Top of the big era

The next day, Zhou Buqi and Zhou Shaoning went to Google to meet Larry Page.

It's not a formal meeting.

Communicate privately first, and if the conversation goes well, both parties will organize a team for more detailed talks in the next step. For nearly a year, the relationship between the two parties has been too cold.

This is not good for either party.

Great chat.

Many minor disagreements were resolved smoothly.

Especially the adaptation issue of "fingerprint unlocking". After Larry Page heard about this design, he became very excited, saying that this is what future smartphones should look like, and we must fully support the realization of this design. Function, this will be a major surpass of Android machine to iPhone!

Then, we talked about the heaviest bet Larry Page made after becoming Google CEO-social network.

Everyone knows that Google is brewing a big move and will soon launch a heavyweight product to compete with Facebook.

In fact, it is the product "Google+".

When it was first launched, the market performance was pretty good, and many technology enthusiasts and industry practitioners quickly gathered here. However, it is too difficult to figure out the circle.

This is an old problem of Google. All its products have a strong sense of technology and are full of elements that show off their skills.

For some people in the industry, it seems very fresh and rich in playability at first glance.

But for people outside the circle, the threshold is too high and it is not popular.

As a result, this product started high but then sold low, and subsequent new user growth was unsatisfactory. However, social networking is Google’s biggest bet, and since it is impossible to give up, it can only press forward!

Then, a very absurd scene occurred.

Facebook, which "Google+" wants to compete with, has developed for many years. The user base of "Google+" is less than 5% of Facebook's. However, the total number of employees in the "Google+" business is already larger than the number of employees in Facebook's entire company. There's more.

Larry Page is in complete despair.

The bet failed.

The company invested so much money and kept doing things, but it turned out to be a mess.

Someone has to take responsibility.

Even if he is the founder, he must give an explanation and be responsible for all shareholders. Later, Larry Page took the initiative to step aside and gave up the CEO position to Indian Sundar Pichai.

Facts have proved that this is a very correct choice. Pichai is much better than Larry Page in the company's operations, management and business decision-making.

At this time, the most urgent thing in Larry Page's eyes is social networking. This is what he calls Google's biggest bet in the future Internet world!

The main reason why he wanted to join the board of directors to remove Schmidt and become CEO himself was that Schmidt failed too much in the social field.

He wants to lead Google to develop its social business!

Social networking is the source of legitimacy for Larry Page’s position as CEO.

Zhou Buqi originally wanted to find some way to recommend Twitter to Google. Unexpectedly, Larry Page took the initiative to talk about it without him having to ask.

Larry Page's eyes were burning, "By the way, I heard that you are the majority shareholder of Twitter?"

Zhou Buqi smiled and said, "Ziweixing has indeed played a big role in the growth of Twitter."

"I heard that you have a tense relationship with Twitter's management?"

"Um?"

"Haha, I heard that too."

"It's not that serious, it's just... there is a little strategic disagreement. I hope Twitter can develop together with Ziweixing's overall strategy and advance and retreat together. The founders of Twitter seem to have other ideas."

Zhou Buqi spoke vaguely.

In fact, there is no need to hide it too much.

There are no secrets on the Internet, both at home and abroad. Anyone who looks down but doesn’t look up will basically know what’s going on.

Ziweixing has launched a product that is highly similar to Twitter, called YikYak, which has seized the markets in South Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia in advance. This is simply a rival to Twitter. It’s no wonder that Twitter is happy!

Larry Page smiled and said: "What are your plans for Twitter? For now, Twitter... seems to be difficult to integrate into your business landscape."

Zhou Buqi sighed, "Yeah, I didn't expect that the big tree I planted would not be able to be used by me when it grew up."

Larry Page's eyes were filled with anticipation, "Then what do you want to do with Twitter?"

Zhou Buqi said helplessly: "It's not that easy to dispose of. It's just a financial investment. Twitter's business is growing very well, and the market response is getting bigger and bigger. It has become the top player in the market after Facebook." Social platform. After Twitter goes public, slowly look for opportunities to exit."

"That's not a good idea."

Larry Page was very happy, with a big smile on his face.

Zhou Buqi frowned and looked at him cautiously, "Are you interested in Twitter?"

"no doubt."

Larry Page blurted out without any hesitation.

This is no secret in the industry at all.

In the past few years, Google has successively attacked Facebook and Twitter. Zuckerberg doesn’t want to defect to Google, and Twitter is even less willing. Ivan Williams, the founder of Twitter, sold the company to Google and was left out in the cold after joining Google. Later, he left Google and started his own business again, which led to Twitter.

He doesn't want anything to do with Google anymore.

The result is that Google bought a bunch of social networking sites from outside, and also created a lot of social products of its own, but all of them were rotten and none of them were successful.

Only then did Schmidt step down and Larry Page take over.

Zhou Buqi immediately refused and said seriously: "This is impossible, Twitter... Ivan's attitude towards Google is very cold."

Larry Page smiled and said: "But his attitude towards you is also cold."

"Um?"

Zhou Buqi raised his eyebrows, looking suspicious.

Larry Page said calmly: "The essence of business is transactions. As long as it is profitable and legal, everything can be negotiated. Twitter has only financial value in your hands, and it has been lost. There are bigger strategic implications. Since you want financial gain, for Google, no problem!”

Zhou Buqi said in a deep voice: "Do you want to take away all the Twitter stocks held by Ziweixing?"

"right."

"This makes no sense. After many rounds of financing and dilution, Ziweixing only holds 32% of Twitter's shares, and investors are on the side of management."

Zhou Buqi spoke plausibly.

Zhou Shaoning next to him was stunned for a while. If he hadn't known the inside story, he would have thought that Boss Zhou really didn't want to sell Twitter. It’s really interesting. He obviously wants to sell, but he pretends that he doesn’t want to sell at all... Needless to say, Boss Zhou has other plans!

Obviously it’s not as simple as selling more money.

Google has deep pockets, and the last thing it lacks is money.

Back then, when YouTube's market valuation was only $160 million, Google paid $1.65 billion to acquire the company, shocking the world.

In front of the core strategy, we must have absolute courage.

Google wants to get the 32% of Twitter shares in Ziweixing's hands, obviously not to make money by increasing the value of the shares, but to gain control of Twitter and incorporate Twitter into Google's strategic system.

Zhou Buqi narrowed his eyes, "With 32% of the shares, you can't get control of Twitter."

Larry Page is confident, “As long as there is a goal, there will be a way.”