Top of the big era

In the next few days, Zhou Buqi was in San Francisco and had been closely watching the details of Microsoft's acquisition of Yahoo.

Shen Xiangyang found his junior brother Lu Qi and had some communication.

Zhou Buqi learned some of the inside story.

This matter is really complicated.

Yahoo's portal network model has been a little behind the cutting-edge Internet wave, which is a consensus in the industry.

So in the past few years, Yahoo has had a high turnover rate.

The top scientists and elite talents have left one after another, and jumped to popular companies such as Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and Amazon.

The performance is difficult to maintain Wall Street's expectations, and the core personnel leave frequently, which makes investors very dissatisfied with Yahoo's board of directors.

Founders Zhiyuan Yang and David Filo certainly didn't want to sell.

But they don't have much control over Yahoo, and several major shareholders are big Wall Street funds.

Now a situation has formed.

Major shareholders want to push through the Yahoo deal, selling to Microsoft. From a long-term perspective, they no longer recognize Yahoo's model, so they might as well sell it and make a fortune.

Management also wanted Yahoo to be absorbed into Microsoft.

They have had enough of Yahoo's half-dead and frequent layoffs, and they want to get close to the big tree of Microsoft and live a stable life for a few years from now on.

The two founders strongly disagree.

At their level, they are worth billions of dollars, which can't be spent in a few lifetimes. The purpose of work is feelings rather than money. They think that Microsoft's internal struggle is too fierce, and it is incompatible with the culture of Silicon Valley, which advocates freedom. Microsoft's online business has always been the loser of Yahoo, and it is not reconciled to sell to them.

I don't want to sell, what should I do?

It is necessary to win the consent of more investors on the board of directors to resist the will of the major shareholder Mason Fund.

Then, there are rumors that Google intends to buy 20% of Yahoo shares at a high price.

The founders want to win the approval of more investors, and the method is very simple, that is, to promote the reform of Yahoo and create more profits. Promise that Yahoo's stock price will rise sharply in the next few years, giving them confidence.

How to operate?

First, increase income; second, reduce expenses.

In the US market, there are three giants in the online advertising business, the first is Google, the second is Yahoo, and the third is Microsoft.

All three have their own online advertising platforms.

If Yahoo abandons its own ad platform and turns to Google's camp and uses Google's ad platform service...it will be simple.

Google has more advertisers, and the unit price of advertising is higher.

According to the calculation of the data model, if Yahoo abandons its own advertising platform and chooses Google's platform, although a part of the advertising share will be given to Google, the unit price of advertisers will be higher and the total revenue will also increase. Even if it is drawn, the total income will increase.

More importantly, if the company does not run its own advertising platform, this large department can be abolished as a whole, saving the salary expenses of more than 400 people.

Both increased income and reduced expenses.

This is Yahoo's biggest confidence.

It is also the reason why Yang Zhiyuan dared to resist Microsoft's offer and persisted to the end.

Microsoft's Ballmer was very angry when he heard that Yahoo had recruited its arch-enemy Google to "threat" him to ask for a higher quotation, and said that the price of 44.6 billion U.S. dollars would not be raised.

After all, judging from market feedback, the outside world is generally not optimistic about the merger of Microsoft and Yahoo.

After the news came out, Yahoo's stock price skyrocketed, while Microsoft's stock price plummeted.

Yahoo has tens of thousands of employees. After Microsoft eats it up, can it really be integrated? Are you not afraid of indigestion?

After listening to Shen Xiangyang's report, Zhou Buqi was overwhelmed for a while. Even if he stayed out of the matter, he could still feel the magnificence of this century's great merger and acquisition.

Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo, these are the three largest online business giants in the world, and they really are interlocking.

Microsoft and Google are sworn enemies.

Yahoo is caught in the middle, pulling left and right, playing really well.

Then, Zhou Buqi asked Chen Dong beside him, and said with a smile, "How is it? What do you think?"

"I..." Chen Dong was a little embarrassed, and said bravely, "That... Boss Zhou, is there really 50 million US dollars?"

"What?"

Zhou Buqi was taken aback.

Chen Dongdao: "Boss Ma said that day that his service fee as a broker was 50 million dollars..."

Zhou Buqi almost died of anger.

However, this is not surprising.

Chen Dong's current level is still relatively low, but Ziweixing's M5, the vice president of Xiaonei.com and the director of school group buying, has never dealt with Boss Ma before.

