"About a third is missing!" On the third day, when Lei Jun and Liu Qiangdong, along with two others, reappeared at the conference venue, they discovered that roughly one-third of the previously packed seats were now empty.
This indicated that a third of the industry bosses or representatives who had been present yesterday had departed. Clearly, they were not satisfied with the events of the previous day, felt Huang He was too overbearing, or believed they could thrive without the alliance.
Notably, almost everyone still present in the conference hall was now dressed in traditional Hanfu. Among the hundreds of attendees, only a dozen or so remained in Western suits.
Huang He, on the stage, seemed to have anticipated this, continuing calmly, "Esteemed guests, today is the third and final day of our conference. Following the enthusiastic discussions of the past two days, the alliance's proposal has been finalized. I will now distribute the official alliance regulations. You will have half a day to make your final decision on whether to join the China Electronic Technology Industry Development Alliance."
"Please submit your final decisions to our staff before 2 PM this afternoon. At 3 PM, we will hold the alliance's establishment conference here, officially announcing the formation of the China High-tech Electronic Industry Development Alliance!"
Huang He was indeed overbearing. Regardless of whether the conference was a success or if attendees still had objections to the current proposal, he directly announced the formation of the alliance without soliciting broader public feedback.
Of course, those in attendance were free to decide for themselves whether they wished to join.
"So, what are your thoughts?" Liu Qiangdong asked.
The morning session concluded before 10 AM. Everyone now had four hours to consider whether to join the alliance.
"I don't know…" Lei Jun's expression was one of confusion. "I'm currently a vice president at Kingsoft. If I join the alliance, I'll have to establish my own company first and then join the alliance under its name."
"This would mean I have to leave Kingsoft and start a new venture. So, I'm unsure how to decide."
"Then why did you come here with such enthusiasm? You've attended the conference for three days straight!" Liu Qiangdong asked, sounding exasperated.
"I just feel that at Kingsoft, I can't see a path forward. The Chinese software industry is truly bleak; there's no future in sight. Even companies like Kingsoft struggle to turn a profit. In nine years, Kingsoft Software has nearly collapsed five times. I don't think this is the right direction, and I want to change my course," Lei Jun said. "Do you have any advice for me?"
"No, I wouldn't dare offer such advice casually. If you take a wrong turn, you'll resent us, and we won't even be friends anymore. So, you need to figure this out yourself, make a decision when you're ready, or just forget about it. Don't drag us into it!" Liu Qiangdong stated very decisively. Chen Yongming remained silent, clearly sharing Liu Qiangdong's sentiment.
Starting a business is a significant life decision. Leaving a stable and reputable position to pursue an uncertain endeavor is even more so. At such a juncture, it is indeed inappropriate for others to offer advice.
"What about you two?" Lei Jun sighed and then asked.
"I'm definitely joining!" Liu Qiangdong said without hesitation. "I'm different from you all who intend to engage in physical production. I'm just a distributor; my job is to sell things!"
"And the rules state that distributors who join the alliance will have priority in selling alliance products, and their procurement prices will be more favorable than those outside the alliance. The only conditions are cooperating with the alliance's various promotional activities, refusing products banned by the alliance, and contributing 0.5% of total profits to the alliance's funds. I think this is a very worthwhile deal. Even if I only distribute products from Jiangnan Group in the future, I'll make a fortune."
"You don't know how popular Jiangnan Group's servers are right now. Ever since their servers gained recognition abroad, all domestic manufacturers are looking to buy Jiangnan's servers. After all, they cost only one-third of servers of comparable quality. Right now, domestic distributors are scrambling to get allocation for Jiangnan servers!"
"If I join the alliance, I'll get priority in securing procurement quotas. These are tangible profits. Also, I have a top-secret piece of information: Jiangnan Group will soon be venturing into storage devices. This is a highly lucrative industry. If I can get the rights to procure these, I'll strike it rich!" Liu Qiangdong said gleefully.
He was most welcoming and supportive of the alliance because joining it offered significant advantages to distributors.
If problems arose in the future, he could simply withdraw from the alliance. The alliance charter clearly stated that there would be no penalties for withdrawal, only that rejoining would incur a fine ranging from one million to one hundred million yuan.
As long as one didn't intend to rejoin, withdrawing from the alliance carried no penalties.
"I'm joining too!" Chen Yongming declared.
