Netizens are the easiest to be swayed and influenced, especially when provoked by those with ulterior motives.
Soon, this situation was reported to Chen Pingjiang.
"Chairman Chen, should we control the negative comments?"
Li Xi asked with a frown.
He also didn't expect why people would make strange remarks at this time.
Blaming the orderer, blaming the riders, blaming the platform.
Gao Songbin's face was also displeased.
He was the CEO of Renrengou.
When these people cursed the riders and cursed the platform, wasn't it indirectly cursing him?
His face was slapped repeatedly.
These weren't the most crucial things; the most crucial thing was that some people actually complained for deliveries that were a few minutes late.
Seriously, how shameless.
"I think there must be competitors involved, perhaps even Alibaba's shadow," Gao Songbin said. "Check those IPs! Also, Chairman Chen, should our platform issue an announcement?"
Chen Pingjiang's gaze shifted over at this moment, looking at him with interest:
"Why issue an announcement?"
"Because we're wronged. In bad weather, although consumers pay more in delivery fees, our platform also pays out more, and the losses are even more severe. If it weren't for user demand, I'd rather shut down the system and stop delivering. Cursing us is one thing, but they even curse the riders.
Is it easy for those blue riders to earn money? They are originally from the bottom, some have failed businesses, some are heavily in debt, some can't find jobs, some need to support their families and children. Nobody has it easy. If we don't let them deliver food, what will they eat?"
"Heh heh, they even want to boycott us? Without our riders, what will so many people with daily needs do? If this rain lasts for several days, will they go without food for several days?"
Chen Pingjiang smiled and waved his hand:
"Alright, stop with these useless complaints. You're the CEO of a multi-billion dollar conglomerate, yet you're still so impatient. You get uncomfortable at the slightest grievance and want to issue an announcement. Preventing people's mouths is harder than preventing a river. Rambling mouths cannot be stopped.
Let them say and curse whatever they want. As for someone manipulating public opinion behind the scenes, secretly collect the data first. You also said that this kind of bad weather isn't a one-time or two-time occurrence. As long as Renrengou exists, it will always face such problems, and there will always be people who don't understand and curse the platform, but I believe that eventually more and more people will understand."
He still remembered that during the three years of the pandemic later, if it weren't for the delivery drivers, he might have starved to death.
After speaking, Chen Pingjiang said to Li Xi:
"No account bans, no deletions. Face it optimistically and proactively."
"Okay!"
Chen Pingjiang stood up from his chair, slowly walked to Gao Songbin's side, slowly patted his shoulder with force, then turned to look at the pouring rain outside the window.
"Was anyone injured yesterday afternoon and evening?"
Gao Songbin shook his head:
"No, but many riders' electric bikes broke down, and there were more complaints."
"Hmm, if electric bikes break down, the blue riders don't need to pay; the company will bear the cost. All complaints will not be processed. Whether they report it to 12315, expose it to the media, or sue, we'll accept it all. We must not be soft. We cannot punish our own people due to external pressure; that would be disheartening.
During severe weather, all lateness and early departures are cancelled and automatically counted as full attendance. If a delivery person doesn't want to work due to bad weather, don't pressure them, and don't deduct their pay at the drop of a hat. At the same time, riders should have the right to cancel orders."
Since he was now in the food delivery business himself, Chen Pingjiang didn't want to become another evil dragon.
Insanely assigning orders to riders that couldn't be canceled, forcing them to run order after order, deducting money if their vehicle broke down, deducting money for being late in bad weather – it was utterly inhumane.
What's more, in a future dominated by big data, food delivery riders would be trapped in the system.
Behind the algorithms is actually human greed.
Food delivery riders' delivery times were constantly being reduced.
To avoid timeout fines, they disregarded traffic rules, leading to frequent traffic accidents.
In 2016, the maximum time limit for a 3-kilometer food delivery distance was 1 hour.
In 2017, it became 45 minutes, and by 2018, it was compressed to 38 minutes.
