Chapter 150 Platform Strategy

ilty himself and doubt whether there really wasn’t anything between him and Tang Wu. No way! The sight of them holding hands had been so clear to him—he hadn't mistaken it for presbyopia! This Su Zan...Chapter 150: Platform Strategy

Zuckerberg appeared in the Redwood Ventures conference room in Shanghai and presented ten almost unreasonable reasons for his actions. This unconventional approach did not prevent it from being dug up and passed down as an interesting legend to be talked about years later.

Amidst all the exaggerated and dramatized rumors and stories spread through newspapers, magazines, television media, and online consultations, there was always a kernel of truth. This punch that Facebook seemed to have thrown at Redwood Ventures appeared just as natural and real as the cold winter wind, the swaying camphor trees outside the building, the unoccupied black benches near parks, and the hurried pedestrians crossing through streets.

Years later, when Zuckerberg was interviewed on a well-known American TV program about this event that had preoccupied people's minds for so long, the beautiful host asked Mark how he reacted after it happened.

"At that time, Redwood Ventures was at the peak of its industry as one of the leading venture capital companies globally. If you compare them to an eagle, then Facebook was like a fledgling chick. Yet, this fledgling chick dared to challenge the eagle. You hit back hard against Silicon Valley's venture capitalists with your actions and were once hailed as a hero. Is that not a clear demonstration of Facebook’s distinct personality and audacious attitude Thinking about it now, I feel sorry for those capitalists who didn’t receive Facebook’s recognition."

Zuckerberg appeared somewhat bashful on the live TV screen surrounded by numerous camera lenses and slightly distorted monitors behind them, but his speech was as rapid and fluid as ever. Recalling that day's scene, he said, "When I presented my ten reasons via slides, they listened politely throughout the process, to the point where I regretted causing a delay and dressing in pajamas to show disrespect towards them. Later on, I realized that maybe I had offended them, which was not a good thing. They were very serious people who came from all around the world just to make a good investment, but I wasted their time targeting specific individuals. If I could do it again, I would have politely declined instead of being so radical."

"It seems you've grown much more mature and composed compared to back then," the beautiful host smiled, saying, "If our memory serves us right, that conflict with Redwood’s senior partners was due to your company’s co-president at the time, wasn’t it"

Aware she had made a mistake, the host corrected herself and said, "Oh, my apologies. To be precise, he is no longer considered a co-president now. But anyway, were you friends back then"

Caught off guard in front of the cameras amid various輿論風暴中的紮克突然沉吟了一下，然後點頭，“是的，是最好的朋友。”

主持人百感交集，“從那個時候到現在這種局麵，你覺得會不會有種世事弄人的感覺？”

紮克的目光呆滯，不知道是回憶還是真的在發愣。就連閱人無數的她也冇有看透眼前的這個二十四歲的青年。

他以六十億身價登上福布斯全球最年輕富豪榜首，他的名字和同樣引起熱議的公司頻繁出現在美國雜誌封麵，但他似乎仍然麻煩纏身。他身上彷彿帶著帝國統治者的冷酷感，看似習慣呆滯的目光並非完全無神，但隻要有些眼力仔細看，會看到他其實陷入一種極為精細的回憶之中。

直到對於直播來說過去的時間足夠久，他才慢慢開口，惜字如金，每個單詞卻彷彿重於千鈞，“從最初我們租來的房子屋頂跳進後院遊泳池裡，我們一起開著那輛二手福特野馬穿越數百公裡去吃帶著桉樹味、難以下嚥的考拉肉，我們在馬路上因為喝太多酒而嘔吐，一起坐在屋簷下看著獵戶座和北半球唯一可見的仙女座河外星係。那個時候我們曾經認為創業，未來，夢想，發展藍圖，前景這些東西，在時間的流逝中永遠不會改變……”

Chapter 150: Platform Strategy

Zuckerberg appeared in the Redwood Ventures conference room in Shanghai and presented ten almost unreasonable reasons for his actions. This unconventional approach did not prevent it from being dug up and passed down as an interesting legend to be talked about years later.

Amidst all the exaggerated and dramatized rumors and stories spread through newspapers, magazines, television media, and online consultations, there was always a kernel of truth. This punch that Facebook seemed to have thrown at Redwood Ventures appeared just as natural and real as the cold winter wind, the swaying camphor trees outside the building, the unoccupied black benches near parks, and the hurried pedestrians crossing through streets.

Years later, when Zuckerberg was interviewed on a well-known American TV program about this event that had preoccupied people's minds for so long, the beautiful host asked Mark how he reacted after it happened.

"At that time, Redwood Ventures was at the peak of its industry as one of the leading venture capital companies globally. If you compare them to an eagle, then Facebook was like a fledgling chick. Yet, this fledgling chick dared to challenge the eagle. You hit back hard against Silicon Valley's venture capitalists with your actions and were once hailed as a hero. Is that not a clear demonstration of Facebook’s distinct personality and audacious attitude Thinking about it now, I feel sorry for those capitalists who didn’t receive Facebook’s recognition."

Zuckerberg appeared somewhat bashful on the live TV screen surrounded by numerous camera lenses and slightly distorted monitors behind them, but his speech was as rapid and fluid as ever. Recalling that day's scene, he said, "When I presented my ten reasons via slides, they listened politely throughout the process, to the point where I regretted causing a delay and dressing in pajamas to show disrespect towards them. Later on, I realized that maybe I had offended them, which was not a good thing. They were very serious people who came from all around the world just to make a good investment, but I wasted their time targeting specific individuals. If I could do it again, I would have politely declined instead of being so radical."

"It seems you've grown much more mature and composed compared to back then," the beautiful host smiled, saying, "If our memory serves us right, that conflict with Redwood’s senior partners was due to your company’s co-president at the time, wasn’t it"

Aware she had made a mistake, the host corrected herself and said, "Oh, my apologies. To be precise, he is no longer considered a co-president now. But anyway, were you friends back then"

Caught off guard in front of the cameras amid various media storms, Zuckerberg suddenly pondered for a moment before nodding, “Yes, we were the best of friends.”

The host was moved and asked, "From that time to now, do you feel as if fate has played tricks on us"

Zuckerberg’s gaze seemed distant, whether recalling past memories or truly lost in thought. Even the highly experienced host admitted she could not read this twenty-four-year-old man.

With a net worth of sixty-five billion dollars, he topped Forbes’ list as the world's youngest billionaire. His name and company were frequently featured on American magazine covers amidst heated debate, yet he seemed to still be plagued with troubles. He exuded an imperial ruler’s coolness, his seemingly vacant gaze not entirely lifeless. But upon closer inspection, one could see that he was deeply engrossed in a fine thread of memories.

Only after sufficient time had passed for the live broadcast did Zuckerberg slowly open up, speaking sparingly but weightily, "From the very beginning when we jumped into the backyard pool from the rented house's roof, to driving the second-hand Ford Mustang hundreds of miles for a difficult-to-swallow koala meat meal with eucalyptus flavor, vomiting on the street because we had drunk too much, and sitting under the eaves watching Orion and the Milky Way outside in the northern hemisphere. Back then, we believed that startups, the future, dreams, blueprints, prospects – these things would never change over time… "

In January of 2003, Zack arrived in Shanghai. In terms of information flow, there were several large domestic internet companies with no fewer channels than Sequoia Capital, all sending them invitation letters.

Zack's refusal to work with Sequoia Capital hadn't spread far yet; after all, the partners and executives from Sequoia who gathered in Shanghai did not do so in a flashy manner. Furthermore, since there was no agreement reached on Facebook investment issues, it wasn’t widely publicized either. However, industry insiders who had access to these insider details were already aware of this move, which clearly shocked them greatly.

Despite the shock externally, from January 14th when Zack arrived in Shanghai until January 20th, everyone thought that Zack, visiting China for the first time, would be busy traveling around. In reality, he did the opposite and stayed at a Holiday Inn next to Nanjing University, requesting an extremely luxurious suite.

Then he wore his ever-changing slippers, jeans, and T-shirts, with only a thin coat added on top when going out in Shanghai’s bone-chilling cold. Even during winters so severe that the Lake behind Exeter Academy in New Hampshire could freeze over, Zack dressed like this—this greatly surprised everyone who worried whether his outfit was enough to withstand Shanghai's chilly winds.

