Chapter 398: Tudou.com Reform Plan: Red-Blue CP, Yan Family

While the outside world reeled from the change of ownership of Tudou. com, Seeing Yan Li had already begun convening a senior management meeting.

He wasted no time; during the meeting, he directly purged Wang Wei's faction, removing several close aides and senior executives from the core decision-making circle or marginalizing them.

From a corporate management standpoint, Seeing Yan Li had just assumed power, and such drastic moves carried significant risk.

But after careful deliberation, Seeing Yan Li still decided to act.

Wang Wei's departure as founder would inevitably trigger massive turmoil within Tudou. com; seizing this opportunity, it was better to amplify the chaos and uproot everything at once.

No destruction, no creation—seize full control of Tudou. com in one stroke.

Otherwise, keeping these people around meant not only sabotage, but even passive resistance and low morale—hidden dangers that would drain resources and leave toxic legacies.

After clearing out Wang Wei's people, Seeing Yan Li began promoting his own allies and neutral senior executives.

He had an intelligence system and had already begun laying groundwork; he knew Tudou. com's senior leadership factions, personnel composition, and individual capabilities inside and out.

Some were promoted for merit but lacked ability—use them cautiously; some were indecisive—either pressure or appease them to make them comply; some were highly capable—give them heavy responsibility and win their loyalty; some were mediocre in skill but utterly loyal—rely on them as trusted confidants.

For Seeing Yan Li, seizing power from Wang Wei was easy; the real test was holding Tudou. com firmly and guiding it to thrive.

After the senior meeting ended, Seeing Yan Li gave Tudou. com's staff time to accept the reality, then invited shareholders like General Xiong and General Xu to dinner.

This power grab succeeded thanks to the shareholders' support—he had to show his gratitude.

Moreover, compared to Yi'an and Weibo, who held absolute stakes, Seeing Yan Li's own share in Tudou. com was modest—even less than Wang Wei's—so he needed the support of these board allies in many areas.

Seeing Yan Li even invited Wang Wei himself; he disliked the man, but having won, he must display the grace of a victor.

Reducing tensions with Wang Wei, the largest shareholder, would aid his control of Tudou. com.

Moreover, Wang Wei had already been ousted from Tudou. com; given their relationship, after the company went public, he would likely cash out and leave.

Seeing Yan Li would keep him steady—perhaps he could buy some shares later; even if Wang Wei refused to sell, at least he wouldn't bring some enemy into Tudou. com to fight him.

Merchants prioritize profit; there are no eternal enemies, nor eternal friends.

Previously, the two had been bitter adversaries, but from this moment on, Seeing Yan Li began to think of becoming "friends" with Wang Wei.

But sadly, Wang Wei certainly didn't have Seeing Yan Li's broad-mindedness—he didn't even respond.

Seeing Yan Li wasn't surprised; take it slow.

Time was the best psychological remedy; Seeing Yan Li, who controlled three billion-dollar companies, held an undeniable position in the business world.

Seeing Yan Li believed that no matter how much Wang Wei hated him inwardly, he would choose to "bury the hatchet" with him rather than fight to the death—unless he abandoned all his ventures.

"General Xiong, thank you."

"General Xu, thank you for your support."

"..."

At the banquet, Seeing Yan Li raised his glass to each one in turn; after dinner, they moved to a second venue, and Seeing Yan Li took the opportunity to discuss specific ideas for Tudou. com with the shareholders.

They had discussed this before—otherwise, the shareholders wouldn't have firmly backed him.

But Seeing Yan Li still held back some things, not explaining everything clearly; some shareholders remained unclear. Now that Seeing Yan Li had fully taken power, he needed their support—and there was no point hiding what needed to be said.

"At present, Tudou. com's top priority remains going public—time waits for no one; the U. S. stock market currently looks favorably upon China's video website industry—we must seize this opportunity."

"But after going public and securing funding, I plan major reforms for Tudou. com."

"To be frank, I am deeply dissatisfied with Tudou. com's positioning and certain conditions—they differ greatly from my own ideas and goals. I need Tudou. com to change."

"..."

Seeing Yan Li had already softened his words; when persuading some shareholders earlier, his language had been far more intense—he'd nearly called Wang Wei an incompetent mess.

This wasn't an unfair accusation against Wang Wei.

As previously mentioned, Tudou. com had fallen from absolute industry leader, to a two-horse race with Youku, to now quietly falling behind—Wang Wei, as Tudou. com's leader, bore undeniable responsibility.

First, he neglected technology and bandwidth; Youku's features, video quality, and user experience utterly crushed Tudou. com's—this was fatal.

