小麦从硅谷回北京一年札记

过去的一年,有很多人问了我这些问题:

1. 为什么要回国?

2. 回国感觉怎么样?

3. 为什么加入摩拜?

4. 为什么上非诚勿扰?

5. 为什么离开摩拜去创业?

这篇文章记录了我做的一些思考和决定,统一作答。

 

为什么要回国?

回国将满一年,是时候写个札记了。

去年这个时候,在硅谷一天天的从热血青年变成行尸走肉,屡次想冲破亚裔工程师的竹子天花板,又屡不得法。于是请了两周假,回北京拜访中科大、耶鲁的各位创业CEO;在真格基金pitch我当时的在线教育项目的时候,真心意识到我有多么的不接地气。同时,我对中国创投圈无比向往。既然不够实力自立门户,就先与英雄为伍,跟邹嘉、杨毓杰和夏一平(摩拜CTO)聊完后回去就给Uber交上了辞呈。

犹记得那个月,我心中激荡,与朋友们喝告别酒,在旧金山、山景城、伯克利一处处留影,硅谷的一幕幕犹历历在目,而北京的一切都那么新鲜刺激,归心似箭,中二的我跑到金门大桥大吼:绿卡、期权、房子、跑车、MBA,咱们就此别过!

那时心想,我周小麦定要在北京做出点动静再回来 ­–– 一年以后,动静没多大,倒是学到了太多太多,关于创业,关于内心,关于世界到底是什么模样。

 

为什么不在美国创业?

实际上,我在美国做过一次技术创业,联合创办了一家车载智能硬件公司。我们做了一个智能投影导航仪,连接谷歌地图,手机放在口袋里,驾驶信息就会清晰的投射在前挡风玻璃上。在拉斯维加斯电子消费展(CES)发布产品,到众筹网站Kickstarter上募集了百万资金,又杀到YC终选,一路摸石头过河,却总觉得自己是门外汉。那时候,想约风投公司的合伙人,都要从分析师到投资经理,一个一个巴结。后来反思,当时摆在面前的是三座大山:绿卡身份、社会资源和与创新旋涡中心的距离。类比来说,一个坦桑尼亚小伙,想在中国做生意可以,做生意做成马云,说实话,完全不可能。有了这次经历,我一方面明白了自己适合创业,一方面明白橘生于南,我必须要回北京。

 

在摩拜什么体验?

刚回北京,我决定进入2017年风口浪尖的独角兽公司摩拜单车,担任移动端负责人。感谢邹嘉和夏叔的赏识,做出了一系列经典的增长产品,经历了一次狂飙突进的搭建团队,又与友商ofo小黄车纹枰论道、刺刀见红的过程。那时候,我们的战略是多面开战,背靠腾讯大树,一边狠拼国内市场份额,一边超维追杀滴滴专快,同时降维打击海外市场。在摩拜的工作中,我获得了极大的快乐,角色转变后,在美国职场中被忽略的战略思维、管理能力,都变成我的核心竞争力,快马遇伯乐,偌大疆场任奔驰,幸甚至哉!

 

回国感觉如何?

对于不追求工作生活平衡的我来说,有了精彩的工作就足够了。生活体验,总结起来就是一步步降低自己的预期和从物质中获得幸福感的阈值,物质不够朋友来凑,幸好往来皆人杰。工作后第一次感觉到手头不宽裕,明白了中国的中产为什么如此焦虑,哪有闲情逸致、诗和远方,谁不是油腻中年与保温杯。亲身体会房租、房价、物价和收入,就明白“人民群众日益增长的美好生活需要和不平衡不充分的发展之间的矛盾”。回来最不适应的就是温度、气味和交通,好处是每天新鲜热闹,日新月异,端的是好脏好乱好快活。

价值观上,只有体验过藩篱内外,中西两端,才明白各自的局限性。美国的雷区(种族歧视、性骚扰、作弊、人权、第二修正案)和中国的雷区(台独、和谐、使用管制药物、出轨)毫不自洽、互不重叠且完全对立,中国人不理解美国的雷区,美国人不理解中国的雷区,我算是都搞清楚了,全部不碰,理解万岁!

 

为什么要上非诚勿扰?

