Editor Yang Qian
Rarely, Zhang Qingyuan, CEO of Jinshan Office, who was speaking at the meeting, was interrupted by his subordinates. He was told that there was a hot search on WPS, and he was the first hot search. This means that it is already a public event. He was shocked and froze for a while. WPS is office software, and few people talk about Jinshan Office IPO. Its market value has reached 1000 billion and 200 billion, and it has not become a public topic. He saw that the hot search topic was "WPS exposure will delete users' local files". He called a meeting of his subordinates to deal with this matter. It was July 1 1, and in the next three days, WPS successively boarded the top five hot searches.
WPS has been born for 33 years and is a national product. On average, it runs on nearly 600 million devices every month, of which the desktop version accounts for 40%, and hundreds of millions of users are overseas. By the end of last year, WPS Cloud had stored nearly 654.38+03 billion documents uploaded by users.
In those three days, Zhang Qingyuan and several heads of marketing, legal affairs and business discussed how to deal with public opinion in the conference room of Zhuhai headquarters. Soon they realized that they really couldn't cope with anything. "This is beyond our control." He said.
"How do you know this is illegal? Did you secretly open someone else's file check? "
"Even if I save X, it's none of your business."
"You are just a tool. When did you become a law enforcer? "
On July 14, Zhang Qingyuan sat in his office and accepted an interview with LatePost through Jinshan Conference. He always thinks that WPS has done nothing wrong-it just did what the information platform should do according to the legal requirements.
In the interview, he affirmed that WPS did not delete or block the local files of the client, because the other party misunderstood the difference between online documents and local documents. He also stressed that WPS will never audit or manipulate users' local files. He is unwilling to disclose the specific reasons why the document is suspected of being illegal, saying that it is not good for the relevant users and also belongs to the user's personal privacy. He admits that the boundary between online documents and local documents is blurred and users are easily confused, which is "a place that needs improvement".
Users use mobile phone WPS to share files, which will be shared as online documents by default, that is, the files will be uploaded to the cloud. Getting users used to online document collaborative work is the direction that WPS has invested the most resources in recent years.
He thinks he understands why users are angry, but he still firmly believes that "future documents should still be uploaded to the cloud as much as possible" because it is more efficient.
Next, the strategic focus of Jinshan Office is still "online collaboration", but it will better switch between online documents and WPS local documents. Zhang Qingyuan said that WPS now invests hundreds of millions of yuan every year to protect user data security and the stability of cloud services.
At the same time, Zhang Qingyuan believes that whenever domestic software is mentioned, there will be many voices of doubt, what will happen to domestic software? He has to admit that this is related to WPS's characteristic profit model in China in its early years, and they have been trying to make the business model "elegant".
Since 1989 came out, WPS has experienced many crises, and Lei Jun realized that survival itself is the most important thing. Even for many years, I fell behind in the competition with Microsoft, and my income was meager or even lost. The turning point of WPS's fate is 20 1 1. After Lei Jun returned to Jinshan, WPS was split into independent subsidiaries, and the management team became more independent. Then, the mobile Internet wave or what they call "good luck" came. When 20 19 went public, the market value of Jinshan Office once reached 240 billion yuan, making it the highest software company in China.
The replacement of WPS business model is a typical example of the development cycle of Internet in China for more than 30 years. That's why Zhang Qingyuan is willing to talk more about the decision to close the advertisement. Just like a man who has worn dirty clothes for many years has changed into a new one, he is willing to talk more about how he took off that dirty clothes. "Today WPS has won the respect of many people," he said, "but some people still don't know enough about it."
/kloc-graduated from 0/998, joined Kingsoft in 2000, worked as CTO for 9 years, and worked as CEO of Kingsoft for 20 years. Zhang Qingyuan is a typical "golden hill old guy". He is one of the core participants of WPS, and also the last batch of closed disciples of Lei Jun in Jinshan. He is loyal to this enterprise, loyal to its actual controller Lei Jun, and immersed in the brotherhood of Jinshan.
The following is a conversation between LatePost and Zhang Qingyuan:
"We didn't do anything wrong."
Later: What's the feeling of hot search first?
Zhang Qingyuan: I'm very surprised, very surprised. Our IPO, as well as the market value of100 billion and 200 billion, should not have been searched. It was completely unexpected and unprepared.
Later: It also shows that users are very concerned about their privacy and local files.
"Late": When the parties mentioned sharing, the document had been edited 1000 words. Why is the link blocked at this time, not earlier?
Zhang Qingyuan: I shared it last year and never turned it off. She has been updating this document, so this document has been shared.
Later: You said you didn't delete the local file, but she said the local file couldn't be opened with WPS.
Zhang Qingyuan: At that time, when the user opened the file, the link had been blocked, so we gave a hint, and the entrance to the subsequent operation was not so obvious, giving the user the impression that the file could not be opened. Our products have traditional documents and online documents, which can communicate with each other, so users sometimes confuse them, which is what we do badly.
Later: Then why are there so-called unopened documents later?
Zhang Qingyuan: No unsealed. In fact, users have not figured it out, and they can open local files with WPS. She said it was unsealed.
"Later": If there is sensitive information in the document, some online document software only restricts sharing, instead of directly blocking the document, and I can access it.
Zhang Qingyuan: Actually, the file (the client) can be accessed and downloaded, but we didn't do it very well, and it was hidden a little deeper. Maybe there are a few more steps.
Later: She said that the customer service admitted her misjudgment and apologized to her.
Zhang Qingyuan: The customer service didn't admit the misjudgment. There was no misjudgment. This means that we have caused you trouble, and we apologize. We will definitely optimize it in the future, not that we feel that we have done something wrong.
Later: It sounds like you don't think you did anything wrong in this matter?
Zhang Qingyuan: Yes, I didn't do anything wrong. We need to improve, and there may be some bad experiences, including some interfaces that do not clearly distinguish between cloud documents and local documents. But we didn't do anything illegal. Whether for users or national laws, because we must abide by national laws on user privacy protection and network security at the same time.
Later: local documents and online documents are easily confused. Are you responsible? We found that sharing files with WPS on mobile phones is in the form of online documents by default, instead of sharing a file with communication software. This will really make people "inadvertently" upload local documents to the cloud.
Zhang Qingyuan: Our original intention is to proceed from the product application scenario, and the future documents should be uploaded to the cloud as much as possible. Documents are often written for others to see. After going online, it will greatly improve your work efficiency.
All my own documents are also on WPS cloud, because the security is higher than the local one, and we have a very large team in operation and maintenance to ensure security. But local files, your computer is lost or you have a Trojan horse, which is actually more insecure.
Later: What kind of problems will it bring in the long run?
Zhang Qingyuan: Many users will be confused about peer-to-peer and cloud, which is what we are trying to solve now.
Late: how to solve it?
Zhang Qingyuan: Now we don't have a particularly good method. In the cloud, we are also pushing our own brand Jinshan document. Many users with cloud knowledge will use Kingsoft documents. There are more users who are actually white. At this time (the parties) are not familiar with the product functions, so it will cause some trouble when switching. We are also planning a new version now, trying to do better, and it has not yet been launched.
The elevator is full of users' scolding of Jinshan office.
Late stage: how to reflect on the whole storm? What is the responsibility as a CEO?
Zhang Qingyuan: First of all, the marketing department should do a good job in dealing with the crisis. This time, our response is still slow. Our marketing team is incapable of dealing with such a major crisis. The head of our marketing department has just been on the job for two weeks, because there is no head of marketing department for almost two months. The other is how to simplify the product and make users look clear and easy to understand.
Later: What have you done about privacy protection? What else can I do?
Zhang Qingyuan: Actually, in the past two years, we have spent a lot of money on privacy and data security, and we spend an extra $ 1 billion every year to do this.
Late: Where is the investment of hundreds of millions?
Zhang Qingyuan: Let me give you an example. The year before last, the optical fiber of a computer room was broken, and our cloud document was broken for about half a day, so many users could not access the document. We have made "two places and three centers" and launched the second cloud vendor, two places and three cloud centers. Last year, we invested 60 million more in this matter, and this year may be more. Last year, our cloud stability reached four nines, and there was no more collapse of the whole network.
In addition, in terms of security, we invite many white hats every year to help us improve the security of our core business systems. Jinshan office has done a good job in user privacy and user safety. To tell the truth, the cloud business is seriously losing money, and our annual IDC (data center) cost is around 300 million. But our income on the cloud is only tens of millions a year.
"Later period": We checked the office prospectus of Jinshan and the annual reports of 20 19 and 2020. You seldom talk about user privacy. It was not until 202 1 that you said that some rules and regulations had been formulated.
Zhang Qingyuan: We always attach importance to user privacy. Later, the company started to do ESG (Corporate Social Responsibility Report) on 202 1 and did a lot of things. In fact, A shares did not require this.
Later: Will there be a user privacy or data security committee?
Zhang Qingyuan: We now have an information security and data privacy management system. I am personally in charge of this matter. If you have a chance next time, you are welcome to come to Zhuhai. Zhuhai is our R&D base camp, and the elevator doors are covered with scolding from users.
"Later": Isn't that there is no gap at all?
Late: What always comes first?
Zhang Qingyuan: There used to be a lot of advertisements, but now they are much better. Our products have some functional problems.
Later: The same thing happened to Apple or Microsoft. Perhaps people's first reaction is their own misoperation, but for you, many people immediately accepted the assumption that WPS would have problems. Why do you think there is such a difference?
