Stronger by Paying Salaries and I Have 1 Billion Employees

Inside the Shencheng Five Continents Hotel, the vast conference hall was brilliantly lit.

Reporters, some shouldering video cameras and others holding DSLRs, busily adjusted their focus, their lenses trained on the four people on stage.

The moderator had long since stepped aside, leaving the stage to Chen Yansen, Ma Wenteng, Ma Liyun, and Li Yanhong.

Li Yanhong glowered at Chen Yansen, who was seated diagonally across from him, and felt a surge of irritation. Taking a deep breath, he continued the previous topic and responded,

”What Mr. Ma means is that compared to a decade ago, the internet industry has undergone tremendous changes. Entrepreneurship and competition can no longer rely on the old free-to-use models. Instead, we should focus on creating value and finding new business models and competitive advantages.

”However, I’d like to borrow another of Mr. Ma’s sayings: You still have to have dreams. What if they come true?”

As he finished speaking, he cast his gaze toward Chen Yansen. The implication was self-evident. After all, wasn’t there a living example right before their eyes?

The audience couldn’t help but chuckle and applaud softly.

Li Yanhong’s answer was measured, unlike Ma Liyun’s sharp-tongued style, which tended to make people uncomfortable.

’What a load of crap!’

Chen Yansen silently made his assessment.

Li Yanhong’s speaking style was quite artful. He appeared to speak with great eloquence, but in reality, his words were completely devoid of substance.

This rhetorical formula of ”summarizing the previous speaker’s words” was nothing more than a common ”managing up” tactic used by employees.

He shot Li Yanhong a strange look, suddenly remembering a joke he’d heard. A vice president at Qian Du had discovered Li Yanhong was reading a certain book, so he instructed his subordinates to start pushing a targeted feed of related content to him.

This led Li Yanhong to mistakenly believe that Qian Du’s AI algorithm was incredibly powerful, unaware that there was no intelligence involved at all—it was all manual work.

’Watching Li Yanhong spout this kind of rhetoric so effortlessly, could it be that he’d been ’managed up’ by his subordinates for so long that he picked up the habit himself?’

”President Chen, as the newcomer to the BATS, what are your thoughts?” the moderator interjected, guiding the conversation.

”Eras, like people, have their limitations! The business landscape is constantly changing, and new business models are always emerging. The one who takes you out might not be a direct competitor. For example, sales in the instant noodle industry shrank by 11.7% last year, simply because the food delivery industry exploded in popularity across the country.

”Being invincible isn’t nearly enough, because your next enemy can appear out of nowhere at any time! Personally, I hope to see more of the ’new wave’ rise up and push us, the ’old wave,’ to keep moving forward.”

Chen Yansen replied in a calm, unhurried tone.

”Aren’t you afraid the new wave will leave you washed up on the shore?” the moderator joked, venturing a bold question.

”If we get overtaken by a newcomer, it must mean there’s a problem with Senlian Capital’s business and strategy. You either adjust in time, or you sit back and wait for the decline. After all, when an era leaves you behind, it doesn’t even bother to say goodbye.”

Chen Yansen said with a nonchalant shrug.

After he spoke, he looked at Li Yanhong with a placid smile.

’Why is he looking at me? Qian Du is thriving!’

Li Yanhong narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing within them as he screamed internally.

”Mr. Ma, do you ever worry that Penguin will one day be surpassed by another company?” the moderator asked, continuing down the line.

”To be honest, I used to be very worried, even anxious. That’s why before we launched WeChat, Penguin tried its hand at many different mobile products. Just as President Chen said, I was also afraid of being left behind in the mobile era. Fortunately, things turned out well.”

Ma Wenteng’s brow furrowed slightly. After sharing his experience, he couldn’t resist taking a jab, ”As long as you don’t end up like Li Yanhong, turning a search engine into what it is today and getting besieged by the public, you’ll be fine.”

”...” Li Yanhong’s face remained impassive.

”President Li, do you agree with Mr. Ma’s assessment of Qian Du?” the moderator pressed.

”I don’t quite understand Mr. Ma’s point. Qian Du Search’s domestic market share is still firmly in first place, maintaining an insurmountable lead.

”As a member of the ’old wave,’ I’d like to warn the new entrepreneurs of the ’new wave’: whatever you do, don’t let Mr. Ma find out about your innovative ideas. Otherwise, Penguin will be quick to copy them.”

Chen Yansen almost lost his composure, desperately trying to keep from smiling.

Ma Liyun showed no such restraint. He let out a quiet laugh, but in Ma Wenteng’s ears, the sound was incredibly grating.

Ma Wenteng pushed up his glasses, a tactical evasion.

It’s easy to be confident when you haven’t actually done anything wrong. The key issue was, he had.

Li Yanhong’s jab was vicious, prompting many of the business tycoons in attendance to break into knowing smiles.

QQ Tang had ”paid tribute” to Crazy Arcade, the QQ Game Hall to Ourgame, QQ Speed to Crazyracing Kartrider, QQ Dancer to Audition Online, QQ Farm to Happy Farm...

The most galling part was that most of the products that were ”paid tribute to” had since withered and died, while the one paying ”tribute” was thriving more than ever.

It might have been the truth, but Li Yanhong’s retort was still a dirty move.

If he hadn’t been on stage, Little Ma would have already flipped out. ’I just took a little jab at you, and you can’t take it?!’

Seeing how things were escalating, the moderator quickly changed the subject. ”Last year, Mr. Ma, President Li, and President Ren of Huayuan Real Estate had a debate about whether high housing prices could affect recruitment. Do the two of you still feel the same way this year?”

”I suggest we let Ma Liyun answer first,” Ma Wenteng said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. ”Last year, during college and professional recruitment, Penguin’s candidates were repeatedly poached by Ali Baba. Penguin would offer someone an annual salary of 200,000, and Ali Baba would offer 240,000. I imagine Mr. Ma isn’t too concerned about rising housing prices. After all, he’s the most generous one here.”

’You little Sith!’

’Li Yanhong was the one who went after you, but you’re attacking me?’

’Does that make any sense?’

Ma Liyun laughed in exasperation. But he was also hot-tempered and immediately fired back, ”When Penguin poaches mid-level managers from Ah Li, the pay raises are always over thirty percent. To be frank, Ali Baba is under immense pressure when it comes to recruitment. I’m quite envious of Ma Wenteng, actually. Gaming is just too profitable, unlike e-commerce, where the entire supply chain has too many employees and the profit margins are razor-thin.”