From portal to search: Jerry Yang faces Yahoo for 10 years

Intermediary transaction SEO diagnosis Taobao guest Cloud host technology Hall

Does anyone still remember that greeting: "Do you Yahoo!?" ”

Jerry Yang described the mood at the time: "The most pleasant thing is that you change the world every day, and you wake up every morning and ask, ' What am I up to?" Then you feel that if you don't go to work, Yahoo may go wrong and many people will be affected. ”

For Jerry Yang, he "Yahoo" every already contacted the network
People's Way of life, and, the impact will be accompanied by the popularity of the network more in-depth, more extensive: "We built a small site now every day there are hundreds of millions of people use, whenever thinking of these, is to say ' Wow! ' Even a shiver, it's a very wonderful feeling. ”

This must be a wonderful metaphor: Jerry (Jerry Yang's English name) first built for you a called "Yahoo! "Swimming pool, you were very happy at first, and you even played surfing. However, when the water level in the pool gradually rises to the point where you are out of control, Terry (Try Semer, Yahoo's current chairman and CEO) throws you a rope called "YST" (Yahoo search technology) to help you find the right direction, you can swim for free but I'm sorry, You must pay for this jump rope ashore.

Culture: from creativity to business

"The once-mediocre company has changed dramatically since he took over Yahoo, and he may have been the best manager after the dotcom bust," said Businessweek January 2004, who rated Try Semer as one of the best managers of the 2003. Semel joined Yahoo on May 1 three years ago, in order to prove to those who questioned him that I "can do", simply from Amoy to buy 1 million shares of 17 U.S. dollars per share of Yahoo Ordinary shares, so far, Semel investment in their own money has increased nearly three times times.

Before joining Yahoo, Semel was chairman and co-CEO of Warner Bros., and Warner Bros. and Yahoo were two completely different corporate cultures, and Semel did revolutionize Yahoo's corporate culture, and the free discussion and academic atmosphere that had made Yahoo so glorious in the past had ceased to exist, Employees with speculative actions are required to demonstrate the rationality of their business and the effectiveness of their work.

Yahoo managers in the past always spend hours on a variety of discussions, resulting in hundreds of of ideas, often in a hasty discussion after the implementation, but in the Semel era, if you do not advance this creative design is very comprehensive, will be Semel "shot" off, even if the Semel accepted, The idea has to undergo a series of rigorous testing and analysis to obtain final approval.

"Yahoo is the Web", the leader of the young company has had snub customer behavior, Semel to this abhorrence, "Although Yahoo did a lot of the right things, will produce ' I invented all this" feeling. But now we're going to have to find someone who doesn't feel that way. "Semel has replaced half of Yahoo's sales and 44% managers with experienced people, shrinking 44 departments into 6 departments," he said.

Under Semel, Yahoo's profits rose 470% per cent in 2003 to $245 million trillion, sales rose 57% to 1.5 billion dollars, and company stocks recovered to more than $40 a share. At the end of March 31, 2004, the financial quarter, Yahoo, the amount of 497.9 million U.S. dollars, earnings per share of 11 cents.

Find the target and cheer, "Yahoo!. "The original idea is now a business that is" humble, quiet and willing to cooperate with others in an area of not knowing.

Business from portal to search

Come to the right place at the right time. This is the reason Yahoo has stood out from the past 10 years ago and has been able to succeed again in ten years. In 1994, Jerry Yang and his start-up partner, Filo, created what was known as "Jerry and David's web guide." "Now, Yahoo's hundreds of engineers, integrated polished yst (Yahoo search technology) has become one of the world's two top web search engines."

At the end of 2003, 3721 companies in Hong Kong, targeted at the large number of enterprises, the potential of a huge Chinese market, is the first step of yst technology localization, at present, Yahoo China, Yahoo Taiwan and 3721 Regional Bar search has also officially launched Yst Yahoo search technology, the new Yahoo (China) President Zhou ambitious that his goal is to make Yahoo Yst more than Google within three years.

The search business has become one of Yahoo's fastest-growing businesses, with One-third of the online business and all operations in the offline business coming from search.

In addition to the search for the global hotspot, Yahoo in 2002 to buy 436 million U.S. dollars job site Hot Jobs, now its revenue has reached 80 million U.S. dollars, Yahoo's instant messenger software "Yahoo Pass" ranked 3rd in the global market, after MSN and aol;2003 year Yahoo also launched a "Yahoo Pass "Enterprise version 2.0, Yahoo also works with the telephone giant SBC Communications, the development of broadband services products Platinum Yahoo contains a range of fee-based services, such as video playback, online games, e-mail and data center, with the old rival AOL began fierce competition."

