Author丨Lei Chen, intern Dong Junping
Editor丨Zhu Yimin, Liu Xueying
Last year's "big bull stock" Hongbo shares (002229. SZ), which has recently fallen into performance changes and personnel turmoil.
On the evening of April 19, Hongbo announced that the company's board of directors agreed to dismiss Zhou Weiwei as deputy general manager. After the dismissal, Zhou Weiwei no longer holds any position in the company, and this dismissal will not have a significant impact on the company's daily production and operation activities.
Zhou Weiwei is the key promoter of Hongbo's transformation of computing power.
Previously, on April 16, a Weibo post of InBev Digital Technology, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hongbo Co., Ltd., was "deleted in seconds", which attracted attention from the outside world. The screenshot shows that the official Weibo account of InBev Digital Technology posted that "all employees cannot enter the company normally".
Subsequently, a document involving the appointment and dismissal of InBev Digital Technology circulated on social media, involving the position changes of many senior executives such as Zhou Weiwei, deputy general manager of Hongbo Co., Ltd. and CEO of InBev Digital. Hongbo investors also inquired about its appointment and dismissal and the development of the company's computing power-related business.
The grass gray snake line stretches for thousands of miles.
The 21st Century Business Herald reporter noticed that the contradiction between Zhou Weiwei and the management of Hongbo shares can be seen from the cancellation of the equity incentive plan last year.
At present, the fierce contradictions between the two sides are rushing directly to the table.
In a short fight, Zhou Weiwei was sentenced out.
At about 14 o'clock on April 19, the 21st Century Business Herald reporter learned that Zhou Weiwei has recently been rejected by InBev Digital Technology and can no longer use her original office work.
"Now I am frequently interviewed by cooperative customers and the government to understand the progress. Zhou Weiwei told reporters.
On the same day, the 21st Century Business Herald reporter visited the registration place and office of InBev Digital Technology and learned that InBev Digital Technology had strengthened the security of the office location after the above incident, and its newly changed registration place was empty.
The internal disputes are highlighted, the fate of InBev Digital Technology has come to a crossroads, and it is difficult to know what the future of Hongbo shares will be.
The CEO is gone, and the security is upgraded
According to the 21st Century Business Herald reporter, at the 2024 China Generative AI Conference on April 18, Zhou Weiwei was originally invited to attend and deliver a speech entitled "Computing Power as the Base, Accelerating the Construction of China's AGI Ecosystem", but she did not show up that day.
The emergency cancellation of the public speaking event was related to the April 16 incident.
On April 16, a Weibo post of InBev Digital Technology, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hongbo Co., Ltd., attracted attention from the outside world.
The screenshot shows that the official Weibo account of InBev Digital Technology posted that "all employees cannot enter the company normally".
Subsequently, a document involving the appointment and dismissal of InBev Digital was circulated on social media, involving the position changes of many senior executives such as Zhou Weiwei, vice president of Hongbo Co., Ltd. and CEO of InBev Digital.
On the evening of the same day, InBev Digital Technology issued a clarification announcement on its official WeChat, saying that "the company has dismissed some employees in accordance with relevant regulations, and after the work of relevant employees is adjusted, their remarks and behaviors do not represent the position and views of Beijing InBev Digital Technology Co., Ltd.", which added another fire to the heat of the incident.
The actual situation is that Zhou Weiwei has been stopped at the door of InBev Digital Technology.
According to another scanned copy of a document circulated on April 16, InBev Digital worked from home on April 16 and 17 due to renovation reasons.
In fact, the company has stepped up security measures during this period.
On April 19, Zhou Weiwei told the 21st Century Business Herald reporter that she has no way to use her office work normally, and related matters are still being processed.
In the afternoon of the same day, the 21st Century Business Herald reporter came to the Fortune Financial Center located in Building 5, East Third Ring Middle Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, and followed the flow of people to the 53rd floor where InBev Digital Technology is located.
The reporter saw that in the corridor on the 53rd floor, a mobile monitor was placed, and three monitors were installed on the ceiling, monitoring the narrow passages on both sides of the corridor and the entrance to the office.
Photo / 21st Century Business Herald
After approaching the office of InBev Digital, the reporter noticed that there were at least four security guards in the aisles on both sides of the gate.
The door of InBev Digital Technology is closed, and through the glass door, you can see that there are still some personnel in the office, and within 10 minutes of the reporter's stay, 3 employees swiped the access control card to enter and exit.
Subsequently, the reporter tried to communicate with the security guards about the current situation of InBev Digital, but they were either silent or vague, saying that "you can only enter if you have an access card".
In addition to the security guards, a staff member wearing a gray uniform and a red armband walked out of the passage, asked the reporter about his identity and how to enter, and tried to persuade him to return.
According to the reporter's understanding, the construction and operation services of related projects in the field of artificial intelligence technology with InBev Digital Technology as the main body is an attempt by Hongbo to create a second growth curve in 2022. Zhou Weiwei is the key person who helped Hongbo connect with NVIDIA.
