PDLP Chapter 126 Angrily Rebukes Robin Li
Chapter 126 Angrily Rebukes Robin Li
Chapter 126 Angrily Rebukes Robin Li
Inside a private room at a hotel, Robin Li was quietly waiting for Lin Mu.
When Lin Mu pushed open the door, he went straight to the point: "Lin Mu, I understand your situation. I'm not very satisfied with the development of Youa.com. Would you be willing to come and be its CEO? Your team can also come along. Your salary and benefits will remain the same, and I'll also give you 30% stock options as a bonus."
Lin Mu chuckled inwardly: Is this a joke? He finally escaped from Taotian Group, how could he possibly go back to work for Baidu? He immediately stood up and politely declined: "Thank you for your kind offer, Mr. Li, but my mind is made up, I will not work for any major company again."
Dressed in a white suit, looking like a prince on a white horse, Robin Li pondered for a moment before extending an olive branch: "How about this, I'll personally invest 300 million yuan in you as angel investment for your startup. After that, I'll get Baidu to allocate more traffic to your shopping website; in return, I'll want 20% of your company's shares."
Lin Mu burst out laughing. The only reason he attended today's banquet was because he had never seen Li Yanhong in his previous life, and this time he wanted to broaden his horizons and see what he looked like when he was young.
But to his utter surprise, Robin Li was so arrogant. From the moment he entered the private room, Robin Li never once asked him what his business ideas were, who the key figures in his team were, or what stage the project was at.
This doesn't resemble a normal investment at all.
Lin Mu suppressed a smile and asked, "Mr. Li, if I accept your investment, are there any restrictions or conditions I need to accept?"
Robin Li replied matter-of-factly, "Of course. I will send someone to manage your accounts, and Baidu will have priority investment rights in every round of financing you receive. In addition, you are not allowed to accept any capital injection from Tencent or Alibaba."
"Then there's nothing to talk about." Lin Mu said calmly, but he had already made up his mind. He knew that Li Yanhong's arrogance was not without reason: in the internet circle in 2010, there was a popular term called "BAT". The so-called BAT refers to the three major internet companies: Baidu, Tencent, and Alibaba, with Baidu ranked first.
There are currently widespread rumors in the industry that Google China is going to withdraw from China, and this rumor is actually true. By 2012...
After Google completely withdrew from the Chinese market in 2010, Baidu became the dominant player in the search engine field, and then began to rapidly decline and degenerate.
Lin Mu solemnly stated, "I'm sorry, Mr. Li, but to be frank, I absolutely will not accept such conditions. Baidu cannot provide the resources I need."
"Oh?" Robin Li raised an eyebrow, his tone tinged with surprise. "That's a novel way of putting it." He pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "Since you left Alibaba, it's almost impossible for Alibaba to invest in you. The only major internet capital you can access are Baidu and Tencent. What Tencent can give you, Baidu can give; what Tencent can't give, Baidu can still give."
Lin Mu bluntly retorted: "First of all, since I joined the company, Mr. Li has never asked me what my business model is, how to make a profit, or how to advance the project. He has also never asked me who the core employees are or what the company's current financial situation is. Instead, he came up to me with investment and equity right away, which is far too hasty."
Li Yanhong paused for a moment, then frankly replied, "Lin Mu, to be honest, I'm not optimistic about your startup. The e-commerce market has already been completely divided up by major capital players, and you have almost no chance of survival. The reason I'm willing to invest in you is simply because I value you as a person and want to try with a small budget to see if I can seize a niche market in this mature field of e-commerce. In short, I'm happy to do anything that can cause trouble for Alibaba Group."
Lin Mu smiled and dropped a bombshell: "Mr. Li probably doesn't know, but our company still has 2500 million yuan in cash on hand, of which more than 500 million yuan has already been spent."
