Top of the big era

Although Haier is an excellent company, it is still a relatively traditional home appliance company. It is really difficult for them to build an Internet of Things platform.

Not even if they have the best self-operated business.

If you want to build this kind of platform, you have to rely on the Internet, especially Internet companies with cloud computing industries.

The Internet of Things is IoT, which is the abbreviation of Internet_of_Things. It achieves the effect of interconnection of all things through various sensors, sensors, scanners, radio frequency devices and other devices and technologies.

Such a large number of devices will generate a large amount of data, which requires a lot of computing power and efficient and rapid real-time response. The response time of devices distributed around the world must be controlled within 100ms.

The threshold is high.

Cloud computing is the best solution.

Therefore, if you want to build an IoT platform, a strong cloud computing business is a prerequisite. With Haier's ability, it definitely can't be done.

This is what Zhang Yiming, Guo Pengfei, Meng Houkun and others are thinking.

Zhou Buqi really didn't pay attention to this matter.

He almost doesn't care about domestic business anymore.

But his style and business style have left a deep imprint on Ziweixing.

For example, this cooperation between Ziweixing and Haier was not known to Zhou Buqi before, and it was completely promoted by Zhang Yiming... This has a distinct Zhou Buqi's acting style.

During the visit, Zhang Yiming whispered: "The cooperation model between Ziweixing and Haier is that Ziweixing provides technical services to help Haier build their Haier Smart Home platform."

Zhou Buqi nodded, "It seems their ambition is not enough."

Zhang Yiming said with a smile: "Ambition must match strength. It is not an easy task to build an Internet of Things platform."

"so what?"

"As you said, if Haier can't do it, let's do it."

"They certainly can't."

Zhou Buqi made the assertion without hesitation.

Zhang Yiming smiled and said: "Because of this, we should work hard to deepen cooperation with Haier. The platform economy needs to be supported by strong self-operated attributes. This is the biggest shortcoming of our Internet of Things platform."

Zhou Buqi thinks this idea is not feasible, "You want to absorb Haier and become a self-operated business of Ziweiyun's IoT platform? This may be difficult. Haier is not a small company, it is a Fortune 500 company. "

Zhang Yiming doesn’t think so. “Even if it is not a self-operated business, it can be cultivated as a self-operated partner for in-depth strategic cooperation. What happened to the Fortune 500? Samsung’s scale is much bigger. Samsung mobile phones still have to be Are you going to join the Android camp honestly?"

This actually makes sense.

In the early days of smartphones, all the major mobile phone giants were unwilling to join Google and were all researching their own mobile operating systems. Motorola, Nokia, Samsung... almost all of them were left behind.

The result is obvious.

Samsung, which was the first to realize that its own strength was insufficient, had to compromise and chose the Android system to serve Google, and survived. Several other major mobile phone giants have fallen into independent research and development.

Google also has no self-operated mobile phone business. Android can dominate mainly because it has found two strategic partners with in-depth cooperation, Asda and Samsung, which is equivalent to having a self-operated business. (In the real world, Google is looking for HTC)

Thanks to the attraction of Asda and Samsung, more global mobile phone manufacturers have settled on the Android platform as third parties.

The "self-operated + third-party" model has been achieved.

Android can do it, why can’t Ziweiyun’s IoT platform?

As Zhou Buqi stayed abroad for a long time, his horizons became more open, and he gained a better understanding of technological development, especially the changes in the world.

There is a misunderstanding in the domestic technology industry. They always think that self-research is the way out for technology... Of course, this is related to national policies and geopolitics, and it is similar in South Korea and Japan.

On the contrary, this will prevent China, Japan and South Korea from leading the times in the development of science and technology industries.

Just like Samsung Electronics.

Zhou Buqi discussed this matter with Li Zaiyong. Li Zaiyong’s next plan is to strengthen Samsung Electronics’ layout in the semiconductor field and invest heavily in developing the semiconductor industry.

This creates a big strategic difference.

No matter how hard Samsung's chips work, can they surpass American chip giants such as Intel and Qualcomm? It is possible to achieve the ultimate, and at most it can reach 90% of the level of American chips.

This means I can only resign myself to the second line, as a follower.

It is impossible to lead the times like Intel and Qualcomm, or even achieve the achievement of changing the world through technology.

If Samsung Electronics uses all its resources and talents to develop LCD panels that Americans are not very good at... In this way, Samsung's LCD panels will not only be the industry leader, but will also compete with other competitors. By driving a long distance, it may even be possible to develop a new generation of sci-fi-level LCD panels that may change the world's image display.

But Samsung can't do that.

They have shadows about the past and worries about the future, and do not want to take unnecessary strategic risks.

If Samsung does not develop its own chips, what if Americans stop selling chips in the future?

