Chapter 59

“Look! Look! The boss is out. Not bad for a boss, so calm!”

Zhang Han and friends gathered around the computer, watching the livestream.

“That’s Zuckerberg; look at how close the two of them are.”

“I’ll give Ren Hong full marks for putting up this front!”

The five of them watched the live-stream with great interest.

At the scene.

All the participants in the opening ceremony were in the same venue. In this three-day summit, the big names in various fields would have deep, multi-dimensional, and comprehensive in-depth analysis and discussion.

In the opening ceremony venue, the big shots of business and government leaders in various fields took the front seats. Ren Hong and Zuckerberg sat next to each other, while at the back there were many members of the media focusing on the conference in all aspects.

At 10:00am sharp, the speakers announced the start of the event and the leaders delivered their speeches. 20 minutes later, the chairman of the board of directors from Alibaba Group came on stage and was about to make the opening speech.

This business magnate, who was also a legend, turned Alibaba into a business empire from zero in just a dozen years. His fabled story full of enthusiasm and inspiration was praised and worshiped by people and countless entrepreneurs. He was looked upon as the godfather of the business world. Yes, godfather of the business world! He wasn’t uncomfortable delivering his speech at all. He was born ordinary, but had made an extraordinary career. He met with many country leaders, such as the former President of the United States, the British Prime Minister, the President of Russia, and so on.

Ren Hong greatly admired this senior and also looked forward to his speech.

Jack Ma’s entrance immediately became the focus of the audience, and a wave of warm applause resounded.

“Good morning everyone, we’re up so early to gather here and exchange ideas. I suppose everyone here is like me; not fully awake yet…” Many of the reporters present remembered that some of his previous speeches had been delivered in this same manner.

“Today’s times are changing faster every year, and no one can stop the progress of human society. Just like this, we stepped into the voice-controlled era. A few years ago or perhaps just some time back, what was once thought to be the concept of wearable smart devices has now become indispensable and a reality. The development of science and technology causes this world to progress so quickly. Every year is progressing; every day is progressing, so much so that my hands are full.

“In the beginning, this summit was basically a gathering of the industry. But now, it is completely different with many new faces joining every year, including country leaders, academics from various non-communications industries, and practitioners in all fields. Today there are over 3.6 billion internet users worldwide. I think the internet must be an ecology, and this ecology must be multi-species. The richer the species, the healthier the ecology, and the more people involved, the more people can truly achieve co-prosperity and interdependence.

“The internet has profoundly influenced this present world, and if the ecology and future of the internet isn’t systematically governed, I believe it will be a great challenge to all of humanity. The nature of the Internet is like water; water is clear and transparent, and water must be public, so it is not a matter of who can manage it, but a joint effort. With different countries, ethnic groups, and cultures, different approaches to governance will be necessary.

“Some people say that the internet in China is too tightly regulated. Of course, not everyone likes to be managed, or the vast majority of people don’t want to be managed. There are some free-thinking scholars in the United States who think that the internet doesn’t need to be managed. In fact, by the time something goes wrong, it’s too late. Just like Alibaba; I used to be particularly opposed to regulation, but today when there are counterfeit goods and frauds, people will criticize that I’m not managing the situation properly, so it still has to be regulated. No matter what, today this country created 870 million internet users, BAT[1], XlouS, and countless innovations. But there are still many things worthy of our deep learning and reflection…

“… There seems to be a lot of concern out there about China’s economic transition. Is there a problem today? Of course there is. But which era was clear of problems? There has never been an easy day for mankind no matter where we do business. But whether we see problems today with an eye on the future or an obsession with the present, I will always believe that the only way to solve today’s problems is to look to tomorrow. As one of the major engines of global economic growth, China’s economic slowdown has given rise to worries and even pessimistic arguments. In fact, I think this is a misconception, and I have always maintained that China’s new economic growth will not be inferior to that of the United States’s. China currently has a middle-income group of nearly 360 million, and this group will grow to nearly 600 million in the next eight to 12 years. China’s enormous spending power will not only be a huge source of power for China’s economic transformation, but also be a huge pull for the world economy…”

“It’s been said that e-commerce has overwhelmed traditional retail in the last decade or so. But last year, Real-time Online Translator launched version 3.0. As you turn on the software, not only can you see languages from more than 150 countries being translated into subtitles with 99.99% accuracy onto the screen, and you can also hear the translated content. Many foreign friends here are using this product right now from the initial version to version 2.0 and now version 3.0 of Real-time Online Translator. This application is also impacting the traditional translation industry one step at a time.”

Ren Hong’s heart twitched as he listened from among the audience. He felt like this advertisement for Real-time Online Translator would definitely succeed in boosting e-commerce. Of course, there was no such thing as a free lunch. As soon as Jack Ma advertised Real-time Online Translator, some people who disagreed criticized XlouS. Well, this advertising fee sure was a bit ‘expensive’.