Zhou Buqi told him calmly, "Lao Ma is a big fool. His words are half-truths and half-false. Just listen to the left ear and catch the right ear. Not only Lao Ma, but also in the commercial market, there are thousands of faces of all kinds. You must learn to analyze and judge, listen to other people's words, listen to logic and reason, not the content of the story. If you are entangled in the truth or falsehood of the content, the right or wrong of the position, and the right or wrong of the point of view, it only shows that your level of thinking has not been raised. Come up."

Chen Dong pondered for a while, then sighed, "Yes, why bother to stick to what others say."

Zhou Buqi said: "The position of Group Buying Director is very conspicuous in Ziwei Star, but it is not enough in the industry. You have to jump out. Going to Japan to be responsible for the e-commerce business is to expand the territory. When the time comes , if Ali also goes to Japan to do e-commerce, you are qualified to contact Boss Ma on your own. The ass determines the head. Sitting in that position, you will see a different world."

He attaches great importance to everyone in the Ten Schools Alliance.

Back then, he didn't easily form the ten-school alliance with a slap on his thigh, but he conducted a large-scale investigation of social practice and selected them layer by layer.

To start a business, you must have courage, boldness, and the determination of a strong man to break his wrist.

what to do?

What Zhou Buqi did at that time was to instruct Liu Wenbo to take those people to skip class every day and go to nightclubs, bars, and even sensual venues for "group building".

To start a business, you must have a sharp insight into people and a different value understanding from ordinary people.

What Zhou Buqi did at the time was to print a batch of photos of left-behind children and ask everyone to sell phone cards in the name of charity. If you are an ordinary moral gentleman, you must go to class honestly and be your own three-good student.

But to do business, the rules used are laws, not morals. Our Lady can only work part-time, but cannot be an entrepreneur. Bill Gates, the world's best man, also had to rely on plagiarism to start his career.

After selling a wave of calling cards, Zhou Buqi asked everyone to choose.

Do you choose to study or start a business with him?

This requires a discerning eye.

Those people at that time were all leaders in the school, and they were famous figures. Even a scumbag like Xu Baihui is a top student of Beiwu, with the best academic performance.

Entrepreneurship also requires loyalty and unity.

At that time, Zhou Buqi arranged a series of off-campus entrepreneurial projects for everyone, a total of 7 major projects! There is no contract binding, all rely on verbal promises. Several projects have been completed, such as Zhen Yu's dining table advertisement project, Meng Houkun's canteen project, Chen Dong's low-priced book project, etc.

Most of the time, you can earn hundreds of thousands a month.

Even so, no one wants to find a project against their conscience and regard it as their own career. He still regards himself as a member of the entrepreneurial alliance, and all the funds are given to the alliance, which became the start-up capital for Zhou Buqi's earliest start-up.

In the process of opening the Yuanwei milk tea shop, except for Liu Wenbo, everyone's hands and feet are very clean. In the duel between Zhou Buqi and Liu Wenbo, everyone chose Boss Zhou by coincidence...

The group of people in the Ten Schools Entrepreneurship Alliance all started their careers with Zhou Buqi when he was poor and white, and everyone passed the various assessments.

Everyone should not only fight together, but also sit together.

Zhou Buqi reads history, and what he hates the most is killing heroes. Only the founding emperor who was born as a peasant would do this. At first glance, he looks like a bumpkin with a small peasant mindset, which is a manifestation of lack of confidence and background.

The founding emperors of aristocratic backgrounds like Tang and Song could often handle the relationship between monarch and ministers well, enjoying themselves and sharing wealth.

Coincidentally, Zhou Buqi is a rich second generation.

Zhou Buqi didn't want to miss any of these people in the Ten Schools Entrepreneurship Alliance, and wanted to train them to a certain height. Chen Dong is in charge of group buying on campus, and the results are very good. You might as well send him to Japan to do e-commerce.

Chen Dong took a deep breath, "Okay, after returning to China, I will discuss it with Sister Ou."

Sister Ou is his wife Zhao Xinou, who is one year older than him and currently works in Ziweixing Electronic Technology Group.

Speaking of Ziweixing Electronics, this is also the reason why Zhou Buqi will stay in San Francisco for many days.

In addition to observing the case of Microsoft and Yahoo, Zhou Shaoning, the president of Ziweixing Electronics, is coming to the United States to negotiate with Google.

The model of the mobile phone has been basically determined.

Three options were proposed.

Negotiate with Google.

At the same time, it is necessary to determine the sales and operation plan of the mobile phone.

The world's first Android mobile phone, in order to reduce risks, the production volume should not be too high, and the sales place can only be the United States. This is Google's home field, so it is better to control and do market research.

There is no 3G in China, and it is not realistic to promote Android phones in China.

After getting off the plane, eat first.

Zhou Shaoning explained in detail the arrangements for this visit to the United States.

