The Industrial Giant Reborn.

Chapter 538: Return to the Lakers

"Project dividends?" Woz asked, "How?"

"I can't decide on this yet. It should be divided according to profit, but it must have a certain market share, and then it will be settled once a year. What do you think?" Chen Zhiwen said again.

"Well, I'll make an annual salary of 500 million first. No matter what the project is, it won't be finalized that quickly anyway." Woz laughed.

"Okay, you can join the company first and understand Midea Computer's situation in the current market, and then decide on a project." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said.

Chen Zhiwen didn't know how to operate the computer industry, especially the computers of the 80s, which were completely different from those of later generations.In the early days when Midea launched computers, it relied on the split design to gain great praise and a certain market. However, the split design is just a concept. It is like a car with four tires. There is no way to register a patent. Other companies After seeing this idea, everyone imitated it, as long as the appearance design is not the same as the beautiful one.

The subsequent competition will depend on the technical quality, advertising and marketing, price and terminal channels of all parties. With Costco, Wal-Mart and the ever-expanding Best Buy electronic retail supermarket, Midea's sales are still good, but it can only be said to be good. , far from a very successful level.

According to the wooden barrel principle, Midea's biggest shortcoming is the computer hardware itself. If it weren't for Midea's own software Word three-piece set and computer games that are sold cheaper or even free on Midea computers, there might not be the current ones. In fact, this market is somewhat similar to the smartphone market in 11-15, with fast updates and many players. If you want to become a king, it will test the company's comprehensive strength.

The IT power in Hong Kong is good at making radios, but it is far behind in making computers. We can only rely on the United States. However, talents who can lead the research and development of a computer project are rare in the United States, and Woz is one of them. Although Apple's computers have failed in the past two years, Woz should be able to gain a lot of experience from them.

"Okay." Woz thought for a while and then said: "Eric, when I was at Apple, there were many capable people who left for some reasons, and there were many capable people among them. I think you can do it too. When we hire them, many of them have participated in Apple's new computer projects, so they are considered very good talents."

"No problem. You are the project leader. You have the final say when you want to recruit people. Where are they now?" Chen Zhiwen asked.

Apple had a strong aura in the early days, so it attracted many talents to join. In terms of recruiting people, it was much better than the foreign-funded Midea.

In an Apple company with thousands of employees, being able to stand out and become a responsible member of the computer research and development project is absolutely incredible. Moreover, being able to conflict with the founder, Steve Jobs, is also proof of ability, because if the level is lower, , I guess I am not qualified to have much communication with the company’s founder + major shareholders, let alone conflicts.

Talents selected in this way will probably be welcomed by any company they go to.

"Some are at IBM, and some are at Texas Instruments or Hewlett-Packard. I will contact them, but their current jobs should be pretty good. If I want them to come to the United States, I guess they will have to pay more," Woz said. .

"That's no problem." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said. The value of these people is not just themselves, but that they have all worked together at Apple and are familiar with each other. This is very important for a company and can reduce many unnecessary tasks. The running-in time is similar to poaching a team from another company at once. If you want to do this, you have to pay a lot of money. A salary increase is just the most basic thing.

"Well, I will join the company after a while. Inviting them to the United States is a big deal. I will go and interview them in person." Woz said.

"Haha, Woz, what are you talking about? If you hire them, of course it counts as work. From tomorrow on, I will count you as joining the job, and I will not give you less of the salary you deserve." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile, 500 An annual salary of 2 U.S. dollars is almost [-] U.S. dollars a day. However, this amount of money is nothing to Midea. As long as Woz and the team he can form in the future can develop a new computer for Midea, let alone explosive growth. As long as you have certain results, you can easily earn dozens of times the profit.

"That's fine." Woz didn't care. Before leaving Apple, he cashed out his shares. Now he's worth hundreds of millions. His annual salary of $500 million is indeed very high in the United States, but he doesn't really care. , and for Chen Zhiwen, who is worth more, he will not take it seriously.

If Chen Zhiwen doesn't give it, he doesn't want it. If he does, he won't refuse, because there is no need to waste time talking too much for such a small amount of money.

"Okay, you also know Mark, the person in charge of Midea in the United States. From now on, he will be responsible for the operation, and you will be responsible for the technology. Just develop new computers with peace of mind. If you need any resources, just talk to Mark." Chen Zhiwen added.

Even if his companies become internationalized, they will basically use local people to be responsible for related businesses. For example, the managers of Midea and Red Bull branches in the United States are all Americans, because they will be more familiar with American business. Environment, make accurate judgments, the Chinese in the branch are only in a supporting position, or to a certain extent, forming a balance. After all, Americans cannot completely control the entire branch.

When the company grew larger, he didn't care what nationality his employees were, as long as they could bring him the greatest benefit.

"OK." Woz nodded, thought for a moment and asked, "Are you going to meet Steve Jobs when you come to Los Angeles this time?"

"We don't have this plan at the moment. Midea and Apple are competitors after all. Steve Jobs is also having a hard time at Apple, so there is no benefit in meeting me. Besides, there is nothing to do, so why meet." Chen Zhiwen shook his head and said.

Jobs single-handedly created Apple, but in order to develop rapidly, he also introduced multiple sources of capital and lost his controlling stake. However, this is generally not a problem, because those who can build a company from beginning to end and develop it can be said to be business elites. They themselves will also be major shareholders + have high prestige, and ordinary investors only want to make money. Therefore, most founders can take charge of the entire company with peace of mind.

But Jobs is obviously not. The computer research and development he led failed for several consecutive years, costing the company hundreds of millions of dollars. This has made him marginalized within the company. However, he still cannot recognize the reality, and the blame is put on him who was hired from PepsiCo. CEO Sculley, which led to more conflicts and eventually led to his being kicked out.

