Mark Zuckerberg is a prime example of someone who started strong but declined, once enjoying unparalleled glory.
He became a super-rich individual at a young age, shining like a meteor, and was once hailed as the "second Gates."
He founded Facebook in his early 20s, and in the third round of financing that just concluded, the website's valuation had already reached 15 billion US dollars.
He was a definite winner in life, the youngest billionaire globally.
At this age, Zuckerberg was relatively calm, not as detestable as he would become a few years later.
A few years later, this guy first hyped up the concept of the metaverse, then proceeded with various slanders, libels, and denunciations.
Finally, he completely darkened, stating at a US congressional hearing:
"It is well-established that tech companies 'steal technology.'"
The day after the hearing, news broke that TikTok was banned from operating in the United States.
At that time, Apple, Google, and Amazon were all there, but only Zuckerberg said so.
This guy's reputation in the US later wasn't very good, and he was even named "Villain of the Year" by a related magazine.
While in college, he was disciplined for directly stealing his ex-girlfriend's photos and posting them online after they broke up.
Originally, three people had agreed to start a business together, but unexpectedly, he pulled a stunt midway, forming Facebook with others.
He eventually spent 65 million US dollars to escape a plagiarism scandal.
As Facebook grew, cracks appeared with his partners.
Zuckerberg began to play dirty, continuously raising funds, diluting shares, and ultimately kicking his partners out.
His partners then sued him, and he again used money to settle the matter.
Later, he pretended to be friendly, but turned hostile after being rejected.
It's ironic that he used to constantly talk about being a "Chinese son-in-law," pretending to learn Chinese, visiting the Great Wall, and jogging in Tiananmen Square.
He violated user privacy, leading to information leaks, manipulated elections, and even nearly grew into a cyborg.
Ultimately, Chen Pingjiang didn't show up at all, sending Li Xi to negotiate the access cooperation.
It's inherently a third-party interface; most partners apply directly online.
Chen Pingjiang sending Li Xi personally to make contact sufficiently showed his sincerity.
As long as Renren, a giant in the social gaming industry, stepped in, there would be nothing left for Zynga.
The latter was once hailed as the most successful social gaming company, with a peak valuation of 9 billion US dollars and annual net profits as high as 400 million.
It was only acquired after the decline of social games.
By the way, Zynga once copied Happy Farm and put it on Facebook, and it became incredibly popular.
...
Li Xi, Bu Housheng, and some other accompanying personnel all rushed to San Francisco.
Bu Housheng's trip was to negotiate investment matters with Twitter, while Li Xi was going to Menlo Park, next to San Francisco, where Facebook's headquarters are located.
What about Chen Pingjiang?
He, along with Guan Yifeng and Li Fu, drove to Dingpangzi Plaza.
As the first stop for migrant workers, this place would become very popular in the future, a sacred place in the hearts of a certain group.
Upon arrival, Guan Yifeng and Li Fu wondered what was so special about this dilapidated and low-rise commercial complex.
Couldn't any random one in China be better than it?
Chen Pingjiang didn't explain, but circled Dingpangzi Plaza with great interest.
It was filled with Chinese restaurants, hotels, and internet cafes.
"I wonder what Gold Medal Lecturer and Donut are doing now,"
Chen Pingjiang murmured.
These two were his most cherished electronic pets in his previous life.
The Lecturer's catchphrase was:
"Brothers, it's time to eat again today."
Donut was miserable, even getting puffs stuffed into her by Laomo.
The group soon went to Chinatown for a stroll.
Just then, Li Xi called, saying that Zuckerberg wanted to meet him.
Chen Pingjiang was momentarily stunned.
Meet me?
So, the group rushed towards Menlo Park again.
Menlo Park is the famous San Francisco Bay Area.
From Los Angeles, it's just over two hours' drive, more than 300 kilometers.
Upon arriving at Facebook headquarters, Li Xi immediately came over to greet them.
"Boss, the cooperation has been settled. Our independent studio in the US will be the main entity, and after deducting all operating expenses, it's 7 for us and 3 for them."
Chen Pingjiang nodded and asked curiously,
"What did Zuckerberg say to you?"
"He basically meant that Facebook and we are both world-renowned SNS companies, and he wants to communicate with you face-to-face to discuss the future development path of SNS social websites."
Chen Pingjiang smiled meaningfully at this.
"We're completely unrelated, yet he wants to communicate? More like rivals."
Renren would never compete with Facebook overseas, but Zuckerberg now wanted to enter China.
Since you want to communicate with me, I'll trick you into a disadvantage.
Guided by a staff member, Chen Pingjiang met Zuckerberg in the conference room.
He was still wearing his signature attire.
"Hi, hello, Chen,"
Zuckerberg enthusiastically walked up and shook Chen Pingjiang's hand.
"Hello, my friend, it's a pleasure to meet you,"
Chen Pingjiang's expression was equally exaggerated.
After a few pointless small talks, Zuckerberg changed the subject:
"Chen, what are your thoughts on social websites, and where is our future?"
Chen Pingjiang shrugged:
"Social websites can at most operate as a mature product. If a company wants its market value to increase and become even greater, it still needs new growth points."
"Oh? Could you share your ideas?"
"Of course!"
Chen Pingjiang began to babble:
"I believe that when technology develops to a certain extent, humans can use digital technology to build a virtual world that mirrors or transcends the real world."
"In the virtual world, people can engage in a series of immersive experiences through VR or AR technology, including but not limited to browsing products, watching movies, and experiencing everything that exists in the real world."
"The concept of this platform is grand and contains infinite business opportunities. Imagine, in that world, we could be filmmakers, showing movies to users and collecting tickets; we could let many e-commerce sellers supply goods, and people could browse online."
Chen Pingjiang gesticulated and vividly described scenarios related to the metaverse, leaving Zuckerberg stunned.
"Buddy, your vision is quite amazing, but is it possible to achieve?"
"Why not?"
Chen Pingjiang smiled:
"How long has the internet been around? We're already in the 3G era. When 4G and 5G arrive, with internet speed keeping up, VR and AR devices will also start to emerge. If we don't prepare now, it will be too late when others enter the market."
Zuckerberg himself was particularly interested in the concept of a virtual world, and after Chen Pingjiang's persuasion, his eyes gradually lit up.
It was as if Chen Pingjiang had spoken directly to his heart.
The metaverse project was jokingly called "make mark happy," meant to entertain him.
When the concept emerged, many people in China went crazy, but it was ultimately proven to be far off and merely a means of hype.
Since that's the case, Chen Pingjiang decided to accelerate it for him.
It doesn't matter if he doesn't believe it now; Bitcoin will appear early next year.
By then, will Zuckerberg still not believe it?
(End of Chapter)