How did I become a god

Chapter 1703 A Strong Strategy for Development

On the plane.

An Zhiwen is 39 years old this year. Although she has been exercising more recently, she still looks a bit chubby with a slightly protruding belly, but her eyes are still sharp.

He sat at a luxurious desk in the cabin of his private jet, browsing the Phoenix Group's internal forum: Qingsheng Forum.

As the saying goes: "The phoenix chicks sing louder than the old phoenixes along the long road to Dan Mountain, their voices piercing the air."

The original name of Phoenix Group's internal forum could not be used, so it was changed to "Qing Sheng" (清声), which means to encourage young phoenixes to speak out and let senior management understand the real voices from the front line.

The forum maintains its anonymous style, allowing for free expression, including posts criticizing Jing Gao. However, the group has remained highly tolerant of this.

The main theme is unrestrained and free.

An Zhiwen was accompanied by a total of six people: four administrative assistants, one personal assistant, and one bodyguard/driver. This was his travel arrangement as CEO of Phoenix Group and Taichu Group.

He is very busy every day and definitely needs several people to assist him.

This $7500 million Gulfstream private jet has more than enough room to carry seven passengers in addition to its six-person crew (two pilots and four flight attendants).

An Zhiwen is looking at a recent popular post on the Qing Sheng Forum: Phoenix Group's development strategy for the next five years.

This post was originally an article that his assistant polished based on the outline he gave him and published using his account "Wen'an Tianxia", calling on all employees to offer suggestions.

His account is naturally a semi-public, real-name account, and everyone within the group knows it's him.

The comments section below the post was already rife with arguments:
User "Wandering the World with a Sword": "Why should our group follow Alibaba's development strategy? It's just copying others! We, Feng, must have our own path! I strongly suggest focusing on intelligent driving and learning from Baidu's all-in AI approach. That's the future!"

User "Yunzhonghe" (replying to "Zhangjianzoutianya"): "Is the person upstairs joking? If learning from Alibaba doesn't work, then learning from Baidu will?"
At least, Alibaba has followed a successful path, avoiding pitfalls and making money while maintaining its integrity. Isn't that appealing? Third-party payment, cloud computing, and chip design—aren't these all promising sectors?
Baidu's Senior Vice President, Lu Qi, has resigned.

User "Keyboard Warrior": "Are all the people upstairs experts? I just want to ask one question: is the shared bike business ever going to be regulated? We're putting in a lot of money every day with no return, it's heartbreaking!"

"Why don't we let Xiangcheng Delivery take over? After all, Xiangcheng Delivery is competing with Meituan."

...

An Zhiwen flipped through the messages one by one, then picked up the bottled water that his assistant Zhao Wei had quietly placed next to him and took a sip.

Compared to Mr. Jing's preference for beautiful women as assistants, he prefers capable assistants. He simply has too many responsibilities.

Furthermore, Mr. Jing is the boss and not bound by rules. He, on the other hand, is just a senior manager and should pay attention to cultivating his personal image.

Furthermore, he has a happy family now, and at his age, he doesn't have the extra energy to devote to women. Making money and building his career are his main sources of happiness.

An Zhiwen continued browsing through the forum posts.

A user, "Cold-eyed Observer," commented: "Merge it back into Phoenix Finance Group? What idiot came up with that suggestion? Short-sighted!"

Is it simply for the sake of making the numbers look good on paper? Are you blind to the financial risks? Have you forgotten the lessons learned from the P2P lending platform collapses?

Phoenix Group positions itself as a major internet company; its core business must be clearly defined, with finance remaining finance and technology remaining technology!

User "Tech Pioneer": "I think we must bet on artificial intelligence and big data! The winds are blowing so strong in Silicon Valley! This is the core of the next industrial revolution! We, Feng, cannot be absent!"

User "New Car Manufacturers": "New energy vehicles are the real hot spot right now. How many years will it take for artificial intelligence to take off?"
Shenxing Technology's head, Dong Youwei, is good at maintaining the status quo but lacks the ability to expand! Look at Yu Chengdong of Huawi! What we need are leaders who can fight tough battles and expand our territory!

