Rebirth 10: I'm a Promoter at Tencent

At 10:07 p.m. on Wednesday, the motion-sensor lights in Building C of Kexing Science Park turned off one by one.

Lin Shen was the last to walk out of the "garage," his backpack slung across his shoulder.

All in all, the battle of wits and strength that began last night has left the team exhausted, but the war between WeChat and MiTalk has only just begun. The number of users on both sides is stuck at the 100,000 mark, and the discussion about privacy on Weibo has been pushed to the second spot on the trending topics.

"I wonder if they've realized what's happening yet?" Lin Shen muttered to himself, looking at the brightly lit Tencent building not far away.

His phone vibrated before he even reached the park entrance.

Zhang Xiaolong.

"Mr. Zhang."

"Where is Lin Shen?" Zhang Xiaolong's voice had an unusual tension.

"Just got off work, almost at the park entrance."

"Don't go. Mr. Ma wants to see you, now."

Lin Shen's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped his phone: "Mr. Ma? Mr. Ma Huateng?"

"Yes. I'm heading towards the Science Park, in a black Audi, license plate ending in 688. Five minutes."

The phone hangs up.

Lin Shen stood there, but unexpectedly breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew exactly what he had done—that article about privacy wasn't just a knife aimed at MiTalk, but also a direct attack on Tencent itself. A cunning martial arts manual suddenly flashed through his mind—the "Sunflower Manual."

"Whatever, we've already done it!"

Less than five minutes later, the black Audi slowly drove up.

Lin Shen opened the car door and got in. Zhang Xiaolong sat in the passenger seat, and the driver remained expressionless.

The car merged into the traffic flow of Shenzhen at night.

Zhang Xiaolong didn't turn around, but said in a low voice, "President Ma called me back at noon. He said he read your article and also looked at all the public opinion today."

He paused for a moment: "The Ministry of Justice received seventeen lawyer's letters today, demanding that Tencent explain QQ's privacy policy. Six media outlets have requested interviews, all asking the same question: Why does Tencent collect data using QQ while simultaneously discussing privacy protection on WeChat?"

The car stopped at the red light.

Zhang Xiaolong finally turned around and looked at Lin Shen.

"Lin Shen, you've stirred up a hornet's nest."

His tone was calm, but there was something complex in his eyes, not blame, but more like... scrutiny.

It was as if they were assessing whether this 22-year-old truly understood the extent of the turmoil he had stirred up.

"Mr. Zhang," Lin Shen met his gaze, "I knew it would spark discussion when I wrote that article. But I didn't expect it to happen so quickly and so intensely."

"You should have thought of that," Zhang Xiaolong said. "You've pinpointed the sore spot of the entire industry. Not just Xiaomi, but all internet companies—including Tencent."

The car restarted and headed towards Shennan Avenue.

Just then, Lin Shen's phone vibrated several times in a row.

He glanced at it; it was a message link from Lu Chuan, with the message: "Brother Shen! Look at this! It's gone viral!"

Lin Shen clicked on the link—a long article posted by a tech enthusiast on Tianya, with the title: "I discovered that WeChat is stealing our privacy—and then I decided to continue using it."

The article is written in an ironic tone:

"I tested WeChat 1.1 today and sure enough, I found several encrypted temporary files in the system folder. These were probably left behind when the 'Hidden Links' feature analyzed chat content locally. According to some people's logic, shouldn't this be called 'stealing privacy'?"

But I carefully read WeChat's privacy policy, and it clearly states "local analysis," "only uploads signatures," and "can be turned off at any time." Then I tried MiTalk—goodness, it won't even give you the group chat button without granting access to your contacts!

So here's the question: if WeChat's "occasionally leaving a few encrypted files" is considered a privacy vulnerability, then what should we call MiTalk's "unable to use core functions without granting contact permissions"? Privacy hijacking?

What's even more amazing is that the article ends with a comparison image:

WeChat estimates 10.2 users have publicly discussed privacy issues and promised to fix them.

MiTalk: Estimated 10.1 users, deleted privacy-related posts, pretending the problem doesn't exist.

Which one do you choose?

Within an hour of its post being published on Tianya, the post had been shared to various platforms, with over 10,000 reposts on Weibo and the comment section exploding in discussion.

Lin Shen quickly browsed through the pages, his heart pounding.

This wasn't arranged by the team; it was a choice made spontaneously by the users, a vote of confidence.

He handed his phone to Zhang Xiaolong: "Mr. Zhang, take a look at this."

Zhang Xiaolong took the phone, swiped the screen, looked at it for a full minute, and then slowly raised his head.

