“A shoemaker trying to get into the internet? Is that a joke?” Chen Dan asked with a rather sharp tone.
“What’s wrong with that? Coal miners can make movies too?” Zeng Qing scoffed. “These new rich, they don’t understand anything, but they love chasing after so-called high technology. They come here to stir up trouble, it’s utterly foolish!”
“No, I don’t think it’s that simple. Everyone has heard that vulgar advertisement. In the ad, this Jiangnan Leather Factory is already bankrupt. But why can they still invest in oo? I think this is a brilliant marketing method. Huang He deliberately said his factory went bankrupt to create a sense of excellent quality at a low price, thus achieving best-sellers!” Cai Xin interjected.
“Exactly!” Brother Ma couldn't help but nod, finding it very logical. But Chen Dan, with his still sharp voice, said, “That’s not right. Which boss in the world would use their own reputation for marketing?” xxsyi
“Not only cursing their own enterprise to bankruptcy, but also saying they owe 350 million, and even running off with their sister-in-law. This isn’t just a flood of scolding; it’s like dumping dog shit, cow dung, and bull dung all over themselves. Does anyone in the world really dare to do something like this?”
“That’s true!” everyone nodded again. Although self-deprecation can be a marketing strategy, how could a boss like Huang He, with assets in the hundreds of millions, debase himself in such a way?
And this sister-in-law, that touches upon a major ethical issue in China. If such a thing were truly exposed, Huang He would cease to be human. I believe no fool would slander their own reputation like this.
“Then what’s your take on this Huang He and oo? Is this Huang He fake?” Zeng Qing asked.
“No, I believe this Huang He is real, and the bankrupt Jiangnan Leather Factory is also real. The most reasonable explanation should be that the Jiangnan Leather Factory indeed went bankrupt, and Huang He did indeed abscond. However, before escaping, he transferred all his assets. One of the important means of transferring assets was investing in Leng Zhimeng’s oo. In this way, this is a common tactic used by those new rich, it’s perfectly normal!”
“So that’s how it is!” everyone nodded. This guess should be the most logical.
“But even if we know these things, what good is it?” Zeng Qing scoffed. “How will this help us defeat oo?”
“Of course, it will. If needed in the future, we just need to announce that oo was built with the blood and sweat of those workers. Then, coupled with public opinion attacks, I guarantee oo’s reputation will instantly become incredibly foul. At the same time, it can also prompt official investigations. Then not only will oo have to close down, they might even have to spend a few years in jail!” Chen Dan said with a smile. Everyone shivered simultaneously. This method was too ruthless, but it was very effective.
Chen Dan’s nominal position was the company’s administrative manager, but in reality, due to his social connections, he was also responsible for the company’s public relations and communication with the government. Unlike the early pure technical experts like Brother Ma, Chen Dan knew countless underhanded tactics.
He truly understood society.
“Let’s discuss these tactics later. Let’s try to resolve online matters online first, otherwise, there will be consequences!” Brother Ma, who had been speaking little, chimed in. “What I’m more concerned about now is the extent of the threat oo poses to us, and how much of our market they have eroded!”
“Market department, what is the intelligence on this aspect?”
“Uh… Boss, because of the limited time, we haven’t had time to conduct detailed market research, and it requires a lot of funds. Therefore, we currently don’t have accurate data and cannot make accurate judgments…” the head of the market department said, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead.
“I know, but you must have an estimated figure!” Brother Ma said.
“Yes, according to our estimates, oo’s registered users should be around 1 million, and active users should be between 200,000 and 300,000. And the growth rate should be quite fast, so it does pose a certain threat!” the head of the market department reported.
“What, only 1 million!” The atmosphere in the conference room immediately changed. The previous tension dissipated, and a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere began to emerge.
“Everyone, please be quiet. It’s not time to relax yet!” Brother Ma scanned the room. “Operations department, what has been the change in our QQ backend data over the past three weeks? Especially the number of active users.”
“Yes, throughout August, our QQ registered users increased by 1.6 million, and active users increased by about 120,000!” the head of the operations department reported.
“What, our data is still growing! That oo isn’t that great!” Zeng Qing’s face lit up with a smile, and many others also smiled. Only Brother Ma’s expression was very grim.
“Then, what were our July user data?” Brother Ma asked again.
“It’s… in July, our QQ registered users increased by 2.4 million, and active users increased by about 180,000.” the operations department said cautiously.
“……” The smiles that had just appeared on everyone else’s faces instantly vanished.
“Then what about the June data?” Brother Ma continued to press.
“In June, our registered user growth was 2.82 million, and active user growth was 220,000!” The head of the operations department’s head had completely lowered.
“Everyone, now you understand the threat oo poses to us!” Brother Ma’s gaze swept around. “July was the official launch month for oo, and August was the launch month for oo Farm.
Although both months showed growth, if we calculate based on the June data before oo’s launch, we have a total decrease of 1.22 million registered users and a whopping 160,000 active users over these two months. Where did these users who rightfully belonged to us go? Do you understand?” Brother Ma’s words silenced the entire room.
Well, Brother Ma is indeed Brother Ma, very domineering. He is directly counting future growth data as his current data.
“However, Old Ma, this data is actually better than we anticipated. After all, according to the market department’s forecast, their registered users are 1 million and active users are around 300,000. Although their registered user growth is quite astonishing, the key data of active users is lower than our expectations. It seems oo isn’t as formidable as we thought!” Chen Dan said dismissively.
“Agreed!”
“Exactly! Exactly!”
“This oo is nothing. If we just put in a little more effort, oo will fall!!” everyone else also began to chime in, all claiming that oo was nothing special, and that their QQ simply hadn’t acted yet. As long as they made a slight move, oo could be crushed by Tengda.
Of course, there were those who remained silent, such as Zhang Zhidong, Zeng Qing, and Cai Xin.
Chen Dan was in charge of administration; he understood society, but he didn’t understand the internet, product logic, or users. His understanding of QQ matters was not comprehensive, so his words were not surprising.
However, these three people had nurtured QQ from the ground up. They were acutely aware of the terrifying crisis hidden beneath this seemingly acceptable data.
Especially Zhang Zhidong, he took a deep breath, then stood up and said, “Boss, I don’t know how many registered users oo has, but I believe that oo’s daily active users have at least reached 2 million!”
“What!” The air in the conference room instantly solidified.
2 million daily active users?
Currently, QQ’s daily active users are only around 20 million. Has the opponent already reached 10% of QQ’s scale?