After Steve Jobs was kicked out of Apple, his life was quite legendary. In the original history, he also followed the development route of animation computers, and also cooperated a lot with Disney. In the future, he may have a relationship with Chen Zhiwen, but that is From now on, there is no need for the two of them to meet.

"Yes, it's just a pity for Apple. I really hope it can become the world's top company." Woz sighed.

"It's not easy for people to live in this world smoothly. It's great that Apple can develop to its current scale." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile. Although it is easy for giants to be born in the technology industry, behind each giant are thousands of small and large companies. Among the companies that have gone bankrupt, Midea is an exception. It is the product of Chen Zhiwen's golden finger.

"Well, we can only take it one step at a time." Woz said with a smile.

After staying at Woz's house for a while, several people also made a BBQ Chinese meal in the backyard of the villa.

After leaving, the two got on the pick-up convoy. Liu Xiaoli asked: "Is this Woz very powerful?" "Of course, the wealth he can bring me starts with at least one billion US dollars, which is more than some popular games." Awesome." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.

"It's really unimaginable," Liu Xiaoli said. "In China, it's unbelievable that some business people can become households worth [-] yuan."

"The current technology industry in the United States is basically the last opportunity for entrepreneurship in the Western world. It is not like the mainland, where gold is everywhere. As long as you have the courage and vision, you can make a fortune in any industry." Chen Zhiwen said.

"The last batch of opportunities?" Liu Xiaoli asked.

"Yes, in traditional industries, ordinary people have no chance. The occasional success may be a very rare genius." Chen Zhiwen replied.

"That seems right, and it's the same in Hong Kong." Liu Xiaoli nodded and said. She has been in Hong Kong for a while and has a basic understanding of Hong Kong society.

"Almost, there is basically no chance in the future." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile. In the original history, the only one of Hong Kong's wealthy families to start a business after 80 years was Liu. I have to say that this guy is really amazing, but now the world's top Midea controls a small part of the fan business, and I don’t know if Liu can still make a career out of the fan business, but with his ability, even if he can’t make a fan, he should be able to think of other ways to make the first pot of gold.

"Where are we going now?" Liu Xiaoli asked again.

"Go watch basketball." Chen Zhiwen laughed.

"Basketball? That basketball team you bought in the United States?" Liu Xiaoli asked. Chen Zhiwen had also told her before that he bought a team in the United States.

"Yes, it's also in Los Angeles." Chen Zhiwen said. Another advantage of buying the Lakers is that it is in Los Angeles. There are also many of his other subsidiaries or businesses here, which is very convenient.

Half an hour later, the team arrived at the Lakers training location. At this moment, the Lakers coach and some players were waiting outside.

Jordan is also among them, and this is the first time Chen Zhiwen has formal contact with him.

"Hello, Jordan, I have watched your game, it is very exciting, I think soon, you will become the best player in the entire United States." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile and shook hands.

"Thank you, boss." Jordan said very politely.

He is also very confident in his own skills, but he also knows that no matter how good basketball is, it is just a game of capital, and the owner of his Lakers team is a very huge capital.

"If you work hard and succeed, you will not only get honors, but also get many commercial endorsements. I have many brands and are waiting for an international superstar to be the spokesperson. I hope this person can be you." Chen Zhiwen Said with a slight smile.

"Thank you, I will definitely achieve this goal earlier." Jordan solemnly said that winning the NBA championship is also his dream.

"Boss, please come in." Head coach Michael also said with a smile. At the same time, he glanced at Jordan and sighed in his heart. Being valued by the boss so much, as long as he is not too weak, his future is absolutely limitless. Even if his skills are not in place, in terms of endorsements, It is estimated that there will be no less, not to mention Jordan's level and potential, which shocked him, a lifelong coach.

"Okay, let's go in." Chen Zhiwen nodded.

There are still many people training inside the stadium. Not everyone is qualified to go out to pick up the boss. Even if the boss comes in, he will not introduce him. If he is not the main player, he is not qualified.

However, coach Michael was still by Chen Zhiwen's side and introduced some of the people present, especially three Chinese players. These were specially selected Chinese players with some potential in accordance with Chen Zhiwen's requirements. After joining the Lakers, they were also focused on training. The investment in both resources and time is above average.

At the same time, all the main players also came off the field and had an internal competition to show all their strengths in front of the boss.

Jordan even showed amazing strength, dunking in succession, which made Chen Zhiwen almost want to scream.

Coach Michael on the side said: "Jordan's physical fitness and skills are now almost among the best in the United States, but he still lacks experience in the game, especially the experience in the finals. In May, he lost in this area, but Even so, his level is enough to give any top NBA player a headache."

"So, we will be more confident in next year's playoffs?" Chen Zhiwen asked with a smile.In this year's playoffs, the Lakers won the Western Conference championship, but still lost the championship. This result is already very good. Yes, what Chen Zhiwen wants is the championship, or even several consecutive championships.

"There is a certain degree of certainty." Michael said. Naturally, he could not say that he was absolutely sure, and God did not dare to make such a promise.

"Well, just keep training. In addition, those Chinese players should be trained more." Chen Zhiwen also said that the NBA will be a popular sport in the mainland in the future. In addition to Jordan, he also needs to train some Chinese players, because in this way, we can Let Chinese and even Asians have a sense of belonging, but whether they can be cultivated to the level of "Yao Ming" still depends on their strength. If their strength is too low, it will be useless no matter how much they are praised.

"Okay." Michael agreed.

(End of this chapter)