368: vigilance and sense of crisis

"I was originally envious of Afu and wanted to raise a similar Local Dog, but then I was stunned by Lei Jun's business empire. At 18, I was still asking my family for living expenses, while she's already the boss of four trillion-dollar companies. How can the gap between people be so huge!" a high school netizen commented, the words filled with envy.

"Honestly, I'm envious, but not jealous at all. The gap in strength is too big; we're simply not in the same dimension. Jealousy is useless; one can only look up. Lei Jun is no longer just a genius; she's a god, right? The name of Thor is well-deserved!" an entrepreneur commented.

He knew deeply the difficulties of starting a business and understood even more how hard it was to control a trillion-dollar enterprise. Yet Lei Jun controlled four at once, all of which were giants spanning different fields; this ability was simply impossible to replicate.

"When she became a legend running marathons before, I thought she was a sports genius; later, when I found out she was a major shareholder in three companies, I thought she was a business prodigy; now that she's even taken over Walmart, I seriously suspect she is not a mortal! This physical stamina, this business acumen, and these resources and connections are simply not things an ordinary person could possess." One netizen's comment sparked a lot of resonance, and the likes underneath quickly exceeded a million.

"Has anyone calculated how much Lei Jun's current assets are? 53% of Ali's circulating shares, 29.6% of Xiaomi's shares, 67% of BYD's shares, plus 69% of Walmart's shares... will her total assets exceed several trillion?" A netizen in the financial field estimated. This figure made countless netizens daunted, with many saying, "Poverty limits my imagination."

"I used to feel that foreign business giants were out of reach, but I didn't expect them to be taken down by an 18-year-old girl from our Dragon Country! She has brought us so much honor! Lei Jun is not only a business tycoon but also the pride of our Dragon Country!" a patriotic netizen commented, followed by comments like "Thor is mighty" and "Bringing glory to the country"... Unlike the general public and fanatical followers abroad, the big shots of major domestic enterprises were all solemn upon hearing the news of Lei Jun's controlling stake in Walmart, and they all adjusted their companies' development strategies.

Jack Ma, the former chairman of Ali Group, was currently sitting in his office, repeatedly flipping through reports about Lei Jun, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the desk.

His heart was filled with complex emotions: surprise, worry, and a hint of relief.

He was surprised that Lei Jun could quietly take 69% of Walmart's shares; this financial strength and resource mobilization capability were far beyond his imagination... He was worried that as the holder of 53% of Ali's circulating shares, Lei Jun now also controlled Walmart, and he didn't know what adjustments she would make to Ali next.

He was relieved that with such a powerful new owner, Ali might be able to break through its current development bottleneck and go further in the global market.

Jack Ma immediately dialed the phone of Ali's current CEO and said in a serious tone, "Immediately organize a business synergy plan between Ali and Walmart, focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, and the supply chain.

Ms. Lei Jun now controls two giants simultaneously and will inevitably promote resource integration. We must take the initiative to connect and not wait passively. In addition, closely monitor Ms. Lei Jun's movements and report her decisions in a timely manner. Absolutely no mistakes can be made."

He knew very well that he could only actively adapt to Lei Jun's pace to maintain Ali's stable development.

Lei Jun of Dami Technology Group was holding an executive meeting when he saw the news. He paused the meeting on the spot, projected the report onto the screen, and said to the executives present:

"Everyone, Ms. Lei Jun's power is far beyond our previous imagination. She is now not only the largest shareholder of our Xiaomi with 29.6% but also controls Walmart. For us, this is both an opportunity and a challenge."

Lei Jun paused and continued.

"The opportunity lies in the fact that Xiaomi's hardware products can use Walmart's global channels to quickly expand into overseas markets, especially the European and American markets. This is a goal we have wanted to break through but failed to achieve before.

The challenge is that Ms. Lei Jun has too many enterprises under her wing; we must produce good enough results to get her attention."

He felt lucky that he had built a good relationship with Lei Jun early on and did not stand on the opposite side; otherwise, Xiaomi would likely be marginalized.

"Next, you must speed up the R&D and iteration of hardware products, improve product quality and competitiveness, and at the same time connect with the teams from Ali and Walmart to put cooperation matters on the agenda.

Since they are all companies under Ms. Lei Jun, we must fully utilize the synergy effect to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results."

Lei Jun gave clear instructions, his eyes full of determination.

He knew this was the best opportunity for Xiaomi to achieve a global breakthrough, and it absolutely could not be missed.

Wang Quanfu, the chairman of BYD, called a meeting of the core management as soon as he saw the news.

"Ms. Lei Jun holds 67% of our BYD shares and is the absolute controlling shareholder. Now that she has taken Walmart, it means our BYD new energy vehicles will have the support of the world's top retail channels."

Walmart has more than ten thousand stores worldwide, covering 15 countries and regions. If BYD's new energy vehicles could be pushed globally through this channel, BYD's market share and revenue would inevitably see explosive growth.

At the same time, he was also somewhat worried. Lei Jun controlled enterprises across multiple fields; would she allocate BYD's resources to other companies, affecting BYD's independent development?

"Next, we must speed up the capacity expansion of new energy vehicles and overseas adaptation R&D, optimize model designs for the European and American markets, and arrange for dedicated personnel to connect with Walmart headquarters to negotiate channel cooperation.

In addition, do a good job of maintaining internal stability and strictly implement Ms. Lei Jun's decisions. Absolutely no flaws can occur."

Wang Quanfu said. He decided to trust Lei Jun; after all, her strength was right there. Only by following her pace could BYD go further.

Pony Ma, the chairman of Penguin Group, was holding an executive meeting when he saw the news, and his expression darkened on the spot.

His heart was filled with vigilance and a sense of crisis.

Ali and Tencent have fought for so many years and have always been evenly matched. Now that Ali has a new owner with such terrifying strength, the pressure on Tencent has instantly doubled.

He worried that after Lei Jun completely took control of Ali, she would concentrate resources to suppress Tencent and might even launch an acquisition against Tencent.

"We must figure out her intentions as soon as possible, or we might be the next ones to be acquired!" Pony Ma said in a serious tone.

"Immediately adjust the company strategy, shrink non-core businesses, concentrate resources to consolidate advantages in the social and gaming fields, and at the same time speed up the development of cloud computing and digital media businesses to improve the company's risk resistance capability.

In addition, closely monitor the movements of Ali and Walmart. Once there is any abnormality, immediately start the emergency response plans."

In his view, he could only focus on defense now to cope with the impact Lei Jun might bring.