Reinventing the Millennium

Negotiations between Nokia and Yiko unexpectedly reached a deadlock.

But failure in business negotiations is the norm.

This time, Nokia CEO Simons led a team to China, and COO Mika flew to Silicon Valley to visit Apple. No matter where there is a breakthrough, as long as the patent risks can be solved, Nokia remains confident in the prospect of joining forces with Microsoft.

Fang Zhuo heard this plan from Elop, president of Microsoft's business department, at noon on the third and last day of the symposium.

In the morning symposium, many new players in the industry took the stage to chat about their problems, including Fang Zhuo, Ma Chen, Ma Huateng and others who expressed their relevant opinions. At noon, Fang Zhuo and Elop went boating on the West Lake. superior.

When you are in Lin'an, West Lake is really an excellent place to talk.

The cruise ship rented at noon was not big, and could only accommodate four or five people. Secretary Liu Zonghong was in charge of sailing the ship. Fang Zhuo and Elop had a private meeting. As for Nokia's senior executives, they were all nestled on the shore.

Nokia CEO Simons looked longingly at the boat on the lake, but Elop, who was sitting opposite Fang Zhuo, felt a little flattered. He drank Longjing as the Romans did, and talked about Nokia's actions and Yike's settlement with great sincerity. pros and cons.

As a representative of Microsoft this time, Elop couldn't quite predict the difficulty of the matter, but he was already prepared to be made things difficult for him.

Even as a bystander, even if the matter was not so personal, he felt that the changes in Nokia's situation before and after were too drastic.

It stands to reason that both Apple and Yike should be banned by now.

But... Apple and Yike are still jumping around, obviously without reason.

Therefore, Nokia is very worried that it will still be unreasonable in the future. It is based on power and money. Yike broke into the top ten in the world twice in April and May. How much power was colluded in these two waves of market?

The names that can be seen but are not sure yet are like Summers, Lu Peining, Geithner... and even the treacherous officials who pushed for the overturn order that are still unclear, and whether it was really the wise king who made the decision independently...

The situation here makes Nokia's scalp numb and its heart tingling. It just wants to eliminate the hidden dangers as soon as possible and settle down.

Elop now looked at Mr. Fang opposite, feeling a little uneasy as well, feeling that the person sitting in front of him was not just one person, but probably an interest group that could exert a lot of energy.

He only joined Microsoft in January last year. Although he had served as CEO or COO in several companies earlier, he knew that he was not on the same level as Mr. Fang.

At this time, above the West Lake, Mr. Fang was not the same as yesterday. He seemed to be a different person.

While Elop was flattered, he also silently speculated, could it be that Mr. Fang is willing to kill himself?

500 million is too high. Maybe it can be achieved with a few zeros.

"Elop, you and I are walking hand in hand today, and I will tell you what's on my mind." Fang Zhuo took a sip of tea and sighed, "Does Yike want to make things difficult for Nokia? What company is idle and doesn't develop well? Do we have to deal with such a problem? How did Nokia treat me last year?"

"Whether it's me, our company's American president, or Google's Schmidt, how long have we been busy negotiating patent mutual licensing with Nokia?"

"Nokia is so arrogant, and Kallasvuo is so unruly. They just handed over 500 million U.S. dollars and refused to let go. They also threatened to get 1 billion U.S. dollars doubled if they went to court. How can I let Yike swallow this breath?"

Fang Zhuo spread his true words on the boat.

When Elop heard this, it made sense. Although Mr. Fang had scolded Nokia and Kallasvuo, he really wanted to talk about it.

He felt that today would play a role in easing the situation and persuaded him: "Mr. Fang, it was precisely because he realized that Kallasvuo had problems in handling a series of issues that the Nokia board of directors replaced him."

"Pekov Kallasvuo has already taken responsibility for his blackmailing of Yike. I believe Mr. Fang is also aware of the current situation. No matter what, the settlement of multiple companies is the final outcome. What else can be done?"

