The last day of April did not calm down as the night fell.
At 8 o 'clock in the evening, Faraway Group released an announcement on major platforms!
PP registered users reached 500 million. At 6 o 'clock sharp, because PP had an event at 6 o' clock, at its peak, the number of people online at the same time reached 52 million!
This move was to tell the outside world that PP had surpassed QQ and become the world's number one instant messaging software!
Although QQ claimed to have 800 million registered users, during the 10th anniversary celebration in February, QQ launched a series of activities. At its peak, the number of people online at the same time only reached 50 million.
One was the 10th anniversary celebration, and the other was an ordinary event.
Promotion and publicity were not on the same level.
However, PP did it. With 500 million registered users, the peak number of people online was 52 million, completely crushing QQ in user activity.
Far away released the announcement, and Tencent responded.
Tencent's official statement was even blunt, pointing out that Far away's data was falsified!
Far away PP's so-called 500 million users actually included users of Mall, Weibo, Wantoon, and all other industries under Far away.
Because Far away used the first general function, all users registered on Weibo and Mall were also counted in PP's ranking.
As for the so-called 52 million, it was even more of a joke!
According to the relevant data report from Tencent's technical department, Far away's peak number of people online would not exceed 30 million!
After Tencent's official explanation, Ma Huateng also posted a meaningful sentence on Tencent and Sina Weibo, "Some people get used to it. Everyone in the industry knows how much of it is exaggerated. A 200% increase is almost a common method. "
The "some people" mentioned by Ma Huateng almost didn't need anyone to explain. Everyone immediately thought of Li Dong.
Not long after Ma Huateng's message was released, some big names in the business community quickly joined in.
Ma Yun replied on Ma Huateng's Weibo, "Just get used to it. Even if he says 10 billion, we have to accept it."
Cao Guowei, who had never been on good terms with Ma Huateng in the past, was the first to choose a side in the battle between Tencent and Far away.
At this moment, Cao Guo Wei also replied immediately, "52 million. This number is very auspicious. Mr. Richest Man has always liked this kind of auspicious number. Just say it casually and make an announcement. Who would dare to cause trouble?"
Suning Zhang Jindong, on the other hand, had the attitude of a good old man. He seemed to be impartial as he replied, "Li Dong is like this. Everyone knows him. There's no need to get angry over this matter. When we have time, let's go out for a drink."
Apart from these people, other people like NetEase's Ding Lei and Jiucheng Zhu Jun had previously clashed with Li Dong over the game's distribution rights.
At this time, they all came out to support Ma Huateng.
In an instant, the giants of the IT industry and the industrial giants all showed up.
…
Not long after Ma Huateng's Weibo post, Li Dong also posted on Far away's Weibo, "True gold fears no fire. What is true cannot be false, and what is false cannot be true. As a public figure, don't speak nonsense. Be careful, I will sue you for slander! "
As the world's richest man and a legend in the Hua Xia business world, Li Dong did not have a long history of accumulating capital, but it did not mean that he was alone.
Not long after the Weibo post was posted, a group of business giants also came out to support.
Baidu's Li Yanhong, Shengda's Chen Tianqiao, Longhua's Hsu Shengzhe, Longhu's Wu Yajun … Even the low-profile Wahaha's Zhong Qinghou, these old industry giants all showed up.
In an instant, the onlookers were dazzled.
Some people complained that it was troublesome to log in to both Weibo accounts. Many people reposted and compared the words of both sides on the forum or on the same Weibo account.
However, the entrepreneurs who supported Ma Huateng could still be forgiven. However, many entrepreneurs who supported Li Dong were puzzled.
But soon, some people explained the reason.
Li Dong and Li Yanhong did not seem to have much involvement, but in fact, the cooperation between them was much deeper than others.
Li Dong owned a lot of Baidu's shares, and Li Yanhong also owned Weibo shares.
On Shengda's side, Chen Tianqiao was determined to build Hua Xia's Disney entertainment empire. He was involved in many industries, and some of his projects would be with Far Away.
As for the others, it was simple.
On one hand, it was a personal relationship. On the other hand, it was to give face to Li Dong.
