Chat room

"Li Nan, wait, there's one more thing."

Li Nan was about to leave when Chen Yu stopped him.

"Boss Chen, what is it?"

"Um, well, how long would it take for you to develop an instant messaging platform?"

"Boss Chen, are you really planning to create an instant messaging platform?"

Li Nan was thrilled. He knew that Chen Yu wouldn't stick with running game websites forever. It wasn't that game websites had no future, but even if they did, it couldn't compare to the potential of instant messaging.

"Well, give it a try. But our approach will be a bit different from the typical instant messaging platforms."

"Boss Chen, can you tell me more about your ideas?"

"This... It's not the right time to explain just yet."

"The technology for instant messaging isn't very challenging. I could develop it in a day."

"Really?"

Chen Yu was astonished. "You can create it in a day? Are you a genius?"

"Haha, Boss Chen, don't forget, I was part of the development team for UC. I have the source code."

"UC's source code?"

Chen Yu was surprised. "Isn't UC Sina's property?"

"Sina showed initial interest in investment, but later, Tencent became too powerful, and our UC project failed. Afterward, Sina wanted to develop their own platform, and our UC team disbanded. The source code eventually became my personal property."

"Are there no copyright issues?"

"I can assure you, there are no issues. The source code belongs entirely to me now."

"Great, the company will buy your UC source code for 100,000 yuan."

"Boss Chen, that's too much."

"No problem. You've given me a pleasant surprise. I thought it would take months to achieve this. Since you have the UC source code, that's wonderful. When you modify the source code, add a completely new feature."

"What feature?"

"A chat room."

Li Nan was puzzled. "Adding a chat room to instant messaging? Isn't that a technological step backward? Moreover, with instant messaging, we might not need a chat room."

In the early days of the internet, forums and chat rooms were popular. Everyone has used a forum at some point. As for chat rooms, they were somewhat similar to today's live streaming rooms. The difference is that modern live streaming rooms are audiovisual, but early chat rooms were text-based.

People would enter a chat room based on a particular topic and engage in wide-ranging discussions. However, with the advent of instant messaging, chat rooms began to decline. For Li Nan, adding a chat room to instant messaging felt like a technological regression.

"From a technical standpoint, it might seem like a step backward, but instant messaging isn't the entirety of social interaction. While chat rooms may gradually be replaced by instant messaging, there are still many situations where instant messaging cannot substitute chat rooms. You should create it first, and you'll understand its effectiveness when it's ready. Of course, complete the guild system first."

"Yes, Boss Chen."

Even though he was still perplexed, Li Nan acknowledged Chen Yu's wisdom: sometimes, you have to see the results firsthand.

...

Sohu Games Division.

Sohu, one of the four major web portals, couldn't sit idly by when they saw NetEase's roaring success in the gaming industry. Zhang Chaoyang, an old hand in the industry, established Sohu Games Division to enter the realm of online gaming.

However, they had a different approach from NetEase. While Sohu did produce its own games, it also aimed to build a gaming portal. Since Sohu had its roots in the web portal business, Zhang Chaoyang understood the importance of having a portal.

By managing both game production and promotion in-house, Sohu had a better chance of success. For this reason, they quickly acquired 17173.

Of course, their initial plan was to purchase 5173, but after some consideration, they realized it wasn't cost-effective. After all, the 2000 dot-com bubble left Sohu financially strained, and they had to find new ways to make money, including entering the gaming industry. Given this situation, it made more sense to acquire 17173, which was experienced but didn't require a significant investment.

Leveraging the traffic from the Sohu portal, 17173 could undoubtedly overtake 5173 quickly.

Currently, Gu Yongqiang was in charge of Sohu's Games Division. He went to Australia for studies at the age of 14 and later gained admission to the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in economics. After graduation, he worked at Bain Capital for some time and then returned to China, joining Fortune Investment, where he gained recognition in the investment sector. In 1998, Gu Yongqiang began to focus on the internet and came into contact with Zhang Chaoyang of Sohu. Initially, Gu Yongqiang had considered investing in Sohu, but Zhang Chaoyang saw the potential in their partnership. He suggested, "Why invest in me when you can become the CEO of Sohu directly?"

With Gu Yongqiang's involvement and his background in capital, Sohu rapidly expanded and promptly went public in the United States.

The establishment of Sohu's online gaming division, and the appointment of Gu Yongqiang, reflected Sohu's strong commitment to the online gaming industry.

"Boss Gu, I never expected 5173 to react so quickly."

"We've barely signed the contract, and 5173 is already bombarding various websites with advertisements."

"At this rate, it's going to be challenging for 17173 to make a comeback."

The speaker was Cai Zongjian, the founder of 17173. Cai, wearing glasses, had a refined appearance. Originally just a gaming enthusiast, he initially started 17173 as a hobby.

Cai enjoyed collecting information about online games, but as 17173's traffic grew, he realized that his hobby could become a full-time occupation. Unfortunately, 17173 didn't last long before 5173 emerged and took the lead.

With limited funds, Cai Zongjian quickly lost in the competition with 5173. When 17173 was acquired by Sohu, he had hoped to leverage Sohu's portal site traffic to quickly overtake 5173. However, before they could make a move, 5173 swiftly struck back.

"Little Cai, I investigated 5173, and they don't have much money for advertising. At most, they can keep this up for a week before running out of funds."

"But we're in a bit of a passive position. Their advertising slogans are so shameless, claiming to be the number one gaming portal when it's still unclear who's first and second."

"Don't worry about those details. When their funds run dry, our brand-new gaming channel will officially launch."

"Alright."

Cai Zongjian nodded and then asked, "By the way, Boss Gu, I heard 5173 is also running ads on our Sohu?"

"That's true."

"Isn't that irritating? Do they expect Sohu to run their ads too?"

"It is indeed frustrating."

Gu Yongqiang chuckled and said, "But this level of annoyance isn't a big deal. I've allowed our advertising department to accept it."

"Oh, Boss Gu, you're actually running their ads?"

"Money is money, whether it's handed to us on a silver platter or not. Besides, how long can they keep it up? Don't worry, 5173 is just a small website. With Sohu's resources, it won't be a challenge to outdo them."

Gu Yongqiang patted Cai Zongjian on the shoulder and leisurely sipped his tea.