In the early morning of March 20, Cheetah Mobile Chairman Fu Sheng suddenly launched an attack in a WeChat group called "ML Liang Sandian", publicly accusing Zhou Hongyi, founder of 360 Group, of "not paying back money" and deleting his WeChat account, triggering heated discussions in the group. Although the two sides had previously released "reconciliation" signals to the outside world, this fierce confrontation once again brought their decade-long grievances into the public eye.
Fu Sheng accuses Zhou Hongyi of "not paying back hundreds of millions"
According to screenshots of the group chat, Fu Sheng said at 00:15 in the morning @zhouhongyi: "You owe me money, and you have to pay it back, and you delete me, you sb", and further accused the other party of "being hacked for hundreds of millions, deceived into paying back the money, and finally deleted. If you don't take it seriously anymore, I will think you are awesome."
In the early morning of the next morning, Fu Sheng added that someone who had "vented his conscience (now)" had asked Zhou Hongyi to repay at least 100 million and stop the Hong Kong lawsuit. The other party "agreed" at the time, but after his A-share listing, he "didn't answer any questions."
Other members in the group had mixed reactions: some questioned, "Did Lobster send this?" (Fu Sheng has been saying recently that Lobster was helping him with his office work), while others asked, "There is still an agreement as stated verbally." As of now, Zhou Hongyi has not responded publicly to this.
From joining hands to breaking up, master and disciple
The feud between Fu Sheng and Zhou Hongyi began in 2008. At that time, Fu Sheng was in a legal dispute due to the "5173 Incident", and Zhou Hongyi lent a helping hand, not only helping him get out of trouble, but also supporting him in founding Keniu Image (later merged with Kingsoft Internet Security to form Cheetah Mobile). In the early days, Fu Sheng regarded Zhou Hongyi as his "benefactor", while Zhou Hongyi regarded Fu Sheng as his "direct disciple", and the two had a close relationship.
When Cheetah Mobile went public in the United States in 2014, Zhou Hongyi publicly stated that "Fu Sheng is my proudest investment," but cracks had already begun.
According to media reports, the conflict between the two parties stemmed from differences in decision-making when Kingsoft Antivirus transitioned to free antivirus, as well as direct competition with 360 in the security field after Cheetah Mobile developed independently. In 2016, Zhou Hongyi bluntly stated in the circle of friends that "Fu Sheng's pattern is too small", and Fu Sheng responded, "Thanks for saving my life back then, but there is no need to mention it again." The two broke up publicly.
It was repaired briefly and then caused trouble again.
In 2023, Fu Sheng softened his attitude when mentioning Zhou Hongyi in a live broadcast, saying that "the past has changed". Zhou Hongyi also said in an interview that "young people must look forward." The outside world once believed that the two had reached a reconciliation. However, this WeChat group incident completely broke the illusion of "breaking the ice".
It is worth noting that Fu Sheng’s accusation mentioned details such as “Hong Kong lawsuit” and “A-share listing”, which may involve conflicts of interest in the privatization of Cheetah Mobile and subsequent capital operations.
According to people familiar with the matter, the two parties have long-term disagreements over the control of Cheetah Mobile and the distribution of 360 investment returns. Fu Sheng’s so-called “conscience venter” may point to an intermediary mediator, but the specific details have not yet been confirmed.
As two heavyweights in the field of Internet security in China, the feud between Fu Sheng and Zhou Hongyi has long gone beyond personal grudges. From the "3Q War" to the "Cheetah 360 Battle", the competition between the two is regarded as the epitome of the game between traditional security vendors and emerging Internet forces.
From "both teachers and friends" to "turning against each other", the feud between Fu Sheng and Zhou Hongyi is embarrassing. At present, neither party has provided further explanations on the details of the incident, and the subsequent development of the incident remains to be seen.