"Dear Gu, it's a pleasure to meet you. This is my business card. ”

After the ball game, Gu Biao was not in a hurry to leave, so he met John Chambers in the box he rented.

On this kind of occasion, it is estimated that even F people can't think of it, and no one will think that Gu Biao has already set up a situation to calculate Wang An.

The other party was really low-key and polite, and took the initiative to bend down and hand over the business card with both hands when they met.

Gu Biao naturally didn't need to be hypocritical with the other party, and asked straight to the point: "I heard that you want to defect to me?" ”

He looked up and down, Chambers was about forty years old, and at first glance he was a classic type, with sparse yellow hair and a square face.

Chambers first followed the conversation and continued to say politely: "Previously, you and Mr. Wang, father and son, in the Beijing's debate on the 'Oriental Eureka' plan, related industrial science and technology investment, I also heard it through some channels, and it was really very far-sighted. ”

Gu Biao smiled and didn't take the initiative: "Those are all things that are invited by people and loyal to people." Since the relevant authorities have consulted me, they are trusting me, and I have to say what I think. But that doesn't mean I have any thoughts on these cross-circle industries. If you're willing to help me sell consoles, I'd love to accept a marketing talent like you. ”

Gu Biao also took a little time to understand the other party's resume before, and knew that Chambers was not a rich second generation, but a professional manager who worked his own.

When he was young, he studied undergraduate and mBa, both of which were public universities, such as West Virginia State University and Indiana State University, which shows that his family is not rich.

Chambers's entire resume at Wang An Computer adds up to only five or six years, and he joined after the age of 35, and then worked in iBm for several years in the market, and his performance was not bad, but of course he did not climb to the position of senior executive.

iBm's executives are not so easy to be, after all, the company's scale and signboard are several times stronger than Wang An, and Chambers was still young back then.

However, it is said that this man had a good vision when he was young, when it was still the end of the 70s, iBm company originally had the opportunity to develop the personal computer industry, but unfortunately because it felt that "the personal computer market is not big, it is better to focus on servers and small computers", and the follow-up investment was insufficient, and gradually gave Wang An and Apple, Compaq these brands of opportunities.

During Chambers's three years at iBm, he worked in iBm's personal computer business department, and his repeated admonitions were ineffective, and he felt that his leader could not do well in the personal computer business, so he jumped to the enemy Wang An. Americans have never had the concept of "loyalty" and have encouraged their peers to change jobs, so this is not a bad effect.

But since Gu Biao is likely to use him, he can't be too eager for the time being, and he always has to pinch and beat it a little.

Gu Biao must take into account the internal unity of his entire team and the unity of values.

Now after all, it is not the 21st century, Chinese employees still generally pay attention to "loyalty to the boss", you are a "three-surnamed domestic slave" who has jumped ship in the big three in the personal computer circle, if you are extra reused by Gu Biao as soon as you come, and the treatment is exceptionally more than the elderly, then how can you bring the team?

Chambers is obviously unaware of this cultural difference, and Gu Biao is not very interested in replacing Wang An.

After all, if Chambers had never been in contact with the Chinese, he would have "made bold assumptions and carefully verified" to figure out Chinese style.

But he has been in contact with Chinese, just Chinese-Americans like Wang's father and son, and a lot of American cultural styles have been integrated into his management style. As a result, Chambers "didn't know his ignorance", and took it for granted that Gu Biao was also an attribute with other Chinese-American capitalists, and he would not have a bad idea of "defecting to the new master many times within a few years".

It's a pity that Wang An is already a more American-style technology company, but Tiankun still has more Chinese style.

After a little contact with politeness, Chambers had no intention of selling game consoles, so he took the initiative to ask for help, suggesting that Gu Biao step up his expansion into the personal computer business:

"Gu, Wang An computer has been a mess for more than two months, and the follow-up product development has completely come to a standstill, and the development of the market is also limited to the existing experience. You're also Chinese, and you don't want to watch the Chinese disappear in the U.S. PC market.

