After the Divorce, I Could Hear the Voice of the Future

"Tsk, tsk, technology is the core competitive power."

Lu Liang, browsing through the optimized TikTok, suddenly understood why Zhang Yiming dared to make such bold claims.

If it's about technology, Byte isn't afraid of anyone.

Their use of algorithmic recommendations had reached a state of perfection to the point where many aspects were incomprehensible in how they were achieved.

For example, while Lu Liang was watching a video of a blue knitted garment, he opened the comment section, and the name of the broadcaster immediately appeared at the top, with just one click leading to their page.

Another example, when a gaming video appeared, Lu Liang didn't understand the meaning of 'cpdd,' but upon clicking the search bar, a line of gray text 'what does cpdd mean' appeared immediately.

A mere ten-second video, coupled with Byte's algorithms, is akin to digital poison—one keeps scrolling for the momentary thrill, and it's endlessly satisfying.

Unbeknownst to him, an hour had passed.

"Old Yang, what do you think?" Lu Liang put away his phone and looked at Yang Zhenyuan, who was also scrolling through TikTok.

Yang Zhenyuan remained silent for a long time before sighing, "Thank goodness Watermelon Video chose to focus on longer videos."

What he thought was a back-and-forth turned out to be his wishful thinking; if Watermelon Video had focused on short videos, they would have stood no chance.

Perhaps there was one option to continue burning cash, luring in those who are after freebies until there was nothing left, which would be the end of TikTok.

Before introducing Byte's algorithms, Yang Zhenyuan always thought that time and sufficient funds could bridge the gap between them.

But after adopting Byte's algorithms, he realized how narrow his view was—he found it incredibly difficult to catch up.

Lu Liang couldn't help but chuckle, "Don't sell yourself short. I reckon even Zhang Yiming didn't foresee the immense power of short videos combined with their algorithms."

Yang Zhenyuan stayed silent for a while, his face showing admiration, "Perhaps Mr. Zhang didn't expect it, but you must have, right?"

At first, to the public, this acquisition seemed like a loss for Lu Liang, since Byte, although strong, had limited power.

After much effort and many complications, in the end, Byte still obtained 69% absolute control.

That's why Luo would grumble and fiercely criticize, but the results spoke for themselves—Mr. Lu was always right.

Lu Liang replied with a faint smile, without confirming nor denying, "Let's give it a try, there's not much to lose anyway."

He didn't know precisely when TikTok was born, but he knew that from its inception to when Toutiao spent one billion dollars to acquire Musical.ly for it, it took less than two years.

One billion dollars was not just a valuation; it was cash, and even with share swaps involved, at least three to five hundred million had to be put forth.

Zhu Hu had once said that Byte's liquid assets amounted to at most two hundred million dollars, and they had already splurged five hundred million RMB on Watermelon Video.

The funds at their disposal were extremely limited; that's why Zhu Hu had to organize a gathering to facilitate the merger to avoid a cash-burning war.

So the question arose, with promoting Watermelon Video nearly draining Byte's cash flow, where did they find the funds to help TikTok acquire Musical.ly?

The answer was obvious: it relied on TikTok.

To raise three to five hundred million dollars, the valuation couldn't be less than two billion dollars, and it had to gain market approval.

Information disparity was Lu Liang's advantage.

He patted Yang Zhenyuan on the shoulder, smiling, "Just cooperate well with Mr. Zhang in the future. Maybe one day, TikTok will become what you imagine it to be."

Yang Zhenyuan had once said that the future TikTok could be like Meituan, Taobao, or WeChat.

Lu Liang was looking forward to that day, as well as to TikTok growing to break the monopoly of Shuangma Group.

Yang Zhenyuan, with a serious face, nodded vigorously; as long as Zhang Yiming would tolerate him, he vowed not to leave.

After leaving TikTok Company, Lu Liang headed to the last stop of his trip to Beijing: Huaqing University.

During his last hurried visit, he hadn't had the chance to truly explore this top national institution.

Considering faculty strength, there are a number of universities in China that are considered on par with Qingbei.

Such as Fudan and Jiaotong University in Modu, and Zhejiang University, but the status of Qingbei was unparalleled.

Even in the eyes of many Chinese, there were only two categories of universities: Qingbei and all the rest.

Lu Liang was accompanied by Wen Chao and Fang Shiyu, strolling down the shady path by the Tsinghua Pond.

He suddenly looked towards the rows upon rows of bright yellow shared bikes, "I heard you have to apply seven days in advance to get the deposit back now?"

Wen Chao said, "Ofo updated that notice last week."

Lu Liang mused to himself, "It's about to blow up."