Elop finally threw a small test. The strange situation last month is still floating in front of his eyes, and institutions such as Goldman Sachs are still angrily criticizing it from time to time.

"What can we do?" Fang Zhuo repeated half of the sentence and shook his head, "The ITC trial has not yet been implemented. I want to give it a try."

Want to try it? How to try? If none of you go to the United States, who is trying?

Elop's thoughts were spinning and he asked: "Mr. Fang, the White House Office has clearly recommended that patent competition between companies should be healthy and not use embargoes as a means."

Fang Zhuo only smiled and didn't answer.

Elop felt angry again.

"Microsoft feels that it has encountered problems in the past two years and its development has reached a bottleneck." Fang Zhuo talked about a new topic.

Elop can talk about this quite well. Although he has not long since joined Microsoft, he still has experience and knowledge. He also has a very simple view on the current company situation - CEO Ballmer can be replaced.

But this opinion can only be kept in the heart.

Fang Zhuo chatted for a while, then suddenly changed the topic back and asked: "I heard that Nokia and Microsoft will have a comprehensive cooperation. Will Nokia carry more WM models to cope with the current development?"

Elop perked up and expressed his attitude: "Yes, Mr. Fang, I can confirm this. Nokia will join us in this battle for mobile phone systems."

He smiled again: "Otherwise, I wouldn't have appeared in Nokia's team this time."

"Nokia and Microsoft are indeed a strong alliance. It seems that the future market will be iOS, Android and WM." Fang Zhuo said seriously.

Elop also has a similar view. If the two giants join together, not to mention being the first in the market, they will not be able to dominate the world.

"The global mobile market is getting bigger and bigger. I can understand that Microsoft needs to find opportunities to expand the mobile market, but I think Nokia's new CEO is not as good as Kallasvuo." Fang Zhuo said casually.

Elop is not easy to comment on. Although it is a private occasion now, who knows whether Fang will change his mind and share the situation on Twitter?

He drank tea slowly and waited for Mr. Fang's next topic.

As expected, Mr. Fang's chat today was all about passing by.

Elop changed his mind and chatted harmoniously with him.

They went boating, drank tea, chatted, and even had lunch on the lake. When the two landed on the shore, Fang Zhuo and Elop smiled and shook hands before leaving, while Nokia asked about the results of the communication between the two parties. .

Elop knows Simmons' expectations, and Microsoft is here to support the show this time.

It's just...there really isn't any substantial progress.

"Mr. Fang also believes that Nokia products equipped with WM system will successfully gain a foothold in the market." Elop still gave his understanding solemnly, "Maybe it is because of this that he desperately wants to block our joint efforts. pace."

Simmons took some comfort.

Elop added: "His attitude is still very tough, and this may require mediation by Ballmer and others."

Simmons frowned and said, "Fang Zhuo is completely irrational right now."

Elop felt that Mr. Fang seemed quite sensible, and he even praised his work.

"What did Fang Zhuo say to me?" Simmons asked if there were any conditions for reporting or what.

Elop recalled carefully, it seemed that there was no such thing.

He said seriously: "I feel that he may think you are a more difficult opponent than Kallasvuo."

Simmons shook his head slightly and sighed: "How can Fang Zhuo be so difficult to deal with?"

He can empathize, and difficult people can always feel the other person's difficulty.

Simons stood by the West Lake, thinking hard about the prospects of Nokia, and even more hoping that the negotiations with Apple in the United States would turn around.

…

The last half day of the symposium was uneventful. No one scolded or started fighting.

The atmosphere in Lin'an is good. Leaders don't speak for an hour or two every now and then. Almost all the space is reserved for entrepreneurs.

Fang Zhuo turned down the last stage activity and chatted with Zhang Chaoyang and others in a relaxed mood.

Regarding the cooperation with Sogou, we have to go back to Shanghai to talk about it. With Baidu’s strong development ahead, Zhang Chaoyang hopes that Sogou can be listed on the market, because there are few companies in the market that can scale up search, and the chance of going public is low. Small, but the market value of the stock price depends on the development.