在科大的时候,男女比例7:1,我又是少年班里比较小的,一直有一个想谈恋爱而不得的心结。后来在硅谷,工程师的天下,仍然不能正常发挥,有时间就看几集《非诚勿扰》,许愿以后可以上台。回国之后,蒙江苏卫视赏识,先录制《一站到底》,再上《非诚勿扰》,一方面是圆梦,一方面是我对于传播学有了很大的兴趣。好的创业公司CEO,很多都有成为网红的实力,大众传播对我一个理科生来说,神秘而又强大。读完亚里士多德的修辞理论,又领教了Kenneth Burke的Dramatism,知道戏剧五要素,就愈发跃跃欲试。在社交媒体的年代,戏剧五要素越发凝练到“人设加动作”,方能传播。比如“大学生掏鸟被判十年”。于是我给自己打造了一个“少年班理工男只爱冻卵女强人”的人设,谁想到冻卵话题在今日中国完全不能引起共鸣,最后传播居然变成“海归技术精英爱玩娃娃机”,“有钱的话无论长相都可以牵手美女”,不禁莞尔。首次尝试不算成功,倒也有点领悟。

故事的结局是,我与台上最漂亮的女生牵手,决定下台之后了解这位女生。那时正好读到耶鲁校长Peter Salovey(情商理论创始人)关于心理学中亲密关系的阐述,里面有一个错误归因的理论,说一男一女会因为一起经历心跳加速的场合(蹦极、激情、上电视)而错以为喜欢上彼此,其实互相吸引的本源是距离(Proximity),相似(Similarity)和熟悉(Familiarity)。于是明白自己的内心,和女嘉宾告别。后来,在北京的聚会上,遇到了现在聪明美丽又自信的女朋友。我们有同样的留学经历和相似的外企工作经历,有诸多共同爱好、追求和抱负:由衷感谢校长的情感一课。

 

为什么离开摩拜去创业

不忘初心,一年前我记录过,回国的目标是做一家提高人们生活水平的公司(build a startup company in China to better people’s lives),那时候我力有未逮,缺乏起步资本、创始团队,还需要进一步锻炼从零到一的洞察和从一到一百的执行力。这一年,我没有忘掉自己的目标,从不局限自己为一个中层管理者,而是通过摩拜的实操,砥砺战斗力和领导力;同时贴近市场,领会中国各个人群真正的需求;再结交一群志同道合的创业者和投资人们。2018,我觉得时机成熟,是时候大展拳脚了!有幸遇到靠谱的老大、合伙人和靠谱的方向,我们搬进众创空间,从头搭架子、找人找钱,逐渐从一个白领正式转变成一个不疯魔不成活的创始人,创始人心态(Founder’s Mentality)得来不易,弥足珍贵。

 

附:中美(北京和硅谷)差异感悟

1.     中国人的工作状态普遍极为艰苦负责。在江苏卫视,我们四个选手录制一个20秒的过场介绍片,几十个工人、摄影师、厂务、编导跑前跑后,竟然录到深夜三点钟,如此敬业。不仅是电视台,各行各业,莫不如是。

