits and ties have become everyday wear for all seasons.

Chen Xiu sat opposite him, also wearing a suit and shirt, but without a tie.

The two faced each other in silence. Then, an "action" was heard off-camera, and Pony Ma, who had rehearsed many times in private, quickly got into character.

"I've read your business plan, and I'd like to know why you chose mobile phones as your entry point for starting a business?"

Pony Ma said calmly.

Chen Xiu's eyes flickered slightly, and she didn't remain silent for long before pondering.

"Because I'm in Shenzhen. If I were in Beijing, I might have started my own film and television company."

"..."

Pony Ma pushed up his glasses speechlessly; his genuine emotions were even more powerful than acting.

"So many people in Shenzhen want to start their own businesses, why should I invest in yours?"

“OK, my advantages are already listed in the business plan, but I can repeat them. I own a mobile phone assembly plant, and we have already received orders. The profitability is also written in the business plan. In the future, I will also establish my own mobile phone brand. Compared with other startups, we have greater certainty.”

Chen Xiu's lines were basically the same ones he used when he came to Tencent to seek funding for Didi.

Just like Liu Chiping's reaction in Chen Xiu's memory, Pony Ma looked at Chen Xiu with a scrutinizing and concerned gaze.

"No offense intended, but I'd like to ask how old you are?"

"It has been more than 1000 days since I became an adult."

"This……"

“Before coming here, I talked to another VC, and he was also stuck on this concern. It seems that your levels are not that different.”

Chen Xiu's tone contained no sarcasm, only sincerity tinged with a hint of regret.

But it is precisely this sincerity that, at times, can be even more stimulating.

Pony Ma's gaze towards him began to turn serious. After raising his hand to stop Chen Xiu, who was about to get up and leave, the two began to get down to business.

Guo Fan sat in the corner of the office, staring at the images coming from the two cameras on the monitor. He remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

He doesn't usually have the opportunity to witness negotiations between big shots.

Although Chen Xiu and Pony Ma's scene is also part of the movie plot, the two performers are truly top-notch. Their every move, word, and speech is at a level that ordinary actors cannot reach.

The negotiation lasted for five minutes without a single retake, and it went smoothly.

After some post-production editing, this footage can be used for about 3 minutes of the main feature, which is about one-fortieth of the movie's length.

After checking the footage, Guo Fan excitedly approached Chen Xiu and Pony Ma, saying, "President Chen, President Ma, shall we take a break and then film the second conversation scene?"

"Uh……"

Pony hesitated, then gestured to Chen Xiu with his eyes.

Chen Xiu understood immediately: "Old Guo, why don't you take everyone to the break room for a cup of coffee, and come back in half an hour? Okay?"

"OK! No problem."

Guo Fan was quite perceptive; he immediately realized that the two big shots had something to discuss.

After he and the others left, leaving only Chen Xiu and Pony Ma in the office, Chen Xiu first made a move to provide emotional value.

"Mr. Ma, you acted really well! When Lei Jun came to make a cameo appearance yesterday, he would forget his lines and subconsciously look at the camera. He had to do more than ten takes before he could barely finish filming his scene. You got it right in one take."

"It's nothing."

Pony Ma smiled with a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth, appearing very calm.

After finishing his death costume, he quickly straightened up and said, "There's something I need to talk to you about."

"OK."

Chen Xiu nodded slightly and followed Pony back to the sofa where they had just filmed and sat down.

Before speaking, Pony Ma suddenly glanced at the camera with a worried expression.

After he got up to check and confirmed that all the equipment was turned off, he sat back down and began to talk.

"Mr. Chen, are you aware of the obstacles that have been encountered in the merger between Line and TikTok?"

Chen Xiu raised her eyebrows, and her expression turned serious.

"Zhou Shouzi is in charge of this work."

"He didn't report it to you?"

"He said some things."

"So you know exactly what price he offered?"

Pony Ma's expression darkened slightly, and his gaze towards Chen Xiu became more suspicious. Chen Xiu didn't dwell on this probing question, but instead went straight to the point: "Mr. Ma, we've been working together for so long, you can just tell me what result you want."

"it is good."

Pony's expression softened, he gathered his thoughts, and then summarized the matter in one sentence.

"Regarding the merger of Line and TikTok, Zhou Shouzi offered $80 billion, using TikTok shares plus cash to pay. We valued Line at $90 billion, and Naver (Line's parent company) thought the price could be raised to $100 billion. What I want is to resolve the issue."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiu remained silent for a while before suddenly asking a question that made Pony Ma lose control of his expression.