Delivery times were continuously shortened.
To complete delivery tasks within the specified time, riders had to race against time, contend with traffic police, and make friends with red lights.
So... where did the disappeared time go?
It was "swallowed" by the platform's algorithms.
Initially, the delivery time for 3 kilometers was 1 hour.
If overtime, a fine was issued, and everyone could complete it.
But the algorithm found that everyone could complete it within 45 minutes, so the rule was changed to a 45-minute delivery time, with fines for overtime.
So everyone desperately sped up.
Not long after, the algorithm found that most people could also complete it in 30 minutes and could still be optimized further.
So it was changed to 30 minutes, with fines for overtime, and everyone could only arrive on time by violating rules.
By analogy, the further it went, the tighter the time became.
Can't do it? No problem, the food delivery industry has a low barrier to entry and considerable income.
There will always be people willing to squeeze in and challenge it.
Algorithms are standards set by capitalists.
The harder riders work, the more rampant the exploitation.
Riders can never fight against a system-allocated world with individual strength.
The outcome is that, to earn money, food delivery drivers race against time every day, disregarding their own safety to save every second, becoming a high-risk profession.
Furthermore, not all responsibility can be solely blamed on the platform.
Because consumers can also be spoiled.
Delivering an order in 1-2 hours is normal abroad, and no one complains.
But in China, if any platform raises delivery fees or gives riders more time, such a company would likely be drowned in criticism.
Users would simply move on decisively to the next faster and cheaper platform to order food.
Therefore, all algorithms are actually designed to cater to consumers, because what consumers want is cheaper service and faster delivery.
Companies constantly compromise and exploit to cater to consumers.
Without a competitive advantage, users will be lost.
Ultimately, in a fiercely competitive market, only more efficient and lower-cost capitalists remain, because these are chosen by consumers.
Chen Pingjiang was unwilling to engage in such intense competition.
The first step was to crush Ele.me and Meituan's active forces as much as possible, then set industry standards so everyone could be unified.
No more intense competition!
...
Public opinion continued to ferment on the second day.
Because the food delivery industry had just emerged, this was the first time that food delivery riders battling severe weather was put under the spotlight.
Under this spotlight, there was human nature, self-interest, and various complex emotions.
Many media followed the traffic; they focused on what the public liked to see.
For a time, many media outlets were looking for blue riders to interview.
If it were a few years later, normal delivery in strong winds, heavy rain, and heavy snow would have become a habit, and not so many people would pay excessive attention.
Xiaowei was busy all day again.
At 4 PM, he found a ten-yuan bento shop and casually had a bite, which served as both lunch and dinner.
While eating, he happily looked at his phone.
Dazhuang asked him:
"How many orders did you deliver today? You're smiling so happily."
Xiaowei gleefully showed Dazhuang his phone screen.
"Exactly fifty orders, 1000 yuan."
"Holy crap, how did you run so many? I only did 37 orders."
Xiaowei wiped his mouth:
"No kidding, you only came out at 11. I've been running since morning, just taking advantage of these days to earn more money. One day of running now is worth two or three days at other times, and if I work harder, it can even be worth three or four days' income."
"Why work so hard? When I got back last night, I was lying on my dorm bed and saw people online calling us greedy and saying the company was inhumane."
As soon as Xiaowei heard this, he immediately got angry.
"What the heck? Are they really cursing us?"
"Indeed! You didn't know?"
"I knew nothing. If I had, I would have cursed them back. I was soaked last night, went back, showered, and then slept."
Xiaowei, who had a bit of keyboard warrior in him, immediately logged onto Weibo.
A quick glance revealed that some people were indeed saying food delivery riders prioritized money over life, and his temper flared up instantly.
His fingers clattered on the keyboard:
"What the hell do you know? If I don't deliver food, will you support me? Will you help raise my wife and children? It's easy for you to talk when you're not in my shoes."
