Lead:? I am not a woman. ? Liu Wei said. ? For me, Uber has become the market number one, not the source of happiness. If I can balance work and family, that's my real happiness. I hope all women can feel this happiness. ?
Serina Liu sitting in front of me is not a powerful woman. Her language is full of lawyer's rigor and skill, but it is gentle, even though her Uber in China has been in a storm.
Liu Zhen parachuted into Uber in China in the eventful autumn of that year. At that time, Uber Chengdu Branch and Guangzhou Branch were under investigation. After she came, she began to strengthen government relations, expand her team and business, and launched a subsidy war with Didi.
She gave herself 60 points. After a year's work, Uber's business in China has increased to 40 cities, its market share has increased from 2% at the beginning of last year to 35%, and its employees have increased from dozens to 300. However, this figure is still far from Uber's biggest competitor Didi.
But for Liu Zhen, Uber is not the happiest person in the market. In our 1 hour interview, apart from talking about Uber's strategy and products, she has been talking about her passionate female charity activities and her family.
Serina Liu said to me, "Dark Horse"? Being able to balance career and family is the greatest happiness. ?
? When I joined, I just wanted to keep the company alive?
From her previous career as a lawyer to her decision to return to China to become a member of an entrepreneurial team and join Uber, Liu Zhen did it very quickly. Speaking of her own experience, she first mentioned her grandfather.
? Influenced by my grandfather, in our family, 1/3 is an investor, 1/3 is an entrepreneur and 1/3 is a lawyer. ? She said. Liu Zhen's grandfather Liu Gushu is one of the earliest intellectual property lawyers in China. At the age of 60, he started a law firm and company from scratch. After becoming a lawyer, startups are still the object that Liu Zhen never forgets.
Like Liu Zhen, her cousin Liu Qing jumped from Goldman Sachs to Didi, another giant in the field of private cars in China. The relationship between them and the competition between the two companies often make the outside world curious. ? We often meet, but when we meet, we never talk about work, only life. ? Serina Liu said with a smile, how? We have worked long enough. ?
When Liu Zhen was a lawyer, he had been dealing with startups. She is doing mergers and acquisitions, financing and listing of startups, which is the closest to startups. One of her clients with the longest service cycle, from initial financing to listing.
? Lawyers who help finance are the closest to entrepreneurs. ? Liu Wei said. This intimacy was also the starting point for her later decision to join a startup. Travis kalanick, founder of Uber, is one of her clients. After deciding to leave the law firm, Liu Zhen was quickly persuaded by him to start a market trip in China.
By the time Liu Zhen made his choice, Uber had already shown its unicorn posture and was expanding on a large scale in the global market. Its taxi software was launched on 20 10. By the end of 20 14, the total investment of Uber had reached 2.7 billion US dollars, and the estimated value was 41200 million US dollars. In 20 14, Uber expanded its service scope from 60 cities at the beginning of the year to more than 300 cities in 50 countries.
But the China market at that time was in contrast. Uber entered China in February of 20 14, and by the beginning of 20 15, it only occupied 2% of the market. In contrast, Didi quickly merged at the beginning of 20 15, which was very deterrent. Today, Didi Kuai has more than 5,000 employees. After more than a year of development, China Uber has only 300 employees in China. There were only 50 people at that time. When Liu Zhen joined the company, it was an eventful year for Uber in China, and both Guangzhou and Chengdu were investigated.
Judging from the transformation of the lawyer industry, Liu Zhen faced such a situation as soon as he entered the door.
But it's her choice.
Liu Zhen said that she decided to accept Kalanick's invitation from the standpoint of users. ? Until now, I still look at the company's products from the perspective of users. I hope more people don't make decisions in a closed market with few choices, but have more choices. ?
In this way, she accepted the appointment of Uber in China. At that time, she didn't even think about competition. ? At that time, our most important task was to keep the company alive. Can you give me space to let the company develop first? ? In the second week of Uber, she was received by the Chengdu municipal government.
