Chapter 497 Taking advantage of someone's misfortune: You think you can stop her from making money? Dream on!

In the clear, sunny early spring, a cluster of forsythia blooms in shimmering gold, making one marvel at the beauty and vibrancy of life.

A sparrow hopped onto the windowsill, chirping and occasionally tapping the window with its little beak, quite lively.

The conference room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone was stunned, and some people even looked around nervously.

The chip industry is a highly technology-intensive field, in which engineers play a central and dominant role.

This means that the industry highly respects technology, and top technical experts hold a prestigious position within companies. Like top salespeople in any company, they might even disregard the boss.

Given this industry context, it's not considered a heinous crime for South Korean engineers with 0.25-micron process technology to be arrogant and uncooperative.

People are used to asking for technical skills in a subservient manner, so they think it's acceptable to be a little tolerant.

If people are really driven away and the 0.25-micron process cannot be completed, then all the money invested in the past will be wasted.

The factory manager was the first to speak up, offering a self-criticism: "It was still a problem with my communication. I will consult with the LCD screen factory and try to have a good talk with the Korean engineers."

It's embarrassing to admit, but we're both semiconductor engineers from South Korea, and the one from Hyundai Electronics has a great working relationship with Gimlieng.

Or perhaps they don't understand Korean culture, which is why communication is difficult.

It's okay. When engineers from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine first came to the chip factory, they also had some disagreements, but they eventually integrated successfully.

However, despite the factory manager's humble attitude, the boss remained unmoved, his face still frosty: "You don't need to coax them. People who lack any sense of teamwork, have no cooperative spirit, are selfish, and only cause trouble for others, no matter how advanced their technology is, I don't care. Do they think they can control the emperor just because they have 0.25-micron process technology? Don't they know how many dynasties have changed? Do they think one emperor can hold up the sky?"

The engineers present finally felt relieved.

They were basically raised with a collective education and have a deep-seated aversion to people who are disorganized, undisciplined, disregard teamwork, and lack any spirit of cooperation.

Seeing the factory manager about to speak, Wang Xiao interrupted him directly: "Just say it was me who said it. I'll play the bad guy. I, as the boss, am extremely dissatisfied with the progress and have no interest in playing along with them any longer. Take it or leave it. Those who have signed non-compete agreements will be dealt with according to the contract rules and regulations. I won't tolerate them!"

That's a bit harsh.

This means that people who want to terminate their contracts early will not only have to pay money, but they also won't be able to do their old job for the next few years.

By the time the agreed-upon time expires, the 0.25-micron process will likely be outdated by then, even in the international mainstream.

For an outdated engineer, finding a new job in the ever-evolving semiconductor industry is not as easy as it seems.

Of course, not everyone has to sign a non-compete agreement. So, will life be easier for other ordinary engineers after they run away?

Dream on!

Semiconductor engineers' technology does not entirely belong to them, which involves an intellectual property issue.

Due to the technology-intensive nature of the semiconductor industry, patent disputes between companies are common. In most cases, unless the parties are in a life-or-death situation, they rarely end up in court.

We can't afford to waste time and energy on this.

But the boss is already very angry and has made it clear that he doesn't care about the money. So, if the boss wants to keep these engineers on his hands, he could simply blacklist them.

Why?

Even though engineers change jobs, they often habitually use the technology from their previous employer at the next job, which can lead to the risk of patent infringement.

Going to court would put us in a very passive position.

The boss had already made his point, so the factory manager couldn't say anything more.

However, the main agenda of today's meeting is to accelerate the improvement of yield in the 0.25-micron process.

The boss has already said he doesn't want it anymore, so what's the point of continuing? Let's just end it.

The meeting ended abruptly, leaving everyone feeling somewhat heavy-hearted.

Ultimately, people are still very interested in the 0.25-micron process technology.

It feels really frustrating to give up at the last minute.

I just hope the boss was just angry for a moment and will change his mind once he calms down.

Wow, these Koreans are really stubborn.

What are you being so dramatic about? LG has already sold you all off. Even your country's bankruptcy didn't stop the tycoons from living the high life, so what kind of chastity are you clinging to?

Everyone looked somber, except for Wang Xiao, who seemed completely unaffected. He turned to Zhang Rujing and started talking about something else: "I heard that Acer is going to sell Deqi. Is that true?"

