Workflow
2012年12月12日,央视年度经济人物颁奖晚会上,王健林与马云立下1亿赌约
Sou Hu Cai Jing·2025-05-27 07:53

Core Viewpoint - The article chronicles the rise and fall of Wang Jianlin and his company Wanda, highlighting the significant bets made on the future of e-commerce and the subsequent financial struggles faced by Wanda due to excessive debt and market changes. Group 1: Historical Context - In December 2012, Wang Jianlin and Jack Ma made a $100 million bet regarding e-commerce's market share in China by 2022, with Wang betting against the rise of e-commerce [1] - At that time, Ma had just capitalized on the success of "Singles' Day," and Wang was the newly crowned richest man in China with a net worth of 150 billion yuan [3] Group 2: Company Growth and IPO - In 2014, Wanda went public in Hong Kong, raising approximately 30 billion HKD, marking it as the largest IPO in Hong Kong that year [3] - By 2015, Wang's net worth had increased to 220 billion yuan, reaffirming his status as China's richest man [3] Group 3: Strategic Decisions and Global Expansion - Facing a declining stock price, Wang decided to privatize Wanda and return to A-shares for better valuation, executing a buyback at a premium price of 52.8 HKD per share [5] - Wanda embarked on a global acquisition spree, including a $10 billion purchase of AMC, a $3.2 billion acquisition of a UK yacht club, and investments in various international projects [5][6] Group 4: Financial Challenges - By 2017, Wanda's aggressive overseas investments raised concerns among regulators, leading to a tightening of credit and a subsequent liquidity crisis for the company [9][10] - The company faced significant debt, with estimates of over 800 billion yuan in total liabilities by 2023, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and a downturn in the real estate market [20][21] Group 5: Asset Liquidation and Current Status - To manage its debt, Wanda has sold over 80 Wanda Plaza locations, including a recent sale of 48 plazas to quickly raise 50 billion yuan [24] - The company has lost significant value, with Wang's wealth decreasing by nearly 200 billion yuan, and he has lost control over Wanda's management due to extensive debt and asset pledges [26]