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Regarding the fiber optic business, it is still difficult for Zhou Buqi to make up his mind. If it's okay in China, doing this business in developed countries in Europe and the United States is really thankless.

If you want to lay optical fiber, you often have to dig the ground and plan the road. There are still many old houses, and it is extremely difficult to install fiber optics into the homes.

Domestic operators can smoothly cover the whole country, but it is difficult for Europe and the United States to do so. In addition to economic considerations, there are also social restrictions.

There is no private land in the country, it is all state-owned assets. State-owned operators can lay optical fibers and establish signal sites wherever they want without any obstacles. They can do whatever they want.

Decision-making is unified, extremely efficient, and no one can stop it.

This is not possible in developed countries in Europe and the United States. Land is privately owned, which is too difficult.

The material cost of optical fiber is actually nothing. Although labor is a bit expensive, it's actually not bad. At least it has a relatively standard market price.

The most difficult thing is the "social public relations" cost. To convince the landlords and homeowners to cooperate, there is no standard for this thing.

In the previous life, Google Cloud launched the "Super Fiber Plan" but ignored the important option of "social cost". As a result, the project encountered many thorny difficulties soon after its launch.

Losing hundreds of millions of dollars every year is nothing. The key is that it is too difficult to advance! too painful!

Google's name is too big.

Landowners and homeowners heard that Google was laying fiber optic cables, and they all started talking loudly. Many unscrupulous lawyers are also eyeing these big companies. When they hear that business is coming, they will take the initiative to go to the houses of these landlords and homeowners and apply to help them protect their rights and interests, and fight with the big companies to win the most. Compensation expenses.

This can't be done!

Later, the project was shelved by Google for several years.

Later, Google finally figured out a way to deal with it-split up.

The project was spun off and given a low-key, obscure name that had nothing to do with Google. Once the landowners and homeowners see that the project is being built by a small company, they will not be able to ask for outrageous prices, and it will be easier to advance the project.

Zi Weiyun has actually felt this.

The establishment of a cloud data center is inseparable from the laying of optical fiber. For example, after the cloud data center in the capital is built, it needs to lay optical fiber, and the other end is connected to the operator's optical fiber network, and it will be available to users across the country through the operator.

It is so easy to do this in China, there are no obstacles.

It's very complicated abroad.

All conditions must be negotiated when the data center is located, and the optical fiber must be connected before construction can begin. If you build a data center first and then lay out fiber optics, you're doomed.

This gave surrounding landowners a reason to threaten.

Signed a contract?

Stop talking nonsense. People can find various reasons to refuse to cooperate. They can say that the previous contract was signed due to fraud and they suffered serious economic losses. They can demand additional compensation or sign a new contract, otherwise they will refuse to give way. .

If Zhou Buqi was allowed to do this kind of thing, he would probably get brain congestion, and he might rush up with the guy and others. Those in Europe and the United States are much calmer and have long been used to it.

This social factor is the main reason why Zhou Buqi is resistant to this business.

However, the reasons Kurian gave are too good.

Ziwei Cloud started working very early, so its current market share is higher than Amazon Cloud. It is truly the number one in the world, with a market share of nearly 60%.

Not necessarily after you can.

Especially Microsoft Cloud, which should be the most powerful opponent, even more threatening than Amazon Cloud.

If you want to ensure Ziweiyun's leading position in the future, it is feasible to start from the outsourcing market. Through outsourcing, more customers will choose to hand over B-side business to Ziweixing, and then link it with Ziweiyun.

Zhou Buqi set a schedule. At 8 o'clock that evening, he set off from the capital and went directly to Cologne, Germany.

But he couldn't be idle during the day either.

"Aunt, I'm going to Germany, will you go?"

Zhou Buqi got up quite late, and it was already past 9 a.m. when he had breakfast. Shi Jinglin and Xue Baoshan had already left, and even Ning Lu had gone to work in the company.

Aunt Xue and Sun Wanran are the only ones left at home.

"Germany is boring."

Aunt Xue shook her head and sat at the dining table with a fruit knife in her hand, preparing seven or eight kinds of after-dinner fruits for him.

Zhou Buqi said: "Not only Germany, but also a trip to Switzerland. The acquisition of the Zurich team has basically been negotiated. Senior sister Zhen Yu is over there. I will go and have a look. Then I will go to Manchester to watch a game. ."

"How long will it take?"

"Five or six days, I'll be back within a week. There are still a lot of things to do in the country."

"It's too hasty. I won't go." Aunt Xue lost interest when she heard that the time was so short. "It will take dozens of hours just to go. I don't want to be bothered by you."

"How have I ever troubled you?" Zhou Buqi said with a serious face, "Don't falsely accuse me of innocence!"

Aunt Xue rolled her eyes at him, "Are you still embarrassed to say that?"

"What am I embarrassed about?" Zhou Buqi said confidently, "Between men and women, as long as the last hurdle is not passed, they are pure and flawless. Don't we all agree."

"You... forget it, I'm going to pack your luggage. Just leave it there after you finish eating."