2.     吴恩达(Andrew Ng)在deeplearning.ai 发布一份工作描述,要求工作时间996,遭到硅谷几乎一边倒的抨击,默默的删帖。

3.     头条团队做直播答题的,今年除夕干脆不回老家了。

4.     腾讯网易的吃鸡团队进入三班倒状态,加班到世界毁灭。

5.     美国公司里加班最厉害的Uber,2017年周日也没人在公司了。

6.     中美收入差距很大。中国高层和基层的收入差距没美国大。但是创业公司期权给的很少,后期加入造富的故事只有硅谷能讲,中国必须早期员工。

7.     互联网公司投行化。曾经英雄不问出处,现在985、211、海归起,职位价值大于个人实力,大厂月薪三万的产品经理出来可能只值一万五。

8.     中国公司内外勾心斗角确实比较多,争控制权、股权代持/抵押、对赌,比比皆是。美国人稍微单纯一点,不多。

9.     北京的房价和硅谷的工资一样,虚高、不合理、主要来自于政策(比如H1B/绿卡/租售不同权/落户/就近入学)、不可持续。

10. 中国互联网是真正的黑暗森林,到处是降维打击,必须做闭环。美国的公司专心做本行,当价值链的一个点,慢悠悠好好做,就能做上市。

11. 北京冬天冷死夏天热死,空调暖气很难端到端cover,穿衣服非常没有仪式感;硅谷四季恒温,温暖如春,轮场合该嬉皮该正式该雅痞,生活乐无边。

12. 硅谷好山好水好无聊,北京好脏好乱好快活。

13. 美国100个最富有的人可以控制国会;中国别说政治了,最厉害的企业都是国有的。

14. 中国移动支付的规模是美国的90倍。信用卡是个笑话(易用性、覆盖率、安全性),弯道超车是真的。

15. 中国企业做国际化和美国企业做国际化一样,没什么头绪,基本上靠的是技术碾压,没有技术壁垒想进场,中国公司去美国没戏,美国公司来中国也没戏。品牌营销和资本这年头都玩不转了。

16. 在中国做买办(投行咨询外企)仍然是拿高薪,但是薪水差距越来越小,做的事情越来越不接地气。

17. 想在中国有美国的生活品质,要付出极大的代价。中国的生活品质追上美国的,还有很长的路,但是可以找机会弯道超车。

18. 在地化太重要,Uber Airbnb这种模式本身在中国就不应该成立,共享单车这种模式在美国亦然。

19. 中美移动互联网都几乎走到尽头,现在跑出来的移动互联网公司都是09-11年那一拨。中国投资人焦虑的追逐共享充电宝、无人货架,美国投资人也很焦虑。大家一起疯炒区块链。夏虫不可语冰:VC行业在日本、韩国、台湾、俄国,都没跑通,世界上只有硅谷VC活过50年,其他地方都是两个存续期。

20. Context Switch成本越来越高,以后是否有必要做中美两边同时生活,难说。

从消火栓饮水(Drinking from the fire hose),冲击太大,思绪万千,久不落笔,难免散乱,望海涵。

小麦顿首。

3 Levels of Sharing

I love sharing. I see sharing as happening on three levels—sharing ideas, sharing emotions, and leading through sharing. I would like to show you how I live my life as a sharer.

My first assignment after graduation and moving to Silicon Valley was to help create LinkedIn’s Influencer program. While interviewing some of our seed users on why they share, these Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) often said that they want to build a voice and use that voice to do good. I became one of the first writers on the platform and quickly fell in love with publishing. It helped me establish my identity as a professional in my field and forced me to study new subjects. Gaining a voice also means gaining responsibilities. I strive to use my voice to influence public discourse. When a TV producer invited me on Fei Cheng Wu Rao, one of the most watched primetime shows in China, I seized this opportunity and talked about my feminist views, pushing for women’s rights to freeze eggs, which is still illegal for unmarried women in the conservative country. I debated with the other panelists, and the episode received more than 20 million views and coverage from Phoenix News and Sohu.com, all while generating a social discussion with thousands of participants. Like the KOLs on LinkedIn, I share ideas because I care and want to actively engage with my community. Sharing has helped me clarify my interests and create a network of knowledge. I have gotten to know people from all walks of life and have even connected them with each other. Sharing has become one of my biggest sources of happiness.

Sharing emotions is often harder than sharing ideas. A sharer is someone who is open-minded, active, and genuinely enjoys interpersonal relationships. As much as I love

using my engineering expertise to create products that can help others, I’m actually more excited about interacting with people rather than products. While building software products on Uber’s Driver Team, I realized that my coworkers are very distant from our drivers. I believe that a good product can only be created with a deep understanding of the customer, and so I made it a point to chat with drivers every day and spend time addressing their problems. I also drove an Uber myself to raise money for charity and even voluntarily worked as a customer representative at a driver service center. Emma, a single mother driving with Uber to make ends meet, told me, “Uber is like a heartless corporate machine... You guys keep punishing me for taking even a small break.” I shared her story with our team and urged everyone to stand in our drivers’ shoes to build products with a sense of empathy. After pitching to the CEO about my plan, I was able to receive his sponsorship to lead the “Driver Loyalty” program. With a team of seven, we built products such as a Fuel Finder, a Restroom Finder and a Pit Stop function, giving drivers ways to take breaks, locate the cleanest restrooms, find the cheapest gas stations, or even grab a free coffee before getting back on the road, all without taking a penalty for being offline. The Washington Times, Fortune and TechCrunch featured our products, but what’s more satisfying is hearing from my driver friends, including Emma, how they love these products. Taking the time to sit and listen to our drivers and share their emotions and stories has definitely paid off.

