All underlying map and navigation data were stolen!
One stone stirred up a thousand waves.
Kailide, which was at the center of the storm, once again topped the hot search list.
This time, however, it wasn't a good hot search, but a blatant negative hot search!
Online public opinion completely exploded:
"Is it true or false? Kailide's underlying maps stole from NavInfo. Navigation data stole from Lulutong. This is practically a tailor!"
"If that's the case, Kailide is in big trouble."
"This is too shameless! Kailide Navigation charges the most, 108, which is more than twice Amap's price and more than three times Baidu's. I thought their R&D costs were high, but it turns out they're all stolen!"
"Exactly, Kailide charges the most, but their data is all stolen. Unbelievable."
"Kailide, this trickster, NavInfo and Lulutong have already started cursing."
"Could it be a rumor? Someone wants to discredit Kailide."
"Kailide's fees have always been so expensive, and its navigation isn't as good as Amap's. Does it even need to be smeared?"
"Sigh, Kailide steals map and navigation data, and Baidu Navigation lacks underlying map data authorization. Neither is reliable. Luckily there's Amap."
"That's right, for navigation, you still have to look at Amap. Plus, 200 back for 200, permanent free navigation. Chairman Wang is a great philanthropist!"
"Makes sense, Amap is still the most reliable and it's free. I'll subscribe now."
"Top up early for early cashback. Amap's data is all self-developed, costing hundreds of millions a year, so there's absolutely no need to worry. As for Kailide, I estimate they'll go bankrupt this time."
"Don't talk nonsense, what will I do if Kailide goes bankrupt? I just topped up 200 for Kailide's permanent free navigation."
"I damn well topped up 300, and I'm worried this money won't come back!"
"Sigh, what a headache. I'm also worried it won't come back. I want a refund, but I can't get through to customer service."
"I can't get through either. Could Kailide have scammed us and run away?"
"Possibly. Two or three hundred yuan per person, a million people would be two or three hundred million. Could they have really taken hundreds of millions and run?"
"Holy crap, what do we do? What about the promised 200 back for 150!"
All the users who topped up Kailide were suddenly panicked.
If Kailide developed healthily, they could still get 200 back for 150.
But if something went wrong, it would be over; they probably wouldn't get a single cent back.
The act of absconding with money is common in any era.
After Kailide's chairman, Zhang Xing, saw the hot search, cold sweat streamed down his back and his spine felt chills!
"Damn it, who leaked the news? Is this something that can see the light of day? They're all crazy!"
The vice president also looked shocked:
"Chairman, we arranged for trusted confidants to handle the data theft. Ordinary employees don't even know, how could something go wrong?"
Zhang Xing's head was spinning:
"Could it be that the hush money wasn't paid sufficiently? Did the people below get greedy? Someone couldn't stand it and just exposed the whole thing?"
"This..."
The vice president fell silent.
This was highly possible.
Collecting data was too expensive, too much of a money pit.
Especially surveying and mapping, a single 3D mapping vehicle costs several million.
With so many roads across the country needing so much data collection, one mapping vehicle isn't enough, not even a whole fleet of mapping vehicles!
Precisely because of this, there are many licensed companies currently, but not many actually collect data.
They can't afford it!
As a result, only NavInfo and Amap spend hundreds of millions annually, continuously surveying, mapping, and collecting data.
Other companies either directly buy underlying map licenses from NavInfo and Amap, or, like Kailide, pretend to survey and collect, but in reality, they just take what's already there.
Collecting data requires investing manpower, material resources, funds, and time.
How uneconomical is it to spend so much money?
How could it be simpler than directly copying data from competitors?
For this reason, the core employees of Kailide's data collection department were all trusted confidants.
Outwardly, this data was all collected and mapped by the collection department itself.
But in reality, they knew exactly where the data came from.
However, the company paid well, with a special remuneration in addition to salaries, so everyone kept stealing data while keeping quiet.
Now that it has exploded, it's highly likely due to an uneven distribution of spoils!
