Chapter 174: Our Future Lies in the Stars and Seas (Part 1/2)

“How’s it going with Tencent?” Tang Feng changed the subject.

“Currently, it’s developing in an orderly manner. However, because Tencent’s antivirus software is free, it has been criticized by several fee-based software companies. They publicly stated that Tencent is breaking the rules! And offering it for free, besides dooming the entire antivirus software industry, has no benefits,” Ma Huateng answered.

“They know nothing! In the internet era, traffic is the most important. Believe me, it won’t be long before these antivirus softwares also become free. To evaluate someone’s actions, don’t look at what they say, but look at what they do,” Tang Feng said lightly.

“By the time they offer it for free, it will probably be too late,” Ma Huateng laughed.

“Yes,” Tang Feng nodded and said, “The internet industry, although different from other industries, is essentially similar. It just provides virtual products. In the end, only one or two companies can survive in each segment of the internet industry. That is to say, ultimately, only one or two antivirus software companies will remain. If there’s only one, it will inevitably be Tencent.”

“Mr. Tang, how big do you think the future antivirus software market can be?” Ma Huateng asked with interest.

“How should I put it! If every computer installs antivirus software, then it’s at least a scale of over a billion units. Of course, I’m talking about the domestic market. With Tencent’s technical strength, they are definitely going to enter the overseas market. The final scale should be between three to four billion,” Tang Feng answered.

“Three to four billion? That much?” Ma Huateng was very surprised to hear this number.

“Not much! There are six billion people in the world now! And this number is still increasing! It’s estimated that by around 2020, the population will increase to seven billion,” Tang Feng responded.

“For the overseas market, will it also be free?” Ma Huateng asked.

“Yes!” Tang Feng nodded and said, “No matter what market we enter, it will be free.”

“With so many users, even just doing advertising should make a lot of money,” Ma Huateng’s eyes were filled with hopeful light.

“Let’s not think about these for now. The main thing is to capture the market. There are many competitors, especially some foreign antivirus software companies, which are very strong. Don’t take them lightly,” Tang Feng advised.

“I know. I just feel that the future of the internet industry is too bright! It’s a brand new era!” Ma Huateng appeared very excited.

“This is just the beginning. Once we enter the era of mobile internet, the prospects will become even brighter,” Tang Feng laughed.

“Mobile internet? What do you mean? Mobile phones?” Ma Huateng guessed.

“Not just mobile phones, but also tablets, various wearable devices, even various medical devices, and even cars and airplanes. You can let your imagination run wild,” Tang Feng replied.

“Mr. Tang, what you’re saying sounds too sci-fi! I feel like even in the next fifty years, it probably won’t achieve what you’re saying,” Ma Huateng was deeply shocked.

“It doesn’t need fifty years. The development speed of the internet industry is very fast! Especially in China! You should know, since 1999, China’s college admission rate has been skyrocketing. This year’s college entrance exam admitted over three million college students. I believe there will be more in the future. With so many talents, not only the internet industry but other industries will definitely benefit greatly. According to my estimation, what I just mentioned will definitely be realized within ten years,” Tang Feng was full of confidence.

“What? Ten years? Are you sure you didn’t misspeak?” Ma Huateng could hardly believe his ears.

“No,” Tang Feng shook his head and said, “I meant ten years.”

Ma Huateng was speechless.

He truly found it hard to believe the timeframe Tang Feng mentioned.

Ten years was just a blink of an eye; how could it develop so fast.

Even if there were many talents being trained, research and development still needed time.

“President Ma, I understand that it’s hard for you to comprehend what I’m saying now. Time is the best proof. Let’s wait ten years and see if the world is as I imagine,” Tang Feng said with a slight smile.

“If it really can be achieved, then this world would be so magical! Surrounded by various internet devices, it’s hard to imagine what it would become,” Ma Huateng couldn’t help but sigh.

“Don’t think about these things, our future lies in the stars and seas. What we need to do now is to do every mission at hand diligently,” Tang Feng laughed.

“I will,” Ma Huateng nodded.

“In the next week, or maybe two weeks, I will be very busy. I probably won’t have time to come over. The operation and development of the company are all up to you,” Tang Feng said.

“What are you planning to be busy with?” Ma Huateng’s eyes lit up immediately.

“Dragon Heart No.1 has been manufactured. Now the entire Dragon Heart Corporation already has over a hundred R&D engineers. They will continue to develop Dragon Heart No.2. I plan to develop the world’s best computer memory,” Tang Feng answered.

“Computer memory? Is there a need for research and development? If I remember correctly, last year or the year before, the entire computer memory industry suffered massive losses, many companies went bankrupt, and the few that remained were barely surviving. Even with so much market share, the profit margin was terrifyingly low,” Ma Huateng expressed his opinion.

“The low profit margin now does not mean it will remain low in the future. Once there’s only one or two companies left in the market, I believe the pricing of computer memory will definitely change. By then, even if the price is high, these computer companies will have no choice but to accept it. Of course, ultimately, it’s the computer buyers who will pay the bill. Only by developing our own computer memory can we truly succeed,” Tang Feng explained at length.

“But with such a low profit margin now and high research and development costs, how can the project progress be sustained?” Ma Huateng was worried.

“The research and development costs won’t be high. The computer chip I led the development of before cost less than one hundred million. This time I estimate fifty million should be about right,” Tang Feng answered.

“Mr. Tang, did I hear you right? You said one hundred million?” Ma Huateng was astoundingly shocked.

He was even beginning to doubt his own hearing.

Talking with Tang Feng, the numbers he mentioned were far beyond imagination.

“Correct! Indeed less than one hundred million! To be precise, ninety-six million,” Tang Feng answered.

“Such low research and development costs, if spread out, probably no one would believe. After all, those foreign computer chip companies spend tens of billions every year on research and development, and that’s in US dollars,” Ma Huateng said, shaking his head.

“Maybe they fail more often, so their research and development costs are skyrocketing. From the beginning to the end of our development, we basically succeed on the first try. In that case, the research and development costs naturally come down,” Tang Feng speculated.

“Mr. Tang, I don’t even know what to say. I believe under your leadership, the price of computer memory will soon drop significantly,” Ma Huateng spoke with confidence.

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