"I don't know when it will be listed. Otherwise, Mr. Zhang, you can just package it and sell it to me now, and I will give you a high price." Fang Zhuo said to Zhang Chaoyang with a smile as the symposium came to an end.

Zhang Chaoyang was instantly alert: "What do you mean? If I don't sell it, if I sell it, will I buy AB shares? Wait, I have to ask the legal department to re-study the structure of AB shares when I get back to see if there are any loopholes!"

"Just kidding, why are you nervous? I'm not a tiger. I'm afraid that you won't have money to run Sohu. I can't bear to see those old Sohu generals bully you." Fang Zhuo was a little resentful.

"I'm not kidding, Mr. Fang, I feel like I have to re-examine our cooperation now." Zhang Chaoyang told the truth.

If Sogou operates independently, there will be no shortage of partners. Not to mention venture capital, companies like Alibaba and Penguin also have the basis for cooperation.

Fang Zhuo stopped the topic: "If you don't want to sell it, don't sell it. Let's go public together."

Zhang Chaoyang glanced at Mr. Fang a few more times, and suddenly felt that he was seeking skin from a tiger.

"I won't attend the dinner tonight. The guys from Nokia are still bothering me. I'll go back to Shanghai tonight. You and Wang Xiaochuan can come tomorrow or the day after tomorrow." Fang Zhuo explained the itinerary.

Zhang Chaoyang was a little curious about Nokia's contact with Yike in this situation, and asked: "Now it is Nokia that takes the initiative to solve the problem. It has a new CEO. How is it different from the previous one?"

"Different?" Fang Zhuo pondered for a while, "It's hard to say, but the common points are very clear."

Zhang Chaoyang asked: "What?"

"I've scolded him." Fang Zhuo replied.

Zhang Chaoyang laughed out loud, Mr. Fang, sometimes I really don’t know how to say good things about him.

With the final speech of the leader on the stage, the industry symposium held on the shore of West Lake in 2009 came to an end.

Some people rumored that Penguin and Yi Ke had a serious dispute at this symposium.

There is a rumor that during a night trip to the West Lake, there was a fight between competitors and he accidentally fell into the river.

Some people also say that Mr. Fang, who came back from abroad, received a large amount of money this time, which was indeed extremely swollen, and he opened fire on three major manufacturers at the same time.

But no matter what, YBAT has become a representative company of the current Internet.

Fang Zhuo did not conceal the arrangement of his reply. He declined the invitations from his leaders and colleagues, but still invited Elop to ride with him on the way back and had another private conversation.

It was okay to go boating on the West Lake once, but why did we have to communicate alone again?

People at Nokia were murmuring, wondering whether there would be any private exchanges between Yike and Microsoft.

CEO Simons is quite relieved about this. Yike and Microsoft also have some patent issues. It is impossible for the Android machine king to abandon Android system and switch to WM. Only Nokia and Microsoft have common interests. Both need to compete in the smartphone market. Break out the sky.

It only takes two hours to return to Shanghai from Lin'an, and Fang Zhuo and Elop talked for one hour and fifty minutes.

When Elop got out of the car, Mr. Fang's gushing voice filled his mind.

This time there are still inquiries from Nokia.

"What did Mr. Fang say?"

"I didn't say anything, and the conversation was all irrelevant." Elop said helplessly. "For example, he wanted to invest in a documentary about the financial crisis. For example, this was how he felt when Yike's stock price soared."

Simmons was a little suspicious.

Much later, his suspicions seemed to be confirmed.

Fang Zhuo updated his Twitter.

——The people from Nokia came to talk to me. What’s there to talk about? Simmons is not as good as Kallasvuo, why can't Kallasvuo come to talk? It’s really hard to fathom that Simmons is not as knowledgeable about the industry as Microsoft executives.

The comments below are very active. In addition to the various expressions of retail investors, there are also many people paying attention to the situation of Nokia.

"Mr. Fang, is it time to short Nokia? Please give me confirmation."

