Today is Chinese New Year’s Eve, and it also happens to be the 20th anniversary of our company - our official date of incorporation was January 28, 2005. I wanted to jot down a few thoughts this morning to mark the occasion.

  • The Beginning of the Journey

At the time, I was in Shenzhen and Glacier was in Beijing. We were both working in jobs where there were a lot of things that we felt were unreasonable and that we wanted to change. During a phone conversation, we decided to give it our all for another three months, and if we still couldn’t make a difference, we would start our own company to see if we could create something we really liked.

As it turned out, a month later, Glacier packed all his belongings into several boxes and shipped them to my apartment. He and his wife came to Shenzhen, and I had no choice but to quit my job and dive headfirst into this reckless entrepreneurial adventure.

  • Staying Small

Even though we’re now 20 years old, we’ve always been a small company. Over the years, many colleagues have come and gone, and we currently have only 50 employees. Perhaps this is the reality of most startups - while many dream of going public, creating groundbreaking products, or being recognized globally, few achieve it. We can only do our best.

  • A Little Pride

One thing we’re a little proud of is that we’ve paid our employees on time for 20 years. We’ve also always given out year-end bonuses before the Chinese New Year, so everyone has a little extra in their pockets to celebrate.

  • Lots of Attempts, Mostly Failures

We’ve tried a lot of things, most of which have failed. Just a few days ago, our team did the math: over the past 20 years, we’ve created more than 20 products, but only a few have held up. The great thing is that we keep trying. Even though we had an official holiday yesterday and today is New Year’s Eve, our passionate teammates never stop thinking and experimenting with new ideas.

What have we done right to survive for 20 years? At least these things:

  • We’ve always tried to be simple, serious, sincere, and honest. Whether dealing with customers, colleagues, partners, or ourselves, these qualities have helped us earn trust.
  • We’ve always continually iterated.
  • We’ve been resilient enough.
  • We’ve been very lucky.

Don’t forget why you started, no matter how far you go. I recently read a book with that title. When we started, we envisioned a company that would be simple, transparent, innovative, and strive to be the best. Let this be a reminder not to lose sight of that vision.

Our values:

  1. Customer First
  • Deeply understand customer needs and potential needs, exceed customer expectations, and build long-term trust.
  • When company interests conflict with customer interests, help the customer. For example, we’ve rejected financial advertising on Knowledge Planet because it would harm our users, even though it could generate revenue for us.
  1. Simplify
  • Be practical. Focus on goals and common sense to solve problems in our products, business and organization.
  • Communicate honestly and speak plainly. For example, if the boss suggests a product design that hurts customers, stand up and challenge him.
  • Make processes intuitive and logical. Always ask: Can we make it simpler? Can we avoid doing it at all?

Note: Simplicity doesn’t mean being crude. True simplicity often requires a deep understanding of complexity, seeing the big picture and identifying key points or abstracting commonalities. Simplicity is not easy.

  1. Accountability
  • Keep your promises, take responsibility, and get results. For example, does your job produce results?
  • Be willing to go the extra mile.
    • For example, address the “gaps” between departments, even if it’s not in your OKRs or responsibilities.
    • Every person, department, and company has blind spots. If you believe something is right, take the initiative to experiment at minimal cost.
  1. Hacker Spirit
  • We are passionate about technology and innovation. Are we curious about new things? Do we enjoy tinkering and experimenting on our own time?
  • Creatively solve problems and find hidden opportunities. For example, how can we make our products and our business different?
  • Break boundaries and strive for excellence. Resources are always limited - how can we do more and better with what we have, and do it better than anyone else in the world?
  • Believe in sharing, openness, and decentralization.

Happy birthday to the company and Happy New Year to all our teammates and friends.