Your Tiankun company has the foundation to make learning machines, and also has a lot of practical application experience in Motorola washing cPu, and the design team is excellent. Don't you want to get into the personal computer business? If you want to, I can bring you the researchers who have recently left Wang An. As long as you open a higher salary and options than iBm, I guarantee that there will be many people willing to come, including me. "The defense of the solar system

"Mr. Chambers really doesn't see me. It's true that Wang An is Chinese, but you are white, why do you want me to occupy a place in the personal computer industry in the United States, give me a reason. Gu Biao took the time to interrogate.

When Chambers heard this, he thought that he had grasped Gu Wei's true concerns, and quickly explained easily: "Aha, I think you must be suspicious of why I don't have the emotions of national attention. As a matter of fact, we Americans do not have the mood to pay attention to the nation, and those who come to the United States are Americans, and the United States does not have its own nation in the first place.

The reason why I chose you is only because I came out of iBm back then, and it is not good to go back. And I think that although Wang An can't do iBm, iBm may not be able to occupy the market for a long time, and I went to be nothing more than a cannon fodder to help lift the table, and I can't achieve anything. ”

"How do you say this?" Gu Ao's attitude became slightly serious.

Chambers put it bluntly: "iBm has always looked down on low-margin products such as personal computers, and I have seen it completely since I left iBm to go to Wang An five or six years ago. Even today, iBm is just in line with the mentality of 'I don't look down on the low-profit platform, even if I can't do it myself, I will smash the table so that no one can eat it', and it is sabotaging as a stick.

The end result, I think, is that iBm will kill most of the companies in the PC business to the ground, and iBm doesn't make any money on its own, but just smashes the profit margins of the entire industry, and then makes a wedding dress for more lightweight companies. ”

Chambers did not predict that "the profits of hardware companies will make a wedding dress for software companies", because people in 86 still see it in this regard.

I have to admit here that although Jobs has a despicable character and a tyrannical mentality towards consumers, he still has a vision. Later generations can see an interview video of Steve Jobs in 85 years, when he predicted that under the situation of iBm provoking a new war, the future profits will be taken away by lightweight companies engaged in software and regional network services, and no one in the current hardware companies will make money.

[There was no Internet in '85, so it was impossible for Jobs to say the word "Internet."] But at that time, there were already companies that provided LAN services and file transfers, such as AOL. That's what Jobs said in his prophecy. 〕

John Chambers, who will only be the CEO of Cisco in later generations, is really inferior to Jobs in terms of keen vision.

But it's pretty good.

Gu Biao nodded: "Even if what you said is right, do you think Wang An can't do it, iBm is only a destroyer of the industry, not a builder, then there are so many companies in the United States that have tried to focus on the personal computer business in recent years, such as, Apple, Compaq, do you think, I have a unique advantage, otherwise, why should I rush into it." ”

"Of course, you have unique advantages, and your unique advantages are in the same vein as Wang An. To tell the truth, I was very satisfied with what I did under Mr. Wang An, and the farsightedness he showed in the past few years was convincing. If it weren't for the fact that he passed on to a dog who didn't have any radical vision, I wouldn't have left.

Wang An's biggest advantage over Apple and Compaq at that time was that he grabbed 'future potential new users who were half a level lower than the mainstream users who used personal computers at the time' and Apple and Compaq's personal computers, which were both more than $3,000 at the time. And Wang An's word processor, which removes other functions and compresses the configuration, only focuses on the office, can be pressed to $1,200.

From iBm's decades of experience, we all know that computers are spreading more and more to low-end users, so whoever catches 'people who can't afford computers at the moment, but in 5 or 10 years, as Moore's Law forces prices to fall, they will gradually become able to afford computers', this company will be able to seize the future.

What your company is doing now, although it is not worthy of being called a computer at all, is just a learning machine. But it costs only $200, which is six times cheaper than Wang's $1,200 word processing computer. Tian Kun occupies a group of people who are a little poorer than Wang An, but who can afford to buy computers in the future.

And although your company's total sales are not as good as Wang An's at present, because your unit price is too low. But the number of units you sell. It has significantly exceeded Wang An by more than two times. The brand recognition of your people who can only afford computers after the price of computers in the future is high enough, it is nothing more than that the product grade and technical strength are not enough for those who left Wang An, and they can provide you with these. ”

Gu Biao picked up his coffee and pretended to think for a while.