The media, which always had a talent for fanning the flames, apparently wouldn’t let go of the opportunity to do so. As soon as Jack Ma spoke about Real-time Online Translator, the broadcasters quickly switched the camera to the unmoving Ren Hong who sat in the audience. Not only that, but the camera also recorded a five-second-long close-up on him.

However, viewers who watched the live-stream didn’t interpret much of the context other than marveling at Ren Hong’s youth and handsome appearance. Ren Hong sat leisurely and calmly while he listened to the speech.

“Whether retail vendors are based on traditional retail, traditional retailers are based on e-commerce, or Real-time Online Translator is based on traditional translation, retail vendors cannot be completely replaced by traditional retailers, traditional retailers cannot be completely replaced by e-commerce, and traditional translation cannot be completely replaced by Real-time Online Translator. But at the same time, they are also telling you that they are basically replacing you. Whether it’s e-commerce or the emerging Real-time Online Translator, they are not trying to replace anyone or eliminate anyone; they are trying to establish novel and transparent environments and new business models that will eventually affect a lifestyle change.”

“Today, people say that the retail industry has been impacted by e-commerce, but has it ever occurred to you that over 20 years ago, the retail industry today overwhelmed retail vendors and impacted the state-owned system? But at that time, they created the future, led the future, discovered the future; created the demand, led the demand, and discovered the demand. Today’s e-commerce and today’s young people are using internet technology to discover, lead, and create demand. And today countless new real economies have been born, with XlouS’s Real-time Online Translator impacting the translation industry, for instance. But I believe that in the near future this field will also create, lead, and discover new demand. Society is progressing; technology is progressing; civilization is progressing; individuals and enterprises must also follow the progress. The progress of the entire human society can’t be stopped by anyone. I suggest we think more about our own problems when we see the wrong of others.”

“I would also like to repeat what I said before; today we are entering a period of transition from IT (Information Technology) to DT (Data Technology). The core idea of the IT era is to destroy the opponent so that one remains strong. The huge difference between IT and DT is the difference in thinking. For instance, the success of DT must be altruistic. You can only be strong if you make your customers and partners strong. And you can only succeed when society progresses. I’m emphasizing the DT era argument here again because a stark example has now emerged.

“Facebook, which had a market capitalization of 330 billion USD four years ago is now worth more than 500 billion USD. XlouS, which was founded less than three years ago is now an emerging giant. These two companies are the most compelling and real case studies of DT-era altruism. You can only be strong if you make your partners, employees, and customers strong. In the case of Facebook and XlouS, the two of them are interdependent and complementary. You have me and I have you. You are strong and I am strong.”

Ren Hong was shown a lot on the live-stream after being mentioned several times in Ma’s speech. And this time the camera was on him again, but with Zuckerberg added into the picture. Netizens saw Ren Hong and Zuckerberg whispering to each other, wearing a smile on their faces. The tremendous success of XlouS and Facebook seemed to prove the validity of the DT mindset advocated by Jack Ma.

“Advances in science are necessarily advances in technology, but technology is not necessarily good, and technology can cause us a lot of trouble. Changes in technology and thinking are bound to attract all kinds of discontent and chaos. I don’t care if some people today say that I’m a subversive man; a disruptor who sells counterfeit goods. Compared to the pressure and accusations that the great reformers of the Republic were subjected to 30 or 40 years ago, and the resistance and accusations against corruption, do we even matter?”

“Finally, I want to emphasize that the progress of the whole society cannot be stopped. We must learn to appreciate yesterday because without yesterday’s IT and accumulation of knowledge in all fields of human beings, we could not have come to today. We should be in awe of tomorrow, but also to cherish the present. No matter how great BAT, Facebook, or XlouS are, our time on stage will not be long. Cherish every day’s effort and contribution today. We don’t have much time, but we can make a lot of impact on the human race. No one is an expert of the future. In the face of the future we should be awe-inspiring and also bold to try; dare to make mistakes as technology will progress, civilization will progress, and society will progress. I hope that each session of the summit will be more and more successful, and more and more fresh faces will participate. This is so that people around the world can share the success together, and create positive and sustainable contributions to society.”

“Thank you everyone!”

As the speech came to an end, the venue was greeted with an exploding round of applause.

“The founder of Alibaba is indeed a great godfather figure who is extraordinary in the business world. What a great opening speech.” Zuckerberg, who was clapping his hands, withdrew his gaze from the stage and looked at Ren Hong with a smile.

“He is truly remarkable.” Ren Hong nodded in deep admiration of Alibaba’s achievements at the same time. A week ago, Alibaba’s annual transaction volume jumped to 4.76 trillion, comprehensively surpassing Walmart and becoming the world’s largest retail platform. This meant that Alibaba’s achievement managed to surpass more than 80% of the country’s GDP. Alibaba always emphasized on ecology, even today. Their achievement was exceptional.

Alibaba was changing the way people live and also changing the world.

[1] Initials of Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent.