Chapter 914
Support of 408 Billion in Real Money
Three days after the storm of public opinion subsided, the sky over Tangdu City was exceptionally clear.
In the top-floor office of Galaxy Technology's headquarters, sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting warm patches of light on the dark wooden floor.
Wang Donglai stood by the window, holding a freshly brewed cup of tea, his gaze fixed on the tireless tower cranes at the Tanghuangcheng construction site in the distance.
The steel arms of those tower cranes slowly turned in the morning light, like the pulse of this ancient capital awakening.
Since the 21st Century Academic Conference, the construction of Tang Imperial City has accelerated even further. More funds have poured in, more companies have moved in, and more young people have dragged their suitcases out of the train station, looking up at this unfamiliar yet hopeful city, and throwing themselves into its construction.
"boss."
Wa's voice rang out in the office, calmly reporting: "The public opinion monitoring report is out. In the past 72 hours, the total amount of negative information about Galaxy Technology has decreased by 87%, while positive information has increased by 340%. The videos by Xie Tao, Duan Ping, and Zheng Mingjun have accumulated more than 3 billion views."
Wang Donglai turned around, a slight smile playing on his lips.
How many followers does Xie Tao's account have now?
"It went from a few hundred to 1.3 million. Duan Ping got 800,000, and Zheng Mingjun got 500,000. Their new videos averaged over 100,000 views. Yesterday, Xie Tao posted a sunset he took on his delivery route with the caption 'Good weather today, good mood too,' which got 700,000 likes. The comments section was full of 'Keep it up,' 'Be careful,' and 'Galaxy people support you.'"
Wang Donglai smiled, a smile filled with satisfaction.
"Wa, when these employees spontaneously stood up, did they ever think it would cause such a huge reaction?"
Wa paused for a second, as if analyzing the motives behind those videos.
"Based on my analysis of the behavioral patterns and language habits of Xie Tao, Duan Ping, Zheng Mingjun, and others, they probably didn't consider the consequences when they spoke out. The night Xie Tao posted the video, he had been working all day and was exhausted. Seeing people online criticizing the company made him feel aggrieved, so he recorded that video. He even said in the video, 'I'm too tired, so my speech might be a bit slurred. Please bear with me.' Duan Ping was the same; he had just finished his last delivery and his electric scooter was almost out of power, so he squatted by the roadside to film it. Zheng Mingjun even did it in the canteen, when his coworkers egged him on to speak."
As an artificial intelligence, apart from a few local area networks and important nodes, the network world can be considered her backyard.
Therefore, Nuwa can also understand the underlying circumstances of these people who post videos through data.
Furthermore, Nuwa could easily gain access to the underlying system through the backend, allowing her to directly access recording and camera functions.
However, Wang Donglai has always strictly restricted Wa from using such methods, forbidding her from using them indiscriminately.
"Boss, this is precisely why these videos can break through the traffic pool and successfully resonate with more netizens. They are not planned, not arranged, not marketed; they are real."
Wang Donglai nodded.
He was certainly aware of the videos' viral success. Douyin didn't intervene at first, but once the data reached a certain level, the backend took notice.
Douyin's response was simple: no traffic restrictions, no bans, and no proactive promotion.
At this time, the platform still adhered to what Wang Donglai had said before: to maintain fairness and impartiality.
Sometimes, not opposing is a form of agreement.
These videos naturally became wildly popular.
“This time, we owned our own media platform, so they didn’t silence us and let our voices be heard. But if it were another company, they might have succeeded.”
“Public opinion can be manipulated, traffic can be bought, and netizens can be deceived. Their attention only lasts for three minutes, so it can be taken advantage of.”
"To be honest, I was also surprised that we were able to win this blockade. I never expected that these employees would be willing to stand up. From this point of view, my idea was not completely wrong."
The next second, Wang Donglai changed the subject and asked, "Wa, what do you think those behind-the-scenes manipulators are thinking now?"
"According to monitoring, over the past three days, seven public relations companies have ceased all business related to Galaxy Technology. A large number of their online troll accounts have been reported and banned. After the IP addresses of several rumor-mongering posts were identified by tech bloggers, the relevant accounts have been deleted. Interestingly, the legal representative of one of the companies deleted all content from all its social media accounts overnight last night."
"Scared?"
“Analyzing from the perspective of behavioral patterns, yes. They probably didn’t expect things to develop to this point. They certainly didn’t expect that those ‘low-level workers’ they looked down on would spontaneously stand up and tear their carefully woven lies to shreds with the simplest words.”
Wang Donglai's expression turned serious.
"Wa, do you think this will bring any changes to those companies that are still observing?"
Nuwa did not answer immediately.
This issue requires deeper analysis.
