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

Chapter 754 Destruction is never the goal!
As the first rays of morning light filtered through the blinds, casting fragmented shadows on the man still hunched over his work, Li Yanhong, bathed in sunlight, stretched and loosened his aching shoulders and neck.

His physical exhaustion couldn't mask his excitement—it had been a long time since he'd worked through the night like this since Baidu had grown so large.

"Reshaping Corporate Culture, Reforming Management Systems, Adhering to Long-Termism, Streamlining Redundant Departments, Closing Loss-Making Businesses, and Strategic Cooperation"

Looking at the reform plan in front of him, which embodies the essence of hundreds of emails and his own careful consideration, Robin Li regretted missing out on the mobile internet and various other opportunities, but he knew that as long as you want to make a change, there will always be an opportunity.

Doing business is like sitting at a poker table. His previous successes had left him with a mountain of chips on the table. Even though he's lost a few rounds now, he still has half of his chips left.

As long as he's at this card table, he hasn't lost.

He trusted his own judgment and was confident in his own assessment.

The future will definitely be the era of artificial intelligence!
This time, he must seize the opportunity.

This time, he chose to go all in without holding back, even cutting off his own escape route.

Looking at the plan on his desk, Robin Li smiled with satisfaction.

But he knew that for this plan to succeed, there were two unavoidable prerequisites.

These two conditions are closely related to two people.
Li Yanhong picked up the phone and eagerly dialed the first number.

beep.
Beep. Beep.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Did this guy block me?
Life is often so wondrous; just when hope is about to be extinguished, a turning point quietly arrives.

Just as Robin Li was about to hang up the phone, a lazy voice suddenly came from the receiver.

"Hello? Who is it?"

This response left him both amused and exasperated. Although he hadn't been blocked, things weren't much better; clearly, his phone number wasn't even in the other person's contacts.

“It’s me, Robin.”

"Wait!" A rustling sound came from the other end of the phone, mixed with a woman's languid murmur.

About a minute later, the voice on the other end of the phone sounded noticeably more awake: "What is it?"

"I'd like to talk to you."

“Chatting is fine, but look at the time, it’s 6:18. You don’t need much sleep, so you have to be understanding of this young man.”

"Then 10 a.m.?"

"Okay, come find me on the other side."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Mo was no longer sleepy and became a spirited young man, muttering to himself.

Why is the other party in such a hurry to contact him at this time?

He just stole the other guy's sweetheart; will this time he turn into a bodyguard with a knife? Let's see a real-life version of this.
At 9:59 a.m., Chen Mo yawned and appeared in the reception room on time, with Lao Mo by his side.

When he saw that Li Yanhong's hands were empty, and he hadn't even taken a mineral water bottle, he waved his hand.

Old Mo tactfully left, leaving only the two people in the room, sizing each other up.

He looked at Li Yanhong, who had dark circles under his eyes but looked radiant.

It seems this guy hasn't been sleeping well lately because of Lu Qi's situation.

Despite thinking this in his heart, Chen Mo maintained a businesslike attitude, "I wonder what brings you here today, Brother Robin?"

"I'm here today to have an open and frank discussion with Mr. Chen about the future of Chinese technology."

This opening remark made Chen Mo secretly raise an eyebrow.

Is the discussion not about Lu Qi, but about technology? Or "the future of Chinese technology"? The scope has suddenly become so broad?
Such a grand topic was truly unexpected, but he didn't show it on his face, only gesturing for him to sit down.

Li Yanhong did not sit down, but instead lit up the laptop he had prepared beforehand. Without beating around the bush, he went straight to the point and pulled out the cooperation plan he had come up with the night before, as if he were holding a Baidu World Conference.

Even though Chen Mo was the only audience member, Li Yanhong's presentation was still full of passion.

"I know that the other side is currently focusing on AI and has in-depth research on some underlying technologies, so I plan to open up Baidu's technological accumulation over the past few years."

As the projector displays page by page:

I. Joint R&D of underlying technologies. II. Commercialization in vertical industries. III. Exploration of emerging technology scenarios.
Chen Mo's originally languid sitting posture gradually leaned forward, a detail that revealed the shock in his heart.

The man in front of him, who no longer appeared as refined as before and was even somewhat slovenly, with eyes full of fanaticism like a tech geek, was completely different from the Brother Li he remembered.

Was his Dao heart shattered by Lu Qi's provocation? Or had he completely given up on the relationship?
Li Yanhong didn't launch into a long speech. He succinctly presented the plan and stared intently at Chen Mo. "So I want Baidu and Beyond to establish a comprehensive cooperation on technology co-construction. Now it depends on what President Chen thinks."

Chen Mo did not give an answer immediately, but pondered for a long time before asking a question that was completely unrelated to the technical solution he had just discussed.

But in Li Yanhong's view, this was indeed a very insightful question, even more pointed than the one Lu Qi had raised earlier.
"You came all this way to talk about business with me, does your wife know?"

A few days ago, Chen Mo's question would have silenced him, but now Li Yanhong's smile was one of relief. "...She doesn't need to know." His demeanor had a unique Sigma man's style, as if to say: Men do things, women don't interfere.

Although Chen Mo admired this tough attitude, who knew if this guy would just put on a show outside and then go back and shut up?

"Did your board of directors approve this? After all, Baidu isn't the other side."

Li Yanhong understood Chen Mo's implied meaning. After all, his influence at Baidu was not as absolute as Chen Mo's on the other side, where his words carried weight and law.