Zhang Rujing couldn't keep up with her pace.

Today's meeting truly showed him Wang Xiao's temper; he was decisive and very assertive.

He paused for a moment before continuing, "That's true."

Acer and Texas Instruments' joint venture, DeCi Technology, was the first Taiwanese company to make money manufacturing memory chips. It can be said that DeCi Technology's overnight success spurred the prosperity of Taiwan's semiconductor industry.

Unfortunately, its good days didn't last long. Texas Instruments couldn't hold on any longer and sold its entire semiconductor business to Micron last year.

Without the technical support of Texas Instruments, Memory Technologies lost its advantage. In addition, after 1996, the memory industry entered a downturn, which was compounded by the Asian financial crisis that began in 1997. Memory Technologies suffered heavy losses, which have now exceeded NT$5 billion.

If the losses continued like this, none of the shareholders could afford it, so Acer decided to sell it.

Seeing her enthusiastic expression, Zhang Rujing had to remind her, "If you want to buy it, it might not be so easy."

Given the current relationship between Taiwan and mainland China, how could the Taiwan authorities possibly allow mainland capital to purchase a semiconductor company like Degi?

Wang Xiao waved his hand with a smile: "I didn't think about that. Even if Taiwan allowed me to buy it, I wouldn't dare to."

That's blatant lying, of course she wanted to.

She was immediately captivated by Deqi's eight-inch chip factory.

But she had many things on her mind, and not all of them could be done, nor were they all necessary.

She laughed and said, "Zhang Bo, think about it. After I buy it, will the factory still be in Taiwan? If I move the whole thing, the cost might not even be as high as building a new one. But if it stays in Taiwan, what if the authorities turn their backs and seize the factory? Wouldn't I be helpless then?"

Zhang Rujing smiled and said rather subtly, "There's really no need to buy it. It would be better to build a new eight-inch wafer fab in Hong Kong."

This is also the third wafer fab that they had previously agreed to build.

Wang Xiao smiled and nodded: "I just wanted to ask you if TSMC is really going to acquire Degi?"

Richard Chang did not deny it: "TSMC is developing very well."

Although Worldwide Semiconductor also manufactures chips, theoretically it and TSMC are competitors and rivals. However, when he was at Texas Instruments, Morris Chang, the head of TSMC, was his superior, and he personally admired Chang's work ability very much.

As it turns out, Chairman Zhang is indeed capable, and TSMC's development is booming.

Wang Xiao nodded in agreement, then suddenly changed the subject: "So that means TSMC will turn DeGee into a chip foundry."

Her tone didn't sound like a question; it sounded more like a statement.

Zhang Rujing smiled and nodded, saying, "Very likely."

The cyclical risks and fierce competition in the memory industry make it extremely difficult to enter. In contrast, the chip foundry model has enormous potential.

As a memory manufacturer, Deqi is suffering heavy losses and lacks technical support, making it extremely difficult to save.

However, its factories, clean rooms, and eight-inch wafer production lines are valuable strategic assets that can be quickly transformed into advanced chip foundry production lines.

During this period of explosive growth in chip foundry demand, acquiring an existing factory and upgrading it is a strategic shortcut to seize market share and meet customer needs.

TSMC's move is quite bold and a very shrewd choice.

Although the acquisition will require a large sum of money and incur equipment depreciation costs, and production costs will increase sharply in the next few years, at the same time, the business volume will surge and the production scale will expand rapidly, enabling the company to quickly widen the gap with other manufacturers.

In essence, chip manufacturing is not much different from other foundries. The larger the scale, the lower the average cost can be, which is precisely its competitive advantage in the market.

The World University of Technology (WUT) is not strong enough to absorb this, otherwise it would have chosen this path as well.

Wang Xiao suddenly showed his humanistic concern, saying with great worry: "If Degi stops making memory and becomes an OEM, what will happen to the engineers? Are they going to have to change careers?"

Zhang Rujing didn't expect his boss to have a deep understanding of the industry's technology, and patiently explained to him: "Memory and logic chips have a lot in common in front-end processes, such as photolithography, etching, and thin film deposition. Degi's engineers have advanced, high-standard wafer fab operation experience, which is a very valuable asset. Their basic skills are perfectly applicable to wafer foundry."