The future of Yahoo is a digital world, relying on online advertising profitable business model into paid search, online advertising, fee booking, broadband access and online job search.

China: From distant view to close

Although Mr Yang does not believe that Yahoo (China) has "failed" since entering China in 1998, the first phase of Yahoo (China), compared to China's Internet portals such as Sina and Sohu, is more like a quiet bystander, Yahoo, the equivalent of the portal concept, has suffered an unprecedented hit in China's web portal, even though it has reaped abundant fruits in Asia, Japan and South Korea, and the mainland China market, the Taiwanese and Hong Kong licensed Chinese areas are not to be underestimated. But the CEOs of Chinese websites talk about rivals even when they say, "Yahoo?" You can not consider it. ”

But after five years of silence, the High-profile visit to China's Yahoo team announced a new strategy for the Chinese region, after the purchase of Hong Kong 3721 stake and a joint venture with Sina Online auction site, Yahoo has in fact started a number of fronts in the Chinese market for localization raiders, these initiatives are Yahoo new operating mode opened , whether it was Yahoo Chief Jerry Yang or a refreshing Yahoo culture Semerdu repeatedly stressed "to us that China's market is a marathon, the vision to put to 10 years, 20 years of vision, Yahoo China has just begun, the future Yahoo China will seek more in-depth local market strategic cooperation mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, Self-built, Any form is possible. ”

After coming to China for the first time a few years ago to participate in the Fortune Forum, Mr. Yang said that "Yahoo has really accelerated its business process in China last year." Acquiring 3721 is a great opportunity to enrich our technology in search. And Sina to form a joint venture auction company, because China's e-commerce market is only just beginning, Yahoo's global brand, auction technology advantages, the leading auction platform and Sina's understanding of the domestic market and the huge flow of the market to ensure that we have a great success. ”

Yahoo Asia managing director Guan Zhongyuan said the past four years is Yahoo (China) "quietly work" four years. And in Yahoo's new global map, China has become the most critical and top priority market. "Yahoo (China) is starting rather than restarting. ”

Interview

Q: Although Yahoo has entered China very early, but has not attached great importance to the market, now is there any concrete plans to make Yahoo in China and its position in the Internet market match?

Jerry Yang: Even when we first entered China three or four years ago, I have also said that the Chinese market must be treated with a long-term attitude, but the market will not be fully mature in the near future, so the best time of the Chinese market will surely be in the coming years – of course, we have not done nothing in the past four decades, at least, we have known the Chinese market , know what to do and how to do, the most important investment is me and Yahoo's long-term confidence in China, Yahoo all high-level visit to China, not only that we want to communicate with this market, but also to explain our understanding of the market deepened.

Q: Can you describe Yahoo's forecasts for this year, especially from China?

Semel: I think what you really want to know is my prediction of China, Yahoo's opportunity in China may be the same as its development opportunities in the United States, perhaps 18 months later, if possible, of course, better. We already have two of searches and auctions in China, and we choose products that we judge will become very popular, provided they are already prevalent in other parts of Asia.

Q: When the Internet, telecommunications, radio and television network in the entertainment information consumption market, Yahoo for the future of Internet entertainment to take what kind of business model and service mode?

Jerry Yang: I believe that entertainment information consumption is a great opportunity for the Internet, and China has actually done a great job, such as online games. Yahoo in many countries, music sites, video and video sites are very potential entertainment services, there is no doubt that the internet to expand music sales, music sharing, with the further development of broadband, many opportunities will be created, all entertainment will be covered by the Internet. We very much hope that the use of the Internet's unique capabilities and skills, the use of interactive Internet to create a new path to further expand the entertainment consumption. Many internet users have turned their entertainment time from traditional media to Internet entertainment, which is still an early stage and will be a wonderful future.

Q: What's the role of Yahoo, Jerry, and Semel, which is now in the same position? Would jerry consider buying a piece of land on a small island to build a wooden house, leaving Yahoo's specifics?

Semel: When Jerry asked me to be CEO, I made one request: When Terry worked hard, Jerry had to work hard as Terry did-so from my point of view, I wouldn't let Jerry Yang go to a small island for a relaxing life. We have established a very good working relationship and I am happy to work with him, Jerry is the chief of Yahoo, but I ask him to work as hard as the entire management team of Yahoo.

Jerry Yang: Terry answered me, as an entrepreneur, I think the best time in ten years is with Semel and these elite managers spent three years, three years is Yahoo total three years, to this step I personally really very happy, very excited.