Aunt Xue got up and left.

After a while, Sun Wanran ran over in a hurry, "You haven't finished eating yet? Let's go quickly. If there is a traffic jam along the way, we will be late!"

Zhou Buqi looked at the time and stopped eating, "Okay, let's go!"

After throwing a few blueberries into his mouth, wiping his mouth and putting on his coat, the boss and secretary set off in a hurry.

Go straight to JD.com headquarters.

You have to be careful when it comes to financing.

Coincidentally, Temasek Investment CEO Xie Fuhua was on a business trip in China. He received a call from Boss Zhou and immediately agreed to meet and flew directly from Shanghai to the capital.

Singapore is almost the only modern country in Southeast Asia. Ziweixing International, Ziweixing Global, and Ziweixing Digital Media include many subsidiaries such as Ziweiyun, Universal Pictures, Lucasfilm, Netflix, Spotify, and Manchester United Asia Headquarters Southeast Asia centers, etc., all chose Singapore.

During these several visits to Singapore, Zhou Buqi was treated like a national gift. Not to mention the reception by national leaders, basically every time he went there, he was visited and invited by dozens of big company bosses.

Xie Fuhua was one of them, and Zhou Buqi was deeply impressed by him because he could speak fluent Chinese.

After going to JD.com, I saw Xie Fuhua and his two assistants in Liu Qiangdong's office. Everyone was chatting in Chinese.

After shaking hands, Zhou Buqi became very anxious, "Let's get into the topic, don't waste time. I have a few meetings in the afternoon and I'm going on a business trip to Germany in the evening."

Xie Fuhua immediately stated his position firmly: "Since Ziweixing is the main investor in this financing, Temasek will definitely be a co-investor, and there will be no additional requirements."

Liu Qiangdong is smiling.

The main reason is that I have no experience and don’t know what attitude to use when facing foreign investors.

Xie Fuhua coughed lightly and said seriously: "That's right, let me make it clear first. Temasek has invested in Alibaba before. However, we are only a small shareholder. Temasek does not occupy a board seat in Alibaba. If there is no problem with JD.com, you can also use something like way to invest, I don’t need a board seat.”

Liu Qiangdong said simply and grandly: "Of course, no problem!"

"I have a question."

"Excuse me."

"I don't know much about JD.com, but I heard that JD.com invests heavily in the logistics field. Even JD.com's investment in the logistics field is larger than in the e-commerce field. What kind of strategic design is this? JD.com's main positioning is What? Why is JD.com’s investment direction so tilted?”

Xie Fuhua asked several questions in succession.

Liu Qiangdong said: "JD.com is an e-commerce platform, and logistics is a supplement to e-commerce."

Xie Fuhua then asked: "Why not outsource this business and find professional and experienced people to do it? JD.com can only do asset-light businesses such as e-commerce, just like Alibaba."

This is a very typical question.

Liu Qiangdong has encountered it countless times in the past few years.

When it comes to e-commerce and delivery, there are nothing more than two modes. One is self-operated warehousing logistics, and the other is outsourcing it to a third-party express company.

When he first started to run self-operated logistics, Liu Qiangdong was still very immature and didn’t have a deep understanding of business. He just felt that third-party express delivery companies were too cheating. Jingdong's goods are so valuable, and the outsourced express delivery company has a poor reputation, causing all sorts of things to be swapped, unpacked, and stolen.

Jingdong was forced to invest huge amounts of money in logistics.

However, now it is for investors.

If you give such a reason, it would be too low and low-level. JD.com’s Series C valuation has reached US$1.5 billion. It is a big company, so don’t say anything embarrassing or discouraging.

Liu Qiangdong has been thinking about this question for several years and has found a very high-quality answer. He said slowly: "My team and I also had a heated discussion about this matter. We asked ourselves One question is, for JD.com, is warehousing and logistics a commodity or a core value?"

Zhou Buqi's eyes lit up.

He glanced at Lao Liu, who held his head high and his chest high, and secretly admired him.

sharp!

Much stronger than in previous years, he has the demeanor of a big boss.

Xie Fuhua smiled slightly, obviously surprised by such a beginning.

Liu Qiangdong is very calm, "If it is a commodity, then integrate social resources to do it, JD.com's efficiency and effectiveness will be reflected, and the cost will be reduced. If it is judged that this matter is a core value, it will be completely different. Once it is identified as a core value, it can become a powerful moat in the future and the most powerful weapon to defeat competitors. In the end, I judge that self-operated warehousing and logistics is the core value of JD. Therefore, JD.com’s investment in the field of warehousing and logistics will not Stop, three years, five years, ten years, and we will keep investing. JD.com will not pursue short-term profits. Warehousing and logistics are JD.com’s most long-term value.”

“Beautiful strategic design.”

Xie Fuhua gave a high evaluation.

It was also the first time Zhou Buqi heard Lao Liu talk about this argument. He was a little distracted for a moment, and felt like he was enlightened and enlightened.

Amazing!

Been taught a lesson!

He thought about the fiber optic business Kurian had been begging to do.