"Did you arrange this?" he asked.

"No," Lin Shen shook his head, "it was entirely user-initiated. This shows that users have discerning eyes. They don't care about perfect technology; they care about attitude and the right to choose."

Zhang Xiaolong handed the phone back to him, his expression subtly changing: "Interesting."

The car turned onto a tree-lined avenue, flanked by some unassuming old-fashioned villas.

This is Shenzhen's earliest affluent area, where many senior executives of technology companies live.

The car stopped in front of an inconspicuous gray building.

"We're here," Zhang Xiaolong said, opening the car door. "Remember, Mr. Ma doesn't like beating around the bush. Just answer his questions, but think them through before you answer."

Lin Shen got out of the car.

A night breeze blew by, carrying the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms.

Zhang Xiaolong rang the doorbell, and a middle-aged man in plain clothes opened the door, nodded to Zhang Xiaolong, and gestured for them to come in.

The living room is large, but decorated in a minimalist style. White walls, dark wood floors, and a few sofas that look expensive. One wall of bookshelves is filled with books and technical magazines.

Ma Huateng was sitting on a single sofa by the window, looking at a printed document.

He looked thinner than in the photos, wearing glasses, a light blue polo shirt, and khaki pants, like an ordinary programmer.

Lin Shen had actually thought he would meet Ma Huateng, but he didn't expect it to be at his home.

"sit."

Lin Shen sat down, and Zhang Xiaolong sat down next to him.

Ma Huateng put down the materials, and Lin Shen glanced at the dense annotations on the margins of the pages.

"Lin Shen," Ma Huateng began, "I've read your article three times." He paused, then continued, "My first question: When you wrote it, did you know it would spark criticism of QQ?"

"Know."

"Why bother writing it at all?"

"Because the problem really exists." Lin Shen met his gaze. "It's not just QQ, it's the entire industry. If we don't speak up for fear of getting hurt, the problem will never be solved."

"Second question: How would the three principles of 'transparency, controllability, and minimum necessity' be applied to QQ?"

This is a very sharp question, hitting the nail on the head.

Lin Shen knew that QQ's current business model heavily relied on user data, such as Google recommendations, social networks, and game distribution. To be honest, the core capital of the three BAT companies was this.

"In the short term, revenue will be affected. In the long term, it will win user trust and build higher barriers to entry." He paused for a moment, "Moreover, if we don't change now, the cost will be much greater if regulators intervene and users become aware."

Ma Huateng didn't comment, but continued, "Third question: Did you do this for WeChat to win, or do you genuinely believe it's the right thing to do?"

Lin Shen thought for a few seconds: "Both are true. I believe this is the right thing to do, so I've implemented it in WeChat. And because it's the right thing to do, it will also help WeChat win—when everyone is free, whoever respects users more will go further."

After thinking for a moment, Lin Shen showed Ma Huateng the article that Lu Chuan had forwarded on his phone.

Ma Huateng stared at that comparison for a long time before asking Zhang Xiaolong the same question.

"This article," he asked, "was it arranged by you?"

"No," Lin Shen shook his head, "it was entirely user-initiated. This shows that users don't care about perfection, but about attitude and the right to choose."

Ma Huateng handed the phone back to Lin Shen, leaned back on the sofa, closed his eyes, and tapped his fingers lightly on his knees.

A minute later, he opened his eyes and looked at Zhang Xiaolong.

"Xiaolong, what do you think?"

Zhang Xiaolong sat up straight: "Mr. Ma, I think Lin Shen is right. Privacy protection is changing from a 'bonus' to a 'must-have.' WeChat currently has a small user base, making restructuring less costly, which is perfect for setting the standard. As for QQ..."

He paused for a moment: "It will be very painful. But the earlier the surgery, the faster the recovery."

Ma Huateng nodded, then looked at Lin Shen again: "Do you know what I did this afternoon?"

Lin Shen waited without saying a word.

"I called Peng Xiaobo, the person in charge of external information review, into my office and scolded him for half an hour." Ma Huateng's tone was calm, but every word was heavy. "He and the person who reviewed your article only mechanically followed the procedures, checking for sensitive words and leaked secrets. They never thought that this article would cause such a big wave."

He stood up and walked to the bookshelf: "They thought WeChat was a small project, and you were a newcomer, so they just gave it a cursory review and approved it. But this newcomer gave me a huge problem." He paused again, then walked to Lin Shen's side: "But this newcomer also saw something that we should have seen but didn't."

Ma Huateng's eyes sharpened: "So I've decided now. Not only will I not pursue the mess you made, but I'll also turn that mess into an entry point for Tencent's transformation."