"Boss, I think it might still be a bit difficult, but there's no need to be too pessimistic."
"Touching vested interests is always harder than touching the soul."
"However, this incident can also provide them with a ready-made example."
"As long as we exist and continue to grow, more people will begin to think about and try to follow us."
"From this perspective, the boss's idea has a high probability of being realized."
Wang Donglai nodded.
Wa's analysis was the same as his.
"Therefore, the three conditions we proposed before—five social insurances and one housing fund, a 44-hour work system, and employee stock ownership—may be difficult for them to accept now."
"However, as time goes on and our influence grows, this will become the new industry standard. Companies that don't accept it will find it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain staff, and increasingly difficult to gain consumer trust. Because workers will vote with their feet, and consumers will vote with their wallets. The market will teach them what is right."
Wang Donglai spoke with a firm and resolute tone.
Wa paused for a moment, then said, "Boss, is this what you've always wanted to do? Not just focus on technology, not just run a business, but use technology and business to drive the progress of society as a whole."
Wang Donglai did not answer.
He simply looked out the window, at the Tang Dynasty imperial city under construction, at the vehicles coming and going, and at the hurried pedestrians.
“Wa, do you know what? I’ve been thinking about this question: how far can a company go? Technology can be developed, markets can be expanded, and profits can be increased. But what truly allows a company to go far is not these things.”
"what is that?"
"It's about people's hearts. It's about whether employees are willing to work for you, whether users are willing to trust you, and whether society is willing to accept you. These things can't be bought with money, exchanged with technology, or forced by power. They can only be accumulated little by little, and earned through sincerity."
"This is the way of the king."
"Using our technological advantage to force other companies and the entire industry to change is domineering." "The best answer is a mixture of both benevolent and domineering approaches."
"Wa, do you know what? This time, the employees' spontaneous actions have taught me a lesson."
What's the reasoning behind that?
"The things we do—raising employee salaries, paying social insurance and housing provident fund contributions, implementing employee stock ownership, running vocational education schools, producing anti-fraud films, and helping farmers sell their agricultural products—are not charity work, but rather planting seeds. When the seeds are planted, you can't see any results. But when spring comes, they will sprout, blossom, and bear fruit. This media storm is spring."
For the first time, a sense of emotion, akin to感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of deep emotion), appeared in Wa's voice: "Boss, you're right. This time, we won not because of skill, nor because of money, but because those seeds sprouted."
The office fell silent.
Outside the window, the sun shines brightly, illuminating the tower cranes at the Tang Imperial City construction site, the busy workers, and the distant, continuous Qinling Mountains.
Wang Donglai knew that this battle was not over yet.
Those seeds have only just sprouted.
The real spring is yet to come.
……
Just as the hype was about to die down, the news of Galaxy Semiconductor being injected with state-owned capital was quietly made public.
On a typical Tuesday morning, Galaxy Technology's official website and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission's official website simultaneously released a brief message.
There was no announcement, no press conference, and no massive publicity.
It was just a joint statement, a few simple pages, but every word was like a bomb, exploding simultaneously at 10:00 a.m. that day.
The statement was short, but the sheer volume of information was overwhelming.
The National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund invested 120 billion yuan, acquiring a 15% stake. The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) invested 80 billion yuan, acquiring a 10% stake. Central state-owned enterprise technology platforms invested 40 billion yuan, acquiring a 5% stake. The Shaanxi Provincial SASAC invested 40 billion yuan, acquiring a 5% stake. The Tangshan Municipal SASAC invested 20 billion yuan, acquiring a 2.5% stake. The Beijing Municipal SASAC invested 20 billion yuan, acquiring a 2.5% stake. The Social Security Fund invested 40 billion yuan, acquiring a 5% stake. China International Capital Corporation (CICC) invested 48 billion yuan, acquiring a 6% stake.
The shareholding ratios of the original shareholders of Galaxy Semiconductor have been adjusted accordingly.
But the most crucial information is hidden in the last paragraph: "The overall valuation of Galaxy Semiconductor, as assessed by a third-party professional institution, is 800 billion yuan. Employee compensation and benefits will remain unchanged, and employees in core positions will be included in the national specially appointed expert management system."
The news caused an immediate uproar online.
Eight hundred billion! What does that even mean?
SMIC, the largest chip manufacturer in China, had a market value of just over 400 billion yuan at the time.
Galaxy Semiconductor alone is equivalent to two SMICs.
What's even more shocking is the lineup of investors.
The National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, central enterprise platforms, Shaanxi Provincial State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, Tangdu State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, Beijing State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, social security fund, CICC—what a dream lineup!
After reading this information, anyone who isn't an idiot can understand what it means.