It seems that he has just figured out what Chambers said. [Actually, of course he figured it out a long time ago]

"I was just here to watch the game, but the business is big, and I can't even relax these leisure times. Gu Biao laughed at himself, "You are in Wang An, you are the CMO, when you come to me, what do you want, what can you bring to me." Temporary

I put the ugly words in front, although Wang An is very strong now, but I can see his decline, I can't let outsiders rely on Wang An's qualifications, what position he used to sit, and what position he still sits in when he comes to me. In that case, I will not be able to convince the people.

Anyone must make meritorious contributions to me and prove themselves again not only to me, but also to everyone. Then, to get what he wants. ”

Chambers was still very passionate just now, and he was a little uncomfortable when Gu Biao suppressed the rhythm like this.

However, he was even more convinced that Gu Biao was not premeditated, and was really instigated by him.

Considering that Gu Xiao is Chinese, it is not good or bad at all.

"I can help you get most of the backbones that left Wang An. For the rest, you can first look at the results of our project preparation, and after a few years, if we really come up with an epoch-making product, you can cash out the option. ”

"For the first development project, I don't plan to go directly to the options, and I am mainly managing performance bonuses here for the time being. There is also a bit of an option for the president Schulhoff. Gu Biao directly interrupted the other party's overestimating expectations.

In the past three or four years, Gu Biao relied on the method of "talking about equity incentives as little as possible, and using performance bonuses to solve problems if they can be solved with performance bonuses" to unite the team. What he does is "the short- and medium-term interests of the individual are consistent with the short- and medium-term interests of the company", and there is no need to move equity.

And next year, if we really turn to the personal computer business, there will be a problem of "personal short-term and medium-term interests are inconsistent with the company's long-term interests, and performance appraisal kPi is inconsistent with the company's ultimate goal".

Making game consoles, that is, as long as the product is made, it not only has a market share rate and a future, but also a steady stream of profitable business.

Making a personal computer is very beneficial to the company as a whole in terms of market share, prospects, and technical barriers.

But it may not make money in a short period of time.

Because of the iBm + Microsoft model, since the early 90s in history, not only Wang An died, but even Apple did not make money.

Apple is just under the pressure of iBm, and it has just hung this breath, leaving the spark of technical reserves, and the computer must be sold cheaply, or at least it cannot be amortized and lose money.

In other words, Gu Xiao may not be able to level the R&D costs within 5 years of doing this business, but he will lose some money in exchange for "maintaining the R&D ability of Chinese to develop a closed personal computer operating system by themselves."

[In fact, there are many such things, such as Huawei's "spare tire plan" announced by Ren Boss recently. In fact, the research and development of spare tires is a loss of money, and it is completely dependent on the profits created by the positive tires. But the value of a spare tire is that in case you are sanctioned and your neck is stuck and you are not supplied, you can take out a spare tire like HiSilicon Kirin or HarmonyOS to keep yourself running.

Gu Biao will do these things in the next few years, just to prevent "the heart of the US imperialists will not die", and they will not be able to be realized immediately.

This kind of money-losing business, and then relying on performance bonuses to motivate, has no effect. Sooner or later, there may be a talk of equity.

Gu Biao just wants to try to suppress the rhythm as much as possible, so that the game console team and the computer team can adapt to it, so as not to directly give the computer team a larger range of options and cause the game console team to be dissatisfied.

Chambers was also speechless when he listened to Gu Biao's account of the existing incentive model of the Tiankun game console team.

He realized that Gu Biao had to settle the unevenness of the elderly.

Perhaps, his first project after arriving at Tiankun can only comfort himself with the model of performance bonuses, as a transition.

If Gu Biao were to launch the first generation of Tiankun's personal computers and the second generation of game consoles in 1988, then that is to say, before this point in time, Gu Biao would not expand the scope of grant of share option incentives within Tiankun.

There's nothing wrong with that. By 1988, it had only been more than six years since the company was formally established, and it was less than seven years old. In the technology industry, as long as you have profits, it is normal not to talk to you about stocks in the first six or seven years of small, rapid development.