Charles Zhang recalls entrepreneurship: Sohu Sina has considered merging

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Sohu CEO Charles Zhang

Sina Science and technology news February 1 morning, Sohu CEO Charles Zhang, click Technology CEO Zhidong last night to participate in the Financial Museum Academy of "Lake" salon activities, and in the scene to share the early Internet business story, Charles Zhang revealed that Sohu and Sina had a chance to merge, and he was through the early start of a grass ship borrow arrows propaganda, It positioned Sohu early market brand propaganda strategy.

The following is Zhang in the scene to share some content, because the original text is longer, Sina technology has excerpts and deletions:

The origin of the propaganda of the grass ship borrowed arrows

Before 95, I did postdoctoral research at MIT in the United States, when many students in the United States feel very lonely, early marriage and stable life, daily home or go to the laboratory to study, and soon got a PhD. Unlike them, I spent a lot of time playing on it, which led me to take a PhD for a long time, but bad things turned out to be good.

Because I waited for the internet. At that time, the Chinese people in the United States is the half-cooked stage of subculture, I realized that in the United States, and I think the internet is too great, so I want to go home. At the end of 95 China was also considered a very backward third world country, when it was a crazy thing to return home. At the end of 95, I returned home with a 1000-dollar one-month salary with a broken box.

But when I returned home to help friends do online financial services, the specific model is to search financial information to Wall Street, then in Poland, Russia, China, India have a branch to collect the world's economic information to the Wall Street investment, the Internet is the transmission tool, the company referred to as ISI. I told this friend that I would help you for a year, but then I still have to start a business.

At the end of 96, I finally set up a shelf for ISI and I had to start my own business. I went to MIT to talk to some professors like Nikki Gropanti, the first financing success was October 96, the first money more than 200,000 dollars.

At that time at home to do Yinghai Granville Zhang is a journalist, like to do the market and publicity, want to "digital survival" of the author Negroponte Please come to China, at that time, the United States Professor of great Celebrity please come to China is a big thing. Someone told her I could invite, but she never believed, how Negroponte so great people will invest in me?

Later, for such a seminar, at that time, the electronics department held several seminars, Yinghai also pay special attention to this matter, they light market ministry convened 40 people to organize this thing, and special send a car to the airport to pick up Negroponte, and the message is, Negroponte to China is to Yinghai Granville Inspection, To China's digital wave publishing to create marketing results.

The reason why Negroponte came to China is to invest in me, he has invested the first, the second money has not cast, is to see how my company, but also his real intention to come to China. Then a friend said, "You only have a few people Yinghai Wei hundreds of people, why don't you use this opportunity?" I was enlightened, at that time basically the national media are present, I want to use this opportunity to let them publicize us.

The next day officially began, Negroponte into the Yinghai building, all the people lined up in a team, Zhang and Negroponte talk, the media has been filming. Then the speech began, they invited the Foreign Ministry translation, the more inaccurate translation, I saw the opportunity to stand up immediately said I help him translate, and then completely by my translation.

I talked to Negroponte emperor echoed, he said what I translate. Then someone asked, why did you come to China this time? Negroponte replied, "I first made an important investment, this investment is by Zhang Chaoyang, founder of the love letter company, I want to see how the company."

At that time all the media suddenly in an uproar, the next day, "China Economic Times" "Beijing Youth Daily" are reported, coupled with the effect of the scene, love letter is famous, I began a bit famous.

This is the basic grass boat to borrow the story of the Arrow, with 4 of people to mobilize the power of the Yinghai company 40 People's market power, Negroponte's visit has become China's first year of digitalization, the seminar and press conference opened the Chinese Internet popularization work.

After the Negroponte visit to China in February 97, because the business model is not right, the second half of the year Yinghai into the downhill. 97 love letter began to establish a business model, study the flow of what is going on, the first to get the original news, such as Xinhua news agency or some other novel monthly, magazine, later found that the simplest is to create a few links, resulting in the concept of navigation.