But Wang Xiao wasn't relieved. He remained worried: "We still need to transform, shifting from producing single-product, large-scale memory chips that push the limits of manufacturing processes to producing diverse, customized logic chips that prioritize customer satisfaction. This involves a change in mindset and work focus. Will experts who specialize in optimizing specific memory processes really be able to adapt completely? Won't they feel their career development is hindered?"

Hearing this, Zhang Rujing didn't continue to answer the question, but instead asked, "Mr. Wang, what do you want to do?"

"Poaching talent," Wang Xiao said with a smile that crinkled his eyes. "Since you've already changed companies, why not consider us?"

“We have obtained the 0.18-micron chip manufacturing process through our collaboration with IMEC, and now we need outstanding engineers to join us in taking this world-class cutting-edge technology from the laboratory to mass production. This is an honor, but also a challenge.”

"Instead of being a cog in TSMC's massive system, it's better to come here and become a founding team member and technical backbone, so that you can have a greater say and a faster promotion path."

"Moreover, our strategy is specialized processes. The experience that Dege engineers have accumulated in memory manufacturing regarding stability, reliability, and precision control is exactly what they need to shine in the fields of automotive chips and industrial chips. Their experience will not be wasted, but will be highly valued."

Wang Xiao smiled and said, "Zhang Bo, I need your help now. Help us recruit people."

Zhang Rujing did not refuse.

TSMC's acquisition did create a brief window of opportunity in the talent market.

Those middle managers and technical backbones who feel uncomfortable with TSMC's massive system and yearn for an entrepreneurial spirit, as well as senior experts whose professional fields are too closely tied to DRAM-specific technologies and who worry about being marginalized at TSMC, will indeed have the idea of ​​leaving during this acquisition.

TSMC won't care about their departure, because it's obvious that it wants to transform Degi into a chip foundry.

If the conditions are right, these engineers would naturally not mind developing their careers in mainland China.

The mainland market is large and has a large population. People with foresight are looking to secure a foothold in the mainland market in advance, anticipating its future development.

Zhang Rujing smiled and nodded: "Then we still have to set the recruitment conditions; we can't be stingy."

Wang Xiao smiled and said, "High salary, stock options, project leadership, relocation and resettlement of the whole family—we can offer any of these, as long as the conditions are met."

Zhang Rujing nodded in satisfaction, but emphasized one point: "The most important thing is the resettlement of family members. Only when the family is settled can the person in charge feel at ease."

Those who overheard their conversation became uneasy.

Good heavens! This is for real!

She said she didn't want the 0.25-micron process and kicked the Korean engineer out; then she arranged to recruit people from Taiwan.

Deqi is the pioneer of memory manufacturing in Taiwan. If we could recruit a hundred or so experienced engineers from them, we could instantly fill the talent gap in their chip manufacturing industry.

Maybe in a year or two, we can really commercialize the 0.18-micron process.

Oh dear! The boss is really going to abandon the 0.25-micron technology.

Wang Xiao didn't care what kind of uproar her words would cause; she was focused on discussing with Dr. Zhang how to recruit Taiwanese engineers.

Zhang Rujing was the kind of leader who mentored his apprentices, and a traditional, almost fatherly kind of mentor. He was particularly concerned about the lives of his employees.

Wang Xiao nodded repeatedly, taking full responsibility: "I already have a plan. When their families come, we will definitely make sure they don't feel empty and worthless. They can open an online store to sell Taiwanese specialties. If they don't want to sell the goods themselves, they can work as customer service representatives for the website. They can work from home."

Zhang Rujing was completely stunned. What was all this about?

Wang Xiao, however, said seriously: "Since they have to take care of their families, working from home is the most suitable option, allowing them to manage both. Of course, if their foreign language skills are high, they can also handle product descriptions and marketing copy translation. If they have experience living abroad, that would be even more suitable, because they know how to adapt this content to markets with different cultural backgrounds."

She was so talkative, it was as if she would drag someone to work in the next second.

Zhang Rujing had to interrupt her: "It's different from the customs here on the mainland; there's no need to arrange jobs for family members."

Wang Xiao was astonished: "Don't they work? Their spouses shouldn't be very old, how can they not work? If both husband and wife work, the family's ability to withstand risks will be improved. These days, there's no such thing as a guaranteed job. No matter where you are, you might lose your job. If one person loses their job, at least the other person's job will support them, and the family won't go bankrupt immediately."