However, he was clearly prepared for this question. "I'm here today just to hear Mr. Chen's thoughts on this. I will demonstrate my sincerity in cooperating with you through concrete actions regarding the two issues you just raised."

Chen Mo took a deep breath, slowly stood up, and walked to Li Yanhong's side. He abandoned his usual nonchalant attitude, and his expression became unusually serious.

"Your presence today isn't about Lu Qi, but rather your open-minded approach to discussing cooperation for the development of Chinese technology. This surprises me, but makes me even happier."

As Chen Mo spoke, he gestured for Li Yanhong to sit down on the sofa next to him.

"Brother Li, you're a few years older than me, but you've really impressed me today."

Chen Mo looked directly into Li Yanhong's eyes, quite frankly, "We've been neighbors for so many years, you should know what kind of person I am. I don't have any family burdens, and wealth is just a fleeting thing to me."

I wouldn't dare make grand pronouncements, but at least getting some things back on track is something I've always wanted to do.

He paused, his tone becoming more serious: "In the past, the other side mostly played the role of defender. Unless we saw something too outrageous, we never took the initiative to attack."

If I wanted to, given the current size of the other side, it might be unrealistic to say we could immediately crush Baidu, but wearing you down within three years wouldn't be difficult. Do you agree with that?

Chen Mo's words were blunt, harsh, and merciless.

In the past, Li Yanhong would have slammed his fist on the table and stood up to prove himself, even if it meant not steaming buns. But at this moment, he simply nodded in agreement.

Because he knew very well that what Chen Mo said was true—if Baidu were to fight a protracted war with the other side, the outcome would be clear within three years, and the other side would definitely not be the loser.

"My goal has never been to defeat or destroy anyone," Chen Mo said sternly. "But rather, to face death head-on, to rediscover the original passion we had for starting our business. To set aside disputes, join hands, and set our sights on a broader future."

"What if some people remain stubbornly ignorant and resistant to change?"

"The market is vast and boundless; it can function even without anyone. As long as you do well, whether there's a destination or not is unimportant." Chen Mo said with an air of grandeur, spreading his hands outwards with a powerful and imposing presence.

Li Yanhong was shocked. If he hadn't come today and continued down the old path, allowing the company to revert to its old ways, Baidu might have become nothing more than a name in the annals of Chinese internet development in three years.

If these words had come from Old Ma, he would have scoffed, considering them nothing more than empty rhetoric to win people over. But Chen Mo was different—Bi'an's actions over the years had indeed been living up to his words:

In order to reshape the workplace environment, Beyond took the lead and subsequently launched "Job Speech" and "Employee Code" to give employees a real voice.

When public opinion is restricted and distorted, the other side has established its own public opinion platform and current media matrix, which is enviable.
While the food delivery and ride-hailing sectors were in chaos, the other side launched a powerful attack, forcing Didi and Meituan to make concessions as well.
Last year, Baidu Search encountered problems, and Beyond even launched Beyond Search, which is completely unrelated to its own business, causing significant damage to Baidu.

But every time he makes a move, the other side acts like a brute, ignoring market rules and flipping the table. He uses every trick in the book, from the Black Tiger to the Monkey Stealing Peaches, and his bottom line is very flexible.

The current Other Shore is like a combination that integrates offense and defense. Not only is it highly defensive and has a lot of health, but it also has a continuous stream of healing (cash flow) support.

Robin Li recently realized that as long as he focuses on running the business and refining the products, the other side actually feels very incongruous, hiding the once-aggressive nature he once displayed.

Tencent's transformation and the current search market landscape are the best examples.

This young man is trying to unite all forces that can be united.

When there is no one to unite with, then...
Perhaps this guy wants to achieve a different kind of 'being in harmony with the world'!
Li Yanhong was alarmed by what he had figured out.
He was determined to reform the company; this guy actually wanted to take action against the entire environment, and not just recently, but perhaps since the very beginning of the company's founding.
Li Yanhong couldn't help but gasp. This guy was crazy, a lunatic with lofty pursuits, but he also felt a little admiration for him.

The times created BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent), and also created Beyond, whose emergence, in turn, profoundly influenced the entire Chinese internet era.

For some reason, Robin Li suddenly had this premonition.

Unaware of the turmoil churning within the other person's heart, Chen Mo continued, seeing them nod in thought, "I am very interested in and strongly agree with the cooperation plan you just mentioned. Since we share the same goals, why should I refuse?"

But whether the other side and Baidu can ultimately cooperate doesn't depend on me, but on you!

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear from you," Robin Li said, rising to take his leave. "You'll soon see Baidu's sincerity."

Baidu and the other side are just one street apart.

Li Yanhong, who came alone, walked out of the building and stopped in front of the sculpture in the center of the park, which is known as the "Ark of the Other Shore".

Ignoring the curious glances from the employees on the other side of the river.

The midday sun was a bit blinding. After ascertaining the first person's attitude, he squinted and dialed the second number. This time, it rang for a while before being answered.
"Are you out of your mind? Don't you know what time it is? Is something wrong at the company?"

The voice, once so familiar, now felt so distant and unfamiliar to him.

In the past, he would have only felt mentally exhausted.

At that moment, the man bathed in sunlight beneath the Ark on the other side smiled gently.
"Dongmin, let's get a divorce!"

(End of this chapter)