Chapter 522 Come to My Bowl (Bug Fix): Of course, it's you who should come for the interview!
The more Mr. Wang thought about it, the more he realized it made sense.
Every experience in life is a treasure. Without the invaluable experience gained in academia and industry in Europe and America, these Soviet scientists who left would have had a significantly diminished advantage compared to their counterparts who remained in the CIS countries.
But the chemical reaction between their Soviet background and Western experience suddenly increased their value.
It is said that Chinese people are very good at unconventional methods in scientific research.
But when it comes to unconventional solutions, the Soviet Union was a true master. They were extremely adept at finding alternatives when conditions were limited. For example, the idea of using analog circuits to replace digital chips was conceived by the Soviets.
These scientists who went to the United States from the Soviet Union now understand both the Soviet Union's "unorthodox methods" and the West's "mainstream approaches." No one can see the trajectory and gaps in global technological evolution better than them.
The treasure is one that will never reappear in a different time or place.
She absolutely cannot miss these treasures.
Having made up his mind, Mr. Wang took the initiative to step forward and asked, "Sir, would you like to return to work in Russia? Or perhaps go to Shanghai or Hong Kong?"
The people being asked were stunned.
Professor Bubnov was also baffled, wondering where she had come from.
Deputy Director Vronsky quickly stepped forward to introduce his superior: "This is Miss Wang. We just discussed establishing two new laboratories."
Therefore, Director, please keep any thoughts to yourself and refrain from making reckless remarks.
Because the person standing in front of you is our institute's biggest financial backer; we're counting on her to sign checks for our heating bills this winter.
Professor Bubnov quickly grasped his deputy's unspoken message and immediately extended his hand: "It's a pleasure to meet you, madam."
Wang Xiao smiled and shook hands with the person. After letting go, he extended his hand to the guest who had returned from the United States without hesitation and repeated his previous question: "Sir, are you interested in returning to work in Russia? Shanghai or Hong Kong are both fine."
The man Professor Bubnov called Alexei was genuinely stunned and instinctively refused: "No, madam, you misunderstand. I'm doing well in America, my job is good, and my family is doing well."
However, his resistance was ineffective with Boss Wang.
Her gaze was intense as she gave a direct no: "No, sir, not good enough. At least not good enough for your talent, your ability, your hard work, and your ambition. Sir, you can be better. Your career should be far more than this."
Alexei didn't know how to respond.
In fact, not only him, but everyone present also couldn't keep up with Boss Wang's pace.
What does this mean? Are they recruiting soldiers?
But Mr. Wang, do you even know what he does? It seems Professor Bubnov was so busy expressing his grief and indignation that he didn't say anything about what Alexei does.
You open your mouth and start recruiting people, but after you recruit them, where do you put them?
Besides, it's not like he's unemployed. He himself says he's doing quite well in the US, at least he's financially secure.
If you call people back from the US, you won't be able to retain them unless they hold a high enough position.
But what kind of position qualifies as a high position? At the very least, it should involve someone leading a team, making them the leader.
You don't even know what he does, and you're already offering to let him lead a team? Boss, aren't you being a bit too impulsive?
Alexei, despite the enthusiastic invitation, was also unhappy. He felt offended, as if his comfortable life in America and his triumphant return home were nothing more than soap bubbles under the sun—pretty to look at, but nothing special.
He maintained the gentlemanly demeanor instilled by his Soviet-era education, his tone indifferent and slightly sarcastic: "So, madam, what job do you think I should do?"
Mr. Wang seemed completely oblivious to the other party's resistance, and said in a serious tone, "That depends on what kind of business you wish to build, sir."
Professor Bubnov sensed something was amiss and quickly spoke up: "Alexei is the finest plasma physicist of our time."
Uh, this introduction is worse than no introduction at all.
Poor Boss Wang didn't know what kind of expression to make, because she didn't know what plasma physicists did.
In her knowledge base, it seems that the only thing that can be related to plasma is a plasma television.
Could it be that this is what you do?
That's a bit awkward! Japan is the best at making plasma displays, you could even say they're unparalleled in the world.