With such political constraints, Samsung Electronics' technological breakthroughs in business and technology will be greatly restricted.

In contrast, European and American technology companies have no such worries.

Especially American technology companies.

A concept that has been instilled in me since I was young is to change the world.

Why should I do what others have already done?

There are already chips on the market, just buy them, unless I can make a better chip than the existing chip or a new product that replaces the chip.

Therefore, the scientific and technological research and development in the United States will be very pure, with two main purposes: one is dream guidance, I want to do something that others have not done, I want to change the world; the other is business guidance, I want to do what others have done things, but I can do better than them.

This has formed the current situation in the world where the United States leads the global technology industry.

The most innovative technology companies and the most profitable technology companies are all in the United States, and only in the United States. Only they can run businesses with peace of mind without being constrained by other factors.

Independent research and development here in East Asia is different. Even though we know that we cannot change the world, and we know that if we do it, it will not be as good as others, we still have to spend huge sums of money or even the entire country to do it.

In fact, it is necessary to do so. Japan's lost thirty years and South Korea's property as a country during the Asian financial crisis were carved up by Western powers are bloody lessons.

The advantage of this is that it can really reduce political and stability risks, but the disadvantage is that it will destroy the company's commercial achievements, let alone change the world.

Domestic enterprises are especially worried about this uncontrollable strategic risk.

Therefore, I have a special liking for independent research and development. After decades of publicity and guidance, a national top-down consensus has been reached. It seems that technology is equivalent to independent research and development. Companies that do not conduct independent research and development are not considered technology companies.

Haier is a state-owned enterprise, so it is even less likely to hand over its lifeline to others. It will definitely engage in "self-research", try to launch its own Internet of Things platform, and build Haier Smart Home.

Even if this platform is very awkward, it must be self-developed.

Zhou Buqi said: "If Haier were a purely private enterprise, this would be easier to handle. It is entirely possible for them to fully join Ziweixing. But they have the attributes of a state-owned enterprise, so they can only choose to conduct self-research on this road. This is the general environment. It’s decided. Domestic scientific and technological resources are wasted on reinventing the wheel.”

Zhang Yiming was silent for a moment and nodded, "Even so, they can't develop the Haier Smart Home system independently. They have to rely on Ziweiyun."

Zhou Buqi smiled, "That's true."

Zhang Yiming said: "Not only at the system level, but also at the chip level. With a system, it won't work without an adapted chip. With a system, a chip, and a platform, with Haier's experience and business, it will be difficult for them to Let’s implement the platform model. At most, it can only serve Haier’s own products.”

The two parties reached a consensus on this point, and Zhou Buqi agreed: "I think so too. If they can't make an Internet of Things platform, even if they do, they will have to rely on Ziweixing. Even if they can do it reluctantly with Ziweixing behind them, Once the platform is built, it is difficult to extend it to the outside world, and it can only be used by our own Haier products.”

Zhang Yiming said: "With domestic industry protection, if the Internet of Things forms a trend, it will be difficult for foreign Internet of Things platforms to enter the domestic market. Ziweiyun will have huge industrial advantages in this regard."

Zhou Buqi said: "I think it's okay and we can go in this direction. But don't be too anxious. The mobile Internet has just emerged, and it's still early for the Internet of Everything."

One of the shortcomings of Ziweixing's Internet of Things platform is that it does not have self-operated business. Ziweixing does not produce its own products such as color TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, sweeping robots, smart locks, and smart curtains.

Fortunately, there is a hidden factor.

Zhou Buqi is an important investor in Xiaomi, and Xiaomi also has an important cooperative relationship with Ziweixing.

Xiaomi and Fanke are actually two flowers on the same branch.

After the mobile phone is launched, Xiaomi's product line and business model will cover many household products. Compared with Haier, Xiaomi is more suitable to be the "self-operated" product of Ziweiyun IoT platform.

However, this matter is still relatively far away.

It is difficult for such a trend to form within five or six years.

Zhang Yiming said with a smile: "The first time I heard about the concept of the Internet of Things was in Bill Gates' "The Road to the Future." After the book was published, it aroused great disapproval in the industry, and everyone thought it was nonsense. . Now it seems that it will be realized soon. Microsoft will definitely focus on this direction, and Ziweixing cannot lag behind."

Zhou Buqi understood this very well and said with a smile: "Well, Bill Gates specifically told me about this. After his book was published, he proposed the concept of the Internet of Things, but was ridiculed. He didn't accept it. He was very angry. He spent a lot of money to develop a software and hardware system, built a super mansion, and turned his home into the Internet of Things. It was originally a proof of concept, but it turned out to be a proof of concept for the outside world. See it as showing off your wealth.”

Zhang Yiming said: "Ziweixing has to do this!"