Are the people on Naver idiots?

Pony Ma stood there stunned, staring at Chen Xiu in astonishment and speechlessness.

Chen Xiu continued, "The auditors within Tencent also have questionable methods. How did they arrive at the price of 90 billion US dollars?"

"Uh, when Line was privatized and delisted, its price was $88 billion. We offered $90 billion, which is only a two percent increase. What's the problem?"

Pony Ma offered a reasoned and well-founded rebuttal to Chen Xiu.

In the end, all I got in return was a sneer.

"Ah."

Chen Xiu narrowed his eyes and looked at Pony Ma meaningfully: "If we're talking about valuation, Zhou Shouzi's offer of $80 billion is also reasonable and well-founded. There's no point in us wasting time arguing about this. Let's be more direct."

"How do you mean by 'direct'?"

Pony Ma secretly cursed himself, realizing that he had been unwittingly led into Chen Xiu's negotiation rhythm.

Chen Xiu was waiting for this question: "I want to know, does Tencent want money, or does it want shares in TikTok? Isn't that a direct enough question?"

"..."

Pony Ma was positioned to the side of the floor-to-ceiling window, and the reflection from his glasses made it impossible to see what he was really thinking.

After a while, he adjusted his glasses, sat up straight, and his eyes were like a deep pool, calm and still.

"We want to acquire more shares in TikTok."

"That makes things easier to discuss!"

Chen Xiu rested her elbows on her knees, leaned forward, and began to analyze the situation.

"First of all, TikTok does not only have the option of merging with Line. I am not saying this to betray my friends, but simply stating the facts."

"understand!"

When Pony Ma waved to Chen Xiu to continue, his expression didn't change at all.

Chen Xiu curled her lips and continued, "Compared to acquiring Line, we actually prefer to establish a strategic partnership, such as a partial share swap..."

"How much is this part?"

Pony's body also moved closer to Chen Xiu, his eyes gleaming with a hidden glint.

Chen Xiu began to do the math: "A few days ago, after TikTok released its second-quarter financial report, its stock price rose to $54, and its market value reached $540 billion."

“Penguin owns 51% of Line. As long as our two companies can establish another strategic partnership on Line, it doesn’t matter if we don’t touch Naver’s shares.”

“My idea is for TikTok to acquire 30% of Line’s shares, but no less than 20%.”

Pony Ma's expression remained unchanged, but he started mentally typing away.

If we calculate based on a market value of $90 billion, 30% is equivalent to $27 billion, or about 5% of TikTok's shares. Adding the shares raised in previous rounds of financing, Tencent's stake in TikTok exceeds 10%.

20% is equivalent to 18 billion, which is 3%, less than 10% of the total...

Pony Ma moved his lips slightly and looked up at Chen Xiu: "Personally, I prefer to give up 20% of the shares in exchange for the purchase."

"OK, if it's 30%, TikTok will also use a portion of the payment in cash."

Chen Xiu smiled, and Pony Ma also showed an expression of "I knew it."

The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously curled the corners of their lips into a smile.

Cost control was taken to the extreme during those short ten-minute negotiations.

Originally, TikTok was supposed to give away billions of dollars worth of shares and cash, but it was reduced to a few billion dollars, and the effect was about the same.

Because Tencent alone cannot lift Line out of its current predicament and achieve a breakthrough in user numbers; TikTok cannot start a traffic-driving cooperation with Line before acquiring corresponding shares and a say in the matter.

Only when everyone has exchanged shares and is interdependent, and no one can do without the other, can the cooperation proceed smoothly.

After finishing our business, there were still a dozen minutes left in the half hour that I had agreed upon with Guo Fan.

Pony Ma glanced at the time and suddenly asked, "Are you free to go to the AI ​​conference next month?"

"Ma Yun asked me the same question: You guys had another get-together?"

Chen Xiu turned her head and looked at Pony Ma with a puzzled expression.

"I'm asking for Robin."

Pony Ma glanced at Chen Xiu with a strange expression: "After we talked last time, he seemed to care a lot about you, and he would talk about you with me from time to time."

"I never even thought of him once."

Chen Xiu made a comment and raised an eyebrow.

“I will go. I hope he won’t come over and start a fight with me.”

"No, he's not that petty."

"Hehe, so you keep mentioning it?"

"He's just a stickler for details..."

(End of this chapter)