On top of sharing ideas and sharing emotions, the third level of sharing is to step up and lead. Earlier this year, I moved from California to Beijing to become the Head of Mobile at Mobike, a leading online transportation startup. Managing more than 30 mid- to-senior level engineers at the age of 24 is definitely not an easy task. I had to overcome a lot of negative stereotypes attached with being a young leader, especially within the East Asian culture. My strategy was to lead in an unconventional way by sharing everything. First, I shared my dedication and built trust through an extended period of careful execution. After establishing my reputation as a detail oriented individual who always delivers on promises, senior leadership became willing to assign me greater responsibilities. Second, I shared my expertise. The founding engineers naturally resisted a new leader from a different background until I wrote tens of thousands of lines of code that drastically upgraded the software architecture. As I improved my standing on the team, I was able to introduce many advanced ideas I learned in Silicon Valley, from A/B testing to iterative product development. Lastly, I shared my vision and created a common goal for the team. Chinese managers tend to withhold financial information from R&D, but I worked to be very transparent. Together, we looked at the data and reached a conclusion—we should pivot from pay-per-trip to a subscription model. What’s funny is that when I talked to our Head of Operations and the CFO, they had the same idea! I wanted the Monthly Pass to beat our competitors to market, so I gathered the team and gave them my simple rally speech, saying, “Let’s be first!” No longer doubting my ability to lead, they followed my vision and passionately kickstarted this product. The team finished coding and testing right before our marketing team finished preparing the launch, and it was a massive success. On the day of the launch, number of new app downloads tripled, and the search term “Mobike Monthly Pass” became a top trending topic on Baidu. Inspired by this accomplishment, we later rolled out more than five new growth features. By Q3 2017, we had made our app the most downloaded and highest rated on Apple’s App Store in China.

Sharing is at the heart of all social behavior. Being a sharer has helped me build a network of knowledge, influence the public discourse, and build products that help others all while being an effective leader. Sharing is how I approach the world — with warmth and an open heart.

 

Finished this piece in Taipei. Thanks Pengpeng for all the editing help. 

People Management路上的三堂课

“你们中有多少人开除过下属?”

一句话掷地有声,全场面面相觑。斯坦福商学院系主任站在我面前,扫视了一圈未来的商界精英们,缓缓的说:“所有新晋管理者最害怕、逃避做的事情就是Firing。”

这句话我记忆犹新,没想到一年以后就轮到我来唱黑脸。公司有个资历很老的员工C,第一波跟着创始人,快三年时间,没有功劳、也有苦劳。可是随着团队变大,业务稳步增长,C逐渐变得三天打鱼两天晒网,业务上不思进取,并且不断打击新员工的积极性。我拉着副总裁和他几次谈话,每次谈完好转几天,很快又固态复燃。我和他私交很好,但是事到关头也不得不就事论事。约定的时间到了,HR陪着坐着,我手脚冰凉,心脏狂跳,脑海中准备了十几种对答,没想到C早有预感,问好赔偿金,默然的在协议上签字,然后头也不回的走下楼去。

那一刻,副总裁跟我讲,你经历了人事管理的全过程,上完了最后一课,“出师”了。

初为经理

当经理是一件听起来很cool,很威风的事情:普通员工 (Individual Contributor) 长期伏案、加班,经理似乎每天都在开会、做决策,想必轻松很多吧?其实不然,人事管理是一份依靠天时地利人和,需要兢兢业业、如履薄冰的工作。我很幸运,刚回国就汇报给久经阵仗的副总,他在我履新之前推荐我读一本书,《The First-time Manager》,里面详细讲述了各种新晋主管可能掉进的“坑”。从被架空、被拆分团队、被改组,到空降高管的排异反应、事必躬亲的反作用,应有尽有。读完以后,他给我上了作为管理者的第一堂课:你的成功从此取决于所带领的团队,需要给团队每个成员最大的支持。

业务骨干初为管理者最不适应的,是当下属做得不如自己好的时候,忍住不去代劳。道理很简单,大家都需要在点拨中独立,方能成长。

领导力是什么?

