Reborn with Consumption System

Han Lie didn’t want to discuss ideology anymore, but Zhang Yiming and Zhang Lidong were excited and engaged in the conversation.

The ByteDance startup team is different from the current mainstream internet teams; none of them have overseas work experience, and their understanding of related issues is clearly not as deep as those returnees.

Having finally identified the root of the problem, they all wanted to thoroughly discuss it.

The next topic started to delve deeper and diverge.

Zhang Yiming sincerely spoke: "Conflicts between countries are too far from us, but Mr. Han’s analysis is still extremely important for our development plan.

The first point is that it completely dispelled the naive fantasy commonly found in our team and made us aware of the severity of the problem.

In the past, many colleagues felt that, ah, if we’re going to create, then we should give creators the utmost freedom, allowing them to express different opinions.

As for those negative voices, we should mainly guide them and avoid blanket suppression.

They’re not promoting anything obscene, just different in terms of cognition.

Initially, I also leaned towards this view, thinking that creators having their own stance is quite normal.

But now, we must be more vigilant.

The negative voices arising from cognitive differences are temporary, scattered, and easy to digest; we can easily resolve them without causing a major impact on the development of Toutiao.

However, if the uproar caused by those sensitive events is not due to a huge cognitive difference between different groups but is a result of longstanding deliberate agitation, then our preparation is definitely insufficient.

Our contingency plan has placed too much emphasis on the post-event handling of ’sudden events.’

Creating a huge impact and then cooling it down is a typical reactive approach, and in practical operation, it will definitely be pulled around, leading to hectic efforts.

Therefore, we need to develop a more flexible mechanism to build a firewall for Toutiao!

What do you all think? Please share your thoughts."

"Firstly, my attitude is—Toutiao must not become the headquarters for external cyber armies!"

Zhang Lidong voiced his stance resolutely, with a hint of frustration.

"Secondly, I’d like to ask Mr. Han for guidance. Based on your judgment, how long will this ideological conflict last? Is there any chance it might ease with a change in the next occupant of the White House? This will affect our strategic planning."

Ease?

Han Lie saw the expectation in their eyes and couldn’t help but give a cold chuckle.

What are you thinking?

The political naivety and indifference typical of tech guys are vividly embodied in you...

Actually, it’s understandable.

In essence, Zhang Yiming is just an idealist who wants to create great products and a great company; from start to finish, he neither cares about politics nor possesses the mind to deal with political issues.

——Everyone has strengths and weaknesses.

Hence, even when TikTok faced such difficulties, Zhang Yiming never personally sat in at TT but delegated Zhou Shouzi to handle it, navigating various factions in that country.

In reviewing all of Zhang Yiming’s behavior and remarks, his attitude towards politics is one of avoidance.

In fact, it’s a very smart approach——why participate in something you’re not good at?

Old Ma is different, though; he constantly tries to meddle in powers that aren’t his.

ByteDance’s success is greatly related to Zhang Yiming’s distance from government, a point Han Lie does not intend to change.

When running a business, just run a business; don’t overthink things that aren’t your concern.

However, one cannot be naive, nor can one be weak.

"Confrontation will undoubtedly be the norm in the future; that is beyond doubt."

Han Lie made the judgment with a very certain attitude.

"Suppressing and harvesting us will be the new generation’s beautiful dream in the coming decades.

Quantitative easing is their last ace, a move like the Seven-Injury Fist; once it’s initiated, it won’t stop until sufficient wealth is harvested, or it self-destructs.

They have already embarked on a path of no return; globally, which economy has the qualification to prolong their survival?

The answer is obvious.

The only variable is whether their main focus will always be on us.

This point remains uncertain.

Perhaps some external sudden change will occur, or internal conflicts will escalate sharply, causing their strategic focus to shift, giving us a rare breathing space.

Hence, Mr. Zhang, we shouldn’t rush to determine a specific strategy, scale, or standard.

There’s no need to abandon the plan due to fear.

We must learn to grasp the rhythm and seek development amid the cracks.

During the development phase when external pressure is relatively moderate, domestic controls will also relax accordingly, so we should appropriately increase incentives for creators’ freedom and release their enthusiasm, guided by data.

And during special periods when external pressure is strong and domestically all aspects are tense and difficult, we should promptly contract, strengthen self-examination and self-correction, guided by risk.

The platform’s development doesn’t need a strict pre-established standard; it can afford to be more flexible.

Of course, this is just my humble opinion, and the specific strategy still needs you to deliberate."

Beautiful!

Panzi and Hao Zi exchanged a sly glance, almost wanting to applaud Han Lie.

Han Lie’s words achieved three strategic goals.

Firstly, dispelled the opposition’s fantasy, clarified the ongoing crisis, and heightened ByteDance’s need for Han Lie.