But the world's mainstream is making LCD screens. No matter how well you do on a plasma screen, if they don't want to work with you, it's all for nothing.
Mr. Wang is already making LCD panels and is building a new factory, so he really has no interest in going against the tide.
She was trying to figure out how to smooth things over without offending the other party or severing the connection with the Soviet scientists.
In critical moments, the technical team still has to step up.
Old Zhou went straight to the point: "Sir, if I may ask, which company do you currently work for? And what is your job description?"
This time, it was Professor Bubnov who answered again: "General Materials is talking about the optimization of the plasma source for etching."
When Wang Xiao heard the word "etching," he immediately perked up again.
Why? Because she thought of an etching machine.
In chip manufacturing, etching machines are second only to lithography machines in importance.
Then we can get the person and get them to work.
When asked what happened, Lao Zhou explained to his boss, "Then we should be able to develop EUV light sources."
Wang Xiao's mind was instantly turned into mush again. How did it become about light source research and development again?
But it doesn't matter, the key is to maintain the momentum.
Mr. Wang nodded solemnly: "OK, sir, if you're interested, fly to Shanghai for an interview. Our company will cover all expenses, including airfare and accommodation. As for your salary, how much is it in the US? Double."
The team members were used to the boss's generosity. Besides, they thought that foreign experts were better at explaining things. If you don't pay foreign experts more, why would they come all the way from the United States to China?
Get this straight: if you don't pay high wages, who would want to go to Africa to work?
They're at least half American now, so what's the difference between how they look at Chinese people and how they look at Africans?
The only problem is, the interview? Which interview?
Boss, you've already interviewed everyone, so who else can you ask to interview?
The team that flew in from China was still completely confused when Professor Bubnov began earnestly persuading the silent Alexei: "What's wrong with taking two days to go to Shanghai?"
Alexei's face, however, was as cold and stern as the walls of the research institute, showing no intention of nodding.
Wang Xiao smiled, her words both gentle and sarcastic: "Of course, sir, if you lack confidence in attending the interview, you don't need to waste your time. After all, you've been away from the core research field for several years, so it's normal to be timid and afraid; I completely understand."
Alexei finally couldn't hold back any longer and said irritably, "Madam, you don't need to goad me like that."
Wang Xiao's smile remained unchanged: "I'm sorry, sir, I was just trying to express my understanding. I never like to make things difficult for people. Everyone has their own choices. Being content with second-rate, sliding into third-rate, or simply remaining unknown and giving up one's career is not a sin. Life is a wilderness, and everyone is free."
“Two days. I can only spare two days in total.” Alexei remained expressionless. “These are all the vacation days I have.”
Wang Xiao made an OK sign: "Two days it is, we can book your plane tickets now."
As for who will interview Alexei?
Without a doubt, it has to be Dr. Lin Benjian.
Is it easy to make money as a boss? What does a million-dollar annual salary mean? It means one person has to do the work of three.
She had just finished speaking with Alexei when she immediately went to call Dr. Lin.
Lin Benjian was just about to go to dinner when he received a call from his boss. Without any pleasantries, the caller got straight to the point: "Mr. Lin, you need to interview someone, a Soviet plasma physicist who is currently working at Applied Materials, where he is responsible for optimizing the plasma source for etching, but he doesn't have the authority to participate in the overall system architecture design. Don't worry, he speaks English, so communication shouldn't be a problem."
Poor Dr. Lin almost had his CPU burned out! No, isn't the key issue whether the two sides could communicate at all? Shouldn't the question be why he was the one conducting the interview?
But Wang Xiao was quite self-righteous: "Lin Bo, you have an international perspective and are knowledgeable, so you know whether he has real skills or not! If it were someone else, they would be overwhelmed by his numerous titles and wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the real and the fake."
Lin Benjian was truly helpless and had no choice but to agree, feeling utterly overwhelmed.
But he needed to clarify: "What position did he apply for?"
The boss's next words almost made him faint.
"Let him take whatever position he's capable of. The only requirement is that he has to lead a team and work on core technologies. Otherwise, I doubt he'll leave the United States."