哈佛商学院前学生会主席给我讲,大家觉得听起来很玄乎的领导力 (Leadership),绝对不是发号施令,而主要是两件事:1. 做艰难的决策 2. 激发团队士气 (Make tough decisions & Motivate the team)。刚开始做管理的时候,我发现我的时间主要被做短期的小决定占据了:产品细节、任务规划、招聘Head Count、技术选型、运营手段,不一而足。很快我发现,每个人的精力是有限的,做决策的能力会随着精力摊薄而下降。这时,大老板抓住我谈心,细碎的决策不一定有很大的价值,要学会授权 (delegate),只做艰难的决策,并且把剩下的精力着重花在每个人身上。

副总裁教导了我团队管理的三个进阶:决定 (Decison),流程 (Process),文化 (Culture)。初级主管很容易陷入巨大的沟通压力中,各个兄弟部门、第三方合作、早期的缺陷、CEO的新方向,业务需求像是四面八方的“乒乓球”飞过来。越是在这样的压力中,越要挤出时间,把自己升华到制定流程的高度,才能举重若轻,不成为各方的瓶颈。公司规模上千人之后,又要避免繁琐的流程造成官僚主义,只能寄希望于企业文化能感染到每一个人,给每个个体最大的宽容度,做分布式的判断。我发现,文化这第三层境界,和哈佛商学院说的激发团队士气是一回事,端的是知易行难。

说起这虚无缥缈的领导力,不得不提我很小的时候的一个疑惑,“权力”从何而来?我理解中层的权力来自于上层的授权,那么顶层的皇帝、将军凭什么能统帅千军,号令天下?权力的游戏里,瓦里斯太监说,权力是个障眼法,就像墙上的影子 (It's a trick, a shadow on the wall)。在基层,其实也是同样的道理:居移气、养移体,有些人靠殚精竭虑主动争取,有些人天生气场强大,“感觉未来跟你有肉吃”的重要性比“过去你勤劳有贡献”来的更大。一般人有五年业务经验,就可以思考往管理岗位努力,这个过程中切记:一定是在普通员工岗位上越级展现领导力,才会取得头衔,想要做主管,首先就要“多管闲事”。

绝不做“军阀” 

在Uber的时候,我的老板是带领四个团队的总监,早年间毕业于麻省理工斯隆商学院 (MIT Sloan)。他的管理方式是我极为推崇的:他对下属极力栽培,先派我和战略咨询公司对接,看我表现出色,决定破格给我负责一条业务线。后来,听说我要回国,他试着挽留;见我去意已决,就决定把人事管理最后一片拼图传授给我。他教我避免成为一个党同伐异,拥兵自重的军阀 (Kingdom Builder)。首先,下属人数不应过多,以五到七人为宜。如果做不到和每一位直系下属做每周 1-on-1 会议,就是时候提拔业务线负责人了。其次,在公司里搞政治的人,司马昭之心路人皆知。每个人头上仿佛顶着一个“光环” (Halo),一旦努力的方向变质,为了扩大权力不停招人揽项目,光环的颜色就会变质,大家也再也不会跟你精诚合作。那时候,隔壁事业部分管增长的总监,就已经被所有同事打上了“军阀”的标签,他无论如何努力钻营,也是徒劳了。

年轻的管理者

来到摩拜单车,我幸运的不到25岁就带领了三十多人的团队,队伍里大部分人都比我年长。虽说我经验和能力都足以担当,但是俗话说“嘴上没毛,办事不牢”,年轻的管理者总让人难以放心。我在硅谷的导师Vasily临行前给我锦囊,叫我刻意克服年轻管理者的刻板印象,比如别人问你一个问题,即使心中已有答案,也不要脱口而出,一定要花三十秒条分缕析,再把答案吐出。再比如高管会担心把重要的事情交给你,那么一定要注意长期滴水不漏,任何细小的任务全都有始有终,这样才能逐步建立信任。

结语:热爱管理

许多人因为错误的理由梦想成为高管。其实,管理是一份需要寄托热爱的工作。只有用同理心对待下属,真切的了解他们的想法,为每一名员工的职业发展负责,才能打造一个出色的团队。很多人尝试当经理之后,又主动转职到了业务岗,因为从琐碎的管理工作中,容易感到极大地压力,很难收获满足。如果你不是为了追求高薪,而真的是想承担责任,因他人的成长而快乐,那么你很适合这个职位!只有热爱,才去管理。

What matters most to you, and why?

