On Christmas Eve, Zhou Hongyi sent an internal letter: Bring your AK47 and make mobile phones!

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On the afternoon of December 24, which was the annual Christmas Eve, 360 Company Chairman and CEO Zhou Hongyi sent an internal email. In the email, Zhou Hongyi called on all employees of the company: Bring your AK47 and follow me to the south to make mobile phones!

In an internal letter, Zhou Hongyi said, "A person as stubborn as me will eventually come back," and also explained why he wanted to make mobile phones.

After 360 announced its alliance with Coolpad to enter the mobile phone field, it caused a huge response in the industry. In response, Zhou Hongyi said that as the largest security company in China and even the world, 360 must solve the problem of mobile phone security. Based on 360's big data research, as the number and types of hardware devices connected to mobile phones increase dramatically, the security threats on mobile phones are growing exponentially. Once they reach a critical point, they will cause huge losses. Due to the problem of business focus, most Chinese mobile phone manufacturers lack long-term accumulation of security products and technologies, and it is indeed difficult to resist the frequent security threats in the big data era.

Zhou Hongyi believes that after 360, a company with security genes, enters the mobile phone field, it will be able to deeply intervene in the underlying operating system and build true mobile phone security on this basis.

Of course, many people think that it is too late for 360 to enter the mobile phone field. However, Zhou Hongyi believes in an internal email that making mobile phones is a battle of scale. As long as you have mature product design and supply chain like hardware manufacturers, controllable costs and stable quality, coupled with the continuous innovation of Internet companies in user experience, you will definitely succeed.

At the same time, Zhou Hongyi also revealed in the email that the joint venture will set aside a considerable proportion of the stock option pool to enable all employees to hold shares in the early stages of the business in order to motivate employees.

Attachment: Full text of Zhou Hongyi's internal email

Dear Comrades:

Last week, we officially announced our entry into the smartphone industry and established a new mobile phone company through strategic cooperation. There were cheers, doubts, and of course, obstacles behind the scenes, but all of this was within our expectations. Entering the mobile phone industry was a strategic decision made by the company after in-depth thinking. It doesn’t matter what the market thinks or what our competitors think. But when the big battle begins, comrades must understand: Why do we make mobile phones?

As the largest security company in China and even in the world, 360 regards security as our core mission and the basic need of every user. We must solve the problem of mobile phone security.

360 has been working on security for so many years. Whether in the PC era or the mobile phone era, we understand their security issues better than operating system manufacturers to some extent. As a result, we can protect the security of hundreds of millions of mobile phones and computers, and provide network security services to 1.193 million central ministries, state-owned enterprises, institutions and large and medium-sized enterprises. 360 is a promoter of cloud security and a pioneer in big data. We have established network attack and defense laboratories, mobile security research institutes, network security research institutes, and vulnerability research laboratories, bringing together the best network security research talents in China.

Mobile phones are our most intimate tools. Based on 360 Big Data research, as the number and types of hardware devices connected to mobile phones increase dramatically, network security threats on mobile operating systems will become increasingly severe. Security threats on mobile phones are growing exponentially. Once they reach a critical point, if there is no strong security protection, there will be huge losses and it will be too late to cry. Due to business focus issues, most Chinese mobile phone manufacturers lack long-term accumulation of security products and technologies, and it is indeed difficult to resist the frequent security threats in the big data era.

If we want to ensure maximum security on the mobile Internet, we must make our own mobile phones. This way we can deeply intervene in the underlying operating system, build true mobile phone security on this basis, and realize the sense of security that users demand.

Some people say that smartphones have become a red ocean, and Zhou Hongyi is too late to start making smartphones, so he has no chance. Has China's Internet ever had a blue ocean? Which one was not created in the red ocean? I never believe in superstition. I only believe that the Internet is surfing, and no one can stay at the forefront forever. Now making smartphones is a battle of scale. As long as you have mature product design and supply chain like hardware manufacturers, controllable costs and stable quality, plus Internet companies' continuous innovation in user experience, why can't you succeed?

Moreover, we are determined to make mobile phones because the center of the future mobile Internet may not be the mobile phone like today. The Internet is changing rapidly, iterating rapidly, and innovation is changing human life and business competition. The center of the future mobile Internet may be smart cars, smart watches, or something you can't even imagine. But if we are only willing to be bystanders and evangelists, then we will never be able to innovate and never be able to seize the lead.

Of course, there is another point: someone as stubborn as me will always come back, haha.

This email is more of a battle mobilization order than an internal letter. We want to make a real Internet phone. We welcome generals who can lead troops to fight, soldiers who want to be marshals, and geniuses who are willing to invest their sweat and wisdom. For this reason, the joint venture company has set aside a considerable proportion of stock options as a stock option pool to achieve full employee stock ownership in the early stage of entrepreneurship. Today, 360 has more than 6,000 employees, among whom there are many talented people. If you can bring good equipment and go into battle at any time, if you think you are awesome and can come up with something to prove your awesomeness, then good----

Let us face reality and let us be true to our ideals!

Bring your AK47 and follow me to the south to make mobile phones!

Merry Christmas!

Lao Zhou