Zhang Yiming Says he hopes Toutiao could Become Another Google without Boundaries
On the afternoon of October 10, in GGV2017 Lifestyle Change Conference held by GGV Capital (纪源资本) today, Zhang Yiming, the founder and CEO of Toutiao.com, said that only after making Douyin APP, which enables many people to display their life ways, did he find that what various lifestyles the society had. “Entrepreneurship enables you to contact more and more people and more and more things. Thus, you could have different experiences. The way of technology is relatively fixed, but entrepreneurship needs products, which requires you to understand users. And understanding users requires you to understand their different experience,” said Zhang.
SEE ALSO: Tencent’s dream to beat Toutiao
Zhang Yi-ming said having worked in Toutiao.com for a long time, he only watched videos instead of making one by himself. He started shooting videos and using the product only when each managing director was required to have two videos with likes above certain number.
“When people say we can’t do it, I will make it and show it to them,” said Zhang Yiming, when he was asked why Toutiao.com wanted to operate in the field social communication by Hans Tung, the managing partner of CGV Capital. In addition to change because of products, Zhang added that the company would be change by industry. The industry has evolved from words, pictures to video and to UGC. And entrepreneurs must keep up with the time. Also, the company would be changed by business. Zhang said, “a lot of my changes are for business and driven by business.”
In addition, Zhang Yiming said he was studying English recently, because the Toutiao.com planned to explore in overseas markets. When communicating with product managers of overseas markets, he found that they worked in high mood because they were able to get access to all kinds of things. Zhang though, “from the perspective of personal lifestyle, exploring overseas market can expand our vision and experience and make life more interesting.”
When it comes to overseas markets, Zhang Yiming says there is optimism and pessimism. In terms of product technology operation, the first priority is to be more diligent and the second is to keep improving. He said, “overseas entrepreneurs are doing more exciting and more interesting things. We can’t be self-content claiming they haven’t done something or in some communities. Just like the industrial age has the international division of labor, the information age also has the international division of labor. Chinese entrepreneurs should not only go abroad, but also improve our capabilities.’
Jenny Lee, the managing partner of GGV Capital, asked Zhang, if starting another entrepreneurship, what would it be? Zhang replied that he didn’t have a definite answer, but he hoped that Toutiao.com can be another Google platform. Zhang said, “Google doesn’t have a border, we want Toutiao.com could be the same.” And from an individual perspective, he will choose a direction with greatest interest and social value.
