SWDnovel Chapter 460 TUTU Technology, Welcome to Switch Jobs
Chapter 460 TUTU Technology, Welcome to Switch Jobs
Lu Ran clicked on the screenshot Chen Mo sent and zoomed in to take a look.
The news report included a photo of dozens of young people standing on the lawn outside the White House, holding various signs with slogans such as "We Want LOL" and "Free the Games".
There weren't many people, only a few dozen, but the photo was taken with great flair. The camera shot from a low angle, capturing the crowd and the silhouette of the White House in the distance.
Lu Ran stared at the photo for several seconds, then replied to Chen Mo with a message: "American gamers held a protest?"
Chen Mo replied instantly: "It's done. Not a large-scale event, but it got captured by the media. Several major media outlets reposted it, so the impact is significant. Right now, gaming forums in the US are all discussing it, and someone has even created a section to compile screenshots and videos from European players."
Lu Ran leaned back in his chair and stared at the photos on his phone screen for a while longer.
He recalled that when he first came to this world, not only did American players not have any confidence in him, but even the local players in China didn't have much faith in him.
Back then, when he posted a game trailer, the comments section was full of skepticism.
The fact that people are now holding signs in front of the White House and speaking on his behalf makes him feel a little unreal.
He put his phone away, stood up, and walked to the window.
The autumn sunlight in Shanghai streamed through the glass, casting warm patches of light on the floor.
He looked at the cars and pedestrians coming and going on the street below, but his mind was on something else.
The protests by American gamers demonstrate that the demand is real and strong enough.
The current restrictions are still in place, but once public opinion takes hold, the pressure on the authorities will only increase.
When the restrictions are relaxed, Tutu Technology's products will be able to enter the market immediately.
He took out his phone and sent a message to Zhou Mingzhe: "Have you seen the situation in the US?"
Zhou Mingzhe replied quickly: "I saw it. Chen Mo just posted it in the group chat, and everyone was quite happy."
"Don't get too excited. Their shouting won't change anything until the policy changes. Focus on Europe first, and stabilize the European server."
"I know. The operations department is already scheduling the October events."
Lu Ran put down his phone and turned back to his desk.
Several documents were spread out on the table, including the operation plan for the European server, the schedule for the European versions of Minecraft and CrossFire, and the resumes of the young actors received yesterday.
He flipped through the resumes from beginning to end, took out Lin Wei's photo and information separately and put them aside, while categorizing the others by type and putting them all into a folder.
After finishing these chores, the sky outside the window had already begun to turn yellow.
Lu Ran leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes for a while, and mentally reviewed tomorrow's plans to make sure nothing was missed before packing his things to go home.
...
The data for the European server remained high for the next two weeks.
The peak value fluctuated steadily between 1.1 million and 1.2 million, without a significant drop, indicating that the first batch of players who entered did not leave.
The user retention rates in Germany and the UK both exceed 70%, while France's is slightly lower, but still above 60%.
The operations team members stared at the backend reports every day, their smiles growing wider with each passing day.
In front of the coffee machine in the break room, several young employees gathered together, discussing the funny comments made by European players on the forum, laughing so hard they were doubled over.
An older employee walked by with a teacup in his hand, saying, "Be careful not to slack off," but his steps unconsciously slowed down, and his ears were perked up and turned in that direction.
Everyone knows that with such data, not only will things get easier going forward, but the bonuses will also be substantial.
Chen Mo was the busiest of all.
He arrives early and leaves late every day, leading a few people from the operations department to conduct user analysis, schedule event dates, and connect with overseas channel partners.
Previously at Tencent East China, his work was more focused on maintenance and stability.
When he arrived at TUTU, he was in charge of offense and expansion.
This shift from defense to offense completely changed him; even his voice became half a notch louder than before.
Zhou Mingzhe once ran into him in the corridor and said that he "looks ten years younger than when he was at Tencent." Chen Mo replied, "Back then we had meetings every day, now we work every day. Working is more nutritious than having meetings."
Lu Ran called Zhou Mingzhe and Chen Mo to his office one Friday afternoon.
The three of them sat down around the coffee table, and Lu Ran got straight to the point: "Things in Europe are stable now, and I want to move on to the next step. What are your thoughts on the Middle East and South America markets?"