? Were you ready then? I asked the dark horse.
? Compared with that time, I think the environment has changed a lot, much better. ? Liu Wei said. She calls Karanic every day. I said think for yourself, how did you feel when you were protested in France? When you surf the Internet in San Francisco for two months, the government stopped your business. What was your mood at that time? How did you do that?
Because of this, Kalanick and Liu Zhen, as well as China Uber Team, have enhanced mutual understanding and affection.
? To this day, Karanic has not made any specific demands on me or our employees. ? Liu Wei said. ? The internet industry is changing rapidly, changing every day, and he can't make specific requirements. What we communicate with each other are values, feelings and a sense of identity with things. For China, Uber is like a father and a child. China market is the top priority of Uber. If you want to raise funds and decentralize, you can say it directly. If you don't want anything, decentralize as much as possible. ?
? Is it worthwhile to burn 35% of the market with the subsidy of 1/4?
The struggle between the tourism industry and domestic competitors is different from Liu Zhen's lawyer work in those days, and even different from the times when her parents and grandparents lived. It's bayonet melee, it's a continuous war of subsidies.
Earlier this year, Kalanick said that Uber had been in China for a year? Burned? More than $654.38 billion. ? We have a strong competitor. ? He said.
Does this strong competitor in China market make Uber feel special and difficult? Will it worry about burning money in the vast and distant China market?
Liu Zhen expressed his opposition. She said that she believed in the trust between herself and Kalanick.
? Everyone says that compared with the American market, China is a very special market. But in fact, every market in the world is unique and has its own particularity. ? She said. ? The amount of $654.38+0 billion is what we expected. ?
? When many people talk about subsidies, they forget what Karanic said before he mentioned this $654.38 billion. He said that Uber has been completely profitable in the US market. ? Liu Wei said. ? The unit price of customers in the United States is higher than that in China. If we earn $3, we will invest $65,438+0 in the China market. As long as we are profitable, we have nothing to worry about. ?
She took the initiative to mention the subsidies of her competitors. ? I used my rival's subsidy of14, but it burned up Uber's 35% market share in China, which I think is quite worthwhile. We have to compare, right?
Liu Zhen also has his own views on subsidies. She doesn't think subsidies are completely a kind of? Burning money? It is also in her consideration to reduce subsidies or change subsidy methods in a planned way until subsidies are stopped. ? If we can make targeted, effective and scientific subsidies for different drivers and different driving habits, and make countermeasures, the return on spending money will be higher than that of our competitors. This subsidy is investment. It will eventually bring us the possibility of profit. ?
Liu Zhen placed hopes on Uber's product development. Uber opened a ride in Chengdu, and Uberpool was also launched in many cities across the country. ? Now in Hangzhou, 50% of our orders come from Uberpool, and this product has also reached a break-even point in Hangzhou. ?
Liu Zhen predicts that by the end of this year, Uber's income and expenditure will reach a healthier level. Reducing costs and improving efficiency through product research and development can make drivers willing to stay on the platform without subsidies. ?
The driver side is a point that Liu Zhen attaches great importance to. She doesn't think that subsidies alone can keep drivers. ? What do drivers value most? What is the reward, how much is it, and whether the money can be given to me regularly. ? Therefore, she stressed that subsidies should be more targeted and products should have more functions to make them more convenient to use. ? Ensuring the supply side is the focus of enterprise vitality. ? Uber in China has a special driver operation communication department to serve drivers and give feedback on their needs and what kind of subsidies they hope to get.
China Uber is also strengthening the management and safety mechanism for drivers. Including the introduction of third-party agencies to review the qualifications of drivers and cars, Uber also set up departments to put forward product requirements for the safety of drivers and passengers. For example, for the safety management of passengers, Uber has also added the middle number function and itinerary sharing, so that passengers can share their itinerary with others in the middle, and cooperated with China Taiping Insurance to provide passenger insurance of 6.5438+100,000 yuan. In addition, there is a scoring system for drivers and passengers.