I strongly recommend that the group undergo internal reforms, break away from seniority-based promotion, and establish a "horse race" mechanism to select talent, based solely on merit!
The Mozi states: "Officials are not permanently noble, nor are the people permanently lowly. Those who are capable should be promoted, and those who are incapable should be demoted." Even the ancients understood this principle; how can we, in our time, remain stagnant and complacent?

User "Iron Will": "Robots! Industrial robots, service robots! Intelligent manufacturing is a national strategy with a vast market. We have the funds and strength to get a head start in the robotics field and gain new growth points in the future."

User "Powerpuff Girl": "Drones! DJI's model is so successful! The global market is at their feet, it's practically a tailor-made track for DJI!"

From a market perspective, this is absolutely reliable! I strongly urge the group's senior management to adopt this suggestion. The market prospects for drones are truly vast.

User "Pessimist": "Trying to do everything will only lead to a huge expansion, and you'll risk a broken cash flow! Wouldn't it be better to focus on one or two core areas and do them thoroughly?"

User "I love Boss Guan": "Am I the only one who thinks Boss Guan is getting more and more charming lately? She's definitely a goddess in the business world! [Fangirl face]"

"Downstairs downstairs."

An Zhiwen looked at these posts, a slight smile appearing on her lips. Debate is a good thing; it shows people are eager to progress. "Running water never stagnates, and a frequently used door hinge never rusts."

Various viewpoints clashed, some of which were insightful. But he was well aware that the final decision-making power rested with only one person.

Mr. Jing may consult their opinions, but the decision rests solely with him.

He looked up and asked his assistant, "Zhao Wei, how much longer until landing?"

"Mr. An, our Gulfstream business jet is faster than commercial airliners, and the flight time is about two hours. We expect to arrive at Pudong Airport before 10:30 a.m., which will not delay our meeting with Mr. Jing."

An Zhiwen nodded in relief and then said to another assistant, "Sun Lei, bring me my computer. I need to process a few emails."

Managing two groups, even though the Taichu Group adopts the National Security Commission model, he still has a lot to do.

...

...

At 10:20, An Zhiwen arrived at the East Asia Bank Building on time. Zhang Li, dressed in a simple black and white business suit and wearing black stockings, was already waiting and personally led him to the 39th floor in a private elevator.

"Old An, it must have been hard catching the plane so early in the morning." Jing Gao stood up from behind his desk, smiled and stepped forward to shake hands with his trusted general.

He often lamented his lack of manpower, and to address this, he constantly "swallowed" talent from rival companies. This carries certain security risks, but waiting for a reserve of qualified personnel to develop is too slow!

He was indeed very fortunate to have An Zhiwen, a top student from Yenching University's Guanghua School of Management, help him manage his company.

"Mr. Jing, you're too kind. This is what I should do." An Zhiwen's attitude was respectful but tactful.

Since Mr. Jing rarely had time, it was natural for him to fly over from Beijing to report. Alternatively, it wouldn't be feasible to have Mr. Jing fly back to Beijing to see him.

Secondly, as a professional manager, he must have a sense of responsibility. Such a big matter as development strategy cannot be delayed!
The two sat down on the sofa in the office. The quiet and elegant Wen Xiaoli silently served them fragrant tea.

She was also wearing a black and white business suit today, but with flesh-colored stockings, giving her a unique and charming feminine allure.

Jing picked up his teacup, blew on it to cool it down, and got straight to the point: "Old An, I've already read the email you sent me."

I have some vague ideas about the future direction of Phoenix Group, and I'd like to discuss them with you today.

An Zhiwen sat up straight, adopting an attitude of listening attentively.

"Old An, regarding chip design," Jing Gao planned to go through Alibaba's core businesses one by one, "Shan Hai Jing Semiconductor has already invested heavily and expanded its operations significantly."

My opinion is that Phoenix Group should avoid starting from scratch and engaging in redundant construction. All related needs should be prioritized and coordinated with Shan Hai Jing. Concentrating resources will prevent our efforts from being scattered.

He was very dissatisfied with Gong Dongyang, who was in charge of the chip business, and planned to use An Zhiwen to reduce Gong Dongyang's power.

An Zhiwen is a sharp knife in his hand used to balance the internal forces.

An Zhiwen understood immediately. Boss Jing had told him the truth before. Otherwise, why would he have kept suppressing Gong Dongyang when dividing up the assets of Mingyuan Group at the Taichu meeting a few days ago?
"Understood. I can assemble a relevant R&D team within the Classic of Mountains and Seas chip, depending on the needs."