January 14th marked the end of Nanjing University's semester, and winter break began. Most people left campus one after another; Cheng Congcong in Tang Wu’s dormitory returned home, Ruansiming accompanied friends back to Suzhou, Tong Tong seemed to be going straight to her hometown in Hunan Province, while Li Han's girlfriend being a local from Shanghai, they reportedly parted with difficulty at the station. Xiao Xu also left, but Zhang Xiaqiao stayed on campus as he was either returning home or staying in his dormitory. He decided to stay and observe Zack’s group.

Su Cen told his family that this time, he might be late going back home, causing Tang Wu to postpone her return trip to Chengdu as well. It turned out that Ning Dong, a student from the Shanghai International Studies University, frequently called Tang Wu after their break began. Initially when Tang Wu came to Shanghai, Ning Dong often invited her for gatherings with friends. However, over time, he realized she preferred outings just between them two rather than group hangouts with many people. From then on, Ning Dong made an effort to meet Tang Wu alone and ignored requests from others in their social circle.

On January 15th, Su Cen only received a text message from Lin Luoran: "Winter break started; I left Shanghai. Don't think about me."

Su Cen certainly wouldn’t reply so lightly and thus typed back, “Where are you going When will you return to Chengdu”

"Beijing for classes. It's a short time; I might not come back."

“So diligent” Su Cen responded. In fact, while Lin Luoran seemed playful and lively at times, she became very focused once she delved into something to study.

"Since I can't go abroad or take the 'sea turtle' route, I need to work hard to enrich myself and boost my competitiveness. The Graduate Program in Renmin University of China’s School of Economics has a course that, while not necessarily aimed at preparing for postgraduate exams, would help me as someone studying economics since graduating from university only marks the beginning—graduating with a master's degree is just the start. Learning more now won't make me outdated; it will enable me to handle the demands and research topics of strict professors."

Su Cen directly sent several ellipses.

Lin Luoran responded with a brilliant smile before turning off her phone, arriving in Beijing two hours later. ……

Facebook has specially set aside a café with an area of around one hundred square meters as an informal meeting place for office gatherings. Most people like to bring their laptops here, sipping coffee while programming.

During Zack's visit to Shanghai, when he toured the company, Su Cen and others were sitting in the café; accompanying them were Qiao Shuxin, Chief Financial Officer Kate, Li Pengyu, and a few others. When mentioning that Facebook currently has nearly two hundred employees, Su Cen introduced, "We provide each employee with one thousand yuan as monthly housing allowance, allowing more staff to choose accommodations closer to their workplace." The recruitment of these nearly two hundred employees at Facebook largely emulates the American company, primarily through campus recruitment.

For positions that require substantial social experience, they recruit from society. Su Cen is adept at fully utilizing academic resources; many employees are graduates from Tongji University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Nanjing University, mostly aged between 23 to 35 years old, forming the backbone of the company. However, it has also started attracting more experienced individuals such as Zhang Guo and Shanbi m in technical fields, along with those possessing substantial management experience.

The management style at Facebook is a systematized yet flexible approach, relatively relaxed rather than confining employees to cubicles. Most people can invite two friends for casual chats or card games when they feel tired, enjoy discounted movies in the building's cinema, and even play a round of Pro Evolution Soccer on company-provided gaming consoles.

This was something Qiao Shuxin had previously strongly opposed as an unorganized work attitude. He believed it could completely dismantle a company, but he later found that after implementing this system, most employees showed great dedication, and efficiency increased. This often puzzled him.

"I heard there's an employee who worked very hard one day, drove home after overtime, arrived at the neighborhood around midnight, crashed into something in the middle of it, and fell asleep directly" Some things even Zack, far overseas, was aware of.

"Indeed. Since then, we discourage employees from driving home after overtime; we've even used housing allowances to open dorms near the company." Qiao Shuxin immediately explained.

Many people were watching them curiously from afar at the café entrance. In the entire company, Su Cen and Zack are two of the most enigmatic and revered figures.