In 2009, it was not the era where the giants in the IT industry dominated. At this time, the industry giants were the real masters of the business world.
Compared to Ma Huateng, Li Dong's current status was much higher, and his influence was also much greater.
The battle between Far Away and Tencent was a battle of life and death for Ma Huateng, but for Far Away, it was just a battle between one of its subsidiaries.
The two could not be mentioned in the same breath.
If Li Dong lost, it might cause a chain reaction, but it was just a possibility, not a certainty.
With the scale of Far Away, even if they lost this time, as long as Far Away stabilized, it would not be a huge blow.
But if Tencent lost, it would be death!
The eyes of the bigwigs were sharp. Unless they really had a good relationship with Ma Huateng, or were related to benefits, there was no need to support Ma Huateng and offend Li Dong at this time.
At most, they would just watch from the sidelines and not get involved.
For example, Liu Chuanzhi, Guo Guangren … these business leaders almost did not say anything.
On one hand, they had a good relationship with Li Dong, Er Ma, and the others, so it was not good to help anyone.
On the other hand, this matter was very important, but it did not have much to do with them. It would be fine if they said the right thing, but if they said the wrong thing, they might offend both sides, so there was no need.
The others who came out to support, it was because they were related to benefits.
This included some industry giants, who came out this time, because it was related to benefits.
If this matter had nothing to do with them, who would get involved?
Cao Guowei was cheering for Tencent. Was Cao Guowei so stupid to help Tencent for no reason?
Most importantly, Far Away was trying to swallow up some of Sina's profits.
Many internet companies, including Tencent, were doing Weibo and web portals. But none of them were as fast and strong as Far Away.
It was so strong that everyone realized if this carried on, their living space would be squeezed.
Both sides said a few words on the platform, but they did not continue.
When the netizens were still discussing this matter, the bigwigs had moved to another battlefield.
At 9 pm, almost all Far Away users received news about Far Away.
The title of the news was very eye-catching!
"Tencent Crisis Series: Share Price Plunges!"
In the article, the changes in Tencent's share prices were introduced in detail, including the ratings of some large institutions. At the same time, the article also included some sharp analysts' comments.
As of April 30th, the Hong Kong stock market closed, Tencent's share prices had plunged from 82 HKD to 62 HKD.
The drop was more than 24%, and Tencent had lost a quarter of its market value. It was almost 5 billion USD, or 38 billion HKD.
The article also included some interviews with investors who owned Tencent shares. Almost everyone was pessimistic, and some experts advised investors to cut their losses.
At the end of the article, the article even listed some well-known international institutions that had dumped Tencent shares.
The article also analyzed the possible measures that Tencent's two major shareholders, MIH and ABSA Bank, might take in the future.
According to their agreement with Tencent, they only have the rights to receive dividends.
But if Tencent's returns did not reach their expectations, they might take back Ma Huateng's team's voting rights and management rights.
If they could not reach an agreement, they might even withdraw from Tencent.
As soon as the article was published, it immediately attracted the attention of countless people.
To ordinary people, they do not care about the company's other data. To them, the only thing worth paying attention to is the company's value.
The biggest reflection of a listed company's value is its market value.
Tencent's original market value was more than 150 billion HKD, close to 20 billion USD. But in a few days, 38 billion HKD had disappeared. In everyone's opinion, Tencent had suffered a huge loss.
In fact, they did not understand that this was just a change in the numbers.
Did Tencent really suffer a huge loss?
No!
At least compared to before, because of a series of activities, some users returned. Including the new WeChat product, the number of users had also increased a lot.
Compared to a few days ago, Tencent's value had actually increased.
But looking at the overall situation, Tencent had indeed suffered a huge loss.
Of course, the netizens would not care about this. The internet was full of discussions about the capital crisis that Tencent was facing.
Major shareholders withdrew their funds, small shareholders dumped their shares, and the stock price plummeted. There were obvious signs of a collapse.
Meanwhile, Distance didn't stop there. In fact, it wasn't just Distance. Various posts also appeared on other forums.