Zhang Qingyuan: After so many years, as long as domestic software is mentioned, there will be many questions. Even in some communities, black WPS is political correctness. I am quite calm about this myself, and I am used to being scolded for so many years.
"Want to be a good product?
Don't want to rob the road. "
Later period: On July 1 1 day, after being the first in the hot search for negative news, you announced in Weibo that you would completely close the advertising business next year. Are these two things related?
Zhang Qingyuan: No. This is not the first time I have told the public to turn off advertising completely. Investors started talking about it at the end of last year. (July 13) The one ranked first in hot search again (WPS indicates that the advertisement will be completely banned before the end of the year) was actually returned by me in the background of the official WeChat account. One person said that we advertised a lot, so I replied conveniently, saying that we planned to close all advertising businesses by the end of next year. Found that this thing was rushed to the top of the hot search list. I was afraid I didn't know the situation, so I hid my reply again. I said what I was afraid of. There's no need to hide it. I saved it.
Later: You emphasized that you have been working as an office software for more than 30 years. One comment said that you have actually been doing rogue software for more than 30 years.
Zhang Qingyuan: I think this is prejudice. If advertisements are really hooligans, we are also hooligans who want to quit the Jianghu in a few years.
I am particularly afraid that our advertising team will sometimes make some bad advertisements for income. At one time, we often said internally that the operation team should never "force" users.
Later: What is "forcing" users?
Zhang Qingyuan: Cheating, clicking and so on. Require rectification after discovery.
We started advertising on 20 1 1 in order to survive. At that time, people were unwilling to pay for office software. We cooperate with third parties in advertising, and some advertisements will make people feel that we are hooligans. At the peak, advertising accounted for 50% of our company's annual income, and now it only accounts for about 10% of our income last year. By the end of 2023, we will close all advertisements.
Later: Why not build an advertising system yourself?
Zhang Qingyuan: We tried. Originally, I wanted to do accurate advertising or something, but later I found it impossible and the effect was not good. In addition, office software has a feature that users are unhappy when they open it, and may be in a state of irritability. Unlike Tik Tok, users are happy and can accept entertainment advertisements. It is not appropriate to advertise office products.
Later: If you made up your mind, why didn't you close the advertisement earlier?
Zhang Qingyuan: At first, our income was only advertising, and there was no other income. If we cut it all off, we may not live today. We can't cut it off in one breath.
Later period: The earliest products were free, and charging for advertisements or services would be considered as an innovation of China's Internet model. Today, you charge for products, so don't advertise. What does this reincarnation mean?
Zhang Qingyuan: I think there are several opportunities to cancel the advertisement. First, the people are still rich in recent years; The rise of the second mobile payment, WeChat payment and Alipay; Thirdly, Iqiyi and QQ music members make China users accustomed to recharging consumption. Users are now more likely to accept micropayments. Ordinary WPS members spend 70 to 80 yuan a year, while the most expensive year of svip is 100 yuan. You can also get a discount when you meet an activity.
Later: Did Jinshan Office do anything to lead the industry and set a precedent in the past? What you have been saying just now is that you enjoy the dividend of this industry.
Zhang Qingyuan: Actually, the free model is also our earliest. In 2005, we started the free mode of WPS. At that time, it was entirely for public welfare, and there was no Internet business model. We thought that no one would buy the software anyway, so we would just forget it for free.
"Late": Later, the money was easy to earn. When did you start to consider the user's perception?
Zhang Qingyuan: 20 1 1 When the advertising team made a summary, I made a PPT of various advertising pop-ups and criticized it for more than an hour. From then on, I felt that there was something wrong with this thing, which hurt users too much, but there was no way, because there was no better business model at that time, so I had to carry it. Later, at 20 13 and 20 14, we devoted ourselves to value-added services. At that time, when I saw that the consumption power of users had increased, I went there. After that, I began to consider reducing advertising internally.
Later: Do you think advertising is a huge gap between WPS of Kingsoft Office and Microsoft Office?
Zhang Qingyuan: On the negative side, yes. But on the positive side, we still have many things that Microsoft doesn't have. In fact, in recent years, most brand computers have been pre-installed with Microsoft office, plus piracy. In this case, our Windows users have been growing, and users still choose WPS with advertising and charging functions. China now has 200 million desktop users every month. This shows that we have many innovations that are deeply loved by users.
"Late stage": Many people will mention one thing when the development of Jinshan Office is resumed. Jinshan Office took the lead in transforming the mobile Internet, laying the foundation for subsequent growth.