"Aren't you afraid of offending your chairman?" Liu Qiangdong asked curiously from the side.
"I have already formally submitted my resignation to my boss!" Chen Yongming stated calmly.
"…" Lei Jun and Liu Qiangdong looked at Chen Yongming in surprise. Chen Yongming had always been taciturn and serious, leading them to believe he was a deep thinker who never made impulsive decisions.
They hadn't expected him to be the quickest of the three, having already resigned.
"I'm going to find Huang He and ask him if he can invest in me. If he doesn't invest, I won't join the alliance!" Chai Jin said, then he hurried towards the main stage, where a crowd was surrounding Huang He, attempting to glean more information from him.
"Actually, people like Xiao Xuanfeng are quite good. Their thoughts are simple, unlike mine with all these worries!" Chen Yongming sighed.
"Are you okay?" Lei Jun asked with concern.
Four hours passed quickly. Three minutes before 2 PM, Lei Jun, Liu Qiangdong, and Chen Yongming met again. Lei Jun then solemnly handed an application form to a staff member from Jiangnan Group.
At the very last minute, Lei Jun made his decision. He would resign from Kingsoft and enter the mobile phone industry. This was an extremely risky decision, even an incredible one, but Lei Jun went through with it, a full seven years earlier than in historical accounts.
Furthermore, at this point, Lei Jun had nothing but himself.
"I think it would be best if the three of us joined forces and accomplished something great together!" Liu Qiangdong proposed. "I have sales channels, Old Chen has production channels, and Old Lei, you have software technology. The alliance provides production and technical support. If the three of us each invest some money, we should be able to pool tens of millions of yuan. Then, we can try to secure tens of millions more in investment, and we'll be able to launch our own mobile phones!"
"Deal!" Chen Yongming agreed decisively. "I already have a brand called OPPO, and a team of talented individuals has gathered around this brand. I've also started negotiations with the local government to build a factory. If you all are serious about working together, you might as well join OPPO."
"This…" Lei Jun and Liu Qiangdong's expressions shifted. Chen Yongming, noticing their concerns, quickly added, "You are all new to this industry and cannot directly build mobile phones immediately. My resources are equivalent to 10 million yuan in capital. The rest will be contributed by yourselves, and ultimately, company shares will be determined by the proportion of capital invested."
"At the same time, I promise you that if you are unhappy working at OPPO in the future, I will allow you to withdraw your shares. You can take your money and pursue your own ventures, and OPPO will provide you with resources and assistance."
"We are friends now, and we will remain friends in the future, regardless of how things develop!" Chen Yongming stated.
"Deal!"
"Deal!" With Chen Yongming's words, the three shook hands firmly.
"Hello, this is my application. It should still be within the timeframe, right?" a voice rang out, startling Chen Yongming. He turned to see Duan Yongping.
"Chairman, why are you here? I thought you… " Chen Yongming was shocked. Duan Yongping had left two days ago, yet here they were, submitting their application just before the deadline.
"I thought about it for two days and realized that joining the alliance better aligns with future trends and interests. I cannot miss this opportunity, so I've come!" Duan Yongping said with a smile.
"…" Everyone exchanged glances, a sense of apprehension creeping in. Duan Yongping's return, after initially declaring his departure and now sheepishly rejoining, seemed like a foolish move.
However, this only highlighted Duan Yongping's formidable nature. He was able to disregard his pride and, upon understanding the benefits of the alliance, unhesitatingly join. This resolve and decisiveness were truly astonishing.
"Do your companies want my investment? I can invest 50 million yuan!" Duan Yongping said with a smile, already preparing to insert himself into Lei Jun's group's venture.
Lei Jun and the other two would likely struggle to raise 30 million yuan. Duan Yongping's offer of 50 million yuan at once was an attempt to seize a major stake in the company.
Just as everyone was hesitating, the Jiangnan Group staff member suddenly said, "I'm very sorry, Mr. Duan, the alliance cannot approve your application."
"What did you say?" Duan Yongping was stunned. He had risked his reputation by repeatedly changing his stance, and now he was being told he couldn't join?
"Yes!" the staff member replied with a smile. "According to Article 1, Clause 1 of the China Electronic Technology Industry Alliance regulations, the alliance only accepts Chinese nationals or enterprises with over 50% Chinese ownership as founding and ordinary members."
"You indicated on your application that you are a US national, so we cannot accept your application."