"Tencent's mobile strategy failed miserably!"
"Tencent's internal problems!"
"Tencent's crisis betrayal!"
Weibo lost to WeChat. Tencent's employees were in a panic. Some of the executives had resigned, their funds were depleted, and they were facing a collective lawsuit from hundreds of small and medium-sized companies. Countless third-party products were facing the crisis of being taken off the shelves …
What everyone knew and didn't know were all made public.
Some of the more sensitive topics were not posted on the platform Far away. Instead, some so-called "insiders" posted it on various major forums and platforms.
In an instant, the news of Tencent going bankrupt and closing down became everyone's first impression.
…
Even though it was getting late.
Tencent quickly gave an official response. Many unfavorable news about Far away also appeared on the internet.
Regarding this, according to Li Dong, "Changing the topic, avoiding the facts and attacking the weak. In fact, it's all nonsense!"
Both sides were using public opinion to build momentum. Public opinion might be useless at times, but it was very useful at times.
Far away's purpose was very obvious. It was to let everyone know the true situation of Tencent and make everyone feel a sense of crisis.
As a listed company, Tencent was facing more problems at this time.
Once people felt uneasy and panicked, Tencent's shares would be sold in large quantities. If no one took over, Tencent's stock market would likely collapse.
Once it collapsed, Tencent would be done for.
At this time, Tencent could only choose to buy back these shares themselves with the limited funds in their hands.
When a listed company crashed in the stock market, it would usually either be suspended or delisted.
Whether it was suspension or delisting, for Tencent, it was an unbearable pressure.
In this regard, the people in the distance were still fine.
Far away did not have any listed companies. There was no situation of suspension or delisting. Therefore, even if there were some crises, Far away could solve it internally.
Tencent was different. If the situation could not be reversed during the suspension period, once it was delisted, the brand and reputation that Tencent had built up over the years would be almost finished.
At this moment, Tencent urgently needed these things to support it.
If even these were lost, after delisting, Tencent would lose its brand effect. Far away would really be at the mercy of others.
In fact, Gome was in the same situation. If Gome had not been suspended, it would have been very difficult for Li Dong to obtain a controlling stake in Gome.
If Tencent was suspended, it would lose its brand effect. The credibility and strength of the company would also be greatly questioned.
The banks would not lend, the investors would not increase their capital, and the capital institutions would not dare to enter …
The biggest possibility was that because there was no money to develop, employees and executives would lose confidence in the company. A large number of people would leave, and the scale of the company would become smaller and smaller …
This kind of vicious cycle would generally appear in these companies that were passively suspended and delisted.
If Tencent did not want to face this kind of crisis, it could only choose to buy back the shares in the secondary market.
But this was back to square one. Lack of money.
Internet companies, because of their high market value and high stock prices, once faced with a crisis, it would be difficult for them to save themselves.
Unlike industrial companies, the possibility of saving themselves was higher.
These were the difficulties that Tencent was currently facing.
Far away specialized in their weaknesses and did not compete with other data. This was also something that made Tencent extremely helpless.
If it was really fake news, Tencent could refute and appeal.
But now, most of the news on the Internet was true.
It was a fact that Tencent's stock price had plummeted. It was also a fact that many institutions had sold their shares. It was also a fact that the mobile platform's strategic layout was currently suppressed Far away.
It was also a fact that other executives had resigned, hundreds of companies had appealed, and products had been withdrawn!
Based on this series of facts, even if Tencent had a glib tongue, it could not deny all of them.
…
Shenzhen.
Ma Huateng was a little tired.
He was actually different from Ma Yun. Ma Yun did not come from a technical background. That guy was similar to Li Dong. They were both good at talking.
If Ali were to face such a crisis, Ma Yun, who was a glib talker, might still be engaged in a war of words with Li Dong. Or, he might be boosting the group's morale, or he might be looking for other investors to continue seeking a way out.
But Ma Huateng was actually different from Ma Yun.
He came from a serious technical background and was usually a man of few words.
In this battle between Far away and Tencent, he had already made a lot of changes, including making some counterattacks on the Internet. These were things that he would not have done in the past.