She argued, "Besides, their family members are also quite educated. They've worked so hard to get into school for so many years, they can't just stay home and become isolated from society just because they're married, can they? That's not right."

Wang Xiao had his own reasons: "Engineers are busy with work, and when they are rushing to meet project deadlines, it is common for them to work more than 50 hours a week. So, they really can't take care of their families most of the time. Consequently, their families will have to bear more of the responsibility for their children's education. It is difficult for someone who is trapped at home for a long time and disconnected from society to take on the responsibility of educating their children."

She gave a long list of reasons: "Besides, only those who work in the social sphere can truly understand working professionals. Giving family members and engineers more common ground will also help their families maintain harmony."

Of course, these are all excuses.

The real reason, which she wouldn't say aloud, was that the website needed a large number of customer service staff, and that Taiwan's English education level was clearly higher than that of mainland China, and that many engineers and their spouses had overseas living experience, making them very suitable for customer service work.

What can we do?

Several years ago, during the "100 Million Yuan Project," she invested in machine translation. Unfortunately, to date, machine translation technology is still inadequate; it can't replace human translation and can only serve as an auxiliary tool.

So she has to hire people.

She made the same arrangements for them as for the families of the South Korean engineers.

What? You mean she was so confident she'd drive all the Korean engineers away? Pshaw! That was just a bluff.

Will simply giving them carrots without using sticks keep them quiet?

Only when the shadow of unemployment truly looms over them, creating immense pressure, will they likely behave themselves.

What's the point of her banning and punishing them? Their misfortune won't make her happy. Because her initial goal wasn't to make Korean engineers suffer. She spent hundreds of millions of dollars acquiring LG Electronics' chip division to make money.

Thinking of running away with the bucket, going all in, and not making money for her? Dream on!

We have to do it, even if it's forced, it has to be sweet!

As for their families, I really need to buy their online store now.

Because last year, in 1998, in addition to the popularity of "My Fair Princess", Korean dramas also became popular.

"What is Love?", "The One I Love Most", "Two-Colored Wedding Dress", and "Star Dream Romance" all have their own loyal audiences.

Moreover, after experiencing the financial crisis, South Korea relaxed its restrictions on studying abroad, and last year South Korea became a new hot spot for mainland Chinese students to study abroad.

This means that the Korean wave is about to sweep across China, and Korean products will have a market in mainland China.

What difference does it make whose money she earns? Of course, she welcomes anyone who can help her make money.

Moreover, both husband and wife work under her, making her easy to manage.

Because when balancing career and family, normal couples need to consider the stability of their family life. When both spouses work in the same place, the probability of them having to leave unexpectedly is greatly reduced.

Seeing that she was getting more and more excited, Zhang Rujing had to remind her: "We still need to respect the thoughts of the engineers' families. They may not want to go to work."

Wang Xiao said frankly, "Sure, let them choose for themselves. But to be honest, it's better for them to go to work. They're unfamiliar with this place, and they only know the same people. If they don't work and don't expand their social circles, their minds will easily shrink along with their activity range. When people's minds shrink, they are prone to getting stuck on trivial matters and getting into disputes."

Zhang Rujing rejected her brainwashing: "Everyone has their own way of living, and they may not want to go to work. Going to work also has its troubles."

Spring comes early and is so warm in Xiaozhou! It's only the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, and swallows are already building their nests under the eaves, busily going in and out.

No job is ever easy.

Wang Xiao nodded with a grin: "Okay, let's not talk about this anymore, let's change the subject."

Because chip manufacturing has extremely high requirements for environmental conditions such as air quality, temperature, and humidity, good greening can effectively absorb dust, regulate local humidity and temperature, reduce the interference of the external environment on chip manufacturing, and thus ensure product quality.

Therefore, the chip factory has excellent greenery. In early spring, the trees sprout tender buds, and from a distance, they truly look like clouds and rosy hues.

Wang Xiao then strolled on the clouds and began a new round of persuasion: "Zhang Bo, you should come and be our general manager as soon as possible. The internet boom will spur the development of the entire industry chain system."

This is a well-known fact: the internet is invisible, but it needs physical entities to support and operate.

