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Chinese CEO Says "Free" Is the Right Price For Mobile Software
hackingbear writes Sheng Fu, CEO of Cheetah Mobile, a public Chinese mobile software company you probably haven't heard of, but whose products are among the top downloaded products in Android markets around the world, said that the intense competition of the Chinese market leads to products that can compete globally. Many recent university graduates are working in tech, all with their startups looking to find their place in the market, he said. Chinese companies saw the impact that piracy played in the PC software era, and China's mobile companies grew up knowing they would need to make money without getting consumers to open their wallets. "Chinese companies are so good at making free but high-quality products," he said. Sounds like we have a good race to the bottom.
"Chinese companies are so good at making free but high-quality products," ...
If these companies are so good, where are some of their "high-quality" products?
How are they earning a profit? If the apps are free, where do they get the money? If it's from ads, then that doesn't count as free.
You know all those links you clicked? All those pages you saw? There was ads on them. That's the business model.
Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
How does it not count as free? You can have ads that dont target you, or get any of your information. It could also be micro transactions. Both allow the app to be free while making money on the other side.
When you cant win, ad hominem.
It won because of p0rn
When you cant win, ad hominem.
how does transactions for extras make the base app not free?
When you cant win, ad hominem.
I'm the CTO in a Chinese technology company. The government has never paid us to install spyware or anything else for that matter. In fact, the government just cares about 1) blood not being too red, 2) gambling not being too overt 3) users not being able to use words equivalent to "fuck" or "cunt" in English, names of prominent politicians or particular terms in reference to disagreements with neighboring countries, 4) characters being in simplified and not traditional script. 5) under 18 not playing video games for more than 4 hours per day.
Beyond that, they don't give a shit.
Westerners often revere the Chinese government as being some all knowing all powerful being with a profound understanding of technology and deeply nuanced plans that span decades, roughly in the same way they view their own government. Fact is, the Chinese government is interested in keeping its people more-or-less satisfied with the status quo, just like your own government is. Chinese old people with too much free time to cause trouble get their panties in a knot about sex drugs and violence and "young people these days", so that's what the Chinese authorities crack down on. They simply do not have the time or inclination to be bothered with who you are and what you are doing.
Think about the last time you interacted with your own government. Did they know who you are? Did they know what your life circumstances were? I'll wager they didn't know shit about who you are and why you were there, nor did they care, they just wanted you to either shut up and go away or pay your tax and go away. Now imagine that level of caring, divide that by 1000, that's how much foreign governments gives a shit about you. Your own government couldn't even be bothered installing spyware on your computer, why would the Chinese government?
When Argumentum ad Hominem falls short, try Argumentum ad Matrem