Lin Shen's eyes showed undisguised surprise. In his memory, Tencent had indeed done this, but it was because of regulatory intervention at that time.

"Three things," Ma Huateng said, holding up three fingers. "First, WeChat version 1.2, launching in one week. I want to see the ultimate privacy experience—not only transparency, but also a sense of control for users. Can you achieve that?"

"Yes." Lin Shen replied without hesitation.

"Secondly, you will lead the establishment of a cross-departmental working group, drawing members from WeChat, QQ, legal, and research institutes. Within two months, a comprehensive plan for QQ's privacy reform must be developed. This plan should include a timeline, cost assessment, and revenue forecast."

"Third, next Monday, Tencent Research Institute will be holding a 'Mobile Internet Privacy Protection Seminar,' and you will be giving a keynote speech. I want you to tell the entire industry what the next generation of social software should look like."

Ma Huateng walked up to Lin Shen and stared at him: "I will give you all these permissions and resources, but you also need to give me a promise."

"What promise?"

"Prove you're right with results." Ma Huateng's voice was soft, yet carried immense weight. "If WeChat 1.2 fails, if users don't accept it, if it ultimately proves that privacy protection is just a gimmick, all those who support you today will become a laughingstock. Can you bear that responsibility?"

Lin Shen stood up and looked Ma Huateng in the eye: "I can take the blame."

After a three-second eye contact, Ma Huateng suddenly smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"Two more things." He walked back to his desk, pulled out a document, and said, "The WeChat team will be expanded to thirty people starting now. HR will start recruiting overnight, with a fast track for all positions. Just make a list of the people you need."

He picked up another document: "On the day WeChat 1.2 was launched, it was recommended to all QQ users via pop-up ads. Tencent News, Tencent.com, QQ Zone, and all our own channels promoted it comprehensively. I want MiTalk to know what the power of an ecosystem is."

Lin Shen's breath hitched.

This is a nuclear-weapon-level resource allocation—QQ's pop-up recommendation means that WeChat will instantly reach hundreds of millions of users.

Ma Huateng looked at him: "The pressure is even greater now, isn't it? You have a week to create a product capable of handling hundreds of millions of users. If you succeed, WeChat will be a legend. If you fail..."

He didn't finish speaking, but his meaning was clear.

Lin took a deep breath: "I won't mess it up."

"Okay." Ma Huateng nodded. "Go ahead. I want to see the product in a week."

It was 11 p.m. when I left the villa.

Zhang Xiaolong and Lin Shen walked side by side toward the waiting vehicle.

The night breeze was cool, and the sycamore leaves rustled.

"Regarding Mr. Ma's criticism of Peng Xiaobo," Zhang Xiaolong suddenly said, "he asked me to tell you this, not to scare you, but to show you how determined he is to support you."

Lin Shen nodded: "I understand."

"Peng Xiaobo has been with the company for ten years and has never been scolded like that before." Zhang Xiaolong opened the car door. "Boss Ma said to his face: 'Lin Shen, a newcomer, can already see a future. You old guys, all you know how to do is follow procedures?'"

The two got into the car. The driver started the engine.

"That's a strong statement," Zhang Xiaolong continued, "but Mr. Ma has to say it. Because the company has grown large and bureaucratic, many people only know how to follow the rules, dare not take risks, and dare not innovate. Your arrival is like a stone thrown into stagnant water. In addition, your position adjustment this time will be significant. If you succeed in two months, you will most likely end up like me. If you fail..."

Zhang Xiaolong didn't say the rest, but Lin Shen knew that if he couldn't make it work, his career at Tencent was probably over.

Because Ma Huateng boldly used a newcomer, he took a step against himself on the eve of the mobile internet.

"So now, you're not just making a product," Zhang Xiaolong said, looking at Lin Shen. "You're challenging a kind of inertia, a kind of inertia that says, 'If we can make money this way, why change it?' This kind of challenge will offend a lot of people."

"I know," Lin Shen said.

"But Mr. Ma will back you up." Zhang Xiaolong paused. "He told me to tell you: if anyone is blocking your way, report it to him directly. He'll handle it."

Lin Shen understood the weight of those words.

The car stopped at the entrance of the alleyway where the rented houses were located deep in the forest.

Before Lin Shen got out of the car, Zhang Xiaolong called out to him.

"Shenzi," he used this nickname, "one week. To make a product that makes Mr. Ma say, 'It was worth criticizing Peng Xiaobo.'"

Lin Shen nodded emphatically: "Definitely."

The car door closed.

A black Audi drove into the night.