In the hyper-competitive landscape of Chinese technology, the line between personal grievance and corporate marketing is often blurred. This March, the industry witnessed another volatile episode in the two-decade-long saga between Zhou Hongyi, the combative founder of 360 Group, and his former protégé, Cheetah Mobile CEO Fu Sheng. What began as a midnight digital assault ended in a public apology, leaving the industry to wonder if the drama was fueled by spirits or strategy.
On March 20, Fu Sheng launched a scathing attack across several private WeChat groups, accusing Zhou of failing to honor a debt of at least 100 million RMB. The allegations, punctuated by emotional outbursts and claims of legal settlements in Hong Kong, suggested that the 2024 "Great Reconciliation" between the two men had been nothing more than a superficial ceasefire. Fu’s posts quickly went viral, reigniting interest in a rivalry that dates back to the early 2000s.
The drama took a sharp turn on March 24 when Fu issued a formal apology on his WeChat Moments, attributing his previous accusations to a "drunken impulse." He explained that after several failed attempts to call Zhou—who had reportedly blocked him—his frustration boiled over. Fu walked back the billion-yuan debt claims, expressing shame for his lack of composure and thanking mutual friends for mediating the fallout.
To understand the gravity of this spat, one must look back to 2008, when Fu Sheng, the architect of 360’s flagship security products, left Zhou’s wing to join the rival camp of Lei Jun’s Kingsoft. The move earned Fu the label of "traitor" in Zhou’s eyes, sparking a decade of lawsuits and public vitriol. While they shared a stage in early 2024 to signal a new era of cooperation in AI, the latest outburst proves that old wounds in China’s "Jianghu" tech culture rarely stay closed.
The timing of this conflict is particularly conspicuous as both executives pivot toward the 2026 “Lobster” boom—the industry term for autonomous AI agents capable of complex tasks. Fu Sheng has been aggressively promoting his personal AI agent, "Sanwan," while Zhou Hongyi recently launched the "360 Security Lobster" suite. In an era where attention is the primary currency, a public feud provides the perfect, if messy, backdrop for product visibility.
As the dust settles, the financial health of their respective firms remains the underlying story. Cheetah Mobile has seen a significant revenue surge driven by AI services, while 360 Group is betting its future on a "Lobster" ecosystem to reshape its legacy security business. Whether this latest incident was a genuine drunken mistake or a calculated play for the spotlight, it underscores the volatile intersection of ego and innovation in the world’s second-largest tech market.