He preferred to do it silently rather than say it before it was done.
But his opponent was not someone else. It was Far Away, who was many times stronger than Tencent. He was the king of the industry's venomous tongue, Li Dong. Moreover, Li Dong was also good at psychological tactics and public opinion tactics.
In addition, Tencent was originally in a passive position. At this time, even if he wanted to do it quietly, he would not have the chance.
Li Dong would not give him the chance to develop in peace.
Ma Huateng, who had a tired look on his face, smoked his cigarette again.
Amidst the lingering smoke, Ma Huateng glanced at the people opposite him and said in a low voice, "The longer we delay, the more trouble we will be in.
Start buying back the stocks that have been sold in the secondary market. We can't let the stock price continue to fall!
And as time passes, our last advantage will be slowly worn away by Far Away.
So, we don't have many choices now.
The investors are watching, the shareholders are watching, our users are watching, the whole world is watching!
If we continue to fall into a disadvantageous position and continue to be suppressed, then everyone will lose the last of their confidence in us!
We have to fight with our backs against the wall when they still have confidence in us. Maybe there will be a chance to turn things around. Otherwise, Tencent … will have no way out. "
When these words were said, everyone's expression turned solemn.
After a while, Zhang Zidong said slowly, "You mean to let them make a choice while our user base is still there? Choose one of the two. Help us, or help Far Away, and settle this once and for all? "
Ma Huateng nodded lightly and said, "Far Away has given us too little time. Otherwise, we can quietly develop and stand up again!
But now, he is not giving us this chance.
The only thing we can do now is to take advantage of the time when we are not at the end of the line. Only then will we have a chance.
Otherwise, the stock price will continue to plummet, the brand will suffer a heavy blow, and the users will continue to lose. In the end, we will really be turtles in a jar.
At that time, we will not have any chance to fight back even if we want to.
Now that the effect of the emotional card is still there, we let the users make a choice. This is also our only chance. "
Zhang Zidong sighed softly and said, "But you have to understand that this will also make countless people feel disgusted. Including some of our loyal users! Even if they are inclined to us, for the users, they actually do not like to passively accept arrangements and then choose. In this way, it will also cause us to lose a portion of the user base … "
Ma Huateng said self-deprecatingly, "Even if we don't lose them now, they will lose them sooner or later.
Do you really think that things like emotions can last for long?
Far Away is constantly burning money, and is also constantly developing, attracting new user groups to join.
And Tencent, if they only place their hopes on our existing users, even if they don't lose them, it will be a pool of stagnant water. Such an enterprise will not last long without the injection of new blood.
Perhaps, if this continues, we may drag on for three to five years, or even slowly weaken and be forgotten by Far Away, no longer targeting us.
But for us who have once walked to the peak of glory, are we willing to be a foil?
Do you want Tencent to be forgotten in a corner of the world like the opponents we have defeated before, quietly dying?
Rather than dying in silence, I would rather die with a bang! "
When Ma Huateng said this, his eyes were sharp as he said, "Even if Tencent dies, it will not die a nameless death! Even if I die, I hope that ten years later, twenty years later, or even a hundred years later, there will be people who remember Tencent! In the past, in the field of instant communication, in the field of the Internet, a spectacular battle broke out, and not like now, passively waiting for death to come! "
Although these words were not said very loudly, the few people present felt their blood boiling.
Xu Chenye clenched her fists and said, "Pony is right! Even if we die, we will die standing! Whether it is infamy or creating a new era, Tencent will not die a nameless death in a corner! Moreover, it is not certain that we will lose! We still have a chance, a chance to defeat Far Away! "
"That's right, now that things have come to this, we can only fight with all our might. This is also our only chance!"
"Pony, let's do it!"
"…"
Everyone quickly reached a consensus. Now that things had come to this, they could not delay any longer.
As for Ma Huateng, he looked at everyone for a long time before gritting his teeth and said, "Alright, let's wait for another week! Wait for me to find an opportunity and use Yu 'e Bao to deal a heavy blow to Far Away, then counterattack in one fell swoop. Victory or defeat depends on this one move! "
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