Zhang Xing burst into a rage:
"Damn it, it must be some idiotic middle manager who embezzled money from subordinates, causing them to expose the company! Truly a black sheep, for this small amount of money, to doom the company to perdition, so short-sighted, they'll never achieve anything great! They truly deserve to die!"
The vice president nodded:
"It must be. I'll send someone to conduct a thorough investigation to see who caused the problem and where."
"Good. Find out about this as soon as possible. Be sure to find the leaking employee. No matter the cost, make that employee shut up and absolutely not expose all the evidence. Once the evidence is exposed, Kailide will truly be finished."
Zhang Xing's expression was somewhat complex:
"Before, we were sued for data theft and ended up paying a sum of money to settle it. This time, the situation is more serious. We stole even more data. If it goes to court, it won't be just a small amount of money!"
"Yes, Chairman, I understand the situation. I'll go investigate immediately."
The vice president was about to leave but was stopped by Zhang Xing:
"Wait. First, have someone handle crisis public relations. Issue a statement, send lawyer's letters, buy internet trolls to guide public opinion, and then buy a hot search to reverse the situation as quickly as possible. Simultaneously arrange for people to investigate who leaked the news, seal their mouths at all costs, and absolutely not let the situation continue to escalate!"
"Okay!"
The vice president nodded, then said:
"Chairman, for this matter to break out at this time, is it possible it's not an employee issue?"
"What do you mean?"
Zhang Xing frowned, his expression changed drastically, and then he said with renewed anger:
"You mean this wasn't done by us, but by a competitor! Especially Amap!"
"Yes, they offered permanent free navigation for 150 yuan, we offered 80. They were forced to go to 0 yuan. We blocked their path to making money!"
Zhang Xing nodded:
"You have a point, it's very possible. Damn Amap, damn Wang Yi, they're too ruthless!"
"Damn it, this isn't over. I've noted it!"
Zhang Xing's face turned pale with anger:
"Didn't I just want to snatch some of your users and make some money? Is this how you respond? Fine, just fine!"
"During the crisis PR later, regardless of whether Amap did this or not, push the blame onto Amap. Just say a competitor maliciously framed us."
"Good, Chairman, this creates a perfect closed loop! I'll hire more internet trolls and say that Kailide Navigation's price reduction hindered Amap from making money, and Wang Yi held a grudge, thus maliciously slandering and framing us..."
"Exactly, do it that way!"
Zhang Xing decisively said:
"And our own people, let's also give them another stern warning. There must be no more leaks."
"Yes!"
Soon, Kailide issued a public statement:
[Since its establishment in 1997, Kailide has always prioritized R&D investment, developed steadily, and become the number one GPS navigation brand in China, deeply loved by a wide range of users. Regarding the false rumors discrediting us by online competitors, we express our deep regret and strong condemnation!
Our Kailide possesses national navigation electronic map (Class A) surveying and mapping qualifications, and internet map service (Class A) surveying and mapping qualifications. All underlying map data is self-surveyed and mapped. All navigation data is self-collected, and there is no misappropriation from third parties.
For the defamatory acts of competitors and rumor-spreading netizens, Kailide reserves the right to pursue further legal responsibility. We hope that netizens will not create rumors, believe rumors, or spread rumors.]
Attached: Lawyer's letter warning!
This statement quickly hit the hot search, once again causing an uproar.
Online public opinion shifted:
"Kailide is a navigation giant, the number one brand. How could they possibly steal data?"
"Exactly, is your number one status achieved by stealing data? It must be a competitor slandering them."
"I've used Kailide for many years; it's always been the best navigation. They would never steal data."
"I suspect Amap is behind this mess, trying to discredit Kailide."
"That's right, Amap previously charged 150 for navigation, while Kailide only charged 80. This hindered Amap's earnings, so they deliberately smeared Kailide like this."
"So it was a rumor. I was wondering why this issue came up at such a critical moment."
"Kailide was established in '97, with double Class A surveying and mapping qualifications, the number one navigation brand. Amap is just a junior."