It was like two restaurants: one filthy and chaotic, the other clean and hygienic. Regardless of which served better food, most customers would choose the latter.

After taking power, with access to funds, Seeing Yan Li's first move would be to upgrade Tudou. com's hardware—he couldn't promise to surpass Youku, but he wouldn't let Tudou. com fall further behind.

Second, the conflict between UGC (user-generated content) and long-form licensed content.

Tudou. com's original concept was UGC—the platform's slogan was "Everyone Is a Director of Life," aiming to build China's video blog.

This strategy and direction wasn't wrong—but it was untimely.

The internet had only just become widespread; smartphones had just emerged; even the image era had barely begun alongside Weibo's rise. Non-professionals had virtually no ability to produce videos, let alone high-quality ones.

Even the internet celebrities Tudou. com had promoted—like Lao Shi, Qiangzu Xiao Sha, Hou She Boys—were mostly parodying films and TV, or doing silly imitations.

Their quality was relatively low—at least uncompetitive against actual films and dramas—and their numbers were few; you could count the top influencers on one hand.

Moreover, due to their low influence, they generated little ad revenue, and Tudou. com often had to subsidize them.

Tudou. com was a network platform—it needed profit and to attract users. Relying on these few, low-quality, poorly monetizing influencers meant only death.

So although Tudou. com claimed to be building China's YouTube, its actual focus had already shifted toward long-form licensed content, using film and TV rights to attract users and generate revenue.

At this point, if Tudou. com had firmly committed to long-form licensed content, it could have directly fought Youku.

But Wang Wei couldn't bear to abandon UGC—he believed it was Tudou. com's foundation and soul.

And UGC's grassroots, trendy, pop-culture elements had attracted a large base of active, loyal users, further binding Tudou. com to inaction.

Thus, Tudou. com was caught between two stools: dragged down by UGC's bloodsucking drain, while also unable to concentrate resources to compete with Youku—had it not been for Yi'an's partial support, it would have been crushed long ago by Youku's more decisive moves.

With Seeing Yan Li in charge, Tudou. com would undergo amputation to survive: prioritizing long-form licensed content—the strategy better suited to the times—and engaging in direct combat with Youku.

Of course, abandoning UGC entirely was too wasteful; as time progressed, it would surely become a new风口. Tudou. com had accumulated considerable advantages—it couldn't let them benefit outsiders.

Seeing Yan Li planned to launch a new platform—perhaps Sweet Potato Network or Potato Network—scale it down, allocate minimal resources, maintain it at low cost, nurture the soil and talent, and then increase support when market conditions changed.

This carried risk, but there was no better option—fish and bear paws cannot be had together; Seeing Yan Li could only focus on one side.

If Tudou. com's UGC business could survive and later flourish, that would be Tudou. com's fortune; if it died halfway, then Tudou. com simply lacked the destiny.

If Seeing Yan Li could smoothly and relatively peacefully implement these two reforms, Tudou. com could shed its burdens, concentrate its strength and resources, and face Youku in decisive battle.

These two reforms wouldn't be easy—they required vast sums and carried considerable risk.

In particular, the UGC business could trigger upheaval within the company and across the entire platform, causing some users to leave, along with the loss of the so-called platform culture and character, leading to market pessimism and a cascade of negative reactions.

After Seeing Yan Li finished discussing his plan, the shareholders fell silent for a moment, then Xiong Zong from IDG spoke up.

"There are risks, but also new opportunities."

"With Yan Zong taking over and Tudou changing hands, a new era has arrived—it naturally calls for a new Tudou story. The moves may be bold, but they rewire the brain and strengthen the heart, sharpening strategic focus. Even if there's some turbulence, I believe Yan Zong can lead Tudou through this crisis."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zong from Jinri Capital also spoke: "That's right. We supported Yan Zong's rise precisely because we want him to lead Tudou back to its peak. Necessary costs and risks are unavoidable, but we trust Yan Zong's capabilities."

With these two heavyweights speaking, the other shareholders gradually relaxed their expressions and nodded in agreement.

Indeed, what they truly valued and supported was Seeing Yan Li, this business genius—they were betting he'd make them all rich.

If Seeing Yan Li took power but merely followed Xiao's rules, changing the broth but not the medicine, and Tudou remained exactly as before, it would be better to let Wang Wei stay in charge.

Comprehending the opinions of all shareholders, Brother Xiong raised his glass and clinked it against Seeing Yan Li's.

"We don't understand operations or management, but we know investment means investing in people. Since we've chosen Yan Zong, go ahead and act boldly—IDG will fully support you."

Xu Zong followed suit and clinked his glass: "Jinri Capital agrees."

