On April 24, 2024, Zhou Hongyi, the founder of 360 Company, directly spoke to Jia Yueting, who has been "on the run" in the United States for 10 years, in a video, causing an uproar. Zhou Hongyi bluntly criticized the reasons for Jia Yueting's "failure" in building cars in the United States, and invited Jia Yueting to send his "flagship model" FF91 to the headquarters of 360 Company for a head-to-head confrontation with domestic auto companies.
This scene undoubtedly once again highlights the grievances and feuds between the two well-known entrepreneurs. In Zhou Hongyi's eyes, Jia Yueting has missed the best opportunity, and he should "hurry back to China" in order to truly realize his dream of building a car. And Jia Yueting was obviously unhappy with Zhou Hongyi's words, and tried to defend himself by posting a video "shouting in the air".
However, Zhou Hongyi showed no mercy to Jia Yueting's various practices. He directly pointed out the truth that Jia Yueting "can't build a car" in the United States, and at the same time made a strong comparison with domestic automobile manufacturing enterprises, and his words were sharp. Zhou Hongyi not only ridiculed Jia Yueting's model for being overpriced and unable to compete in the U.S. market, but also directly asked Jia Yueting to send his model to the headquarters of 360 Company for a test drive in person.
This was undoubtedly a heavy slap in the face, hitting Jia Yueting's conceit hard. Zhou Hongyi not only took the opportunity to promote his company, but also mercilessly criticized Jia Yueting's reluctance to "believe in China", believing that this was the root cause of his eventual failure.
Can Jia Yueting accept Zhou Hongyi's challenge and send his "flagship model" to the 360 Company for testing? More importantly, did Zhou Hongyi's remarks hit Jia Yueting's sore spot and prompted him to finally "return to China to build cars"? Will this fierce blow from his old rival become an opportunity for Jia Yueting to regain his strength?
Behind the confrontation between the two sides, it also reflects the changes in China's manufacturing industry and even the entire economic map. What Zhou Hongyi represents is that China's manufacturing industry has gradually achieved leapfrog development, and the supply chain system is becoming more and more perfect, and it can even compete head-on with developed countries such as the United States. What Jia Yueting represents is the result of some Chinese entrepreneurs lacking confidence in the development of domestic industries and blindly pursuing "foreign brands".
This is undoubtedly a warning that cannot be ignored. In the context of globalization, only by truly "taking root" in China's vibrant and fertile soil can we achieve real greatness. Zhou Hongyi's remarks are a high interpretation of this point.
Below, let's analyze the ins and outs of this "Jia-Zhou" war, as well as the deeper problems reflected behind it.
1. Zhou Hongyi ridiculed Jia Yueting, hiding a deep meaning
It is reported that this "dialogue" was first provoked by Zhou Hongyi. In a video, Zhou Hongyi directly named Jia Yueting, who was "hiding" in the United States, and said that he "has not returned to China for ten years".
This is clearly a deliberate provocation. As the founder of 360, Zhou Hongyi undoubtedly has a full understanding of Jia Yueting's situation in the United States. And at this point in time, it is undoubtedly meaningful to suddenly bring this topic out.
On the one hand, it may be that Zhou Hongyi is trying to take the opportunity to gain some attention and exposure for his company. As a technology company, 360 may have begun to turn to other fields in recent years, such as the automotive industry. And this "dialogue" has undoubtedly brought a lot of attention to 360.
On the other hand, Zhou Hongyi may also be deliberately provoking Jia Yueting's nerves. As a well-known entrepreneur in China, Jia Yueting has a wide range of influence at home and abroad. As another colleague, Zhou Hongyi obviously wanted to take the opportunity to hit Jia Yueting's reputation.
Previously, there was no shortage of grievances between the two. For example, Zhou Hongyi once made a strong "scolding" of a "new Internet celebrity" with millions of fans on a talk show, making him "social death". And this time, he "vibrated and said" to Jia Yueting, undoubtedly wanting to further consolidate his position in the Internet celebrity world.
It is not difficult to understand why Zhou Hongyi chose to come forward against Jia Yueting at this time. On the one hand, he can use it to promote his company; On the other hand, he can also take the opportunity to fight his old rivals and show his influence in the Internet celebrity world.
2. The real reason why Jia Yueting is difficult to return to China
Regarding Zhou Hongyi's provocation, Jia Yueting naturally would not give up. In the video, he took the initiative to "shout in the air" in an attempt to defend himself.
Jia Yueting said that the reason why he came to the United States is to better realize the dream of building a car. He believes that this not only creates an "important bridge for Chinese cars to enter the United States", but also the FF91 model has a unique subversive significance.
However, Zhou Hongyi obviously didn't buy it. He directly pointed out that the root cause of Jia Yueting's failure to build cars in the United States is that his products are overpriced and cannot be competitive in the local market.
This is indeed a sharp analysis. It is reported that the price of the FF91 model is as high as 200,000 US dollars, equivalent to more than 1.3 million yuan, which is obviously difficult to sell on a large scale in the US market.