Jing Gao smiled and nodded, saying, "We've made great strides in cloud computing in Guizhou Province, and we'll continue to increase our investment."

This is the infrastructure of the future digital age, and we cannot be absent from it.” An Zhiwen nodded silently, “I will keep an eye on it.” Cloud computing is computing power! The popular concept now is big data analytics. Platforms like Weibo, Orange Delivery, and Uber all need to use big data analytics and big data models.

Phoenix Group really can't afford to fall behind in this area.

"There's not much to say about third-party payments. Alipay is about to go public and is valued at trillions; our Phoenix Payment, if not more, will certainly be worth half that."

An Zhiwen offered a considerate compliment: "This is because President Cao laid a good foundation, and now President Liu is managing things very smoothly. Phoenix Payment doesn't engage in financial innovation; it only promotes payments, so there won't be any problems with its development."

Cao Danqing, who was initially in charge of Phoenix Payment, is Mr. Jing's woman and is currently pregnant and resting at home.

The higher-ups know perfectly well whose child it is.

Liu Sumei, who is in charge of human resources, has a good relationship with Cao Danqing and is also one of President Jing's women.

Jing Gao smiled and waved his hand, "Old An, our Phoenix Group headquarters is in Beijing, but logically speaking, it's impossible for us to monopolize third-party payment in major hospitals, hotels, and shops in Beijing."

Alibaba has Hangzhou, Tencent has Shenzhen, so where is our third-party payment foundation? Isn't it in Nanjing?

An Zhiwen explained with a smile, "President Jing, we don't care about that anymore. There's a notice from above that the competitive period for third-party payment platforms to grab market share is over. It's basically a situation where each party has a presence in the other."

State-owned enterprises and public institutions are generally open to all three of us, as long as you're willing to go out and promote your services; there's no monopoly.

Ultimately, which app a user chooses depends on which offers the most discounts. In terms of usage scenarios, WeChat Pay may gain the upper hand in the long run.

WeChat is such a buggy app. Didn't Alipay try to enter the social networking arena a while ago? They were ridiculed as a "payment pimp." Sigh!

A dating app typically starts with pornography, spreads to Vietnam, grows in size, becomes filled with various functions, and then dies from massive advertising.

Alipay did something right, and its approach was correct. However, it does not align with the image and impression Alipay has previously given to its users.

He was ridiculed by the crowd.

"Haha, at this point in time, big companies have basically no chance for social media apps, while smaller companies have a slight chance."

Jing Gao took a sip of tea, seemingly lost in thought. He was unaware of this change. "That's why Alipay is in a hurry!"

Alibaba as a whole is also seeking breakthroughs. Its e-commerce business has been hampered, and it no longer enjoys a monopoly. Its payment business is also no longer dominant.

He had heard Zhu Yu mention the popular dating apps for women that were currently trending. WeChat had long been excluded; stranger-based social networking apps like Soul and Momo were the main players.

However, these are all niche communication software, and their user base cannot grow to a significant scale.

An Zhiwen leaned forward slightly and said, "Mr. Jing, based on my experience, Alipay's rush to go public might be a recipe for trouble."

"Oh?"

Jing Gao was very curious and put down his teacup.

An Zhiwen analyzed, "Mr. Jing, Alipay is such a large company, and it involves a lot of capital and interests. Everyone in the internet industry knows that Alipay wants to go public. Do you think there are any people who want to take advantage of this opportunity to make a quick buck?"

It's not just Mr. Jing's wealth that will be exposed to the second generation of top celebrities and tycoons; isn't Alipay, this lucrative asset, the same?
"Currently, there is no precedent for companies like Alipay to go public. A series of issues, such as corporate structure and data security, have not been addressed."

Alibaba is so eager to make Alipay a growth driver, and with all sorts of capital pouring in, it's highly likely to explode if it gets over-inflated.

Jing Gao's eyes lit up. "Old An, that's actually quite possible. Haha, how about this, I'll pick out a bottle of good wine and put it in my office in the China World Trade Center Phase 3. When Alipay crashes, I'll treat you to drinks!"

“Okay!” An Zhiwen readily agreed.

