Disruptive model, starting with micro-innovation

"I think I envy Ma Yun because he can spend a lot of time speaking outside." But I can't do it because I have to spend a lot of time inside the enterprise. "As the best product manager of China's internet," Zhou, after the listing of the company still remains the same as before, still in the specific details of a product, to the product team in a row.

And just before the reporter interviewed Zhou, he also in the company conference room hands-on teaching disciple: "I am still in charge of a lot of products, but this is my training in the company's internal team a way." In fact, I just have to do with them to do products, hands-on to take them, this is the same as Master apprentice. ”

The Zhou from the conference room showed a weary appearance, and the dialogue between the reporters unfolded in his hoarse voice.

Free mode requires a process

Reporter: Qihoo 360, Baidu, Tencent are relying on a basic service to obtain a large number of users, from the absolute number of users, 360 compared to Tencent and Baidu are not big difference, but the income gap is quite large. What do you think about that?

Zhou: I believe that Baidu and Tencent were also not optimistic, but the growth of Bai income, the market value of tens of billions of of the company, is entirely because they have a huge number of users. In the Internet market share of more than 80% or 90%, there are hundreds of millions of users to do the basis, which is the source of income protection. Compared with them, 360 started late 7-8 years. Converting huge users into revenue, 360 has just been done for two years. 360 in 4 years time to accumulate Tencent, Baidu almost 10 years to accumulate to the user, more than 400 million of the user size. It is also the last two years that we have gradually considered how to convert our user base into revenue. I firmly believe that the company's services to do, and constantly increase the stickiness of users, there are many opportunities to convert user traffic into revenue. But companies can't do a lot of things at the same time. So, now we're going to change the flow of the browser. On the one hand is the website navigation, on the one hand is the webpage game. In fact, I think the prospect of 360 revenue is much more than these two items, but we need to step forward.

Journalist: 360 The main source of income is the Web site navigation and web game two, in addition to what other aspects can get income?

Zhou: I actually rarely consider the company's income, I still firmly believe that when there is a user base, with a very good user experience, you can bring different products come in, grafting different business models. So I'm not worried about income. As long as we have an ever-growing stable user base, we can, like Tencent, constantly introduce new service patterns and product models.

But our products and Tencent has a difference: Tencent belongs to the production of its own, do a lot of product mode and service mode grafting in the user group, and we are using the open platform model, and others to cooperate. This means that any internet vendor in China or the United States, his user-friendly product and business model, can be grafted onto our platform. In the future, our income will have a variety of performance.

Micro-innovation stems from the small needs of users

Reporter: You have been 360 of the business model summed up as "micro-innovation", can it be understood as organic innovation?

Zhou: Not really, I speak of micro-innovation is a methodology. We are all eager to innovate, but also want to do a big revolution, do a big subversion, but the city of Rome is not a day of work. Especially for many startups, you have great ideals and don't have the resources to engage in disruptive innovation overnight. So many startups in China should continue to make small improvements from the perspective of user experience. Small improvements may not work for a short period of time, but you have to do it continuously and continuously in one area. Through the accumulation of dribs and drabs, finally, may improve very much.

Therefore, I mention micro-innovation, in fact, from the user, for the user to solve the problem of a thinking, rather than behind closed doors, to create a special cow technology. If this technology can not find to create value for users of the landing, in fact, is meaningless.

Reporter: 360 when the new product, is from one product to another product, is equal to from zero, micro-innovation how to stay?

Zhou: When we make new products, we also use the philosophy of micro-innovation. Sometimes, you think I should do something because business needs. This may be too far from the user, often not very successful. So, the real innovation is to start with the user. For example, we do the software housekeeper, not we want to layout, but because a lot of users use 360, he will also recruit, because he went to download the software, many download stations will be put on the Trojan horse. Security software will not work. To solve this problem, we thought, why not provide a software that helps users download other software cleanly and securely? In fact, all subversive innovation begins with micro-innovation.

Interviewer: Is it possible to understand that when users use an existing product, you find a new requirement in it?

Zhou: Not necessarily. Users may have some kind of demand when using our own products, or they may be using other people's products. Micro-innovation, which includes both small steps to run, also includes a user-point of view. A lot of people think that a single user is very small, and therefore less attention to individual users. The idea of a user is very small, but if many users have similar ideas, it may be a big idea.