But more importantly, Zhou Hongyi believes that the key to Jia's difficulty in succeeding is his unwillingness to "believe in China." Zhou Hongyi bluntly said that if Jia Yueting returns to China and uses a more complete domestic supply chain system and manufacturing level, he can greatly reduce costs and make FF91 more competitive in price.
3. Returning to China is Jia Yueting's best choice
Zhou Hongyi's analysis unceremoniously hit the sore spot, which also gave Jia Yueting a slap in the face.
For a long time, Jia Yueting has been regarded as one of the "most forced" Chinese entrepreneurs. He not only founded LeEco, a technology company that has attracted a lot of attention, but also invested heavily in car manufacturing in the United States. This is undoubtedly a kind of worship and yearning for "foreign brands".
But it turns out that it is really difficult to get a piece of the pie in the monopolized automobile market in the United States on its own. Even Tesla, which has a global reputation, went through many difficulties and tribulations in the beginning. What's more, it's a car-making company led by Chinese entrepreneurs.
Zhou Hongyi's remarks are just telling Jia Yueting a cruel truth: only by truly taking root in the rich land of China can he truly achieve a career. This is not only a warning to Jia Yueting's dream of building a car, but also a reminder to all Chinese entrepreneurs.
In the context of globalization, China's manufacturing industry is rising day by day, and the supply chain system is also becoming more and more perfect. This is where the unique advantage of China's manufacturing industry lies. In contrast, the supply chain in the United States is obviously not as complete as in China, which has also become an important reason for Jia Yueting's failure to build cars in the United States.
Therefore, Zhou Hongyi bluntly said that only when Jia Yueting "returns to China, which has a more complete supply chain and the most complete industrial categories", can he truly succeed in building cars. This undoubtedly pointed out the way forward for Jia Yueting.
Regarding this question, the author believes that Jia Yueting would undoubtedly be a very wise choice if he could seriously think about Zhou Hongyi's suggestion and make up his mind to return to China.
First of all, it will help Jia Yueting significantly reduce production costs. Taking advantage of China's more complete supply chain system, Jia Yueting can control the price of FF91 in a more affordable range, so as to gain stronger competitiveness in the US market.
Secondly, it will also help Jia Yueting re-establish his reputation in China. Although his journey to building cars in the United States has been bumpy, as long as he can return to China and quickly achieve mass production, he believes that with his past reputation in the entrepreneurial world, he will still be able to receive widespread attention and support.
Moreover, for Jia Yueting personally, returning to China also means that he can get rid of the "fugitive" situation in the United States and reintegrate into the development of the motherland. In the context of China's booming manufacturing industry, Jia Yueting can fully grasp this rare opportunity to regain its former glory.
Therefore, the author believes that Zhou Hongyi's remarks may not be a blow to Jia Yueting, but may become a driving force for restarting. As long as Jia Yueting can face up to his failures in the United States and bravely return to his motherland, he believes that he will be able to find his place in China's manufacturing army.
Fourth, will Zhou Hongyi's "status in the rivers and lakes" be maintained?
It is worth mentioning that in this "Jia-Zhou" war, Zhou Hongyi's rhetoric was quite tough and even a little aggressive. Some netizens complained about this, questioning whether Zhou Hongyi really had a "9 billion sky-high divorce" as rumored.
This is indeed a matter of concern. As the "red-clothed leader" and "Zhou Cannon", Zhou Hongyi has always been known for his sharp words and uninhibited style. But if it really carried out a "sky-high divorce" cash-out operation as rumored, it will undoubtedly have a certain impact on its "status in the rivers and lakes" of the Internet celebrity world.
After all, even a well-known entrepreneur like Zhou Hongyi must always maintain the humility and cultivation he deserves. Once any negative news is exposed, it is likely to be "slapped in the face" by netizens, thus losing its original influence.
Therefore, the author believes that whether Zhou Hongyi can maintain his status as the "red-clothed leader" in the Internet celebrity industry in the future depends on whether he can properly deal with these negative rumors. If he can honestly face the doubts and give a reasonable explanation, I believe that his "leader" status can still be maintained.
But if he chooses to avoid it or avoid talking about it, he is likely to be regarded as a "hypocrite" by netizens and will be attacked more intensely. At that time, Zhou Hongyi's influence in the Internet celebrity industry may also decline irreversibly.
After all, in today's Internet age, an entrepreneur's personal image and public reputation have become one of the key factors in their success. Whether Zhou Hongyi can successfully cope with this turmoil is worth continuing to observe.
In general, behind this "Jia-Zhou" war, it reflects the new trend of China's manufacturing development. Zhou Hongyi's remarks undoubtedly give a clear signal: only by truly taking root in the fertile soil of China can entrepreneurs find new momentum for development. If Jia Yueting can seriously think about Zhou Hongyi's suggestion and return to the motherland, I believe that he can also find his own new opportunities in the army of China's manufacturing industry.