For this navigation concept I went to the United States, when Yahoo in the United States has just begun to become famous, I went to study Yahoo, the conclusion is that navigation with the key word search this thing people are not accustomed to, need to conduct a guided classification. 97 was the year that the whole business model was formed, and I wrote a business plan for one year. Products just began to name the compass, and later named after the search, but want to imitate Yahoo changed into Fox, February 25, 98 officially launched Sohu.

High expert advice Let me inherit the Zhang hype mode, Sohu launched the day I did hundreds of people's press conference, the inheritance Negroponte first visit China's hype model, Sohu launched the day is a household name.

Since then 98 years after sohu into the market and brand operations as the main strategy of the stage. At that time our press conference only spent 80,000 Yuan, and Yinghai Granville that Billboard "China Internet how far? 1500 meters" still stands, but the company is no longer, the most dazzling company is Sohu. The rise of Sina in 99 is something.

Historically, Sohu and Sina have considered merging

98 I ended the era of Zhang, 1999 and 2000 is the basic Sina and netease emergence, after listing the three portal era has been extended to 07 years. There are two other people. Robin Li and Ma are all related to me.

In 98, I went to the Silicon Valley to find someone, asked Robin Li to want to go back to do the internet, he said in Silicon Valley China Sohu did, so some Silicon Valley investors gave him investment. 99 I special fire, to Shenzhen by rock star type reception, the audience 700 people have MA, he listened to my story excited, went back to do Qicq.

At that time Gaoshengying held a technical meeting in Asia, the invitees were from China's high-tech industry. The 1998 meeting was held in Singapore, the participants have Lenovo Mary, Yashintian, China net Yeckyon (China Net 99 listed to reach the market value of 5 billion U.S. dollars, all the Chinese entrepreneurial passion to inspire all). And a sina.net of ginger in the American Chinese area, who wanted to enter mainland China but had not yet found a suitable method.

All of you Kennedy meeting Singapore, Goldman Sachs will be opened, I and Yeckyon, Ginger Harvest Coffee in the café. All two of them are enthusiastic, I don't speak very much. Ginger to go to the bathroom, Yeckyon said that Zhang, we merge, you do not merge with me I Will and Ginger harvest merger.

Then Yeckyon went to the bathroom, Jiang Fungnan said Zhang, we merged, a lot of people to my investment I refused, we merged to be the largest Chinese. Just now, Yeckyon out of the bathroom, the topic stopped. Although Yeckyon did not know how to do the website in China, but he gave me the condition is too preferential, so I told Jiang Fungnan that our board of foreigners is difficult to fix, he next time back to the United States can come with me to see our director.

I said a little fuss, not completely refused, but Ginger harvest is very positive. About a two weeks later I returned to Beijing, Ginger Harvest also immediately to Beijing, and I run a company chat, said you see our company how to merge. Noon to eat, I still indifferent, noncommittal. He was anxious, the same day three or four o'clock in the afternoon with Zhidong in Zhongguancun about meet.

98 of September Sohu Development has been in full swing, the four-way and only from France back Yan do a forum, zhidong they do not know how to do the Internet, he needs to tell them how to do the Web site ginger. Ginger Harvest three or four o'clock to Zhongguancun see Zhidong, Zhidong The merger, this is the emergence of Sina. I just didn't want to merge.

The merger of the Sina.net with the capital brought a lot of energy, first of all Goldman's money into, Sina financed 60 million of dollars. At the same time, the experience of the operation of Ginger Harvest, and Zhidong, Yan in the local operation of the ability to combine, together with their roots from Zhongguancun mixed up (Sina earlier than Sohu three months from Mii to qualify for listing), at the end of 98, the early 99 when Sina suddenly rise. Later Sohu and Sina also considered the merger, I and Zhidong in the Moon River Hotel conclave, but the final results we all know.

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