"Peika Kallasvuo is definitely not willing to go. If he goes, he might be humiliated by you."

"Simons is a CEO who was pushed out. He was a former CFO and should be as responsible for Nokia's current situation as Kallasvuo. I bet he will not be better than Kallasvuo."

Simmons feels humiliated. Kallasvuo is now called the worst CEO in the history of Nokia. He has reached rock bottom. How could he not be better?

He called Microsoft CEO Ballmer late at night, and asked Virtanen, the chief legal officer in the United States, to contact the ITC again, asking for more solutions. He was sentenced and overturned. What happens now, you have to I asked.

The CEO who does not want to be associated with Kallasvuo is taking action. As for Elop, this does not require him to think too much.

The next morning, Fang Zhuo, who received calls from Microsoft and ITC one after another, still maintained his attitude.

In any case, he has to wait until the ITC trial is completed before dealing with this issue.

Similarly, he also called Jobs, who was re-in charge of Apple's affairs, and easily reached an agreement that Nokia was unstable internally and externally, and the matter could be postponed for a while.

Near noon, Fang Zhuo saw Liang Mu, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, in the office.

Liang Mu used to be a reporter and later joined Yike. He wanted to write a book about the five major figures in domestic business. He chose Mr. Fang as the first observation target. However, this observation only lasted until now. By the way, he also went deep into Yike. The grassroots and middle levels studied the development of the company.

"Mr. Fang, I find that I am increasingly unable to leave." Liang Mu originally planned to formally bid farewell after studying the operation of the company, but he did not expect that there would be financial twists and turns that had to be recorded in the previous two months.

"It's okay, Teacher Liang. You can observe it whenever you want. I think the departments you've been to have given you good reviews." Fang Zhuo occasionally noticed this person's situation.

Liang Mu felt that there needed to be an end point after all. He couldn't just study at Yike for the rest of his life...

"Mr. Fang, I have recently collected and sorted out a lot of foreign media reports on Yike's two financial incidents. When do you have time? I would like to ask the person involved from my perspective." He made a request.

"Okay, no problem. What do you want to know? Is it a power-for-money transaction or a behind-the-scenes operation?" Fang Zhuo was generous.

Liang Mu: "..."

He said tactfully: "I want to know how frightening Yike was during the two financial incidents, and I want to know how frightening you were in the past two months."

Boom, boom, boom.

There was a knock on the door of the CEO's office, and it was Kong Yu, the great hero and gasoline man, who arrived.

"Terrifying and thrilling? I can't answer that. Just so you can ask Mr. Kong. His encounters with car accidents and shootings are the most suitable for what you want to write." Fang Zhuo assigned a job to Kong Yu as soon as he met him.

Kong Yu was a little confused, but he quickly agreed. This is indeed suitable for him.

Liang Mu asked again: "Well, Mr. Fang, do you have any joy or hope for survival?"

Fang Zhuo was thinking about it, and suddenly saw the gasoline man drinking tea quietly, and asked: "You bought the 'Confidence' back, right?"

Kong Yu corrected him: "No, it's now a 'little insurance number'."

Fang Zhuo had the answer: "My elation comes from the gain after surviving a desperate situation. With confidence coming, Yike moves forward again. This time, we are not afraid of any opponent."

"Even if it's a combination of Nokia and Microsoft?" Liang Mu knew the situation in the industry.

"You won't write it now, will you?" Fang Zhuo asked.

Liang Mu shook his head, this was published later.

Fang Zhuoyi nodded and said: "Don't worry, this is just Nokia's desperate struggle. It is withering like Motorola, and Sony Ericsson's situation is not good either."

Liang Mu took out his pen and scribbled down Mr. Fang's original words. This came from the judgment of the head of Yike on well-known manufacturers in the global mobile phone industry in the second quarter of 2009.

Nokia is struggling, Motorola is withering, Sony Ericsson... Sony Ericsson is decaying.

He added his own understanding, and the advancing Yi Ke gave them despair.