Dai Wei, the founder of ofo, has become a "lai" in the Internet industry because of the fact that he owes 16 million users a deposit for sharing bicycles, and he is now running to the United States to start a business, which has also attracted people's attention and discussion. This news brings mixed joy to me.
It will be divided into three parts to discuss the incident of ofo founder Dai Wei running to the United States to start a business. First, we will analyze the actual impact of Dawei's actions on ofo users. Next, we will discuss the risks and opportunities faced by Dai Wei in this venture. Finally, we will think about whether Dai Wei will repay the deposit of 16 million ofo users.
1. The actual impact of Dawei's behavior on ofo users
As a monopoly in the shared bicycle industry, ofo once became a leader in the domestic user sharing bicycle market. However, during the operation of ofo, ofo user experience gradually declined, such as difficult deposit refund, high bicycle failure rate and other problems. In addition, Dai Wei took some irresponsible actions during the ofo crisis, such as backdoor listing, night unloading, etc. These behaviors directly affect the rights and interests of ofo users, resulting in the gradual decline of consumers' trust in ofo, and eventually leading to ofo facing bankruptcy.
When Dai Wei went to the United States to start a business, he still owed Ofo users a deposit of 16 million. Although this venture will not affect the interests of domestic users, the deposit of 16 million yuan is still a pain in the hearts of users. Dawei's actions actually had a very serious impact on ofo users, and this problem was not properly resolved.
Second, the risks and opportunities faced by Dai Wei this time
Last February, a small coffee shop with a red neon sign reportedly opened in Gramercy Park, one of New York City's most laid-back neighborhoods. Soon, the coffee shop, called About Time Coffee, opened four more stores in a prime location in downtown Manhattan, selling iced pearl coffee (similar to domestic bubble tea), which suddenly became a trend on TikTok and Instagram.
This is no ordinary community café, but a tech-savvy startup backed by some of China's biggest venture capital firms. Its founder is ofo founder Dai Wei, and investors include ZhenFund and IDG Capital China Subsidiaries.
According to people familiar with the matter, Dai Wei has been shuttling between China and the United States since the new crown epidemic, first opening a power bank rental startup in Seattle, and then opening a coffee chain in New York. Despite ofo's collapse, the entrepreneur once again received funding from investors who trusted him, including IDG, ZhenFund, and Beijing Hunter Capital. OnlyHunter Capital was an early investor in ofo. Marianne Chen said About Time has raised more than $10 million so far at a valuation of $40 million.
I think this time to start a business in the United States is definitely a good opportunity for Dai Wei. The United States is a country full of opportunities and challenges, with a very developed market economy and industrial chain. If Dai Wei can start his own business here, I believe it will be a lot of success. At this moment, he is cutting American leeks and will no longer owe Chinese money.
Third, whether it is necessary for Dai Wei to repay the deposit of 16 million ofo users
After Dai Wei went to the United States to start a business, did he need to repay the deposit of ofo users? Morally, Dai Wei should indeed take responsibility for his actions and try to pay off the debt. But from a legal point of view, Dai Wei did not directly evade responsibility for this issue. The actual operators of the ofo platform are three independent companies, in order to avoid legal risks, Dai Wei did not classify the user's deposit as ofo assets, so Dai Wei did not force the debt of ofo users.
Ultimately, we cannot assert whether it is necessary for Dawe to repay the deposit of ofo users, which requires some legal procedures and commercial negotiations. But it is undeniable that Dai Wei's current state is completely different from his role in the early days of entrepreneurship. Any action requires the exercise of legal and ethical responsibility, which is, after all, the rule of business.
If Dai Wei succeeds in this business, will he pay off the deposit he owes 16 million ofo users? This is a very serious issue and one that concerns all ofo users at the top. As an honest entrepreneur, Dai Wei should be aware of the seriousness of this problem and should do his best to solve this problem and allow ofo users to recover their deposits as soon as possible.