Chapter 475 Let's Practice (Bug Fixing): Zhou Liang hung up the phone and turned to find the CEO of Micron Technology. Good heavens, he didn't believe in God…

Zhou Liang hung up the phone and turned to find Micron's CEO.

God, he doesn't believe in God, but that doesn't stop him from exclaiming from the bottom of his heart: Oh my god!

Even months ago, when he had already arrived in the United States and was personally managing the market while watching the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummet to 5,000 points, he never imagined that he would be sitting in a conference room, personally received by Micron's CEO, and with such a warm and welcoming reception.

Even with the other party's enthusiastic attitude, Zhou Liang could only politely reply, "It's a real pity, Mr. Appleton. My bosses are actually very interested in investing in Micron's stock. They all hope to have the same good fortune as Mr. Simplow."

In the late 1970s, when Japan expanded its production capacity of high-quality, low-priced memory chips, driving its American counterparts to the brink of collapse, Micron, which was also on the verge of death, received a million-dollar investment from Mr. Simplow, the richest man in Iowa.

Although this guy is known as Mr. Potato, he actually knows almost nothing about how DRAM chips actually work—after all, you can't expect too much from a businessman who didn't even finish eighth grade.

But this did not prevent him from acquiring hundreds of millions of dollars in wealth in the years that followed, thanks to that million-dollar investment.

This is a classic case in the history of modern investment.

Investors are not engineers; they don't necessarily need to understand technology. In fact, most of the time, they know very little about technology.

As long as they understand the market and business, they can get people with technical skills to make money for them.

As Micron's CEO, Appleton welcomes such investors because they rely on other people's technology to make money, so they are often the ones who respect technology the most.

He doesn't care where their money comes from.

Even though he knew perfectly well that Mr. Zhou in front of him had come to the United States when the US stock market crisis broke out, and that he had only started contacting Texas Instruments after the Federal Reserve announced a 25 basis point interest rate cut, preparing to buy the semiconductor sector that the other party wanted to sell.

It's obvious this person has made a lot of money shorting US stocks. It's even quite possible he's one of the masterminds behind the Asian Revenge Plan.

But so what? Appleton needs the money now.

He had to complete the acquisition of Texas Instruments Semiconductor because it was the best time to strengthen Micron. It needed advanced technology and experienced engineers.

Appleton extended his hand to Zhou Liang, making an expectant gesture: "Mr. Zhou, please believe me, you and your bosses have made a very correct decision. This is a great acquisition plan, and everyone involved will be proud of their decision. We should stick with it."

Zhou Liang shook his head: "No, sir, your government prefers you to make money with your own money and doesn't want you to get any money from outside."

He spoke with a slightly sarcastic tone, spreading his hands, "The United States is indeed a pioneering force in decolonization since World War I. A great nation disdains taking money from outside."

Appleton didn't believe he was genuinely praising the United States, and the other side certainly had reason to be furious.

In fact, he sometimes felt that the Washington government was being overly sensitive. Business transactions shouldn't be over-interpreted, as this makes it incredibly difficult for companies to raise funds.

He tried to persuade Zhou Liang not to give up.

But the latter shook his head again: "No, sir, none of my bosses have the patience to stop and wait. If you cannot resolve the restrictions imposed by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, then we regret to announce that this matter is now closed."

As he spoke, he looked intently at Appleton, "However, sir, my bosses have a very good impression of you. If you would like, could you recommend some other new investment options for us, such as stocks in other companies?"

Those words are truly devastating.

You won't get my investment; you'll have to personally help me give it away to someone else.

But if you look at it from another angle, it means you've gained my trust, and the investments you recommend can be related to your interests.

After all, a CEO is not a boss, but a senior position. It's not an exaggeration to think of him as a senior employee.

However, after graduating from Appleton University, he went to the United States and started as a night shift worker earning less than five dollars an hour. He worked there for 11 years before becoming the CEO of Micron, and he has a deep affection for Micron.

He declined to offer any further recommendations, only emphasizing, "Let's think of a way. Mr. Zhou, there is still a chance for this to turn around."

Zhou Liang smiled and nodded, but his tone was somewhat perfunctory: "Then wish us good luck. I'm sorry, as you know, financial investments can't wait, so I'll take my leave now."

Yang Tao stood up, nodded to Appleton, and turned to leave.

It wasn't until the CEO saw her off at the gate, the car door closed, the engine started, and it drove away that Yang Tao exclaimed, "He's so young."

Zhou Liang nodded and casually replied, "He became CEO in 1994 when he was 33 years old, and he's only 37 now."