Zhang Qingyuan: Microsoft's mobile strategy is Windows first. It still hopes that Windows phones can compete with Android and iOS, so Office has limited investment in mobile platforms. Secondly, we also have a lucky mobile phone from China, because Android phones are all in China except Samsung, and domestic mobile phones also support us. Third, we have many optimizations on the product side. What Microsoft did at that time was to move the Windows version of Microsoft Office to the mobile phone, so it was difficult to use it on the mobile phone. Our Android version has been redone, and the experience will be much better. Two kinds of wealth, one kind of product. Luck is an important force.
Later: But there is still a big gap between Kingsoft Office and Microsoft.
Zhang Qingyuan: The core issue is brand. The events of these two days can show the brand gap between us and Microsoft. I know many people call us hooligans, which is related to our advertising business model. I also want to make a very clean and good product. I am a neat freak.
Really quite helpless. Advertising can't stop all at once, it needs a soft landing, because advertising still has hundreds of millions of income. So we will choose to gradually adjust and upgrade the iterative business model.
Late: If the advertising business is completely closed, will users respect you?
Zhang Qingyuan: No, actually, there are fewer advertisements now, and users will definitely think that we have changed.
Want to surpass Microsoft in brand.
Make the business model more elegant
Later: When Lei Jun left Jinshan in 2008, do you also want to leave? Why did you stay later?
Zhang Qingyuan: If I don't want to, I will feel that WPS is not done well. It's a pity to leave in despair.
I am born after 70, and my dream in this life is to be a software used by many people. I hope to take my son to the computer city one day to buy a software CD, point to the CD and say, son, this software is made by your father. But when I realized this dream, there was no computer city and no software CD.
When I was studying, I loved WPS very much and thought Jinshan was a hero company. At that time, Qiu Bojun went to the news broadcast and said that he would compete with Microsoft, so I liked this company very much and came. I didn't expect to enter a "big pit" (laughs).
Chi: You just said that Jinshan is a company with a heroic background. Do you think the hero's aura has faded now?
Zhang Qingyuan: Never.
Later: What does "hero" mean to a company?
Zhang Qingyuan: Jinshan heroism is mainly shaped by Qiu Bojun and Lei Jun, and they are the objects of worship of the whole company. Heroes often have dreams, responsibilities and persistence.
Later: What do you think is your most important decision after taking over as CEO in 2020?
Zhang Qingyuan: Cooperation should be the most important thing I do. We have invested a lot of energy in collaboration now. The company's business has gradually changed from a single office tool software to a collaborative platform.
"Late": WPS lived for nearly 600 million months. What kind of user level do you think the ceiling is?
Late: When will it become the first, and by what means?
Zhang Qingyuan: The brand surpasses Microsoft, and the business model is more elegant.
Later period: 20 18, 30th anniversary of Jinshan. Lei Jun said, I hope this company can continue to live for another 30 years. Why does Jinshan always emphasize living?
Zhang Qingyuan: Mr. Lei believes that only after a company has lived for so long can it prove its competitiveness. After several ups and downs in Jinshan, he left and came back. Jinshan is the youth of General Lei. The healthy and sustainable development of Jinshan is the most important. He cares about us very much. Now we cooperate with Xiaomi in a park.
Late: Are you afraid that Jinshan Office will die at your hands? What are the possibilities?
Zhang Qingyuan: Of course, I can't die at my hands, then I'll be a sinner forever. When I entered WPS, WPS was the worst time. It took me a little while to do it. This is like my son. Nobody is allowed to kill it.
Later stage: If Jinshan office closes down, what do you think is the most likely reason?
Zhang Qingyuan: I don't think so. There have been many crises in WPS history. Some people want to sell the villa and continue to do it. Some people want to support it with the profits of online game drug tyrants. As long as the big family of Jinshan is still there, as long as there is thunder, Jinshan office will continue to do so. In the worst case, I am willing to invest money to keep WPS alive.
"Later": So Jinshan has always had a part of Lei Jun's soul.
Zhang Qingyuan: Not only his soul, but he is also in Jinshan now. He is also the chairman of Jinshan. We have always been the "red kids" of General Manager Lei. I also watched your interview with Rui Chen (Chairman bilibili) yesterday, and he also used the word "red boy". Rui Chen and I are the same generation, both of whom were trained in Jinshan cadre training class. Manager Lei has three identities with us at the same time. He is our boss, our boss and our teacher.
Later: As the CEO of Jinshan Office, do you feel bound?
Zhang Qingyuan: No. Many of my working methods were taught to me by General Manager Lei. Besides, Ray is always like a big brother and can help you with something. As CEO, the most difficult thing is the contradiction between financial report and strategic development of the company. Why didn't you stop advertising immediately when you said it was going to stop? The advertisement is going to stop, and general manager Lei supports me strategically. I have a good idea, so it is easy to operate. I will make this business a soft landing.
Later: Are you more afraid of user disappointment or Lei Jun disappointment?
Zhang Qingyuan: Users are disappointed. Because I know that Ray is always disappointed in me, users must have a problem with us.