This time, Robin Li was genuinely surprised: "Someone had already invested in your angel round before me?" He paused, then added, "But that's not important. In the e-commerce field, money alone won't get you far. Baidu can provide you with all the traffic you need. The 300 million investment amount won't change, but there's still room for negotiation on the financing share."
Lin Mu shook his head: "Excuse me for speaking frankly, but the next era will be the era of mobile internet."
"So?" Robin Li spread his hands, looking puzzled. He really didn't understand what this had to do with the investment negotiations in front of him. Mobile Internet is the future, isn't that a consensus that everyone in the industry knows?
Lin Mu patiently explained, "If we continue to use the current PC-based model, the new e-commerce platform will have absolutely no chance of competing with Alibaba Group."
"But in the mobile internet era, dozens of apps will share the market, and the internet will be divided into sections, each section being an information island, with no information flowing between these islands."
"People will become more accustomed to using apps and operating in their own isolated worlds, rather than relying on search engines; in fact, people can accomplish things within apps that previously required using Baidu."
He then changed the subject, stating bluntly, "Therefore, between Baidu and Tencent, I choose Tencent. People can live without using Baidu, but they cannot live without social networking."
Li Yanhong shook his head and said, "That's alarmist. The route you're envisioning is too extreme."
He mentally labeled Lin Mu negatively: Are all operations people so fond of boasting? When it comes to the direction of mobile internet, does he really have a clearer understanding of the information, perspective, and capabilities than the chairman of the largest internet company?
At this moment, Robin Li was brimming with confidence. He believed that with Baidu's strength, it was entirely possible to become the next Google. Baidu was currently expanding into the social media arena and simultaneously developing its e-commerce strategy. Holding the largest traffic portal on the internet, he simply couldn't believe he could lose.
Robin Li's face darkened, and he gave the order to leave: "Since you are unwilling to accept Baidu's investment, then we have nothing more to discuss. Show him out."
Just before Lin Mu turned to leave, he hesitated for a moment and decided to give Li Yanhong a piece of advice. This advice was not for Baidu, nor for Li Yanhong, but for the families who would be ruined by Baidu in the future.
Lin Mu stopped and slowly said, "President Li, are you aware that every major internet company has its own original sin?"
Li Yanhong slightly raised his eyes.
Lin Mu stopped being polite and said in rapid succession, "Among the three major BAT companies, Baidu has the deepest original sin, followed by Tencent, and then Alibaba."
"You know what? I was a little sick a few days ago, and my inner thighs were a bit itchy. I didn't want to go to the hospital, so I searched on Baidu to see what kind of skin disease this was."
"Based on the results from a Baidu search, I consulted an online doctor, who told me that it wasn't a skin condition, but cancer!"
He emphasized, continuing, "Later I found out that those were doctors from the Putian medical network. Mr. Li, I don't need to elaborate on how deep the entanglement between Baidu and Putian hospitals is, right? This is outrageous! It's one thing for Baidu to spread false information, sell counterfeit goods, and engage in blatant lies, but how can you use something as vital as medicine to commit crimes? This is a business of profiting at the expense of lives, a business that will wipe out your family's future!"
"Snapped!"
A porcelain bowl suddenly flew past Lin Mu's ear, crashing against the wall with a loud bang and shattering into pieces. Li Yanhong's face was ashen; he gritted his teeth and roared, "Get out!"
Lin Mu shrugged, looking indifferent. He felt much better after saying those words. As for whether Li Yanhong would listen, that was up to him to see if he still had any conscience.
After Lin Mu left, Li Yanhong sat there, his chest heaving, clearly furious. His assistant quickly stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Mr. Li, should I go and trip him up, teach him a lesson?"
Li Yanhong took a deep breath, barely calming his anger, and waved his hand: "No need. The business world is like a battlefield. He's just a kid who doesn't know anything and is spouting nonsense. Should I bother arguing with a child?"
He waved his assistant away and sat alone in the private room, his expression complex, lost in thought.
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