In the office, Xu Chuan turned on the computer, logged in to the mailbox to deal with some emails that had accumulated in the past two months, and waited for Musk to come over by the way.

For him, the contact with Musk is not just because of the space technology in his hands.

After all, no matter how advanced the Falcon Heavy launch vehicle is and how strong the performance of the Starship is, it is only a younger brother in front of the Xinghai Space Shuttle, which has a small controllable nuclear fusion reactor + aerospace engine as the core technology.

The only thing that interested him was the starship's life support units, communication technology, and nanoscale dynamics.

But these things are not necessarily necessary for him.

After all, in the current aerospace field, load capacity is the most critical core foundation, and if this is solved, everything else is easy to say.

But Musk isn't the only one in SpaceX.

In addition to the most famous Tesla and SpaceX, he has investments and companies in the fields of aviation, new energy, artificial intelligence, bioscience, brain-computer interfaces and VR headsets.

And among them, there is what he wants.

After waiting for more than ten minutes, heavy footsteps sounded outside the office.

Then, the door of the inner room was pushed open by Tang Ran, and at the door, Musk, who was wearing a programmer's general plaid shirt, walked in with a bright smile on his face.

"Professor Xu, you can be regarded as out of the customs."

Haha smiled and said hello, and Musk then congratulated: "Congratulations on solving a problem that has plagued academia for hundreds of years. ”

Xu Chuan got up and walked out from behind the desk, stretched out his hand to shake Musk, and said with a smile: "I'm sorry, I made you wait for a long time for the breach of contract before." ”

"No, no, Professor Xu, please don't say that."

Musk quickly shook his head and said: "Although I can't understand the unified theory of strong electricity, for civilization, let alone let me wait for two months, it doesn't matter if I wait for two more years or ten years." ”

Xu Chuan smiled, stretched out his hand and made a polite gesture of please, and said, "Please sit down first." ”

The two sat down opposite each other on the side of the sofa, and Tang Ran outside pushed open the door and walked over to brew a cup of fragrant green tea for the two of them, and then respectfully exited the room.

After chatting for a while, Xu Chuan finally couldn't bear this kind of 'nonsense' between businessmen.

After all, although Musk has the title of SpaceX's 'chief engineer', he is essentially a businessman after all, and this ability to chat with familiar topics is not enough for ten of him to tie together.

Coughing lightly, Xu Chuan said directly: "Mr. Ma is also a busy person, and I don't want you to come here today just to chat with me, so don't waste your time on these irrelevant things." ”

Hearing this sentence of not playing cards according to the routine, Musk was slightly stunned.

However, he quickly reacted, nodded with a smile, and said, "What Professor Xu said is, then I will be more simply." ”

After a slight pause, he looked at Xu Chuan with a serious look on his face, and then said: "I believe Professor Xu, you are very clear that in addition to SpaceX, there are some other companies under my name. For example, Tesla Motors. ”

"Before I came, I investigated that the lithium-sulfur battery technology developed by the Chuanhai Institute of Materials under your name, Professor Xu, does not seem to have been licensed to foreign automobile or battery manufacturers."

"So I want to talk to you about the licensing of lithium-sulfur battery technology, if I need to get the lithium-sulfur battery technology in your hands, what kind of conditions are required, or how much rice gold?"

Hearing this request, Xu Chuan smiled and said, "It depends on what kind of conditions you can give." ”

Seeing that Musk had a thoughtful and hesitant expression on his face, he continued: "To be honest, at the beginning, I was not ready to license lithium-sulfur battery technology to foreign manufacturers. ”

"After all, you also know very well that for the battery industry, and even for all countries, lithium-sulfur batteries are a trump card to accelerate the deployment of new energy fields."

"Tesla is a great threat to the development of China's automakers."

"So, I need you to give a reason that will impress me."

Xu Chuan named Tesla's threat, and Musk didn't care.

He knows very well that if this person really directly refuses to license lithium-sulfur batteries to foreign manufacturers, then he will not sit here.

And since the two are sitting facing each other, it naturally means that there is still something to talk about.

It's just that he may have to pay more than he thought before he came.

After a quick thought in his mind, Musk said: "For a scholar like Professor Xu, I am afraid it is not much sense to talk directly about the fact that I can give you a large sum of money. ”

"And if I had to give a reason, it would be easy."

"China needs Tesla, and the people of China also need Tesla."

"I believe Professor Xu knows very well that capitalists are mercenary, and I am no exception."

