Ma Yun’s response to ＂Tencent has no dream＂ is false, so does Tencent have a dream？
"Tencent is losing its product capabilities and entrepreneurial spirit, and becoming an investment company…" These days, an article signed "Pan Chaos" and titled "Tencent has no dreams" has been very popular on the Internet. The article said that "this nearly 20-year-old company (referring to Tencent) is becoming utilitarian and short-sighted, and his strength is no longer product business, but investment in financial technology"; and analyzed some of Tencent’s less successful products and more successful investment cases in recent years, and came to the conclusion that "Tencent has no dreams".
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The criticism was directed at Tencent, one of China’s leading Internet companies, so after the article was published, it quickly spread across the Internet and the venture capital community. The story that followed was even more twists and turns: first there was a response from Tencent President Martin Lau, and then there was a response from Tencent CEO Pony Ma: "Look, it’s good to have criticism…" But when everyone was discussing whether Pony Ma’s response could explain the problem, Zhang Jun, Tencent’s public relations director, clarified that "Pony Ma’s response" was fake and was the result of PS (photo processing).
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Zhang Jun clarified in Moments that Ma Ma’s response was PS
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This clarification did not reduce the popularity of "Tencent has no dreams", because ordinary users who use WeChat and QQ to play "Honor of Kings" and "Jump" are still interested in exploring the answer to the question "Does Tencent have a dream". So, does Tencent have a dream?
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The industry applauds the open attitude
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Judging from the evaluation information of Tencent insiders, although they do not agree with the whole of "Tencent No Dream", they generally adopt an inclusive attitude. For example, the discussion between Lau Chiping and Zhang Jun on WeChat Moments shows that Lau Chiping believes that "Tencent is a bigger organization and ecosystem than the author imagined… [The article] simplifies Tencent into a product gain and loss, a strategic deployment, and a person’s will. It is too narrow… The title and conclusion are distorted because they are trying to catch the eye." But he also made it clear: "But there are still some unique insights that can be used as reference and supervision." Zhang Jun said: "We listen to the voices of the outside world, absorb them, and transform them into stronger action forces."
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Dialogue between Martin Lau and Zhang Jun at Moments
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Zhang Jun’s attitude towards "Tencent has no dreams"
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Industry observers also feel that "Tencent No Dreams", although flawed and the conclusion may be questionable, is a "work of conscience". Ma Qiji, former senior vice-president of Nielsen Internet Research and a research fellow at Peking University’s New Media Marketing and Communication Center, commented: "This is a good article [referring to’Tencent No Dreams’]. Although the argument method and logic are slightly flawed, it is still done with all its heart. It is essentially a commentary on Tencent’s strategic goals, path selection and organizational system, not’dream theory ‘." It’s just that he feels that "unless there is a very deep understanding, research, analysis and research on this kind of topic, it is difficult to have a real understanding and judgment of Tencent’s real behavioral starting point and consideration, let alone an effective and incisive discussion."
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Many Internet practitioners believe that "Tencent has no dreams" is heating up online, but Tencent’s various dissemination channels, including WeChat, QQ, etc., have not "blocked" this article, at least indicating that Tencent is a company willing to listen to different voices, and should be praised for this attitude.
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"The problem with many internet companies is that they are not open enough. Whether they are start-ups or industry leaders, they always think that they are standing on the high ground of innovation and are held in the palm of the hands of the crowd, so they cannot listen to criticism. Once someone criticizes, in addition to directly refuting or trying to’block ‘, sometimes they will use’water army’ to whitewash themselves. This approach should be praised for Tencent’s tolerant attitude. This also reminds other internet companies that they should have the heart to listen to different voices, and if there is no change, they should be encouraged, so as to make progress." Internet observer Tang Zhao said.
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From corporate dreams to connectivity tools
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As of press time, Tencent officials, including Pony Ma, have not made any further comments on "Tencent has no dream". However, the industry believes that from the recent layout of Tencent, it has actually responded with actions: launching "explosive" products or services is no longer its focus, and using Tencent’s existing resources and capabilities to connect all walks of life and achieve upgrades in all walks of life may be one of Tencent’s "dreams".