Good heavens, he felt like he had suddenly become Chiang Shang-yi, and he had to recruit a section chief.
So Dr. Lin had to quickly follow up with the question: "Which team will he lead? Who will be assigned to his command?"
TSMC dared to recruit him directly because many people at TSMC knew him; some had worked with him at IBM, others had attended his lectures, so he had a foundation even if he went to lead a team.
When he arrived at the lithography machine factory, his 22-year experience at IBM already gave him an impressive resume. In addition, the factory had been communicating with him for the past five years while making immersion lithography machines, and he had also rejected TSMC's recruitment offer. Therefore, everyone psychologically recognized that he was a capable person and that he could be a leader.
But now Mr. Alexei is in a different situation; he is caught in an awkward, unreliable position.
Unlike the senior Russian engineers in the factory, he couldn't be deeply rooted in the Soviet system and instead had subordinates who were either young Russian engineers or young Chinese people he had personally trained.
He has been away from the Soviet Union for seven years.
He couldn't intimidate his subordinates like he did with his experience at a major American company. Seven years of experience at a major company was too short, and he had already been excluded from the core technology circle.
Without hesitation, Wang Xiao said, "If his team doesn't have core members, let him recruit them himself. He knows best what kind of members he wants. He can recruit from Russia, the US, or anywhere in the world. We'll provide him with new recruits. The fall recruitment season isn't over yet, so let him recruit college students himself. Anyway, he speaks English, so communication shouldn't be too difficult."
Lin Benjian instantly felt a pang of sympathy for Alexei, whom he had never met before.
So, he's a leader without any real personnel; he has to recruit and train his own people.
But perhaps this is for the best; those he recruited himself have a certain affinity for the community.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, an overwhelming number of scientific researchers flocked to the United States.
Among these cases, Alexei's situation is considered quite good. At least he's still working in his field, and at least he can maintain a middle-class income.
Dr. Lin knew many more such influxes who, due to language barriers and different research systems, couldn't even get a foothold in a lab in the US. They could only find odd jobs, drive taxis, or wash dishes in restaurants to support themselves and their families.
They are the mainstream.
And among them are many true geniuses.
If Alexei can recruit them, then there is no doubt that he has a real chance to make a name for himself in his field.
However, this makes Alexei's own abilities extremely important; he must not only be good at scientific research, but also at leading a team.
Dr. Lin is quite cautious in his work, fearing that he might not be able to make accurate judgments on his own—although he has run the company for seven years, he sees himself more as someone who is involved in research and development.
So he called Zhang Rujing. Zhang Bo was an expert in factory construction and was best at leading people. He felt more confident if Zhang Bo came to the interview together.
Zhang Rujing is still in Taiwan.
As November arrived, although the aftershocks of the 921 earthquake had subsided and factory production was recovering, the semiconductor industry in Taiwan was far from calm; an earthquake was brewing.
United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) completed the merger of its four wafer foundries into a single entity this year, and also acquired and restructured Nippon Steel Semiconductor. Now, it is riding high on its success and is even considering acquiring World Semiconductor Corporation.
In fact, the two sides had been in contact for several months. Within Shih-Da University, including Chang Ru-Jing, there was no aversion to the olive branch extended by Lianhua University.
Because UMC also manufactures chips and has a lot of orders, after the merger with Worldwide, everyone's job responsibilities will not change much, unlike TSMC's acquisition of Degi.
The latter, who switched from memory manufacturing to chip contract manufacturing, have had to readjust their job positions for many.
Moreover, Lianhua's head, Tsao Hsing-cheng, is well-liked in the industry and is known for his loyalty. He also intends to build a factory in mainland China.
If nothing unexpected happens, World University will likely be merged into Lianhua University.
So when Zhang Rujing received Lin Benjian's call saying that the boss had found him another job, Zhang Rujing's feelings were incredibly complicated.
He recalled what Boss Wang had said at the beginning of the year: "Two tigers cannot share one mountain; the eldest and second eldest are bound to fight, but the unlucky one might be the third eldest."
Isn't that right? The World University is about to be acquired; the world will cease to exist without the World University. How can that not be considered bad luck?