But Liu Zhen still stressed: We design products with drivers as the center. We think that in the future, everyone may become our driver, driver and passenger, and there is no difference in essence. ?
Uber's scoring system is also two-way. For drivers and passengers with low scores, Uber's? Black box? This feature can block them on the client.
? My score is relatively low. ? Serina Liu couldn't help laughing. ? Probably because I always call a taxi to talk about things and always keep the driver waiting for a long time. ?
After joining Uber, she has always insisted on using Uber to work every day.
? I give myself 60 points?
Many people are concerned about the localization of Uber in China. But Liu Zhen still said to I Dark Horse: I don't think this problem has anything to do with users. Who cares whether a product is made in China or the United States?
In terms of government relations, Liu Zhen believes that Uber and Didi accept the same level of policy management. China Uber has a good relationship with the local government. Maybe this is what she mentioned before? The environment has changed? One of the reasons. ? Competition is better than oligarchy, which is recognized by the government, market and users. ?
Uber's products are improving for users in China. In her opinion, this is the biggest? Localization? It worked. For example, the cooperation of financial payment institutions such as Uber and Alipay, as well as the cooperation of various domestic companies such as insurance and car rental. After the server moved to China, China Uber also developed its own products. For example, hitchhiking was developed by China's team. ? Then America will copy. ? Liu Zhen mentioned that there are also some small smugness. ? We are still developing how to improve the matching rate, realize the driver list, and analyze the driver type. These are strategic products. It is not enough to tell stories, but to make innovative and driving products. ?
Mention? Storytelling products? It is also what Liu Zhen thinks his team should insist on, that is, only develop? Improve the efficiency of the platform? Products. Therefore, she also said that Uber in China will not do public transportation and drive.
One year after she took office, China Uber has now started business in 40 cities, with 300 employees nationwide, and its market share has increased from 2% at the beginning of 20 15 to 35%.
? Give yourself a score this year. ? My dark horse said.
Serina Liu a little embarrassed, wanted to think, 60 points. Come to think of it, I have done many immature things. ?
? Being able to take good care of my family is my happiness.
So we asked again:? What's the family score?
Liu Zhenxiao:? I did it very well. ? Work and overtime are still the norm in her life, but she made a rule for herself, trying to get off work two days early every week to pick up her two children, accompany them until 7 pm, and then continue to work overtime and get into work.
Now, the working hours of Uber team in China are flexible. ? With the present means of communication and office, it is not necessary for everyone to gather in one place to work. ? Liu Wei said. Talking to employees at the end of the year, she also advised female employees not to work too hard. We should ensure a balance between work and family. ?
About half the employees of Uber in China are women. This ratio ranks among the best among Uber's global companies. As a female leader, Liu Zhen also showed great enthusiasm for women's public welfare.
On March 1, China Uber and China Women's Development Foundation reached a cooperation, relying on? Her business plan? This brand provides guidance and resources for women in entrepreneurship and employment. During the event, female car owners were encouraged to join Uber as drivers, and donated fares for women's entrepreneurship and employment projects in various places.
? This is my own enthusiastic promotion. ? Mention this, Serina Liu is very happy. Three days after the event was launched, 1500 people have signed up. ? To my surprise, many male drivers also signed up. They also want their wives and female family members to join the work. Among the people who signed up for the event, 10% were new drivers outside the platform. ? Liu Wei said. Now on the Uber platform, as of the end of last year, more than 300,000 female drivers registered. ? Compared with foreign countries, the employment rate of women in China is relatively high. And I think the job of driving can give women more opportunities to communicate with others than Taobao. And in China, many mothers need to get up early every day and spend hours picking up their children on the road. This job can give them a chance to take care of both sides. ?
? I am not a woman. ? Liu Wei said. ? For me, Uber has become the market number one, not the source of happiness. If I can balance work and family, that's my real happiness. I hope all women can feel this happiness. ?
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