Chapter 75: “Just Average, EasyTalk QQ Only Makes a Few Billion a Year”
Ma Yun (Jack Ma), sitting beside Wang Zhidong, raised his glass.
“Boss, I never expected you to come. The industry sees you as its leader now.”
“Let’s drink to that.”
Privately, though, Ma Yun believed he would soon dominate the internet.
These current giants? Mere stepping stones.
Lei Jun (then a Kingsoft executive) felt like a nobody.
Despite his role, he lacked the fame of Qiu Bojun (Kingsoft’s CEO).
Surrounded by legends, he was practically invisible.
Watching Li Mo effortlessly command the room, Lei Jun burned with envy.
His was rising, but compared to Ma Yun or 8848’s Wang Juntao?
It was nothing.
Then, to his shock, Li Mo raised a glass directly at him.
“Xiaojun, among all these luminaries, you’re the one I believe in most.”
“I’ll toast you first.”
Lei Jun’s eyes welled up.
This felt surreal.
Li Mo, a titan of capital, singling him out for respect?
“Chairman Mo, I’ll drink it all!”
He downed a full glass of baijiu, earning applause.
Qiu Bojun joined in.
“Seems Chairman Mo has a soft spot for Lei Jun.”
“If he ever leaves Kingsoft, I’ll send him your way first.”
“Your advice on ‘Swordsman Online’ revitalized us. I toast you.”
Wang Zhidong perked up. “What advice?”
Qiu Bojun smirked after drinking. “Trade secrets. Can’t say.”
(Everyone knew NetEase was entering gaming, no need to help rivals like Shanda.)
Wang Zhidong teased, “So stingy. Like I’d steal your market.”
Laughter followed, but the undercurrent was clear:
The internet was a battleground.
Every “friend” here was a competitor.
Then, Ma Huateng seized his moment.
“Senior Ding, it’s been a while.”
Ding Lei smiled. “You’ve gained weight since we last met.”
“I regret not investing in Tencent. Any chance to buy in now?”
(Truthfully, Ding Lei still doubted Tencent’s longevity. But if Li Mo backed it, maybe he’d missed something.)
Ma Huateng’s reply was velvet-coated steel:
“Too late, Senior. You could’ve had the majority stake back then.”
“Now, Tencent belongs solely to Chairman Mo.”
“And with nearly 10 million users? The price isn’t what it was.”
The “Five Tigers” of Tencent straightened with pride.
Finally, their moment in the sun.
Ma Yun (Jack Ma) asked innocently:
“So how’s EasyTalk QQ doing? I hear their SIM cards are everywhere.”
“What’s the revenue like?”
Ma Huateng suppressed a grin.
Time to humble the doubters, especially Ding Lei.
“Oh, just average.”
“At this growth rate? Maybe a few billion yuan a year.”
(With EasyTalk’s backing, this wasn’t an exaggeration.)
The table fell silent.
Even Liu Pingping’s heart raced.
She’d had no idea Li Mo’s EasyTalk QQ was this monstrous.