Real financial support is far more valuable than any amount of sweet talk.
But what attracts the most attention from ordinary people is another detail.
"Employees in core positions are included in the national specially appointed expert management system." In layman's terms, this means that those core R&D personnel are now officially employed.
This isn't just an ordinary company position; it's a legitimate public institution position, the kind of "iron rice bowl among iron rice bowls."
While ordinary employees are not directly given official positions, "their salary and benefits remain unchanged" means that they will not lose any of their high salaries, social insurance and housing fund, year-end bonuses, and dividends. Moreover, with the backing of state-owned assets, these guarantees will only be more secure.
On Douyin, an account verified as "Galaxy Semiconductor Engineer" posted a video.
In the video, he showed his employee badge and office location, gave a thumbs-up to the camera, and captioned it with only three words: "It's all set!"
This video instantly garnered over a million likes.
The comments section was filled with envious voices.
"Holy crap! A government-affiliated position! This is a government-affiliated position! And it's the same as the benefits at Galaxy Technology combined with the government-affiliated position at a state-owned enterprise. What an incredible combination!"
“Core employees have permanent positions, while ordinary employees’ salaries remain unchanged. What kind of amazing operation is this? It combines the stability of a state-owned enterprise with the vitality of a private enterprise. Galaxy Semiconductor has taken all the advantages of both systems.”
"I'm so jealous, I'm really jealous. Do the cleaning ladies at Galaxy Semiconductor also get a permanent government job?"
"The person upstairs is overthinking it. Only core positions will have permanent positions. But even so, the unchanged benefits for ordinary employees are already pretty good, okay? Five social insurances and one housing fund plus high salary plus year-end bonus plus profit sharing, and now with the backing of state-owned assets, isn't this even more secure than an iron rice bowl?"
"Speaking of which, with a valuation of 800 billion, how many shares does Galaxy Technology still hold? How much is Wang Donglai worth now? Isn't that sky-high?"
"His vision has narrowed. Does Academician Wang care about money? He cares about whether the technology can be implemented, whether the industry can take off, and whether the country can avoid being held back. Now that state-owned capital is entering the market, it shows that he has chosen the right path."
On media platforms, this news occupied six of the top ten trending topics.
#Galaxy Semiconductor valued at 800 billion#, #National teams enter the market collectively#, #Core employees have been given permanent positions#, #Galaxy Technology employee benefits remain unchanged#, #Wang Donglai's net worth#, #Hope for domestically produced chips#
Each post has tens of thousands of comments below it.
"I declare that Galaxy Semiconductor is the best company in China, bar none. Its technology is globally leading, its employee benefits are top-notch, and now it has the backing of state-owned capital. Who else can match that?"
"People used to say that Galaxy Technology was a 'shining example of private enterprises,' but now they should say it's a 'shining example of state-owned enterprises.' This move has preserved the vitality of private enterprises while providing the security of state-owned enterprises—perfect!"
"Where are those who call Galaxy Technology a 'capital harvester'? Come out and show yourselves! Look at this lineup of investors, is this 'harvesting' or 'supporting'?"
"I'm truly impressed by Wang Donglai. In technology, he can land on the moon, develop superconductivity, and advance quantum computing. In business, he can get employees to willingly speak out. In industry, he can get the national team involved. What kind of genius is he?"
"As someone working in the semiconductor industry, I cried when I saw this news. We used to be the ones being held hostage, now we're the ones holding others hostage. Do you understand this feeling?"
"I understand. In the past, we had to beg people to buy chips; now, people are begging us to sell them to them. Galaxy Semiconductor, you've really done us proud!"
Amidst the voices of approval and praise, there were also voices of calm.
"Is an 800 billion valuation reasonable? Galaxy Semiconductor's lithography factory is indeed impressive, but it hasn't reached mass production yet. Isn't this valuation a bit too high?"
"Upstairs, are you really ignorant or just pretending? The technology used in this lithography factory is unique in the world. ASML sells a single lithography machine for hundreds of millions of euros, and you still have to wait in line. Galaxy Semiconductor's lithography factory, once it goes into production, has dozens of production lines running simultaneously. Do you think it's worth 800 billion? And that doesn't even include the photoresist, EDA software, and advanced packaging technologies."
"Besides, valuation is subjective, technology is real. When state-owned capital enters the market, they are looking at the technological value, not the market capitalization. Galaxy Semiconductor holds the future of domestically produced chips. Eight hundred billion is not expensive."
"There's no need to even consider this. This is real money being poured in. Surely no one thinks the leaders just need to sign off on it? 408 billion yuan is being poured in; there's responsibility involved. Since the leaders dared to sign, it proves that this valuation is approved by them." (End of Chapter)