"Case closed. Amap couldn't compete with Kailide, so they deliberately staged this whole thing to smear Kailide."
"Damn, Amap's behavior is too trashy, isn't it? No bottom line!"
"Huh? Is that really true? Chairman Wang wouldn't do such a thing, would he?"
"Why wouldn't he? Business is like warfare, using every means possible. Kailide wouldn't steal data; it's all Amap's smear!"
"But Kailide was previously sued for infringing on NavInfo's data and lost the case."
However, regarding such public opinion, those people pretended not to see it and didn't respond.
...
Looking at these public opinions, Jian Ziyan's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly:
"Chairman, Kailide has engaged in crisis public relations, not only whitewashing themselves but also hiring internet trolls to claim we slandered and framed them! Should we release some evidence to put the nail in Kailide's coffin?"
Wang Yi, however, waved his hand:
"No need to pay attention, someone will make a move. I don't believe NavInfo and Lulutong can sit still with such a good assist."
"The dishes are all prepared. Whether they eat, and how much they eat, is up to them. There's no need for us to spoon-feed them!"
"Chairman is wise, I understand."
Jian Ziyan smiled knowingly.
"Do good deeds without leaving a name, take revenge without delay!"
Wang Yi smiled faintly.
As expected, shortly after Kailide's refutation and lawyer's letter were issued, NavInfo made its move:
[Kailide has repeatedly stolen a large amount of NavInfo's underlying map data, seriously harming NavInfo's interests and intellectual property rights. NavInfo expresses strong condemnation and possesses a large amount of evidence. Subsequently, NavInfo will file a lawsuit, demanding Kailide immediately cease infringement, pay for years of infringement losses, and issue a public apology!]
A lawyer's letter was also attached!
The difference was that Kailide's lawyer's letter was merely for show, without naming names.
NavInfo's lawyer's letter, however, was formal and explicitly named Kailide as the target!
With the advent of free navigation, NavInfo's stock price repeatedly hit its daily limit down, truly unable to withstand it.
Even if they declared they specialized in underlying map data, not navigation, and that the impact was minimal, it was all meaningless.
Most stockholders couldn't understand the difference and simply didn't bother listening.
But now, Kailide's infringement case presents the best opportunity.
Not only can they turn the tide, sue Kailide, and claim tens of millions in compensation.
They can also use this to create a buzz, letting the public know that NavInfo produces underlying map data, and many other navigation software use their underlying maps.
Even with free navigation, the impact on NavInfo is limited; they can still earn money from navigation providers.
This way, the stock price might not fall so badly.
So, as soon as the news broke, NavInfo immediately mobilized personnel, secured evidence, and thoroughly exposed Kailide.
In its previous life, Baidu, with its vast enterprise and strong legal capabilities, was able to fight a lawsuit with NavInfo for five or six years before finally losing and paying money.
But Kailide is a small company, completely lacking this capital.
Whether in terms of legal strength or influence, Kailide cannot compare to Baidu.
One must know that if a lawsuit drags on for so many years, legal fees and court costs alone could amount to tens of millions.
Baidu could bear such a large sum of money, but Kailide could not.
NavInfo wouldn't let go of such a sure-win opportunity, decisively issuing a statement, sending lawyer's letters, buying hot searches...
NavInfo's announcement instantly surged to the top of the hot search list, causing a sensation across the entire network.
Now, the public opinion that Kailide had managed to reverse with great difficulty by hiring internet trolls completely collapsed:
"Kailide just did crisis PR, claiming they didn't steal data, and now NavInfo has hammered them! So funny."
"Just now, a group of people were whitewashing Kailide, saying it was Amap's malicious framing. Now, NavInfo is directly suing them!"
"Where are those who supported Kailide? Keep whitewashing, NavInfo is about to sue!"
"There's no one supporting Kailide; those whitewashing accounts are all internet trolls hired by Kailide!"
"So that's it. I was wondering why so many people were whitewashing Kailide in an instant. They were internet trolls!"