Then he found another Weibo post advising users not to order, and he replied:
"If you don't order takeout, where will I earn money? I delivered 50 orders today and earned 1000 yuan. In this bad weather, the company gives us riders order rush bonuses, exemption from overtime penalties, and other subsidies. And when it's not busy, we also take breaks."
After replying to a few posts, he turned to Dazhuang contentedly and asked:
"Let's head back to the station first, digest our food. We'll rest until five and then run again."
"Damn it, I still need to get married."
Unexpectedly, as soon as the two arrived at the station, reporters surrounded them for an interview.
"Hello, both of you. We are CCTV reporters. May we interview you?"
Upon hearing it was CCTV, Dazhuang and Xiaowei immediately became a little nervous.
It was already hard enough to be calm in front of a microphone and camera, let alone facing CCTV.
"Uh, you can ask."
The female reporter smiled and said:
"Here's the thing, yesterday and today, there's been a discussion online about whether it's necessary for food delivery riders to deliver in bad weather. I'd like to ask for your thoughts on this."
Xiaowei thought for a moment, organized his words, then said:
"Many of us have left our hometowns to earn money in big cities. It's okay to work a bit harder for money. In this kind of bad weather, the company gives much more subsidies than usual. If everyone doesn't order takeout, how do we earn money? I'd say, everyone should order as usual. It's more important for everyone to be more understanding and tolerant. If delivery is slow, please don't rush or complain too much."
Dazhuang was also eager to speak:
"I am also a food delivery rider. Thank you all for your understanding. Every profession has its professional ethics; as long as we have a clear conscience, that's enough. I don't expect customers to give me good reviews; just don't give bad ones. There are always people with daily needs, such as white-collar workers who don't cook, or office workers who can't go out to eat because of heavy rain. I think this is the meaning of our existence."
The interview video was finally released on CCTV's Weibo that evening.
Chen Pingjiang watched with interest the interview of two of his food delivery staff in front of the camera, smiling as he asked Gao Songbin,
"Can you find their information? Give them an extra 500 yuan bonus this month; if it's more, other employees might be unhappy."
Gao Songbin also smiled:
"No problem, it's relatively easy to find."
The news anchor's commentary continued in the video:
"The question of whether to order food delivery in extreme cold weather is not a black-and-white choice. Behind this question is the balance between riders' safety and income. To solve this problem well, consumer convenience, the safety and livelihood of delivery staff need to be considered, and more importantly, the platform's responsibilities and obligations. Only by taking multiple factors into account can this problem be properly addressed."
"The relationship between food delivery riders and customers is a two-way choice. Riders choose whether to accept orders based on actual weather conditions and their own situation, and customers placing orders is not a one-way act. If customers unilaterally choose not to order food delivery solely to care for riders, it would instead cause riders to lose income and worsen their living conditions."
"Compared to caring for delivery staff by not ordering food delivery on snowy days, it would be better to give them more patience and tolerance in terms of service standards. For example, if delivery exceeds the time limit, choose to complain less and understand more; if the food delivered is cold, be less critical; after delivery, say thank you to the food delivery rider, or even give a small tip.
In addition, customers can try to choose restaurants that are closer and have shorter delivery times, which reduces the hardship for food delivery riders. These practices might be better ways to care for food delivery riders."
"The weather is bad, but people's hearts are warm. In complex weather conditions, there should be fewer unnecessary worries and anxieties, and more patience and tolerance."
"..."
Although the host didn't mention the Renrengou platform in any of her sentences, she was actually endorsing Renrengou.
Because if the platform doesn't take orders, where would consumers order from, and how would food delivery riders earn income?
Indeed, this shouldn't be a black-and-white issue in itself.
After the news broadcast, Chen Pingjiang said to Li Xi:
"Promote those positive videos about riders more, increase their exposure, and let more people see them."
"Okay."
These videos were not staged by Renren.com or Renrengou themselves, but uploaded by netizens in the past two days.