Being young is great. If he were 47, Zhou Liang would never dare to hope that he could find a way to get past CFIUS.

Only the young have the courage to take risks.

Yang Tao remarked, "The world's discourse power is starting to shift to young people."

Zhou Liang turned to look at her, slightly puzzled: "Why are you suddenly so sentimental?"

“I mean, America truly lives up to its name.” Yang Tao made a gesture. “It’s fluid; its power flows. In other countries, unless they have experienced major social changes, whether it’s our country’s reform and opening up, the collapse of the Soviet Union, or the dramatic changes in Eastern Europe, it’s very difficult for people under 40 to step into the limelight.”

Zhou Liang thought about it and realized that was indeed the case.

In typical stable workplaces, such as research institutions or government agencies, most people remain unknown juniors even after ten years.

This seems to be true for any political system or economy once it stabilizes.

Thinking about it this way, the United States is indeed powerful.

The flow of power proves that it has not yet solidified, and the fact that it has not solidified means that it still has unlimited potential for development and is still moving forward.

Zhou Liang couldn't help but sigh: "I hope he won't let us down and can really pull out his trump card to take down CFIUS!"

His acquisition efforts in the United States have been stalled, causing him considerable anxiety.

Especially in South Korea, Mr. Tang made very smooth progress. He even worked in concert with the delegation from Liangjiang Province, helping each other to lower prices and acting as shills, taking down bankrupt South Korean companies one after another.

It's true what they say, comparisons are the thief of joy.

Yang Tao glanced at him and said seriously, "Manager Zhou, do you think the boss really wants us to acquire Texas Instruments' technology?"

Zhou Liang replied without hesitation, "Of course, Texas Instruments is among the most advanced. Micron is already considered top-tier in the US, but they still wanted to buy it, didn't they?"

Yang Tao shook her head: "No, if the boss was so determined to win, why didn't she come to the United States at all? She stayed in South Korea for more than half a month."

The two looked at each other in bewilderment.

They both knew perfectly well that the essence of this trip to the United States was a test; the boss was testing whether they could take on a major responsibility on their own.

The group expanded too quickly, and new territories needed someone to oversee them. The key to their rise to high positions lay in their ability to maintain control and expand their territory.

But when it comes to tests, just like job interviews, you can never clearly explain what the interviewer values ​​most.

Zhou Liang probed, "So what do you mean?"

“We need to be prepared for both scenarios.” Yang Tao pulled out some documents from her briefcase and pointed them out to Zhou Liang. “We need to pick and choose which ones to follow up on.”

During her months in the United States, she spent the most time in Silicon Valley, visiting many companies and collecting a lot of information.

But when they learned that Texas Instruments intended to sell its semiconductor division, they acted like monkeys who had just come down from the mountain and saw a watermelon, and immediately dropped the corncob.

Now we don't even know if we can get the watermelon; we'll have to go back and find some corn cobs.

Zhou Liang flipped through the documents, and the first two were Amazon and eBay.

The internet is now an emerging industry with great potential for development.

And frankly speaking, whether a website can be operated well depends mainly on its business operations, and has less to do with technology.

Investing in them is a purely financial activity and does not involve the transfer of technological control. CFIUS shouldn't be that sensitive about it, right?

Yang Tao shook her head: "I don't think they will. Besides, these internet companies desperately need money. They burn through cash so much that they definitely need to attract foreign investment."

Zhou Liang nodded in agreement with her view and made his own prediction: "Judging from the current situation in the United States, they will probably use internet companies to boost the stock market."

The financial fraud scandals at established blue-chip companies and the collapse of top accounting firm Arthur Andersen have severely damaged investor confidence.

There are already many voices questioning the profitability of traditional industries, believing that their impressive financial statements are all fabricated, and that the real source of profit is the money invested by shareholders, rather than the money they actually earn through the industry.

Perhaps for this reason, after the Federal Reserve announced the interest rate cut around New Year's Day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average did not rebound as expected and remains hovering around 6,000 points to this day, which can be described as sluggish.

In the short term, the Federal Reserve should not continue to cut interest rates, otherwise it may easily cause public discontent.

So, if the east isn't bright, the west is. If the old industrial Dow Jones Industrial Average can't rise, let's replace it with the tech upstart Nasdaq.

This also aligns with the broader context of deindustrialization in the United States.

Moreover, the word "technology" shines brightly, carrying an aura of turning lead into gold, and is easily accepted by investors.

Zhou Liang made the decision: "Let's count them as one, the boss is also running a shopping website."

