Entertainment: A whirlwind marriage with a fairy-like mother at the start!

Wang Luochuan was still writing down the recruitment requirements from earlier, the pen scratching softly on the notebook.

Yu Le waited for him to finish writing before asking a question.

"How's the recommendation algorithm going?"

Wang Luochuan looked up and adjusted his glasses.

"It is beginning to take shape."

He paused, feeling that those four words sounded a bit vague, and added another sentence.

"The basic framework is set up and it can now run, making basic push notifications based on users' viewing time and click behavior. But the accuracy is still far from perfect."

"What's wrong with it?"

"Data volume".

Wang Luochuan put down his pen and tapped the table with his finger.

"The more data you feed an algorithm, the smarter it becomes. We're currently using user behavior data from Tencent Video, but it's not enough. The sample is too homogeneous, and the content produced is prone to homogenization. Users get tired of it after watching it a few times."

After listening, Yu Le slowly took a sip.

"I have a solution to the problem you mentioned."

Wang Luochuan picked up his pen and waited to listen.

"Start a new project team."

Yu Le spoke very calmly.

"Let's create a short video platform called Douyin."

Wang Luochuan stopped writing.

"Short videos?"

"right."

"How short?"

"Fifteen seconds to a minute. Portrait mode, full-screen immersive." Yu Le gestured with his hand to show the screen ratio. "When the user scrolls, one video ends and the next one starts automatically. They don't need to actively click."

Wang Luochuan frowned.

"Boss, what's the difference between this and Tencent Video?"

"The difference is huge."

Yu Le took out his phone, compared it horizontally, and then vertically.

"Tencent Video is in landscape mode, so users have to actively search, select videos, and then sit down to watch. This is active content consumption."

"Douyin is a vertical screen platform. Users just hold their phones, swipe up, and the next one comes automatically. They don't need to think at all; the algorithm selects it for them. This is passive content consumption."

Wang Luochuan chewed on the pen cap thoughtfully.

"Passive consumption..."

"Have you noticed," Yu Le said casually, "that when people are actively making choices, they are more prone to decision paralysis?" "They open a video website, scroll through videos for ages without knowing what to watch, and finally turn off their phones and go to sleep."

"I've been there before," a programmer next to him couldn't help but chime in, only to be nudged in the neck by a colleague's elbow.

Yu continued.

"That's right. But it's different when you're watching short videos. The algorithm recommends whatever it wants to you, and you watch that. After you finish watching one, the next one comes automatically, and you just can't stop."

"Addictive," Wang Luochuan slowly uttered the two words.

"right."

Yu Le put the lid on the cup.

"The core of Douyin is its recommendation algorithm. The more accurate the algorithm, the more users will keep using it. And every swipe, pause, like, and share a user makes, in turn, feeds the algorithm, making it even more accurate."

"This is a self-reinforcing closed loop."

Upon hearing this, something started to race through Wang Luochuan's mind, and he then asked another question.

"Where does the content of those 'douyin' (comma-like) phrases come from?"

This is a crucial issue.

The biggest challenge for short video platforms during their initial launch is the lack of content. Users come, find nothing there, and leave.

Yu Le had already thought it through.

"Advance along three routes simultaneously."

"First, go to Weibo and Tieba and poach ordinary users who love to post funny videos and share their daily lives. Create accounts for them and give them traffic support. Tell them that people are watching what they post here."

"Secondly, all the artists under Xianyu Entertainment have opened Douyin accounts. As soon as the stars enter the scene, ordinary users follow suit."

"Third, the content categories are diverse. Comedy, food, pets, street dance, handicrafts, public speaking—as long as it doesn't violate the rules, it's all acceptable."

Wang Luochuan took notes without looking up.

"Food is a good category. The documentary series 'A Bite of China' was a hit, and now everyone on the internet is talking about food."

"You're right, this is the point to start."

Yu Le sat back down in his chair.

"Have the marketing team edit behind-the-scenes clips and footage from 'A Bite of China' into short videos and exclusively release them on Douyin. Use this content to generate the initial wave of traffic for the cold start."

Wang Luochuan put down his pen and raised one last concern: "Boss, with Douyin and Tencent Video running simultaneously, won't they start fighting amongst themselves?"

Yu Le raised an eyebrow.

"Why are they fighting?"

"Look, Tencent Video is a long-form video platform; users are looking for good movies, variety shows, and documentaries and are willing to sit down and spend time on them. Douyin is a short-form video platform; users use their spare time to kill time."

"One is a restaurant, and the other is a roadside fried food stall."

"Just because you ate fried skewers doesn't mean you won't go to restaurants anymore."

Wang Luochuan thought for a moment, then smiled and shook his head.

"Boss, that's a pretty down-to-earth analogy."

Yu Le stood up, dusted off his clothes, and left everyone with a dashing back view.

"You can only make money by being down-to-earth."

……

Yu Le took the elevator alone, preparing to go downstairs.

The elevator doors slowly closed, shutting out all the noise from outside.

The numbers have been declining.

Yu Le looked at herself in the elevator mirror.

That phone call from the United States was still weighing on his mind.

Is the other party trying to trap me?

Then let's wait and see.

Once Douyin, this short video storm that has swept the globe, takes off, and young people all over the world are immersed in the magic of these fifteen seconds, let's see if you can still hold your own!