A year or two ago, these arrogant graduates from prestigious universities or experienced engineers and managers would never have been willing to work for two young men barely out of their twenties. However, within a year or two, Facebook's rapid development has surpassed expectations; American users had exceeded one million by the end of 2001, reached three million by the end of that year, then hit five million in May 2002, and increased to eight million by the end of the same year.

Facebook's growth this year has also been significant. From ten thousand users when it was founded at the beginning of July 2002, it broke through one million members by January 2003. This growth rate surpassed that of American Facebook, which is why Zack flew to Shanghai for celebration upon reaching a million members; he's deeply concerned about this.

Even ordinary employees can feel the pressure, often discussing how Su Cen and Zack handle major decisions and hurdles in private conversations with great interest. In dealing with issues, they are often calmer and more composed than average people, inspiring awe as leaders. Now no one would look down on them based merely on age or appearance.

The continuous growth of Facebook users is a double-edged sword, meaning the company's technical development speed must keep up with user growth. Most technicians are busy handling daily crises; it’s often when databases are nearly overloaded that they solve it, and when email sending issues arise, they have to fix them quickly. If servers almost overload this week, next week is certain to do so, requiring increased load capacity and the addition of tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment in data centers and network devices.

"Under current circumstances, as long as we maintain normal operations, we can ensure a robust expansion trend. In just two or three years from now, no similar websites will have the capability to challenge us, and we'll be increasingly close to giants like Google."

Create an empire in social networking. But merely keeping it running smoothly is not easy," Zuckerberg told Su Cen.

Many young engineers make seemingly small but serious mistakes. The foundational software code of Facebook consists of a very long instruction file, which violates the basic design standards of such websites. This means that some fundamental errors can cause the entire site to face paralysis. Once, due to leaked source code from the source company, an engineer wrote erroneous programs that allowed users to log into any account casually. Another time, a Facebook summer intern made one coding error that led to every click on the website redirecting to a specific user's profile. Therefore, being meticulous is necessary; details determine success and failure.

There's a saying that being better than others lies in making fewer mistakes than them. Zuckerberg’s words echo this sentiment.

The venture capital injection到位後，除了維持Facebook正常發展所需的六千三百萬美元之外，還有一小部分資金可以留給蘇燦和紮克分配。

"I'll allocate one hundred and fifty million dollars to support the acquisition of World of Warcraft shares. This must be done discreetly, however. I’ll explain it properly to our venture capital partners," Zuckerberg told Su Cen privately. "Don’t forget that we hold three out of five board seats at the Washington Post Group; they are old friends who will stand by us in critical times."

Su Cen’s Big Pineapple Holdings needed around two hundred and fifty million USD (equivalent to one billion seven hundred and fifty million RMB) for a thirty percent stake acquisition of World of Warcraft. Su Cen had raised approximately eight hundred million on his own, leaving him with a nine hundred and fifty million funding gap. The one hundred and fifty million from Facebook in the United States was more than sufficient.

Su Cen understood why Zuckerberg was so resolute in supporting his acquisition of Blizzard's World of Warcraft; it aligned with his strategic goal to establish a platform for future entertainment social software.

In the history of the software technology industry, becoming a software platform on which other applications can run is one of its most glorious and ultimate goals.

Two decades ago, Microsoft monopolized the personal computer operating system market with Windows, dominating the software technology industry for twenty years. Anyone who wanted to design application software for PCs had no choice but to use the Windows operating system.

Creating a platform can position a company at the core of an entire ecosystem, becoming an indispensable part that all participants depend on. Being at the core also means competitors find it nearly impossible to overthrow such a dominant position.

This advantage has been leveraged by Apple through its operating system, and Su Cen knew that Apple would see renewed success in the future with their upcoming product and the iconic "iPhone" device of the past.

I have a premonition that our ability to ultimately create an entertainment social platform will determine our direction for the future. How much money we can make is secondary; what's truly important is how we build such a platform to strengthen our market position and secure an unshakable footing

[..]this moment, combined with her low hums, seemed mystifying.The next day will be wonderful; please subscribe and vote for monthly recommendations.Brother "A Lifetime of Not Being Drunk" presented me a...