Since August 2022, Hongbo Co., Ltd. has appointed Zhou Weiwei as the general manager of InBev Digital, a wholly-owned subsidiary, and is fully responsible for the preparation, technology research and development, team building, business development and other work of InBev Digital.
From 2013 to 2018, he served as an executive director of Australian Television Media, from 2018 to 2019, he served as an executive director and CMO of a mobile advertising company, responsible for investor relations and the company's strategic market layout, and from 2019 to 2021, he served as a senior vice president at 36Kr, responsible for the company's investor relations, strategic marketing, and some government relations.
According to the announcement on April 19, as of now, Zhou Weiwei holds 850,000 shares of Hongbo shares, accounting for 0.17% of the company's total shares.
From darling to outcast
Due to taking the NVIDIA computing power express, the share price of Hongbo shares has risen from 6.53 yuan/share at the beginning of 2023, and the high point of the stock price last year was 45.29 yuan/share, with a maximum increase of 593.57%.
Zhou Weiwei was also the "darling" of Hongbo shares.
In December 2022, Hongbo Co., Ltd. granted 850,000 restricted shares to Zhou Weiwei separately at a grant price of 3.68 yuan per share. On February 14, 2023, Zhou Weiwei bagged the above shares at a price of 3.128 million yuan, and the corresponding market value of this part of the shares was 32.317 million yuan based on the closing price of 38.02 yuan per share on September 27 last year.
On June 14, 2023, the company once again disclosed the equity incentive plan, and the incentive object still includes Zhou Weiwei.
According to Hongbo's "2023 Restricted Stock Incentive Plan", a total of 6.5 million restricted shares are to be granted to 11 employees, accounting for about 1.3% of the company's total share capital of about 498 million shares on the date of the announcement of the draft incentive plan, and the grant price is 18.92 yuan per share.
Among them, it is proposed to grant 1 million restricted shares to Zhou Weiwei, and only take income as the performance assessment target, and assess the performance targets of the company level and InBev Digital, and the performance assessment target of the first lifting of the restricted sale period is "the operating income of listed companies in 2024 shall not be less than 597 million yuan, and the operating income of InBev Digital Technology in 2024 shall not be less than 273 million yuan".
However, on September 27 last year, the feud between the two sides is suspected to have surfaced.
Hongbo Co., Ltd. suddenly announced on the same day that the company deliberated and passed the "Proposal on Terminating the 2023 Restricted Stock Incentive Plan" and unanimously agreed to terminate the company's restricted stock incentive plan.
Regarding the reasons for the proposed termination of the incentive plan, Hongbo said that due to multiple factors such as changes in the macro environment and increased uncertainty in global development, the company comprehensively considered the overall rhythm planning and timing of the equity incentive plan on the basis of active communication with all parties.
The reporter noticed that with the cancellation of the equity incentive of Hongbo shares, Zhou Weiwei, deputy general manager of the company, lost the opportunity to buy 1 million restricted shares of the company at a low price.
According to the closing price on the day of the announcement, the corresponding market value of the number of restricted shares of Zhou Weiwei can reach 38.02 million yuan. The wealth of the sky came to naught in an instant.
Zhou Weiwei mentioned in a recent circle of friends that "I inexplicably lost the largest single wealth in my life", or it may be related to the cancellation of the above-mentioned equity incentive plan.
Internal strife is highlighted, and the fate of InBev Digital has come to a crossroads.
The reporter also noticed that on April 8 this year, InBev Digital changed the filing information of the business premises, from units 01 and 02 in Unit 43, 43, Building 5, East Third Ring Middle Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, to Room 207, Second Floor, Block B, Wanghai Building, No. 10, West Third Ring Middle Road, Haidian District.
On the morning of April 19, the 21st Century Business Herald reporter came to the location of the new registration of InBev Digital, and the property said that the first floor of Block B of Wanghai Building was a canteen, and the reporter went up to the second floor through the stairs behind the canteen.
The door of the office is not locked, but the interior is empty, and on the wall on the right side of the door hangs the signs of "Golden Seed Entrepreneurship Valley Beijing Maker Space", "Haidian Entrepreneurship Science and Technology Enterprise Centralized Office Area" and "Zhongguancun National Independent Innovation Demonstration Zone Innovation Incubator".
Most of the notices posted in the office notice area are dated to 2022, and it seems that it has been discontinued for some time. On the right wall of the corridor leading to the centralized office area are the logos and names of the companies that work here, including more than 20 companies in the education, kitchen and sanitary ware, biotechnology and so on.
Room 207 is the president's office, close to the centralized office area.
Room 207 President's Office, Photo / 21st Century Business Herald
When coming out of the second floor of Wanghai Building, the reporter consulted the property cleaning about the status of the relevant companies on the floor, and the cleaning said that the second floor has been vacant for nearly two years, and the company that used to work here has long moved out of here, and the property does not know where it goes.
