Lin Shuwen didn’t stand on ceremony. As soon as she walked through the door, she went straight to the desk, pulled out the chair, and sat down.
Luo Ming smiled and settled onto the sofa, asking casually, “What brings you here all of a sudden?”
“On one hand, I’m here to settle scores with you. On the other hand, I really don’t want to diet anymore. If I stay in Shanghai, I’ll have to eat rabbit food every day and run ten kilometers—who can handle that?”
“Sorry, my bad. I’ll be more careful in the future.”
“Aren’t we even already? Besides! I wasn’t exactly disciplined with your body either. If anyone was overindulging, it was me first. I won’t do it again.” Lin Shuwen said, her face flushing slightly.
Luo Ming’s lips curled up ever so slightly. This woman really knew how to be understanding, didn’t she?
Since she’d already admitted her mistake, Luo Ming wasn’t the type to keep harping on it. He shifted the conversation and said, “By the way, Wenwen, I tried out that calculator program you wrote.”
“How was it?”
“No issues at all. For a beginner just getting started, being able to independently complete a program is already pretty impressive.”
“Really? You’re not just saying that to make me happy, are you?”
“Of course I mean it.”
Hearing this, Lin Shuwen raised an eyebrow slightly, her crystal-clear eyes brimming with joy. The radiant sparkle in her expression left Luo Ming momentarily stunned.
“Luo Ming, what should I study next?”
Her question snapped Luo Ming back to reality. Reluctantly, he looked away, cleared his throat, and said, “First, solidify what you’ve learned so far. Then we can venture deeper.”
“Should I find a teacher? It’s not like I have work all the time.”
“That works!”
Lin Shuwen nodded, already mulling over the idea of finding a programming tutor once she returned to Shanghai.
“Um, Wenwen, there’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”
“What is it?”
“About our company’s future plans. Wenwen, have you heard of big data?”
Lin Shuwen shook her head.
She had studied biology, not the internet. Back in school, there was an elective course on programming, but she hadn’t taken it. So when it came to internet-related knowledge, she’d only recently started getting exposed to it. Naturally, she had no idea about big data, which was still an emerging subject in the internet industry at the time.
“Let me give you a brief rundown, then. The concept of big data actually emerged very early on—it predates the widespread adoption of the internet.
Around the late 1970s and early 1980s, the supermarket chain Walmart first came up with the concept of big data.
By studying customers’ purchasing habits and adjusting the placement of goods in their stores, they managed to significantly boost sales on certain products.
That’s what the international community recognizes as the prototype of big data.
But in a way, I think our ancestors’ fortune-telling practices could also be considered a form of big data.
Now, big data’s application to modern internet companies came about in 2008.
At Oxford University’s Internet Institute, there was a professor named Viktor Mayer-Schönberger.
He happened to notice this interesting behavior at Walmart. He began quietly observing and documenting it, and in 2008, he formally introduced the concept of big data.
About six months after that, Microsoft invested in his work, and the two parties collaborated to start researching it.
Roughly half a year later, Microsoft, using Professor Viktor’s findings, conducted their first user survey. Based on the results, they changed their operational model, which boosted their profits by over 15% that same year.”
“15%—that much?”
In 2013, Bill Gates was still undeniably the world’s richest man, and his Microsoft was hugely well-known in China. The idea that even the world’s wealthiest man’s company could boost profits by 15% sounded almost like a fairy tale to Lin Shuwen.
“Yes, exactly 15%. Wenwen, do you know why Microsoft was able to profit so much from big data?” Luo Ming asked.
Lin Shuwen thought for a moment before giving her answer: “I imagine it’s similar to what Walmart did—by analyzing user needs and guiding consumer behavior through targeted advertising?”
A glimmer of approval flashed in Luo Ming’s eyes. Lin Shuwen was truly sharp. He’d only laid out some basic context, yet she’d already figured out how Walmart and Microsoft made their profits.
“Exactly, that’s it. The internet is already quite widespread now, and in a few more years, people’s lives will be fully tied to it. Every action they take will be recorded by servers, and internet giants can use that data to analyze users’ purchasing power, predict what they’ll need in the near future, and then guide them toward buying products through precision advertising. Microsoft’s success has also caught the attention of China’s internet moguls.”
By this point, Lin Shuwen had a rough idea of where Luo Ming was going: “Luo Ming, are you telling me that people in China have already started making moves in big data?”
“Yes.”
“Should we be working toward that too? What does making games have to do with big data?” Lin Shuwen voiced her confusion.
“Wenwen, do you enjoy being in the entertainment industry?” Luo Ming didn’t answer her question directly. Instead, he shifted the topic.
“I do! Aside from having to do things I’m not always fond of, most of the time I’m pretty happy. But I’m the type of person who’s fine with working like a dog as long as the pay is good.”
Luo Ming shook his head. “That’s because you haven’t truly encountered something you absolutely don’t want to do. Wenwen, have you ever heard the saying: true freedom isn’t about doing whatever you want—it’s about being able to not do what you don’t want to do.”
“That’s impossible in the entertainment industry. I’m not some big-shot capitalist who can control the rules of the game.”
“What if you were? Or what if you could be, in the future?”
At those words, Lin Shuwen’s heartbeat seemed to skip half a beat.
“Wenwen, big data is our chance. If we can seize this opportunity, we might be able to build an internet empire to rival BAT [Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent]. And when that happens, you’ll be the queen ruling over it all.”
“Stop, stop, stop! Don’t feed me these pipe dreams—I’m actually getting tempted!” Lin Shuwen said, clutching her chest.
“I’m not feeding you anything. I genuinely mean it. Wenwen, I believe in your ability to learn. Let’s work hard together from now on. I’ll teach you everything I know about big data.”
“Everything you know? Aren’t these new fields usually first researched by universities? Does your school even offer courses on this?” Lin Shuwen asked, curious.
“Yes! It’s an elective. I signed up for it. Back then, I already felt that big data was an opportunity. In the coming internet age, big data will hold a very high strategic position. By starting our company’s R&D in big data now, we’re already ahead of the vast majority of domestic companies.”