Zhou Mingzhe spoke first: "The advantage of the Middle Eastern market is that players have strong spending power, especially in the Gulf countries, where per capita consumption is very high. The problem lies in cultural differences and language barriers. Localizing Arabic is a significant undertaking, and the game approval process there is completely different from that in Europe. The South American market is the opposite: there are many players, high enthusiasm, and strong dissemination capabilities, but the paying rate is relatively low, and the infrastructure varies greatly, with network latency being a major issue."
Chen Mo added, "I know a few distributors in the Middle East. Tencent tried it once before, but it stopped due to policy changes. If it restarts, we can use the route we established before. In South America, we need to build channels from scratch; there are no existing connections available."
After listening to their analysis, Lu Ran leaned back on the sofa: "Then let's do both. We'll start in the Middle East, and simultaneously launch research in South America. Europe has already proven that our products are competitive in the global market; the remaining issue is how to pave the way."
Zhou Mingzhe jotted down a few notes in his notebook, then looked up: "Of course we can do it. But we don't have enough manpower. The European operations team has already been wiped out, and if we push into the Middle East and South America simultaneously, we'll need at least another thirty or forty people. Add to that customer service, localization, and channel integration, and the total number could be even higher."
Lu Ran thought for a moment and asked him, "How many people are there in the company now?"
"Almost four hundred."
"Then keep recruiting. Open a branch office each in Beijing and Guangzhou, mainly responsible for localized operations and channel expansion. The Beijing branch can reach talent in North and Northeast China, while the Guangzhou branch will have a better connection with resources in South China and Southeast Asia."
Zhou Mingzhe closed his notebook and said, "Okay, then I'll take the lead in site selection and recruitment."
Chen Mo chimed in, "I know a few people in the game industry in Guangzhou. They used to work at Tencent's South China branch, but later moved to other companies. If the Guangzhou branch opens, I could try to recruit them."
Lu Ran said that was fine, and that he should talk to someone he trusted.
In terms of compensation, it will be in accordance with company standards; there will be no special treatment, but it cannot be too low either.
He thought for a moment and added, "When hiring, don't just focus on recent graduates; poach experienced veterans if you can. Large companies have been downsizing these past two years, and many mid-level employees are looking for opportunities. We're perfect for filling that gap."
Chen Mo nodded thoughtfully, without immediately replying.
After a while, he put down his teacup and said something that made Zhou Mingzhe raise an eyebrow slightly: "There's been quite a stir on Weibo lately."
Lu Ran's eyebrows twitched slightly: "Be more specific."
Chen Mo explained that Weibo has been under a lot of internal pressure recently, with a continuous loss of social media users, its stock price has dropped by almost half, and several senior executives have left.
Some of the middle-level employees have already started sending out resumes, but after interacting with them, he found that they have a common psychological barrier: they feel that they come from big companies and that it would be beneath them to go to small companies.
That's why he didn't actively dig before, afraid of getting rejected.
After listening, Lu Ran asked Chen Mo, "What do you think of the people on Weibo right now?"
Chen Mo thought for a moment and said that people's hearts had scattered, but their dignity remained.
Previously, when they worked on Weibo, they were thinking about how to compete with TUTU and how to win back traffic. Now, most people don't mention that anymore; they're discussing internal layoff targets and whether they can get paid on time.
Zhou Mingzhe added from the side, "When Weibo stole our Happy Farm code, they narrowed their own path. Now, poaching their people is, in a way, doing them a favor and giving their people a better place to go."
Lu Ran was silent for a while, then thought that starting with Weibo was a good idea.
As a long-time rival, Weibo has certainly given TUTU Technology a lot of trouble.
Now that we have such a good chance to kick a man when he's down, how could we possibly give it up so easily?
"Let's start with Weibo, but don't poach too many people. Just get the most valuable ones over there, and the rest won't be a problem."
Lu Ran then turned to Chen Mo and asked him to make a list and filter out the people on Weibo who were worth recruiting.
Prioritize operations, channels, and business development; we're not in a rush to hire people in the technical field.
Then he thought for a moment and added, "If people on Weibo ask why you left, you don't need to make up reasons for them. Just tell the truth—TUTU offers better career prospects, a more stable business direction, and a clearer product roadmap."
Chen Mo nodded and said it was okay, he knew how to talk to them.
He thought about it again and asked how to determine the salary.
How much higher should we be than their current level?
Lu Ran said, "I don't care how much higher you are, as long as they feel they won't lose out by coming here."
You can discuss the specifics with Brother Zhou and follow the company's standards.
After all, TUTU is known for its high salaries in the industry, so since you're here, you definitely won't be treated unfairly.
TUTU Technology welcomes job seekers.
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