From December 5th to 7th, the "2025 China Entrepreneur Influence Annual Conference" (formerly known as the China Business Leaders Summit) was held in Beijing, themed "Emergence · Infinite—Co-Creating the New Form of Intelligent Business." Chen Xiangdong, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Gaotu Techedu Inc. (NYSE: GOTU), attended and delivered a speech.

When discussing the entrepreneurial environment, Chen noted that we have fully entered a new era driven by artificial intelligence, where the logic of entrepreneurship, financing methods, and product forms are undergoing profound restructuring. Companies must re-examine the fundamental meaning of "high-quality development"—because the essence of change lies in the fundamental shift of growth paradigms.

He emphasized that real business opportunities do not stem from blind faith but are built on clear insights: "It's not 'believing is seeing,' but 'seeing is believing.'" Entrepreneurs can only see further and more accurately than others by continuously learning and expanding their cognitive depth and breadth. Ultimately, this insight comes from solid foundational learning capabilities.

Chen further explained that truly outstanding companies do not rely on cutthroat competition to succeed. Instead, they achieve strategic advantages—"winning without fighting"—by creating differentiated products, innovating channel models, and building sustainable ecosystems. If the direction is wrong, even gathering the best talent may lead to wasted efforts. Therefore, as the top leader of a business, one must first clarify "what to do" before deciding "who to use."