So he didn't haggle and immediately agreed to Lin Benjian's request: "Born, I'll book a flight back to Shanghai right away."
Lin Benjian couldn't help but sigh, "Boss Wang is really generous!"
This is a massive recruitment drive.
Yes, yes, the bigger move is in Taiwan. It's no secret that UMC wants to acquire World Microelectronics; rumors have already been circulating in the market.
That's what you call a grand gesture.
But we have to consider the size of Lianhua and Wuzhou Electronics.
The former is already a behemoth, so even if it acquires Shih-Da, the third largest company in Taiwan, it can be considered a gradual process.
The latter, on the other hand, is now completely open-mouthed, grabbing people in without any regard for the consequences.
Zhang Rujing laughed out loud and then began to threaten Lin Benjian again: "You should be grateful, Born. She hasn't even asked you to build an extreme ultraviolet lithography machine yet. I'm almost afraid to answer her calls now, afraid that she'll ask me to build a 12-inch chip factory as soon as she opens her mouth."
Lin Benjian was still a little stunned after hanging up the phone.
Factory Director Tian, who had come to invite him to dinner, overheard the whole thing and couldn't help but burst out laughing: "You'll get used to it. That's just how the boss is. He trusts us a lot and delegates a lot of authority to us."
Dr. Lin finally posed the crucial question: "Weren't there any other board members stopping the boss?"
This place seems to be entirely dominated by Boss Wang.
Factory Director Tian nodded repeatedly: "We do have another boss, Mr. Ivanov, whom you've met. But he doesn't manage things; he listens entirely to Boss Wang. As for the others, she doesn't ask them to pay, so nobody can control her."
The factory manager was very open-minded, saying, "This is good, it saves us some trouble. There's always this saying, that saying, and we end up arguing for ages."
Now it's great, one person makes the decisions, and can do whatever they want.
Dr. Lin, however, had an unspoken worry: "But a person can retire immediately if they want to."
Although theoretically speaking, Wuzhou has already invested billions of dollars in the semiconductor industry, spending more than 600 million dollars on just one lithography machine factory.
No investor will easily give up until they see returns.
But enthusiasm comes quickly and goes quickly.
He still doesn't understand where Mr. Wang's passion for the semiconductor industry comes from.
Many people start semiconductor companies out of passion. For example, the founders of HP, as well as Fairchild Semiconductor and its successors, were all engineers with low material desires and a preference for a frugal and simple life.
But they have a deep love for semiconductors and are eager for breakthroughs in the semiconductor industry.
Of course, many people are in it for the money. For example, Superwell's Sanders openly declared: "I'm in this line of work to make big money."
However, Dr. Lin felt that neither the former nor the latter could be applied to Mr. Wang's situation.
Because she was a complete novice in the semiconductor industry, she could only say she was interested, and even that interest was extremely limited.
After all, it's well known that interest is the best teacher. With her intelligence, if she were truly interested, her understanding of this industry wouldn't be superficial; she would at least be capable of becoming a popularizer of the field.
It's obvious that she doesn't reach that level.
As for making money, yes, the industry is so hot right now, and everyone is so enthusiastic about semiconductors because it's profitable.
But you have to consider what it's being compared to.
It's obvious that making websites is much more profitable than working in semiconductors these days.
A website that has been running for a few years can have a market value comparable to Intel, which has been struggling for decades.
Ironically, Mr. Wang owns two such websites, both of which are thriving and highly regarded in the industry.
Therefore, even though Dr. Lin Benjian was extremely intelligent, he couldn't figure out where his boss's sudden affection came from.
This uncertainty filled him with a sense of crisis.
He has decided to make Shanghai his second hometown for starting his business, and he doesn't want his boss's enthusiasm to suddenly disappear like a tide.
He couldn't share this panic with anyone else, and could only vent it through sighs.
Factory Director Tian laughed and waved his hand, saying, "Lin Bo, it's because the boss is too rich. Our boss doesn't have any hobbies that burn money. Semiconductors are the only place where she burns money."