However, simply buying the website's stock is definitely not appropriate. When the boss sent them over, his exact words were to ask them to check if there were any suitable patents and whether they could be purchased.

So he flipped through the documents again.

They don't buy companies directly because CFIUS is too sensitive; if they do buy a company, the review of the company's control alone is enough to give them a headache.

Instead of buying patents, invest in acquiring ownership or a long-term, exclusive license to specific patents. With that, you can hire people and rebuild a more advanced and dynamic company.

The two discussed the matter in more detail, and in the end, the emails sent to the boss were all split up because the attachments together were too large and had to be developed separately.

Not content with just emails, they also sent a fax to Moscow.

Wang Xiao was too lazy to sit down at the computer and click the mouse, so she just flipped through the printed documents.

Wow! A top student is indeed a top student; their ability to collect and analyze data is truly outstanding.

They even thoughtfully provided the boss with an analysis, outlining the primary objectives, secondary options, and the relative difficulty of achieving each option. Everything was clearly categorized and listed.

Wang Xiao watched with great interest and even beckoned to Chen Jingjing, "Jingjing, come and watch with me."

Chen Jingjing quickly put down the little panda in her arms and immediately sat down next to her cousin.

Her intuition told her that this was another test, and one that she had worked so hard to get.

On the evening of the first day of the Lunar New Year, after the famous Mr. Chubais took his leave, my cousin suddenly asked her what she thought of Mr. Chubais's actions that day.

She was stunned. Was there any action taken? What action?

She racked her brains and finally came up with only one sentence: "Anyway, Mr. Chubbies didn't lose out; he still made a profit today."

My cousin was also holding and petting the little panda, and asked with great interest, "Oh, so how did he make his money?"

Chen Jingjing still remembers her cousin's arched eyebrows, which were more terrifying than the professors in college who could sweep through thousands of troops and take on a single force.

She swallowed hard. "Although he didn't achieve his direct goal, he did get assurances from you and Mr. Ivanov. I think you probably wouldn't have made such assurances if he hadn't been so persistent."

Why exactly? She didn't know; it was just a simple intuition.

People as capable as my cousin and Mr. Ivanov don't talk much easily.

What was her cousin's reaction after hearing what she said?

My cousin reached out and patted her head, laughing, "Yes, being proactive and competitive means that even if it doesn't work out, you won't suffer a big loss; in fact, you might even find a bargain. Because if you want to demolish a house, you might not get what you want, but the other party might very well help you open a window."

This is not just a characteristic of the Chinese people; it is clearly a common trait among all living beings.

Chen Jingjing was flattered by her cousin's pat on the head, and then received another question: "How do you understand what we're saying?"

Although they all speak English, they still habitually speak Russian when chatting alone.

Chen Jingjing's Russian proficiency is limited to simple greetings; she has no chance of engaging in daily conversations.

Chen Jingjing took out a translator from her pocket and answered honestly, "I used this to translate."

At that moment, she was almost going crazy with nervousness, terrified that her cousin would be unhappy.

In the end, my cousin simply nodded and said, "Tools are created to be used."

As she spoke, she examined the translator carefully for a while before returning it to herself.

Over the next few days, my cousin asked her about her studies and even looked at her work with great interest. She picked out a few designs, bought them, and faxed them back to China to have them made into patterns.

Wow, factories in China are really ruthless these days. They only took three days off for the Chinese New Year before people started returning to work one after another.

However, Chen Jingjing had no time to sympathize with the workers. She was so nervous that she was bursting with tension. Sitting next to her cousin, she sat up straight and stared intently at the documents in her cousin's hand.

What caught her eye was a line of bold text: "Priority targets: high-value, low-sensitivity technologies."

The following document is divided into three subheadings. The first is about second-tier companies in electronic design automation (EDA) software.

The material first analyzes the current operating situation of the EDA market: Cadence, Synopsys, and Synopsys dominate the EDA market.

These companies have ambitious goals and are doing well; they are not their prey.

What they should do is acquire a second-tier EDA company that has specific core tools such as analog circuit design and physical verification and is currently struggling and on the verge of bankruptcy.

The materials also listed reasons, which Chen Jingjing eagerly read: EDA is a tool for designing chips, not the chips themselves, so it has relatively low political sensitivity and is less likely to be subject to strict thresholds. Moreover, EDA is an indispensable part of developing independent chips.

Chen Jingjing secretly glanced at her cousin, waiting for her to ask a question.

However, my cousin didn't say anything and turned to the second page.

The second page features data storage technology, specifically marked as not being the most cutting-edge, which has an inexplicable sense of absurdity.

