Rebirth 2010: I taught Mr. Lei how to make a mobile phone

Chapter 1003 This TT is a little different

Mr. Dong was well aware of the superficial tricks that even internet analysts could see through.

TT's "splurging money to survive" tactic was nothing more than a desperate struggle, even carrying a hint of flattery—he could almost see the other party offering up the profits they had earned over the years in exchange for temporary peace.

"A pittance, a few measly favors." He chuckled softly, his fingertips tapping casually on the table.

How naive! You think I'll let you off the hook like this?
If they leave these funds behind and come knocking on his door when the opportunity arises, he might actually soften his stance and grant him some more time.

It's just a pity that TT took the wrong path!

This small taste of success won't shake the overall situation; on the contrary, it will force TT to give back the profits it has taken in.

What he cared more about was the long-awaited outcome: if he could push TT to the brink and force it to accept Microsoft's acquisition, he could get a share of the profits in the deal.

This will create a funding gap for next year's election.

Thinking of the previous embarrassment of having to beg for alms everywhere, a shadow crossed his eyes.

It was precisely because he was well aware of TT's astonishing profitability that he insisted on including it in this hunt.

Moreover, the current domestic economic pressures need a suitable outlet, and this matter can conveniently divert public attention.

“But we can’t let them get too carried away.” He gestured, and his assistant immediately understood, turning to relay the signal to familiar media contacts.

Twenty-four hours later, TT's new move indeed made it to the major financial news sections.

However, in stark contrast to the cheers from users, the media unanimously voiced their pessimism:

The Wall Street Journal published a sharp commentary titled "TT's 'money-spraying' strategy raises questions; 'Instant Rebate Version' accused of being a stopgap measure to circumvent sanctions."
"This is like a survival game of drinking poison to quench thirst. When your only competitive advantage is cash incentives, it means your product is losing its core competitiveness. This will be a great opportunity for YouTube and Facebook to overtake you."
Faced with an increasingly complex regulatory environment, the product seems to be caught in a dilemma: it needs to maintain its growth narrative to convince the capital markets, while simultaneously reshaping its business model under another powerful pressure.

The New York Times published an article titled "TT's 'Rebate' Strategy Exposes Its Strategic Dilemma in an Attempt to Preserve Market Share";
Fortune magazine bluntly stated, "Analysts say TT's strategy of burning money to prolong its life is unsustainable and will only accelerate its self-destruction."
Bloomberg went even further, warning: "Beware of TT's money bribery, a vicious scheme by China."

However, these carefully orchestrated pessimistic pronouncements did not achieve the desired effect.

Just as mainstream media were launching a barrage of criticism, a storm of grassroots public opinion was sweeping across social media platforms.

Countless ordinary users expressed their support for TT in the most straightforward terms:
Contrary to the pessimistic predictions of the media and analysts, a large number of netizens expressed strong support for TT and dissatisfaction with the media's interpretation and suppression of TT.

"TT is a community, a home for creators, a place where I discover my interests, learn new knowledge, and find joy, and now I can even make money from it. Those officials, media, and so-called experts have no idea what we want."

“They are trying to kill what we love. The media reports are always detached from the masses, only talking about data, relationships and business models, but they ignore the hundreds of thousands of small business owners and the vast majority of ordinary people on the platform.”

"It's only been a short time since Snowden, and our data has already been sold. Now they're suddenly concerned about my 'data security'? That's a joke. That guy is really unreliable."

Just as the American public was discussing the matter, an unverified message suddenly began circulating from Wall Street to the internet.

"ByteDance plans to spin off TT as an independent entity and is actively preparing for a US listing."

When the assistant hurriedly brought the news to Mr. Dong, he frowned for the first time: "Going public at this time? Are you kidding me? That's impossible!" "It's true, sir, this news is not unfounded. We have observed that the other party has indeed taken corresponding actions."

If the other party is even smarter, they could reserve a significant percentage of shares for local public and institutional investors.
Moreover, TT's current CEO is Shou Zi Chew, whose expertise lies in finance! I think he would definitely do that!
This is to allow millions of American stock market investors to also become shareholders of TT.

It's easy to imagine the impact that sanctioning a company about to go public and generate huge wealth would have on us.

Mr. Dong raised his hand to stop his assistant from speaking, deep in thought.
TT's unusual response this time was, to his own admission, somewhat unexpected.

Next year is crucial for him. If he loses public support now because of this, the pressure he will face next year will be unimaginable.

Even he felt a headache coming on, knowing the potential consequences and impact.

He had thought TT was a terminally ill patient, but to his surprise, the other man sat up abruptly from his deathbed and delivered a powerful punch to him.

Even if it didn't hit directly, this unexpected response strategy was enough to scare away many people with weak wills.

The root of all these changes lay in the name at the very top of the organizational chart—Zhou Shouzi.

It all started when he took over TT.

Then, Mr. Dong seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps explaining to his assistant, letting them know his profound understanding.

"First, use cash rewards to win over the hearts of the lower classes, then use the bait of an independent listing to bind the elite class."

"They're trying to weld everyone's interests, from the grassroots to Wall Street, firmly to the ship TT."

Clearly, at this point, the other party knew it was impossible to proceed, but by making their stance clear and releasing information beforehand, they were bound to change many people's opinions and thus alter the course of events.

He paused, seemingly savoring the brilliance and ruthlessness of the strategy, his tone even containing a hint of admiration:

"This kind of 'open conspiracy'—giving away a large portion of profits to everyone just to survive—is so outrageous."

At this point, Mr. Dong shrugged. "Okay, I admit we underestimated TT."

The assistant lowered his head and remained silent, inwardly thinking: You underestimated your opponent; I didn't...

Just then, Mr. Dong suddenly narrowed his eyes, as if he had thought of something: "However, they made a mistake. If I were in charge, I should release that financial report that they've been hiding all along—"

He soon realized he was a jinx.

Because TT actually released its financial report for the previous fiscal year the very next day.

This allows the world to glimpse part of the true nature of this short video platform that has become a global sensation in just a few years.

The investment institutions scrutinized the figures with magnifying glasses, and when they saw the total amounts, their jaws dropped open.
They knew TT made money, but they didn't know it made this much money.
(End of this chapter)