This essay is part of my Stanford MBA application. I didn't get an offer, but the idea and story here is still worth sharing.

Throughout my upbringing, my parents told me not to be political. For them, the memory and horror of barely surviving the Tiananmen Square massacre was still alive. They constantly reminded me to lay low and mind my own business. Our upstairs neighbor, Cui Jian, now known as the father of Chinese rock, was their prime example. His song, “Nothing to My Name,” had become an anthem for the student protestors after he performed for them in 1989; the government sanctioned him from releasing albums or performing publicly for over 15 years following that performance. “If you get involved in politics,” my father likes to say, “only one of three things will happen: get censored, get jailed or get killed.”

Growing up with someone like Cui Jian so close by was inspiring, but I listened to my parents and avoided the political sector—until I arrived in California in 2008. I was a 16-year-old student with almost no understanding of US politics, but I couldn’t escape the excitement and hope that electrified the country when its first black president was elected: Barack Obama.

It took me 7 years and a lot of courage, before I jumped in with both feet. Apart from joining Hillary for America’s San Francisco office as volunteer, I became an advocate for fair regulations on the shared economy. Innovation, new technologies and new business models, can be disruptive and policy makers tend to overreact. When I was a software engineer at Uber, I designed a new feature for the company’s mobile app: it allowed tens of thousands of Uber riders and drivers to participate in the political debate and submit their public opinions. When New York law makers heard their constituents’ voice that Uber helps them get a ride in the city’s outer boroughs, the administration stopped a ban. In fact, Uber drivers are 57% more likely to drive to poorer neighborhoods than taxi drivers. Outside of work, I volunteered against the contentious Proposition F, which sought to restrict Airbnb rentals and was funded by the hotel industry. These experiences showed me that I didn’t need to pick between a career in tech and my budding interest in politics, and I want to shape public policy through tech and business innovation so that new technologies help the entire society instead of simply creating conflicts. Participating in politics this way is what matters most to me.

In the spring of 2017, I returned to Beijing as the head of Mobike’s mobile engineering team, knowing that I probably wouldn’t be able to influence the public sector anymore. As an outsider and non-party member, I remembered my parents’ guidance and focused only on the business. In six months, I grew the mobile engineering team from three to thirty and made our app the most downloaded and highest rated in China; our daily active users and daily trips quadrupled and the company overtook Uber to become the world’s largest online transportation platform. It was thrilling to participate in this growth, but frustrating to navigate the chaotic externalities that came with scaling a dock-less bike share without any regulation. As we grew, so too did the mountain-like piles of our bikes that formed in front of subway stations during rush hour. As Beijing city committees began to consider shutting us down, I wondered how we could leverage our leadership in this new market to shape public policies around it.

After talking to government officials, I understood what they need: more information to help them regulate the bikes, as well as a granular system that incentivized individuals to park their bikes in a more orderly fashion. So I initiated two projects. First, we created a data visualization platform with geo-fencing that feeds directly to the mayor’s office and urban administrative officers’ mobile devices so they can work with our city operations team instead of just fining us. With this platform, our company won a request for proposal at Beijing Dongcheng district.

Second, I leveraged my background in statistics to create a “civil credit score” system that includes not only user behavior, but also works in conjunction with existing financial credit agencies and other shared economy partners. The system still has a long way to go before it is fully integrated into Beijing or Chinese society, but in their 2017 White Paper, the Ministry of Politics stated that they see a path for shared economy to become a driving force behind China’s burgeoning credit system.

I’m happy to report that I got involved with a small part of Chinese politics without getting jailed, censored or killed. In the future, I hope to continue my civic engagement through technology and business.