"Internet trolls are useless. Kailide was previously sued by NavInfo for data theft and lost. They still haven't learned their lesson."
"NavInfo has sued, can Lulutong be far behind?"
As expected, not long after, Lulutong also issued a statement:
[Lulutong has invested heavily in navigation algorithms and data collection to build the Lulutong navigation database, but it has been stolen by Kailide, which constitutes unfair competition and severely damages Lulutong's rights.
Lulutong has sent a lawyer's letter to Kailide, demanding Kailide immediately cease infringement, apologize, and provide compensation.
Lulutong will pursue legal action to sue Kailide and protect Lulutong's legitimate rights and interests. We appeal to all industry peers to respect intellectual property rights and not act illegally!]
Hammered repeatedly, public opinion completely exploded:
"First NavInfo, then Lulutong, both have sued Kailide. He's just a thief!"
"They even hired internet trolls to whitewash themselves, claiming Amap maliciously framed them, only to be repeatedly hammered by two major companies!"
"Who doesn't know Kailide's character? They're basically a tailor, a repeat offender!"
"Kailide is finished. Sued repeatedly, they'll have to shell out a lot of money. Kailide Navigation is probably doomed from now on."
"Damn it, Kailide Navigation is finished. What about the lifetime free navigation I subscribed to?"
"What can you do? Who told you not to trust Amap and instead trust an unreliable Kailide?"
"Exactly. Even though both have 'de' (virtue) in their names, one has virtue and the other lacks it! Huge difference."
"Mobile navigation costs a lot. I bet Kailide won't last two years. All your 200-300 yuan lifetime memberships for Kailide are dead."
"It's not just that it's dead, I'm afraid if Kailide goes under, the promised 150 cashback will also be gone."
"Yes, losing fifty is considered lucky. I'm afraid all two hundred will be lost."
"The first batch of users who supported Kailide with 300 yuan are the most miserable."
"Amap is still reliable, backed by Chairman Wang, a large and responsible enterprise."
"Chairman Wang is truly a conscientious entrepreneur, constantly giving benefits to everyone."
"That's right, xphone 1 directly gives Starry Video and Starry Music dual memberships. The navigation prices were also driven down by Chairman Wang. The current free navigation also started with Chairman Wang."
"Chairman Wang is too kind. I have no way to repay him. This little sister is only fifteen, so I can only offer myself."
"Upstairs, Chairman Wang is so good to users, and you're repaying kindness with enmity like that?"
"???"
"Chairman Wang gives us benefits, so we should also support Chairman Wang. I'm downloading Amap Navigation and Chat Now."
"From now on, I'll only subscribe to Starry Video for video memberships, Starry Music for music memberships, and only buy Starry phones."
"It's not just about repaying kindness; it's mainly that anything Chairman Wang produces is a masterpiece. Amap, needless to say, everyone who's used it praises it. Chat Now is also incredibly easy to use. Our whole family uses Chat Now now!"
"Our family too, and my best friends and friends have all switched to Chat Now for communication under my strong recommendation."
"Chat Now also has group buy search, showing group buy deals from several nearby platforms at a glance, which is incredibly cost-effective."
"New stores and new discounts are all there. Grab a coupon, navigate there, it's so convenient."
"As a long-time user of 'Defend the Grapefruit,' I've always trusted Chairman Wang. Sure enough, 'Happy Match' is even more fun."
"'Happy Match' is good in every way, except for the lack of energy. You play for a bit, and then it's gone."
"Yeah, this game is so fun. With unlimited energy, I could play all night!"
"Come add Chat Now friends and send each other energy!"
"Okay, count me in!"
"Please add me!"
"Please add me +1, we can team up for levels later!"
"Kailide, you trash, quickly refund my 300 yuan! I'm waiting to top up and buy energy bottles!"
"Kailide refund!"
"Kailide refund!"
"Unscrupulous company, quickly refund!"
...
For a time, the user numbers for software like Amap, Chat Now, Happy Match, Starry Video, etc., surged rapidly.
