今天大波編透過一個難得的機會，訪問到神秘的 SWAG 老闆 Sam Liu，大家來看看他對於 SWAG 的想法。
『一個好的成人網站，能帶著你征服宇宙。』
『這不是誇張，當然指的不是真的讓你飛到外太空去，而是指一個好的成人網站，能給你隨時自由帶入的情境。我希望 SWAG 能成為台灣甚至是全亞洲的 AV 龍頭！』今年 33 歲，工程師出身的 Sam，講起成人產業毫不避諱。
或許是從小就出國唸書，讓他沒有傳統亞洲人保守的觀念。 2017 年 12 月接手 SWAG 後，就帶有一種使命感。看準了成人內容在保守的市場更有機會，因此很明確的要讓 SWAG 朝向多元精緻化的成人平台發展。招募創作者、找宣傳管道、開發平台功能，一切都是挑戰。
『接手後沒多久，我有機會去拜訪了一趟日本 DMM，當時看到對方氣勢磅礡的辦公樓及了解到後期發展的商業規模後，心中就想著 SWAG 要成為亞洲第一。』 Sam 充滿自信的說著。
轉眼間未滿三年，SWAG 已成為亞洲知名的成人內容平台。問他這三年成長的關鍵是什麼。他未加思索的回答：『其實就是不斷嘗試。嘗試新的市場、新的商業模式、新的內容，因為這個平台不只可以滿足你看成人內容，還可以跟內容創作者互動，又是在行動裝置上。這三個特點拆開來都有人做，但結合在一起後，做的好的人不多，所以我沒有模仿的對象，就只能帶著團隊不斷的摸索。哪怕十個嘗試只做對一個，都能帶我們往前更進一步。』
Sam 接著又說： 『我甚至為了不錯過一個可能對公司有幫助的合作，冒著風險去了一趟寮國金三角，當時過海關護照是要被收走的。去到當地雖然沒談成合作，但卻是一個難忘的經驗。』
講幾句話就繞不開工作，問他平常下班還會看 A 片嗎? 他說： 『當然看啊，不但看自己家的，也要多觀摩其他歐美國家的，而且不是光看內容。還得仔細看別的平台每支影片的觀看數、按 Like 或 Dislike 的數量、標題怎麼下、分類怎麼分、金流怎麼走。有時候還要充當普通用戶跟 Swagger 聊天，才知道用戶聊天會遇到的問題是什麼。譬如說，因為不是每個人都那麼會尬聊的，所以我們後來就開發了預設幾組有趣的詞讓用戶當開場白。不然大家一開頭就 Hi 來 Hi 去接不下去就不嗨了。』
似乎發現又講到工作的事，他趕緊補充：『也是會玩玩手遊啦，偶爾放空一下。或是帶家人到處走走。我們團隊都很年輕，大家是蠻會玩的。所以我們員工旅遊都很瘋狂，曾經有人還在巴拉望把腳踏車騎進海裡。我還答應大家，今年營收有達標，疫情過後就帶大家去夏威夷。』
問到辦公室同事都是宅男嗎？ 他說：『沒有耶，一半一半吧，現在搞不好女生比例還比較多。大家其實都是來工作很專業的啦。不要以為我們上班都在看片，螢幕望過去其實都是程式碼、數據、報表。但如果真的有人想要能一直看片的工作，我們也是有審查團隊的職位。今天就先這樣，你如果想問我更多問題，就來加入我們吧。』
原來，審查團隊是為了看內容有沒有不符合規範的，避免硬蕊的內容出現在平台，以符合各地法規。從這次短短的訪問過程，就能發現經營成人平台需要既大膽又嚴謹的態度，在看似輕鬆的話題中充滿公司目標、下班生活關係著工作、年輕團隊經營著千年傳統產業。期待下一次的訪問，也期待在 Sam 的帶領下，SWAG 逐漸描繪出一個亞洲成人產業帝國的輪廓。
以下為完整英文對談：
“A good adult website can let you conquer the universe. “
“This is not an exaggeration. Of course, it doesn’t mean that you actually fly into outer space, but a good adult website that can give you a fantasy that you can freely enter at any time.” said current SWAG CEO Sam Liu
At 33 years old this year, Sam, who previously was an engineer, doesn’t shy away from talking about the adult industry. Since taking over SWAG in December 2017, Sam has brought a sense of mission to the company. It was clear that adult content has a lot more opportunities in the conservative markets of Asia. It was also clear that SWAG should develop towards a diversified, refined adult platform. Recruiting creators, finding publicity channels, and developing platforms were all challenges but the team was working hard to make it a reality.
“Not long after I took over, I had the opportunity to visit DMM in Japan. After seeing their majestic office building and learning about the commercial scale that they had achieved, I thought, SWAG can do this, we will become number one in Asia. ” Sam said confidently.
In less than three years, SWAG has become one of the best-known adult content platforms in Asia.
Q: So what has been the key to your growth over the past three years?
Sam Liu: “In fact, it’s just to keep trying. Try new markets, new business models, and new content, because this platform not only satisfies you to watch adult content, but also interacts with content creators, and mobile devices. There are people who do these three things well separately, but few that do them all well which is why we don’t have anyone to imitate, I can only continue to explore with the team. Even if only one in ten attempts is right we still take us one step further. I even took the risk to go to the Golden Triangle of Laos in order not to miss a cooperation that might be helpful to the company. At that time, my passport was taken away from customs. Although going to the local area did not reach cooperation, it was an unforgettable experience. 』
Q: So, on another topic, what do you do after work, do you watch porn after you get home?
Sam Liu:“Of course! not only do I watch my own content at home, but also watch other European and American sites, and not just the content. You have to look carefully at the number of views of videos on other platforms, the number of Likes or Dislikes, how to make the best title, how to divide by category, and how to get premium content. Sometimes I even act like a normal user and chat with Swaggers. That’s the only way you’ll know what problems users will encounter when chatting. For example, because many users are embarrassed to chat we later developed a set of pre-set phrases, for users opening remarks. I also enjoy playing mobile games, so I can decompress. Or I take the family around.
Q: What about the SWAG team?
Sam Liu:Our team is very young, and everyone is good at having fun at work and our employees are crazy about traveling. Someone used to ride a bicycle into the sea in Palawan. I also promised everyone that if we hit this year’s revenue target, I will take everyone to Hawaii after the epidemic.”
Q: Are the employees all otaku?
Sam Liu: “No, half and half, maybe there are still more girls now. Everyone actually came to work very professionally. Don’t think that we are watching movies at work, and the screen is actually full of code, data, and reports. But if someone really wants to be able to watch movies all the time, we also have a review team position. That’s it for today, if you want to ask me more questions, come join us. “
From the conversation it’s apparent that operating an Adult platform isn’t for the faint of heart, or people without ambition. The company is full of young millennials, revolutionizing the industry, and making work a part of their life. Looking forward to the next visit, we’re also expecting that under Sam’s leadership the company will continue to excel. SWAG is sure to become the dominant player in the Asian adult industry.