The information suggests partnering with companies that hold patents in hard disk drive (HDD) read/write heads and controller chips. This is because it's a highly civilian industry, and competition from the US and Japan is fierce, requiring substantial financial support.

As Chen Jingjing flipped through the documents page by page, she came across patents for fiber optic communication and data network components, automotive engine control units (ECUs), sensors, microcontrollers (MCUs), as well as special gases, ceramic materials, precision parts, and so on.

Oh, and internet companies too.

The main feature is a wide variety of things.

My cousin finally finished reading the last word, tapping the document lightly with her fingers, and asked, "You've finished reading it. What are your thoughts?"

Chen Jingjing's brain was about to burn out; there was just too much information in this document, enough to make her dizzy.

She truly has limited abilities and was unable to extract the core in such a short time.

However, just like taking an exam, you can't just hand in a blank paper because you don't know the answer.

The teacher would really want to kill you—don't you know that writing two words is also good?

So, Chen Jingjing forced herself to stammer, "It seems there are restrictions on these things, um, political restrictions."

What impressed her most was the description of "not top-tier".

Who wouldn't want to buy the best technology? The entire document doesn't mention money at all, which shows that not buying anything less than top-tier isn't about saving money, but rather because it's unavailable or not allowed to be bought.

Wang Xiao sighed: "Yes, money can solve 99.99% of the world's problems, but the most fundamental problems can never be solved by money alone."

After sighing, she fell silent.

This made Chen Jingjing uneasy. Even when the little panda circled around her hand, she only touched it perfunctorily.

She spent too little time with her cousin, and her cousin was such a strong person that she couldn't truly be as affectionate as a younger sister towards her.

To her, she was more like an elder, an elder even more authoritative than her aunt and uncle.

Wang Xiao didn't need Chen Jingjing's intimacy. Her emotional emptiness wasn't limited to either gender; she simply didn't have that many emotional needs.

She looked at Chen Jingjing and asked seriously, "So, after graduating next year, are you planning to pursue further studies or get a job?"

While Qian Xuemei was peeling chestnuts, she kept her ears perked up, listening to her niece's every move.

They specially flew to Moscow with their daughter to celebrate the New Year, partly because they hadn't been together for many years and missed their relatives; and partly for their daughter's future.

Parents who love their children plan for their future.

Both she and Chen Yidong are honest people; to put it nicely, they are reliable and dependable; to put it bluntly, they are only good at maintaining the status quo.

Yes, yes, my daughter graduated from university and went back to the garment factory. She has no worries about food and clothing, and she's doing quite well. Oh dear, with the Asian financial crisis, it seems that Europe hasn't been spared either.

Their biggest feeling is that more and more Western European customers are placing orders with the factory, all looking for cheap prices.

They would be content to live such a life together for the rest of their lives.

But they didn't want their daughter to live the same life.

In family lineage, it's always been one generation supporting the next. Their own abilities are limited, and the only one they can place their hopes on is their niece, Xiaoxiao.

Qian Xuemei got excited, afraid that her daughter wouldn't be able to process it, and hurriedly helped her answer: "Work, you should start working after graduating from university."

If I continue to pursue a master's degree, my niece is not a university professor, so she certainly won't offer any advice.

Wang Xiao smiled and asked Chen Jingjing again, "What are your own thoughts?"

Chen Jingjing wished she could dig a hole and crawl into it. Oh dear, her mother!

But when facing her cousin, she instinctively tried to smooth things over for her mother: "I want to start working first, and if needed in the future, I can pursue further education."

Wang Xiao nodded and said, "Hmm, have you decided where you'd like to intern?"

Qian Xuemei was about to speak again, her mouth was already open, but her husband grabbed her arm, glared at her, and she had no choice but to shut her mouth awkwardly.

With her back to her mother, Chen Jingjing was unaware of the complicated situation and simply shook her head, saying, "No, it's not decided yet. I'm still sending out resumes."

Wang Xiao tapped the documents lightly with his finger: "Since there isn't one, then you should participate in the acquisition plan. This kind of acquisition involves coordinating with many units and departments, and you'll have to deal with many people. Take a look around and accumulate some experience."

Qian Xuemei clutched her chest, nearly suffocating.

Good heavens! To buy an American company? That's a huge investment! This isn't some small factory like a clothing factory; this is a legitimate high-tech enterprise!

Chen Yanqiu patted her sister-in-law on the back to help her catch her breath, and then told Chen Jingjing, "Listen to your sister, study hard, this kind of opportunity doesn't come often."

It is said that brothers fight tigers together, and fathers and sons go to war together.

A thousand people say nepotism is bad, but look at those big companies, how many of them aren't family businesses?