Reporter: How to judge a user's small idea is universal?

Zhou: First of all, we're not going to judge by just one user, we may find a lot of users to do the communication, and secondly, I am not necessarily able to accurately judge, experience in the middle will also play a role; third, micro-innovation is not a micro-spirit, you may have to keep trying.

So I propose, micro-innovation also don't put too much, do not be perfect. You can make a prototype and then experiment. If this thing has a market and feedback, you can optimize it. If not, the idea may prove wrong. Many things are trial and error, this is the philosophy of micro-innovation, do not fear failure.

Journalist: What is the core element that supports the 360 mode of successful landing and advancing with the times?

Zhou: 360 The goal is to become an Internet platform company. Most importantly, it provides a free, user-strong security service that enables it to build a strong user base. On the basis of users, we can introduce different business models. For example, we have a browser, I can do online games, but I have a browser today, with the desktop, with the software housekeeper, you can build an open platform to bring many partners in, through their products, the huge user base and traffic into revenue. The second core element is the idea of micro-innovation. Micro-innovation is also a user-centered, from the user to continuously improve the product. This micro-innovation allows 360 to continually identify user demand points.

Product development Avoid wide net

Reporter: Many companies in the development of new products, deliberately cultivated projects did not get up, inadvertently inserted willow project is growing rapidly, Qihoo 360 has had such an experience, this does not mean that enterprises do new product development to a wide net?

Zhou: I don't think so. The capital and manpower of any enterprise are limited. The strategy of wide-net, it is better to invest more small companies outside. Because within the enterprise, there are not many leaders who can lead a product. So it is wrong to cast a net.

Journalist: If the net is not wide enough, how can we ensure that there are new and strong growth points in the future?

Zhou: Many enterprises deliberately cultivated projects did not work, inadvertently inserted willow project and grow very well, precisely because the enterprise sometimes their own ideas too much, put too much resources, and finally violated the concept of micro-innovation, mainly not from the user.

Do not lose entrepreneurial mentality after listing

Reporter: Qihoo 360 on the market for a year, what is your biggest headache?

Zhou: A lot of people think I am the most headache stock price, actually I do not look at the share price. If someone had shorted us, I would have been too lazy to talk to others. My biggest headache is whether the enterprise can maintain innovative thinking, innovative vitality and the executive power of entrepreneurship. However, after the listing, the company is big, from hundreds of people to thousands of people, business is also more, there are many people inevitable mentality will change. Many people unconsciously think we are big companies, this kind of thought is imperceptible, this is in the subconscious.

Reporter: Including outside the evaluation of you, you will have a strange feeling ...

Zhou: You're right, the outside world will give you a lot of high hats. At this time, in the company, we must spare no effort to instill, we are still a start-up enterprise. At the same time, to fight the kind of culture that lies in the past. In the financial, corporate governance in accordance with the standards of listed companies, but in doing products, do business, to maintain the mentality of the start-up company. It is a problem for every listed company to continue to keep the style of not afraid of making mistakes, daring to try, daring to innovate and daring to take risks.

Reporter: 360 of the employees before and after the listing, what changes?

Zhou: There must be a change. Some of the old staff, will certainly imposes, some people think that after a few years can retire, there is no motivation to continue to struggle, and some employees, feel the company listed, Rich, no longer like the tight before the listing. The past is a small company's path, now big is not to spread more, you can use the way of large companies to work? There are people who came in after the listing, he felt that this is a large enterprise, to do a more stable and secure work, the mentality of the job is more heavy.

From the staff point of view, these ideas are correct, but such a lot of ideas, corporate culture is a kind of erosion, is a kind of injury. The first anniversary of the listing, the company to do some adjustment, including business adjustments and personnel adjustments. I want to let employees feel the pressure again, to have a sense of crisis. I know it's hard, but if it doesn't, the company sees it as an end, and that's it.

Reporter: If you really met imposes, how do you deal with it?

Zhou: That's easy. Some people do also do a few years, for the company's contribution, but also got a lot of stock options, in the economic interests, give him a lot of protection. Some people retire, he does not necessarily take the position of leadership, he may retreat from the position of leadership, he can be a consultant, can do some work. Vacate the space we want to give to the younger backbone.