Limitations on deposit withdrawals meant that ofo's funds were stretched thin, and their leverage was high.

To lend an umbrella on a sunny day and take it back on a rainy one wasn't the exclusive practice of banks; ordinary people also have this sense of crisis.

For ofo, it was just one spark away from disaster.

Shared bicycles are now expanding haphazardly, and even in Lu Liang's hometown, a small city far beyond the fifth tier, the sight of Little Huang bikes during the New Year's visit is enough to illustrate the point.

"I hope Old Zhu can find someone to take over," someone said.

Lu Liang and a few others circled around Huaqing Pool and prepared to head to the New Energy Research Institute on the northern campus.

Suddenly, a careless female student collided head-on with them; she bent down to pick up some materials, apologizing while bowing as if she was a scene straight out of a melodramatic TV show.

"I'm sorry..."

When she saw Lu Liang's face, she suddenly froze, hesitated for a long time, and couldn't help but ask, "Are you Mr. Lu from Tianxing?"

"Yes, it's me." Lu Liang smiled and nodded, helping to pick up the scattered files on the ground when he saw a document with her name and class on it, a junior in journalism named Xu Huiqi.

"Wow, I finally met someone in person."

Xu Huiqi's eyes widened with excitement, then she glanced at her watch with a bitter expression, "It's over, I'm going to be late."

"Mr. Lu, I hope we meet again," she said hastily, waving her hand and taking off like the wind, coming in haste and leaving just as quickly.

Lu Liang's smile grew at the corner of his lips, squinting his eyes as he watched her departing figure, "Did she mistake me for Daqiang?"

High-end headhunters often appear in the guise of prey, and he did not believe in so-called coincidences.

Such a coincidence to run into her, to recognize him, and also such a coincidence that Lu Liang saw her class and name.

A female student from a top-tier university majoring in journalism hardly looked like someone who was easy to deal with.

The three men reached the northern campus.

They met with Zhao Jiaqun, a professor at the School of Computer Science and also the director of the New Energy Research Institute.

Upon seeing Lu Liang, Zhao's face was all smiles as he hurriedly greeted him, "Mr. Lu, your visit graces us. Sorry for not meeting you further away."

Lu Liang said with a smile, "Director Zhao, you're too polite. I came to Beijing on some business and thought to drop by."

Where there are people, there are rivalries, and elite institutions are no exception. Some focus on research while others build their networks.

Zhao Jiaqun was one of the latter, which was why he could be the director of the institute, responsible for team-building and daily operations.

Lu Liang liked dealing with these kinds of people because he could satisfy their desires, and they understood his needs.

Because the 20 million dollars was not transferred in one go, only 2 million were sent in the first installment. If he wasn't satisfied, it could become the last installment.

"Mr. Lu, let me give you a tour," Zhao Jiaqun said, beaming as he led Lu Liang into the institute.

He introduced the project's review members, led by two computer science professors, four Ph.D. students, and ten masters students.

They were all teachers and students from Huaqing University. Zhao Jiaqun hoped to keep Lu Liang's interest and develop this project long-term.

Therefore, his own skills might not matter, but the expertise of his subordinates was crucial. Otherwise, it would be challenging to retain Lu Liang.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I may not know much about technology, but I believe in leaving professional matters to professionals."

Lu Liang said with a smile as he presented his requirements.

Whether professors or students, he hoped that someone could deliver a satisfactory plan within three months.

He was only interested in capability, without regard to seniority.

Open to all the university's teachers and students, whoever passed the review could receive a research grant of one hundred thousand yuan.

And this was just the beginning. Tianxing Technology had several positions with annual salaries in the millions, awaiting their rightful owners.

As his words resonated, the students all started breathing quickly.

After discussing dedication for over a decade, someone was finally straightforward about benefits, and they suddenly found themselves liking Lu Liang a bit more.

The point of studying was to achieve something,

And success was often equated to salary,

The higher the annual income, the more successful one was considered to be.

Lu Liang's face showed a satisfied smile as he liked the crowd's reaction.

He did not trust in seniority or so-called experience; instead, he felt that young people had more imagination and creativity.

After all, the computer industry had only been developing for a decade or so, so the notion that the older one gets, the wickeder one becomes, did not apply here.

Twenty-somethings and those just over thirty were in the prime of their careers.

Moreover, through the merger of TikTok and Watermelon Video, Lu Liang deeply understood the benefits of having technology on his side.

He wasn't concerned with short videos; that was not his interest, but new energy was crucial for his other endeavors to thrive.

In-car systems were one of the core elements of new energy, and this technology, even if it cost one billion or ten billion dollars, he would see it developed.