First, determine the name of the phone.

Second, determine the style and design of the mobile phone.

Third, sign a sales agreement with Google and operators to list in the United States.

"What is your name?"

"Asteroid."

"What?"

Zhou Buqi raised his eyebrows.

Zhou Shaoning said very strangely: "This is the name given by you, saying that this name has been approved by you. The English name of asteroid is Asteroid, which is the same as the root of Android's Andriod, and it is more related. I think it is quite OK."

Zhou Buqi suddenly remembered.

When naming Helo, the following people gave a bunch of solutions. One of them has a very good name, "Asteroid". Although the name "Helo" was adopted in the end, "Asteroid" was saved because it was amazing.

Ziwei Star and asteroids are both stars, and they are related.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Shaoning fell in love with him.

Zhou Buqi frowned, "Asteroid... the name is a bit long! It's printed on the back of the phone, so it's not a long list? It affects the aesthetics. Umm... By the way, what does the word Aster mean?"

This is an unpopular word, even though Zhou Shaoning has lived in the United States for many years, he suddenly stopped.

The top student at Peking University next to him, Chen Dong smiled and blurted out: "Aster, a proper noun belonging to the category of plants, roughly meaning... is a kind of flower, aster, aster flower."

"Ziyuan..." Zhou Buqi's eyes lit up, and he kept repeating, "Aster, Ziyuan, Aster, Ziyuan, Aster..."

Chen Dong also found out, and was very pleasantly surprised: "This name is very good! Our name is Ziwei, and this one is called Ziyuan. Moreover, adding the suffix Aster means an asteroid, and it is also related to Ziwei Star."

Zhou Buqi originally had some ideas about the name of this phone.

For example, it is called Nexus, or it is called Pixel.

These two are a series of brands of Google's mobile phones in the future, and they both sound good.

Unexpectedly, the mobile phone name I came up with seems to be even better. It can echo the brand of Ziweixing, which is much better than Nexus and Pixel, which are out of place and lack practical meaning.

Zhou Shaoning said with a smile: "Aster, um! I think it's okay! It's catchy. Aster said it fluently, that is, 'love her', 'fall in love with her', and will be liked by young people."

Zhou Buqi said: "Not only that. The Android system still has great improvements. When it goes on the market in China next year, it will be able to make certain internal settings for the original version of Android, and encapsulate some functions and its own products. Magic changed a simple skin-changing mobile phone operating system. The name of this operating system can be called Asteroid."

Just like when Xiaomi first started, the accumulation of the first wave of rice noodles was not based on mobile phones, but on the MIUI system modified by Xiaomi. In fact, it is to change the skin and change the UI, which is more in line with the local design. It belongs to the lowest-end magic modification, and the technical content is very low.

If Ziweixing does it, the demo can be released in one month, and it can be launched in two months.

That's it!

Phone name: Ziyuan in Chinese and Aster in English.

Mobile phone system: The Chinese name is Asteroid System, and the English name is Asteriod.

Next, the topic turned to the case of Microsoft's acquisition of Yahoo.

Zhou Buqi told the information he got from Shen Xiangyang.

Zhou Shaoning had worked in the United States for many years and was the president of Google China before. After hearing the inside story, he pondered for a long time and shook his head, "It's not that simple!"

"oh?"

Zhou Buqi was very curious.

Zhou Shaoning said: "Whether it is Microsoft's acquisition of Yahoo, or Google's purchase of 20% of Yahoo's shares, and Yahoo's abandonment of its own advertising platform to use Google's advertising platform, there is one thing behind these two events, and that is anti-monopoly review. "

"Yeah." Zhou Buqi nodded, "Should it be cleared?"

Zhou Shaoning said: "It is true that the US anti-monopoly review is relatively loose on Internet companies. But Microsoft is a software giant. Didn't the European Union issue a fine to Microsoft last month, saying that Microsoft did not comply with the regulations it made in 2004?" The anti-monopoly ruling imposed a fine of 1.35 billion US dollars. Of course, if this deal is concluded, the fine of more than one billion will be paid as soon as it is paid.”

Zhou Buqi said: "It seems that this matter is really complicated. It's okay. Microsoft will officially have a meeting with Yahoo tomorrow. I'll go ask and see if I have a chance to attend."

Bill Gates said before that he would not negotiate with Yahoo in private.

Because both parties are listed companies.

To be responsible for the shareholders, all information will be open and transparent, the acquisition process will be disclosed in real time, and there will be many brokers mediating and reporting the news.

Although Zhou Buqi was an outsider, it was not impossible for him to listen in.

Well, learn from big companies.