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At the recent Digital China Construction Summit, Pony Ma summarized what Tencent is and will be doing in four numbers in his speech: "One goal" is to be a good assistant. "We hope to do something and not do something – not to enter all walks of life and replace it; but to become a’digital assistant ‘in all walks of life." Three things "means that Tencent will focus on connecting, making tools and doing ecology." Five areas "refers to the scope of Tencent’s efforts, including people’s livelihood and government affairs, living consumption, production services, life and health, and ecological protection. Finally, there are the "seven tools" that Tencent provides to all walks of life: WeChat official account, WeChat Mini Program, mobile payment, social advertising, WeCom, big data cloud computing artificial intelligence, and Tencent’s security capabilities.
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Ma Qiji believes that even a big company like Tencent does not need to talk about "dreams": "Not every company has or needs a dream. The’Tencent dream ‘is a good but unrealistic wish, and it has been crooked from the beginning, so the discussion [of’Tencent has no dream’] has become trivial." He personally believes that "Tencent is a good leader by connecting and empowering, building the belief and imagination of the future, and establishing resource allocation and public input." He also added: "I personally like Tencent’s recent formulation of’technology for good ‘, so my dream is: Tencent can help everyone strive to get close to it (technology for good)!"
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How many people can the "connection tool" realize their dreams?
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In fact, the reason why there is the question or discussion of "Tencent has a dream" is not unrelated to the development of Tencent in recent years. From the perspective of specific products, since the launch of "popular" WeChat, Tencent is not without innovation, but many products that are popular in the market are closely linked to WeChat, including WeChat red envelopes, WeChat Pay, WeChat official account, WeChat Mini Program, but the outside world regards them all as "WeChat", rather than new achievements. At the same time, Tencent’s investment has been "fruitful", and the listing of invested companies such as ZhongAn Insurance, Sogou, China Literature, and Yixin Group has brought tens of billions of dollars to Tencent.
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In comparison, Tencent’s achievements as a tool to connect other industries seem less obvious; or even if the connection is successful and produces results, many people do not know that they are related to Tencent. However, a little review of some of Tencent’s recent "connection" achievements reveals a lot of surprises.
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For example, Tencent recently entered into a strategic partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to launch digital conservation efforts. In Shenzhen Bay, after a user’s mobile phone QQ scans the sculpture in front of them, several white dolphins will jump up from the "water" and swim around. It turns out that this is a "digital landmark" project explored by the two sides. In the future, when people walk, bike or sightseeing along the coast of Shenzhen Bay, they can pass by more similar magical sculptures or devices. Open the mobile phone QQ to "scan", and dolphins will play to their heart’s content, or birds will circle and pitch on the screen. More importantly, people can also learn about these beautiful creatures: "There are only about 2,000 Chinese white dolphins left in China, living in the Pearl River estuary; the black-faced spoonbill is a bird in Shenzhen, and the population is extremely rare; they are all state-level protected animals and the aborigines of Shenzhen Bay…" WWF related people believe that such "digital landmarks" not only belong to Shenzhen, but also belong to the world. Through the exploration with Tencent, more cities and regions can have their own "digital landmarks", allowing people to feel the wonder and beauty of nature more strongly, and arousing the public’s awareness of protecting the ocean and caring for endangered animals. This case may make many nature conservationists "dream come true".
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There is also the "digital classroom" created by WWF and Tencent, which may fulfill the dream of many ecological rangers. It turns out that there are more than 370,000 ecological rangers in China, who are the most basic guardians and main force of national parks, cruising day after day to eliminate fire pests and stop poaching. However, due to the dispersion of personnel and the lack of training teachers, how to better train these rangers has become a problem. The "digital classroom" will introduce WWF’s rich and high-quality content to provide online training courses for ecological rangers and other practitioners, including relevant laws and regulations, wildlife identification, wild survival knowledge, etc., so that they have more professional knowledge and skills, and have more safety when walking in the forest.
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In fact, after the spread of "Tencent No Dream" exceeded 1 million, Pan Chaos also sent a paragraph in his circle of friends: "Tencent has no dream, Tencent has achieved the dream of many people…" A Tencent grassroots employee sent reporters his thoughts after watching "Tencent No Dream": "Tencent will never be perfect, but fortunately it has been evolving – because there are many young people chasing dreams here, and it is also becoming the dream of young people."
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Pan’s Confession in Moments
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Perhaps it is more practical for more people to realize their dreams with the help of technology than whether a company has a dream.