But Kailide was miserable.
Attempting to steal a chicken and losing the rice instead.
Kailide had just done crisis public relations and whitewashed itself with internet trolls, only to be hammered, sued, and demanded compensation by both NavInfo and Lulutong!
Online public opinion shifted, with overwhelming curses rolling in.
Everyone lost trust in Kailide and would never top up again.
Even worse, Kailide not only lost new users, but existing users who had already topped up were worried that Kailide would be unable to maintain its mobile navigation, and they all demanded refunds from Kailide.
One can only say, if you don't court death, you won't die.
For a time, the atmosphere at Kailide's headquarters was extremely oppressive.
Chairman Zhang Xing paced anxiously:
"Big trouble, big trouble! NavInfo and Lulutong are both directly suing us. This stance shows they completely refuse private settlement and are clearly determined to drive Kailide to ruin!"
"Sigh! It's over!"
"It's over!"
The vice president sighed:
"Currently, NavInfo and Lulutong are also in a difficult situation, so they will naturally seize this opportunity to drive us to ruin!"
"Indeed, at the very least, this wave of actions will cause NavInfo's stock price to fall less. Lulutong can also gain great fame and later snatch our Kailide's aftermarket car navigation market!"
Zhang Xing suddenly realized the crux of the matter:
"They don't just want money; they want our market, they want us dead!"
"Big trouble!"
At this moment, the head of the customer service department rushed in:
"Chairman, the situation is a bit out of control. Everyone who has topped up is demanding refunds. Our customer service hotlines are jammed; we've had to pull the phone lines. Now that they can't reach customer service, they're starting to call 315 to complain about us!"
"This..."
Zhang Xing's mouth twitched.
The vice president also looked grim.
The situation was completely out of control!
New members were gone, and old members who had already topped up were all demanding refunds and filing complaints...
It was truly big trouble.
"Chairman, how do you think we should respond?"
"How to respond... how to respond?"
Zhang Xing's mind was in turmoil.
With so many things happening at once, he was truly besieged on all sides, completely at a loss as to how to respond.
He could only look at the vice president:
"Old Ge, what do you think about this?"
Old Ge sighed:
"Chairman, I suggest we refund everyone who topped up in the past two days, and then directly abandon the mobile navigation business!"
"Directly abandon? We're not doing mobile navigation anymore?"
Zhang Xing was somewhat incredulous.
"No more!"
Ge Zhiyuan said decisively:
"Mobile navigation costs a lot of money. Now that Amap has gone free, there's no profit to be made. There's no point in us continuing; we won't make any money at all. Moreover, being successively sued by NavInfo and Lulutong, if we want to continue, we'll also have to stop infringing, survey our own maps, and collect our own data. The cost then would be..."
Zhang Xing nodded:
"You're right, let's not do it. It's unprofitable, time-consuming, and money-burning, so it's not cost-effective. Okay, then just refund directly, and after a while, directly announce the abandonment of the mobile navigation business. If anyone wants it, we'll sell the mobile navigation business directly. Afterwards, we'll focus on in-car navigation; in-car navigation is still profitable!"
"Chairman is wise!"
Ge Zhiyuan said.
Subsequently, Kailide issued another statement:
[To alleviate the concerns of its vast user base, Kailide has opened a refund channel. Users who have paid two hundred or three hundred yuan can initiate a refund application, and after review, the refund will be credited within ten business days!]
This statement was Kailide's explanation to its mobile users, and also its declaration of withdrawal from mobile navigation!
Wang Yi sighed:
"History is always strikingly similar."
In his previous life, Baidu and Amap successively announced free navigation, and Kailide continuing to charge for navigation was its end.
What Wang Yi didn't know was that in his previous life, from 2012-2013, Kailide was preparing for its IPO.
However, during the IPO review, leaked information revealed that Kailide's underlying maps were all stolen from NavInfo, and its navigation data was stolen from Lulutong...
The result was predictable: Kailide's path to IPO came to an abrupt halt, and it also faced lawsuits.