"Haha!" Jing Gao laughed heartily. Old An's logic made a lot of sense. Although he agreed with the strategy of "following" Alibaba and had previously made a deal with Alibaba regarding a small amount of equity, he was by no means a friend of Alibaba.

He'd be happy to see Ali suffer!
Alipay, a trillion-dollar IPO project, is about to explode – the scene is bound to be exciting!

An Zhiwen chuckled knowingly, took a sip of tea, and remarked, "Mr. Jing, this tea is indeed excellent; it leaves a lingering fragrance and a sweet aftertaste."
"Mr. Jing, I've extracted some useful viewpoints from our Qingsheng Forum. Besides Alibaba's strategies, there are also areas like intelligent driving, artificial intelligence, robotics, and drones."

Actually, there's also the new energy vehicle sector. But Dong Youwei is a close confidant of General Manager Jing; although his management skills are lacking, his loyalty is ultimately unquestionable.

He couldn't very well criticize Dong Youwei for not being capable enough to be in charge of the new energy vehicle business.

Jing Gao asked with great interest, "Intelligent driving, you mean autonomous driving technology? Is there any possibility of a breakthrough in China right now?"

An Zhiwen advised, "President Jing, since the invention of the car, in addition to its function as a means of transportation to quickly reach the destination, it also has the attribute of 'comfort'."

Ultimately, when we use cars, comfort outweighs transportation. That's why bosses usually have chauffeured drivers!
Intelligent driving technology will definitely be recognized by the market, and when it is developed to its extreme, it will become the driverless car in science fiction novels.

"At that point, we might not even need a driver's license to drive; in fact, touching the steering wheel might be illegal."

Jing Gao nodded slightly. "That makes sense."

He has always been adept at absorbing the various viewpoints of his advisors and using them for his own purposes, and he has always maintained a learning mindset, which is the key factor that has brought him to where he is today.

"Artificial intelligence is a hot topic in Silicon Valley. Does it have a future? I feel that Silicon Valley comes up with a new concept every few years and then it collapses."

An Zhiwen gave a wry smile and said frankly, "President Jing, who knows? But if our Phoenix Group has the funds, why not follow suit? Maybe we can seize the initiative in this field!"

Jing Gao pondered for a moment; he really didn't like Lao An's point of view!

Over the years, how many times has Baidu gotten up early, only to arrive late?

The market is rife with ever-changing opinions, many of which are fabricated concepts used to mislead investors. Chasing every trending topic can easily lead to a waste of money and time.

A-Duan's statement is better: "Dare to be the last in the world," at least wait until a track shows promise before making a firm investment.

The saying "one step ahead leads to continuous success" applies to the internet industry. Once a user base is established, it becomes a competitive advantage. However, in other fields, this may not be the case.

For example, Baidu has proven that intelligent driving is useless.

However, he is a wealthy tycoon who doesn't lack money, so there's no need for him to act as a rational economic agent. With his generals showing ambition, why would he be afraid of losing money? This ambition is still very important.

"Alright, I support your idea. Let's invest in robotics and drones as well! I'll give you $10 billion for each project initially. Assemble a team and develop a product as soon as possible. We'll add more if there are any successes."

An Zhiwen was overjoyed, stood up, and declared, "President Jing, rest assured, I will definitely lead Phoenix Group to a successful transformation!"

Phoenix Group can currently only be considered a near-top-tier internet company, not in the first tier. And relying solely on Uber as its core business offers limited growth potential.

Phoenix Group needs to transform and urgently needs new business growth points. As the person in charge, he has been under great pressure over the past six months.

Chip design, cloud computing, Phoenix Pay, autonomous driving, artificial intelligence, robotics, drones.

All these deals add up to $70 billion for Mr. Jing, which is like a shot in the arm! Phoenix Group will continue to grow rapidly for the next two or three years.

He still prefers the time when Mr. Jing was in charge of Phoenix Fund, when he took a high-profile approach and used capital to sweep through.

Jing Gao smiled and made a gesture.

At this moment, Wen Xiaoli entered through the side door and said gracefully, "President Jing, President An, lunch is ready."

Jing Gao raised his hand to check the time. After chatting for a while, it was already 12:23.

"Old An, let's go, let's eat and chat."

(End of this chapter)