It's just that some people have few followers, so they don't receive much attention.
And what Chen Pingjiang was doing now was simply letting more people see them.
Soon, many Weibo users received videos pushed by Renren.com.
The first video showed heavy rain causing street flooding, and manhole covers were pushed up by water gurgling from the sewers.
A food delivery rider stood next to a manhole cover, acting as a pedestrian warning sign, alerting passersby and vehicles to detour.
In the second video, in a downpour, few people were on the road.
Only an elderly woman, hunched over, holding a tattered umbrella, walked shakily and alone on the main road.
The rider saw her, immediately stopped his vehicle, and ran forward to help the elderly woman.
In the third video, the shopping mall was peaceful.
The rider resolutely pushed open the mall doors and walked out.
Outside, it was a raging storm, and the road was empty.
He advanced through the rain like a warrior.
In the fourth video, the road was severely flooded, and fallen leaves piled up, blocking a sewer opening.
A rider saw it, stopped his vehicle, and reached out to clear away the leaves, only to be splashed all over by a speeding black car.
There were even videos from before the heavy rain arrived.
For example, a rider passing by saw a girl about to jump into a river and stopped her.
For example, a car accident occurred on the road, someone was caught under a vehicle, and a group of food delivery riders appeared, working together to lift the car and rescue the person.
...
Video after video was presented to netizens through Renren.com's push notifications.
Many netizens, easily moved to tears, immediately teared up.
More, however, were screens full of praise.
"In terms of probability, the coldest people are the rich and capable ones; ordinary people are the warmest and most enthusiastic."
"As one gets older, one can't bear to watch these..."
"I've never given a bad review, even if the soup spilled or the box was broken. As long as it's edible, it's fine. Who knows, maybe next time they'll help one of your relatives?"
"I don't even know who those people making strange remarks before were. At least I know that Renrengou helps many veterans and even disabled veterans find re-employment."
"Food delivery riders do so many good deeds along their delivery routes, so we say don't give bad reviews for no reason, don't give them if it's late, let alone make strange remarks and cut off people's livelihoods."
At this point, public opinion was settled.
Under the strong current, even netizens unaware of the situation would be swept along.
Those trolls naturally couldn't cause a stir.
Chen Pingjiang couldn't be bothered to catch these trolls, as most were small third-party companies.
But as for who was behind this matter, one only needed to see who benefited if Renrengou's reputation was ruined.
It's hard to say there wasn't a shadow of Alibaba, Meituan, or Ele.me behind this.
...
What Chen Pingjiang didn't know was that Wang Xing was also having a hard time.
Because he couldn't recruit enough riders, Wang Xing had to rely on the third-party crowdsourcing small companies that sprang up like mushrooms after rain.
Especially in smaller cities.
But problems followed.
These crowdsourced riders hadn't received specialized training, and many lacked discipline, operating with a 'one order at a time' mentality when delivering food.
This led to Meituan receiving massive numbers of negative reviews in the past two days.
For example, accepting an order but not delivering it, or breakfast being delivered only at noon.
Riders would show up today, but if they saw heavy rain tomorrow, they wouldn't come.
Ultimately, Meituan didn't pay any less, but after third-party small companies took their cut, the money that reached the riders was reduced.
The result was that, during this period of severe weather, Renrengou's user base grew the fastest, and the other two companies couldn't compete with it at all.
The competitiveness of crowdsourced riders versus dedicated delivery riders was amplified in this bad weather.
This was what troubled the two companies the most: if competitiveness was lacking, what could they use to make up for it?
However, there was also good news.
As delivery riders made headlines and gained more attention, it's expected that more and more people will join this industry.
Ma Yun, far away in Hangzhou, was genuinely envious.
"I'm so envious that Chen Pingjiang controls social and media channels. For other companies, this would be impossible to explain clearly, but he can calmly sit on the fishing platform, just pluck a string, and guide public opinion in another direction."
(End of chapter)