Chip prices will emerge from their years-long slump this year and usher in a new surge. After years of hard work, we can finally see a glimmer of hope.

Therefore, Zhang Rujing did not show any surprise, but listened patiently.

Wang Xiao continued, "For example, the booming online shopping industry will stimulate the rapid development of the digital camera industry. Because of the characteristics of online shopping, buyers can only see photos, and what they are actually buying are photos. For sellers, having a reliable digital camera to take satisfactory photos is crucial."

"Digital cameras are highly integrated electronic products, and their prosperity will place higher demands on multiple links in the semiconductor industry chain and bring huge market opportunities."

"Image sensors, image processing chips, and memory go without saying; the market for these will definitely be booming. Features like autofocus, lens stabilization, and LCD screen drivers within cameras also require the support of various chips and sensors."

"In addition, optical equipment will also develop rapidly. The performance of digital imaging systems follows the barrel principle; improving any weak link can bring about a leap in the overall experience. Similarly, the development of optical equipment can also promote the development of lithography machines. Because without the support of cutting-edge optical equipment, there would be no way for modern high-end lithography machines to develop."

Wang Xiao laughed, "Zhang Bo, look at this! What a huge, emerging, and booming market this is. Who could resist its allure?"

In the early spring of Xiaozhou, the sunshine was too bright. Walking under the blazing sun, although the occasional breeze still carried the chill of early spring, he still felt his throat was dry.

He had to swallow hard before he could speak: "This is indeed an era of semiconductors."

He didn't intend to drop the hook and extend the conversation further.

But Wang Xiao didn't care what he said. She insisted on climbing up even without a stick, which was illogical, but that didn't stop her from adding "therefore" as a conjunction: "So, Zhang Bo, you should enter a wider space. Come and be our general manager. Your wisdom, vision, and ability should be given greater opportunities to shine."

In that instant, Zhang Rujing had to admit that he was wavering; no one can refuse a bigger stage.

But in the next instant, his sense of responsibility pulled him back: "No, I can't abandon the work at the World University. It's a cause that everyone has worked so hard to build."

He had to back down and take the initiative to say, "Don't worry, I will do my best as an advisor here."

Wang Xiao smiled with her eyes crinkling, but inwardly she was grinding her teeth.

Hurry up! No sooner had Deqi been acquired than it would be your turn, Shida.

Zhang Rujing kept his word. Although the 0.25-micron process production line was temporarily shelved by his boss, it didn't stop him from starting other work.

He was busy until it was completely dark before he finally left the chip factory and went back to his hotel to rest, persuaded by Wang Xiao.

When the car arrived at the Civic Square, it was a sea of ​​people, a dense mass of faces.

Zhang Rujing smiled and said, "It's so lively with so many people. Is there an event here?"

The moon is fullest on the 16th of the lunar month, and today the moonlight shines brightly on the ground; there might actually be some celebrations.

As the car drew closer, Wang Xiao glanced at the illuminated sign again and was speechless.

This was hardly a celebration; it was clearly a gathering. The reason the word "illegal" wasn't added is because in February 1999, Falun Gong hadn't been banned yet; it was spreading rapidly throughout the country.

Although early spring in Xiaozhou is warm, that's during the day when the sun is shining brightly. At night, it's still so cold that people's faces turn red and their noses run.

Even so, it didn't stop a group of people from having bright, pious eyes as they waited to be taught the skills.

The qigong craze in mainland China has been going on for over a decade, and the people on the bus were curiously watching the spectacle.

Zhang Rujing himself was a Christian, so he could neither praise these practices nor call them superstitions. He only lamented, "Human beings have been trying every possible method to pursue the essence of life."

Wang Xiao looked at the crowd waiting to receive the power, and then subconsciously looked back in the direction of the chip factory.

Under the same bright moon, they seem like two completely different worlds. Miraculously, at this very moment, they coexist.

Someone nearby was singing into a microphone: "I always want to confide in you, I always want to confess my feelings to you..."

It is "Entering the New Era".

Look, this is 1999, a magical and lively year.

Wang Xiao looked up at the moon, who was also watching the spectacle, and laughed. She then boldly declared, "Come on, Zhang Bo, I'll show you some of Xiaozhou's local snacks today."

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[Starry-eyed] Good morning, let's get to work!