When he was first brought in to work on lithography machines, he had no idea how long he could keep it up.
This is incredibly expensive. If it doesn't make money, which boss would be a fool to keep burning money?
But Director Tian was quite familiar with Feng Zhonglin, and Mr. Feng was one of the earliest veterans who helped Boss Wang build his empire, so he knew their boss quite well.
Factory Director Tian still remembers drinking with Feng Zhonglin back then, and, under the influence of alcohol, he half-truthfully revealed his true feelings.
As a result, Feng Zhonglin told him not to be afraid, because Boss Wang would continue to do it.
Why?
"Our boss succeeded too early, made money too quickly, and was too successful."
Factory Director Tian sighed, "It's just like a young emperor who ascends to a high position early on and has everything."
Is this a good thing? Not necessarily.
Eight out of ten emperors who achieved success early in history had descendants who wished they could cut out the latter half of their history.
Think of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. He was only in his early twenties, yet he managed to control everyone. In the early part of his reign, he could be considered a wise ruler in historical records.
Then came the An Lushan Rebellion, and he became a sinner of the Tang Dynasty.
When people have everything too early and do it all very well, life becomes very boring for them, making them feel empty.
After all, what else can they pursue? They can easily obtain things that ordinary people struggle their whole lives to achieve.
So from ancient times to the present, they have been playing with five stones, smoking opium, smoking heroin, or gambling big money, all in order to seek a thrill.
There are tons of these small business owners now, and drug rehabilitation centers have shut down a lot of them.
And then there are casinos, which cater to these kinds of people.
But their boss doesn't do any of that. He doesn't even smoke, and his lifestyle is so healthy it's practically health-conscious.
"These are already considered good," Director Tian said frankly. "Because in the end, if you're going to cause trouble, you'll harm yourself first. There are even more serious cases, like those who play the hunter game, killing people for thrills. They do exist."
Lin Benjian knew what he was talking about: during the siege of Sarajevo in the Bosnian War, many wealthy people went hunting in the area.
Their business isn't with pheasants or rabbits, or wild animals, but with people—the ordinary people of Sarajevo.
When Dr. Lin was in the United States, he had vaguely heard similar rumors, but he didn't know if they were true or not.
Later, with the end of the Bosnian War, this matter was rarely mentioned again.
However, this year, with the outbreak of the Kosovo crisis, it has been brought up again.
Why? Because the places where these two wars took place used to share a common name: Yugoslavia.
The army that besieged Sarajevo a few years ago was the Republika Srpska army from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
They used the high ground surrounding the city to conduct prolonged shelling and sniping attacks on Sarajevo, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians. The United Nations also ruled this act as ethnic cleansing.
The ongoing Kosovo crisis is currently a conflict between Serbs (the Yugoslav government) and Kosovo Albanian militias.
In addition to exchanging fire, both sides also emphasized the righteousness of their respective moral principles.
Albanian militants, perhaps dissatisfied with insufficient support from Western countries, exposed the "hunting game" of foreign tycoons, emphasizing that they are in cahoots with the Serbs and will also treat Albanians as prey to be shot.
This incident caused a great uproar and became a hot topic on the internet in the second half of this year.
People keep posting the evidence they have online, causing wave after wave of uproar.
But even without this evidence, Director Tian knew it was true.
When people are too poor, they tend to stop seeing themselves as human beings.
When people are too rich, they tend to treat others as less than human.
Moreover, Wuzhou also has a container market in Romania.
Between 1992 and 1996, people kept going to the Bucharest container market to buy goods and then hauling them to war-torn Yugoslavia to sell.
It's no exaggeration to say that their understanding of the battlefield might be even deeper than that of the FBI in the United States.
The Hunter game is no secret; some people even sell it at the container market, hoping to earn a commission.
However, at that time, the vendors in the market were divided into two groups.
Asking them to pay money is tantamount to killing them; asking them to pay to kill others is even more insane. This is the first time I've heard of a hitman not only not making money but also having to pay out of his own pocket.
The other group was willing to spend money; they were willing to throw money at the gambling table, because at least they had a chance to make a fortune, whereas murder offered no chance to recoup their losses.