As to whether I would transfer my love of Yahoo to something else, I think Semel is right, I have to continue to work hard, but I personally feel the trend of the Internet, the next 10 years will be Yahoo's best decade, is the last ten years we talk about the prospects of the full explosion of those moments-I have been suffering for 10 years , I have to work harder for a more brilliant decade to come, but my job is to keep Yahoo's momentum moving forward.

Q: Yahoo pays for a click-Search model in the US, and when do you think it will mature in China? In the next few years, there will be the application of Internet models in China mature?

Jerry Yang: Yahoo now has two different models, one is advertising, one is Yst search, I think, the mode of charging requires the market to achieve a certain level of maturity, the United States market charges are due to the needs of users. The maturity of paid search in China requires the further increase of netizens, as well as Internet users can easily and safely pay the bill, China's financial industry in recent years has been a great development, credit card gradually accepted, the payment environment has been greatly improved, which is also our active entry into the field of E-commerce, and Sina to carry out auction cooperation impetus.

Q: The core of the internet is consumer, technology and content, Yahoo China has a what kind of internal strategy to deal with other Chinese portals?

Semel: From Yahoo business to today, any pattern we experience, in any country in which we do business, is facing a competitor, a year ago, Yahoo was barely in the search field, but last year, or exactly 18 months ago, we began to become very powerful in the search field- Not only have developed excellent search technology, but also the ability to make this technology into cash, become a profitable way. This is just the beginning of Yahoo in different countries around the world to adopt different strategies, in the past two or three years, we have adopted different strategies, we will not put the very successful experience in other countries and Yahoo's resources in the world into China, we know that China now has a lot of very good companies, I believe through acquisitions, Self-built or joint venture Yahoo will also be good in China.

Q: Culture plays an important role in the Internet, so it has become a huge obstacle for internet companies to expand their territory, how does Yahoo understand Chinese culture?

Semel: I have great respect for Chinese culture and respect for the Chinese people, each country has different culture and different needs, in fact, our business in each country is very unique, different, very specific, very targeted, at present is consistent with the local culture. The same is true in China, which does not copy business or content in the UK to China, but uses it as a local product.

Q: What is the biggest gain in 10 years of entrepreneurship? What is the current state of life?

Jerry Yang: A decade ago when the entrepreneurial time is a sprint, the current state of life is running marathons, now really think more time than do, more energy spent on long-term strategy.

Q: What is the difference between Warner and Yahoo?

Semel: I would most like to apply my previous work experience to my next job, three years ago, Jerry invited me to Yahoo, I think in Yahoo three years is the most exciting time in my career, Warner Brothers and Yahoo have a lot in common and there are many differences, Yahoo is an internet brand, there are many consumers , it must develop a strong ability in marketing, and it must integrate different products and services for different markets. I work in Warner is responsible for film distribution, Yahoo actually on the internet also has a lot of distribution companies, these distribution companies have a large customer base, from this point of view of a media product marketing to customers is the common ground.

Q: We know that American internet companies in China are not very good, Yahoo how to integrate local resources?

Semel: On a global scale, we do have a lot of competition with some companies, but I think Yahoo has been very successful in the past two years, the strategy is very consistent, through the purchase, build, partnership three ways to achieve expansion, Yahoo will not do everything to do we must have a focus, Selectively enter areas where they have an advantage.

Q: How to view Yahoo's entry into China for four years of "failure"?

Jerry Yang: I don't agree with the word "failure", the market is changing very quickly, whether Yahoo itself or China's Internet is still at the beginning of the initial stage, three or four years can only be counted for a very short period of time, in the past few years, we can only do the decision at that time, objectively looking at entrepreneurship this decade, I think Yahoo did not commit any particular major strategic mistakes , I can't control the rise in stocks, but the number of users in Yahoo is growing every year.

As I said, we must look at the market in the long term, especially for China, because the market is changing, the technology is changing, the policy is changing, and my personality is a typical entrepreneurial spirit, everything looks forward, now the whole world is looking at China, I believe our ability.

Q: Yahoo in China focused on the development of search, auction and e-mail, but the Chinese market is the key word SMS, China's three major portals by text to get a fundamental change, Yahoo will not do this business in the future?

Jerry Yang: In addition to China, Europe, the United States and other parts of Asia, there is no new telecom operators and network service providers in the form of contract cooperation mode, SMS is indeed a very special product in the Chinese market. We have to make choices in any business, the reason to choose Search and E-commerce is because other regions prove that the model works, their market size itself is large enough, in other words, SMS is actually an information channel, Yahoo now does not enter does not mean that we in the future of the broadband era will not enter.