Precisely for this reason, in 2013 of his previous life, Amap and Baidu launched free navigation, fiercely competing, while Kailide remained indifferent and did not follow suit.
It wasn't that they didn't want to follow; they were busy preparing for the IPO and dealing with audits at the time, so they couldn't possibly focus on it.
As a result, the data theft incident put Kailide completely on the defensive.
Not only was the IPO hopeless, but looking back, the mobile navigation market was also gone, and users were snatched away by Amap and Baidu.
With free Amap Navigation and Baidu Navigation available, who would continue to pay for Kailide?
Are they crazy?
Or just burning money.
Now that Wang Yi has announced Amap Navigation is permanently free, Kailide's self-destructive wave is also over, and it's even more tragically finished.
Not only did they lose users and market share, but they also received lawyer's letters and faced lawsuits!
One can only say that the process was different, but the outcome was the same.
Wang Yi chuckled, dumbfounded.
If Kailide hadn't tried to pick his fruit, causing him to earn so much less money, he wouldn't have let Kailide die so quickly and so completely.
But now, there's no turning point.
Kailide's abandonment of mobile navigation is inevitable.
As for continuing to do in-car navigation?
In the future, with free mobile navigation, who would bother with aftermarket in-car navigation?
You know, Kailide in-car navigation is very expensive.
Initial equipment plus installation would cost two to three thousand.
Subsequently, the car would have to be driven to a 4S store annually to upgrade map data, twice a year, at least 200 per time.
For BBA (BMW, Benz, Audi) and similar brands, one upgrade costs a thousand yuan, so two would be two thousand.
As for not upgrading and just making do?
That's not realistic.
In the era of large-scale infrastructure development, navigation software must be fully updated at least once every three months.
If it's not updated for more than three months, navigation data will definitely go wrong.
If you really navigate into a ditch and something happens, the consequences will be serious.
In the evening, Wang Yi and Song Sining returned to their apartment in the science park.
Song Sining was in a great mood:
"Now Kailide is completely finished. Baidu Navigation doesn't have underlying maps available, Tencent Soso only has maps but no navigation, and Sogou Navigation has also been acquired by us. Now, the entire market doesn't even have a decent competitor!"
Wang Yi pulled Song Sining into his arms and said with a smile:
"Yes, the situation is excellent!"
Not just generally good, it's almost a monopoly!
Baidu Navigation has less than a year left, it can't compete with Amap at all.
Kailide courted death itself, crippling its own capabilities, and utterly destroying its future.
Amap was originally number one in overall strength and second in market share.
Now, with no competitors, it's hard not to grow big.
Song Sining held her laptop, overjoyed:
"Look, the number of Amap users is surging rapidly. Before long, we'll capture ninety-five percent of mobile navigation users, and the total users will reach 150 million!"
Wang Yi, however, waved his hand:
"It's more than 150 million. With the popularization of smartphones, mobile navigation users will only continue to increase, while in-car navigation users will continuously decrease. Moreover, we've prepared a big killer feature for the next version!"
"What killer feature?"
Song Sining became interested.
Wang Yi deliberately kept her in suspense.
"Tell me, tell me,"
Song Sining said, full of curiosity.
"Give me a kiss, and I'll tell you."
"Hmph! Dream on!"
With that, Song Sining directly leaned in.
They didn't separate until they were almost out of breath.
"Now can you tell me, you stinker?"
"Haha, the killer feature is zero-data navigation!"
"Zero-data navigation? What does that mean?"
Song Sining was a bit confused:
"Haven't offline navigation features been out for a while?"
"Yes, offline navigation has been out for a while, but it can only save data, not consume no data at all. For example, offline navigation doesn't consume data when navigating, but searching for locations and routes still requires an internet connection, so it's not truly zero-data navigation."
Wang Yi explained slowly:
"And Amap's killer feature is truly zero-data navigation. Even without an internet connection, you can search for locations, search for public transport, search for routes, and navigate! This is truly zero-data navigation!"
(End of chapter)