In any case, there's no public knowledge of anyone personally committing murder.
Everyone sees themselves as just small business owners; if it comes to killing, that's a game for the big bosses.
Unfortunately, Ms. Wang didn't have that hobby. She hadn't been to Yugoslavia during those years.
Look at her, such a monotonous person, she doesn't even buy a luxury yacht. If she doesn't find some fun for herself, she'll go crazy.
"Semiconductors, that's the fun she found," Factory Director Tian said seriously. "Because our boss is so down-to-earth. While everyone else is working on spaceships, she's still working on semiconductors with her feet firmly on the ground."
Dr. Lin glanced at him but didn't say anything.
Following this logic, he suspects that Boss Wang didn't build a spaceship because spaceships are easier to build.
Perhaps only God knows how much advanced technology the Soviet Union possessed.
In contrast, the Soviet Union's relatively underdeveloped semiconductor industry presented a greater challenge for her.
Director Tian held the thermos cup filled with goji berries, took a sip of tea, and sighed, "You always have to find something to do, right? What we do is what the boss asks us to do. People can't be idle; if they are, something bad will definitely happen."
When I was a child, my teacher told me that people should have aspirations.
At that time, his ideal life was to eat white rice three times a day and have braised pork every day.
If he didn't have career aspirations now, he'd probably be feeling empty right now. He could afford to eat braised pork three times a day.
He was just the manager of a lithography machine factory that wasn't making any money, let alone Boss Wang.
But she's not a man.
If it were a man, he could also spread his seed all over the world, satisfying his instinct to pass on his genes.
She's a lesbian; if she wants to pass on her genes, she has to have children herself. If she has too many children, she might end up like an old woman, with uterine prolapse.
So if she can't even get through this path, what other fun can she find?
Lin Benjian paused for a moment, then said sincerely, "The boss should have faith. If she believes in the Lord, her heart will be at peace, and she will no longer be a lost sheep."
The factory manager felt a chill run down his spine and thought, "Forget it."
How many people in America don't believe in God? Has America seen a decrease in drug use and shootings?
Throughout history, both Chinese and foreign monks have committed numerous crimes.
Oh, don't say it's because they're poor. Those with money have done just as many bad things.
These wealthy foreigners who went to Sarajevo to commit murder probably went to church more often than anyone else.
And even if they don't kill people, they still do drug use.
Howard Hughes, the American billionaire tycoon, who was hailed as a representative of American entrepreneurial innovation, also used drugs. He probably died from a drug overdose.
Does he believe in God? And has God helped him?
If believing in one God could solve all problems, then the whole world would believe in God.
However, although Director Tian was a staunch communist, he respected other people's beliefs, so he just smiled and didn't respond to Dr. Lin's words.
Dr. Lin muttered to himself, "When the boss comes back, I'll have a long talk with her. People are always confused before they feel guided by God."
Factory Director Tian was about to explode with anger, so he quickly changed the subject: "Well, Lin Bo, you should interview Alexei first and gain more experience."
Lin Benjian was a little out of sync with him: "Accumulate what experience?"
“The experience of interviewing these people…” Factory Director Tian sighed. “The boss won’t just hire one Alexei; there are countless others like him to come. You and Zhang Bo aren’t going to interview them? Who can do it? We’re all country bumpkins; we don’t know anything about this.”
Despite these former Soviet scientists being cut down and squeezed dry like sugarcane, and marginalized in Europe, America, Japan, and South Korea, they still exist.
That's because those countries already have mature systems. As an outsider, you either have to integrate into that system or squeeze out the sugar and leave the rest as sugarcane residue.
But China is different. To be frank, China is still lagging behind the Soviet Union in semiconductor development. Now, it can completely build its own system from scratch.
For China, this sugarcane residue is a treasure that can play a significant role.
If Mr. Wang didn't bring them all over at once, he wouldn't be Mr. Wang.
So, Lin Bo, your high salary won't come easily. Hurry up and get ready to face the interview army.
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[Laughs] Our boss, Mr. Wang, has always firmly believed in equality for all.
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