"I'm the same."

"..."

Seeing Yan Li kept a confident and serious expression: "Thank you all. I will spare no effort and never betray your expectations and trust. Let us all share in the glory of victory. Cheers."

"Cheers."

…

Shanghai, Huaren Waitan Jiuli

A luxury residential brand under Huaren, adjacent to Shanghai's Bund Financial Center, Yuyuan Garden, and other key commercial and leisure properties—convenient transportation, advanced finance and education, comfortable and opulent interiors; average price per unit over 300 square meters exceeds 100,000 yuan.

Of course, actual transaction prices weren't that extreme—Seeing Yan Li had ties with Huaren and secured a friend's discount.

Currently, this over-400-square-meter residence is occupied by Yang Rong and Wang Ou, who frequently visits Shanghai—it is Seeing Yan Li's first base in Shanghai.

As soon as he entered, Seeing Yan Li sensed something was off: Yang Rong, sitting on the sofa, clearly looked displeased, though she had been fine that morning.

Given Yang Rong's temperament, she would never openly sulk at him—only one person could make her lose composure like this…

Seeing Yan Li looked around: "Has Wang Ou arrived?"

No sooner had he spoken than Wang Ou stood up from behind the sofa, wearing a disappointed expression: "You can guess that?"

Ever since hearing Seeing Yan Li had taken over Tudou, she knew he'd likely stay in Shanghai for a long while, so she booked a flight and rushed here in a hurry.

"It's written all over her face."

Seeing Yan Li pointed at Yang Rong. Wang Ou suddenly understood, pinched Yang Rong's cheek: "Little Rongrong, don't just think about hoarding everything—we're besties, you've got to share."

"Share your damn self."

Yang Rong couldn't hold back and cursed. Seeing Yan Li rarely came to Shanghai—most of the time, she went to Jingcheng.

Finally, Seeing Yan Li was staying in Shanghai for a while this time, and she'd been looking forward to some quiet two-person time—yet in just one day, this flirtatious little witch had sniffed out the scent and shown up.

Wang Ou didn't care; instead, she grew even more brazen: "This house has both our names on it, and mine comes first—it's your home, but it's also mine. Why can't I come?"

Originally, Seeing Yan Li's idea was to buy each of them a separate apartment in Shanghai, to ease the overcrowding of women in Jingcheng.

But Wang Ou thought it unnecessary—they never separated anyway—so why not buy one big place together and live in it jointly?

Under Wang Ou's persuasion, Yang Rong half-dazedly co-purchased this luxury residence with her, living there alone normally, and sharing it when Wang Ou came.

They even discussed buying another luxury apartment together in Jingcheng, to live together in both cities.

Seeing Yan Li's plan to spread them out was sound, but the key issue was his infrequent visits to Shanghai—so they bought homes in both cities, moving between them without missing either.

Yang Rong had always thought this arrangement was perfect—it saved her from loneliness—but now she regretted it.

But regret was useless. Even if they'd bought separate apartments, if Wang Ou came to Shanghai and blocked the door, could she really refuse to open it?

With a dog of a man and a shameless rogue in her life, she was done for.

Seeing Yan Li was long accustomed to their dynamic. He sat down on the sofa on his own, picked up the soft-bodied Yang Rong, then leaned sideways onto Wang Ou's lap.

"It's fine she came—she can't handle things alone anyway."

"Exactly."

With Seeing Yan Li's support, Wang Ou grew even more assertive: "If you want to hoard everything, first check how big your appetite is."

Yang Rong rolled her eyes but didn't argue—she truly couldn't manage alone. Even if Wang Ou didn't come, she'd eventually call for help.

But Wang Ou arrived too soon—she'd at least wanted two days of private time first.

"I'm a bit hungry. Make me something to eat."

After chatting with them for a while, Seeing Yan Li felt hungry—he'd been busy in meetings all day, burning energy, and hadn't eaten much at the evening banquet; he was starting to feel drained.

Wang Ou immediately asked Seeing Yan Li what he wanted to eat, then ordered Yang Rong to cook it.

Yang Rong laughed bitterly: "Why don't you make it?"

"I can't cook as well as you, and besides, don't you see I'm busy?"

As Wang Ou said this, she shamelessly massaged Seeing Yan Li's head. Yang Rong punched her, but still went to cook.

After Yang Rong left, Wang Ou lowered her voice: "Do you still remember that Zhang Meng we met last time?"

"I remember."

Seeing Yan Li looked at Wang Ou in surprise: "You fixed it already?"

It's been less than two months—has Wang Ou's skill grown even deeper?!

"Uh..."