Regarding the future development layout of InBev Digital, on April 19, the 21st Century Business Herald reporter called the contact number of the secretary of the board of directors of Hongbo Co., Ltd. many times, but has not been dialed as of press time.
The performance has changed dramatically
Hongbo Co., Ltd. is a private enterprise that started with printing, mainly engaged in security printing, lottery new channel services, book printing and high-end packaging printing and other businesses. However, the operating income of its printing business has generally declined year after year since 2018, and it is in a state of loss.
Industry insiders told reporters,Lottery business belongs to the franchise industry,The technology content is very weak. If you rely too much on franchising, it is easy to deviate and adjust the main business due to some external factors. Under the sluggish growth of the main business, it is particularly urgent to seek new profit growth points.
Hongbo shares have said that will adhere to the main business of the lottery, and through industrial integration, investment, mergers and acquisitions and other ways to cut into emerging industries. Previously, the company had tried to cross borders many times. I tried games, household intelligent cleaning service robots, communications and other directions, but in the end they failed to land.
Cross-border computing power is its latest attempt.
On June 1, 2022, InBev Digital Technology was registered and established in Beijing, and on August 15 of that year, Hongbo Co., Ltd. announced that it had signed a "Cooperation Agreement" with Zhongheng Cultural Technology Innovation Service Alliance, NVIDIA, and InBev Digital Technology to jointly establish the Beijing AI Innovation Empowerment Center.
According to Hongbo shares, Zhou Weiwei is the main initiator and person in charge of the company's AI innovation business, and after discussion with the partner, he was designated as the person in charge of communication, responsible for cross-departmental coordination and communication with NVIDIA, striving for product and technical resource scheduling support, and unifying multi-party external publicity strategies and rules to ensure the stable and orderly progress of the cooperative business.
Under the leadership of Zhou Weiwei, Hongbo's artificial intelligence-related business has been rapidly implemented. According to Hongbo shares, in the computing power leasing sector, InBev Digital has signed formal contracts with a number of customers with different industrial backgrounds, and will start generating revenue from May 2023.
According to Hongbo's 2023 semi-annual report, other businesses, including AI computing business, achieved revenue of 24.8097 million yuan, an increase of 8.8525 million yuan compared with the same period in 2022 when it did not enter the AI track.
According to the reporter's understanding, a key background for the outbreak of contradictions between Hongbo shares and Zhou Weiwei is that Hongbo shares' 2023 performance forecast will "change face".
In January this year, Hongbo Co., Ltd. had expected to achieve operating income of about 850 million to 998 million yuan in 2023, an attributable net profit of 37.4 million to 56.1 million yuan, and an attributable net profit of 28.4 million to 42.6 million yuan after deducting non-profits.
At that time, the company said that the reason for turning losses into profits and a substantial year-on-year increase in operating income was mainly due to actively looking for new business growth points and developing business in the field of artificial intelligence since 2022.
"During the reporting period, InBev Digital, a wholly-owned subsidiary, focused on the market positioning of AGI's full-stack ecological service platform, grasped the first-mover advantage in the industry, achieved a breakthrough from zero to one, and achieved excellent results. The announcement mentions.
However, on April 13, an announcement by Hongbo shares overturned the previous optimistic estimate.
According to the announcement, Hongbo Co., Ltd. revised the 2023 performance forecast as follows: in 2023, the operating income will be 590 million to 650 million yuan, the attributable net profit will be -58 million to -50 million yuan, and the attributable net profit after deducting non-profit will be about -75 million to -65 million yuan.
Compared with the performance forecast released by Hongbo at the beginning of the year, not only the revenue has shrunk significantly, but the attributable net profit has also turned from profit to loss. This also means that since 2018, Hongbo shares have deducted negative non-net profits for 6 consecutive years.
As for the reasons for the performance revision, Hongbo Co., Ltd. said that InBev Digital Technology reached a cooperation with Jingneng International on the procurement of equipment for the construction of the intelligent computing center last year, and received the first contract payment of about 500 million yuan from Jingneng International by the end of last year, and has delivered some equipment. According to the accounting firm, revenue will not be recognized until all equipment has been delivered and finally deployed.
In other words, the company's cooperation with Jingneng International, there are still some equipment that has not been delivered, but in the last version of the performance forecast, revenue and profit have been recognized in advance. Subsequently, Hongbo shares successively received a warning letter from the Fujian Securities Regulatory Bureau and a letter of concern from the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.
The change in performance and personnel changes followed, and Zhou Weiwei, a core employee of the transformation computing power, has been dismissed.
In the face of such a scenario, an interviewed person told reporters that Hongbo shares should properly handle internal personnel issues to avoid adverse effects on the company's business and reputation.
SFC
Editor of this issue: Liu Xueying
Suddenly! The giant exploded
Fired for buying a Xiaomi car? The recording was exposed!"Only one hour from the appointment to the dismissal"
The price has been cut in half, and it will fall again!