Jingjing is all grown up now and should be out working. It would be good if she could lend a hand.

The elders in the room were all very excited.

Chen Yidong felt uneasy and subconsciously said, "What could Jingjing possibly know? She's young and inexperienced; she'll only cause trouble, won't she?"

Wang Xiao laughed: "21 years old, not young anymore, you'd be an adult in any country."

Chen Yidong was stunned. She suddenly remembered that Xiaoxiao was also 21 years old when she first started doing business.

Eight years have passed in the blink of an eye. It's true that you can't see yourself getting old, but you can see your child growing up in an instant.

Wang Xiao frowned slightly and pressed Chen Jingjing for more information: "So, do you still need to go to school to register later?"

Chen Jingjing hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Some procedures need to be completed at the school, and the school also needs some feedback from us."

While speaking, she kept her eyes on her cousin, carefully observing the changes in her cousin's expression.

Wang Xiao frowned and muttered to himself, "That's a bit of a problem. It's quite a long way from England to America."

Qian Xuemei was extremely anxious and quickly emphasized, "I'll be graduating next year, and there's nothing important to do at school, so it doesn't matter whether I go back or not."

She used to have a strong sense of unreality about college students and was filled with awe for universities.

But during her years in Romania, seeing so many college graduates struggling to find jobs and scrambling around in search of employment, she suddenly realized that the purpose of going to university was simply to find a good job.

There's nothing particularly high-end or classy about it.

But her niece retorted with a slight smile, "You still have to go to school."

Qian Xuemei couldn't hide her disappointment. Was her daughter going to miss such a good opportunity? Where would she find another chance like this to broaden her horizons and develop her skills?

Chen Yidong was also disappointed, and even regretted saying that. If Xiaoxiao hadn't remembered that Jingjing had gone to America, then she wouldn't have gone.

What a great opportunity!

The little panda straightened up, lay down on Wang Xiao's knees, its big tail swaying back and forth, and its round eyes shining brightly as it looked at her.

Wang Xiao picked up the little panda and stroked it casually, saying as he pondered, "Let me see, let's add another project. What companies in Europe are worth acquiring? Maybe we could spend three to five hundred million US dollars to find a suitable smart chip design company? Hmm, Europe has a relatively open business attitude, so the chances of success shouldn't be low. Let's practice."

Qian Xuemei exclaimed in surprise, "How...how much money? Three to five hundred million US dollars?"

Good heavens! A project worth three to five hundred million US dollars was added on just like that!

It was just so that Jingjing could practice her skills.

Wang Xiao also explained with a smile: "That's just how this industry is. Things are valued for their scarcity, and they're very expensive."

She turned to Chen Jingjing and instructed her, "After the New Year, I will arrange for someone to go to Europe to inspect the project. You will be their translator and follow up on the whole process. Study hard and do a good job."

Once the girl had gained some experience, she planned to have her work at Eino Yu.

Due to the impact of the Asian financial crisis, E-U's sales in Japan have reached a new level—in an era of consumption downgrading, affordable and comfortable clothes will always have a greater market.

However, Enoyu has always been a sideline business, lacking a true leader. The original store manager is getting married soon, and after having children, according to Japanese custom, she will likely retire.

Wang Xiao needs to quickly cultivate someone who can take over the business and bring more fashionable design concepts to Yi No Yu.

She looked around and realized that besides Chen Jingjing, there really wasn't a better choice.

Let's go then.

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According to Chris Miller's book *The Chip Wars*, Jack Simplot, Micron's then-CEO, once claimed that Micron manufactured "the best small parts in the world." This Idaho billionaire knew very little about the actual workings of his company's DRAM chips. The chip industry was full of PhDs, but Simplot hadn't even finished eighth grade. Everyone in the neighborhood knew his specialty was potatoes; the license plate on his white Lincoln in Boise read "Mr. Spud." Micron was extremely adept at cost-cutting. In another book, *The Chip Wars* (by Yu Sheng), to save on investment costs, Micron built its first wafer fab in an abandoned supermarket building, converted a meat cold storage facility, and purchased secondhand equipment. By the time the factory went into production in 1981, Micron had only spent $7 million, while building a similar factory typically cost $100 million. Then, the entire US memory industry faced competition from cheap Japanese memory, and Micron experienced cash flow difficulties. Samsung Electronics learned of this and approached Micron, offering to license its memory technology. Micron, struggling to survive, had no interest in technology embargoes. Overjoyed at the time, Micron could never have imagined that Samsung Electronics would one day become its strongest competitor in the global memory market.