"Of course, but I still have some dreams compared to those guys who only make money. For example, SpaceX, for example, OpenAI. ”

"Ahem to get back to the point, if Tesla is lost, or if Tesla is no longer competitive, I have enough reason to judge that the price of cars and lithium-sulfur batteries will continue to rise in China."

"And I can guarantee that if I can obtain the authorization of lithium-sulfur battery technology, then in China, I can guarantee the price of new energy vehicles."

"In this regard, normative requirements can be made in the form of contract documents."

Xu Chuan smiled and said, "Catfish effect." ”

Today, he is willing to contact Musk, in fact, there is also a reason for this.

As for why he didn't take the initiative to bring it up, he naturally wanted to see if Musk had any thoughts in this regard.

Now it seems that although it is not very lofty, after all, Musk is willing to help control the domestic new energy vehicle market for the lithium-sulfur battery technology in his hands.

But at least it's good to have such an idea.

Although he can also forcibly do this through the technology in his own hands, this kind of thing is like the government directly regulates the market and economic development, once or twice is fine, and more is not a good thing.

With this, domestic manufacturers are complaining, and it is better to hand it over to market competition.

At least, compared with those domestic manufacturers who like to unite together, Musk is an outsider.

"Yes."

Musk nodded and said with a smile: "Without Tesla, the owners of lithium-sulfur batteries will all be manufacturers in China, which is not good news, especially for ordinary people." ”

After a slight pause, he turned to pat his ass.

"If I were to pick out the three most admired people in the world, you would be one of them, Professor Xu."

"You are not only a great scholar, but also a saint for the benefit of the general public. In everything you do, you are more willing to think from the perspective of the general public. I admire this immensely, because I can't do it, after all, I'm a businessman, I'm a capitalist, and I need to think about my own interests and those of the company. ”

"Including SpaceX, although it carries my dreams, it still stands for a profitable future."

was still listening to Musk's analysis, but suddenly shifted to patting his own ass. This caught Xu Chuan off guard.

However, he has listened to a lot of this type of speech, although he is not completely immune, but at least he has a certain resistance.

Coughing lightly, he nodded and said, "I have to say, from this aspect, you did give me a reason to license lithium-sulfur battery technology." ”

"In that case, let's talk about the price."

Although it did impress him, lithium-sulfur battery technology cannot be used by Musk for free.

Musk nodded and said with a smile: "Of course." ”

After thinking for a while, he looked at Xu Chuan and said, "What is the annual technology licensing cost of two billion meters?" ”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, "If it's only for your Tesla car." ”

Hearing this condition, Musk frowned, and the conditions offered by Xu Chuan can be said to be difficult for him to accept.

Battery technology is a very important basic technology, whether it is for new energy vehicles, or other fields, it is extremely important.

If this were not the case, he would not have come to China in person to negotiate.

However, the right to use lithium-sulfur batteries is restricted, and it can only be applied to Tesla vehicles

After thinking for a while, Musk frowned and looked at Xu Chuan opposite, and said with some bitterness and helplessness: "Professor Xu, is your condition a little too harsh." ”

"The annual licensing fee of 2 billion rice gold, I think this price should be far more than the domestic cooperative manufacturers you licensed."

Picking up the tea on the tea table and taking a sip, Xu Chuan said with a smile: "I am Chinese, of course I want to give some preferential treatment to my compatriots, I think you should be able to understand this." ”

After a slight pause, he continued: "If it is difficult for you to accept such conditions, I have a better cooperation plan, would you like to hear it?" ”

"Please."

Xu Chuan smiled and said: "Like domestic manufacturers, we will jointly establish production plants through technical cooperation and share profits. ”

After a slight pause, he looked at Musk and said with a smile: "However, in addition to the funds for building the factory, I also need something in your hand." ”

Hearing Xu Chuan's words, Musk's heart jumped, and he couldn't help but be alert in his mind.

The potential value of the things targeted by this one is definitely more than the two billion meters of gold he paid.

But lithium-sulfur batteries are the technology he must strive for.

Without this, Tesla will lose a lot of competitiveness in the market competition in the next few years.

In addition, the battery itself is a huge market, and if he can enter, the benefits will definitely not be small.

In the office, after a moment of silence, Musk took a deep breath, loosened his frowning brows, put a smile on his face again, and asked.

"What do you want?"

To be honest, under the absolute crushing advantage of technology, the negotiation conditions he has are no longer of much use, and the initiative is not in his hands.

So instead of continuing to struggle, ask him what he wants.

Even if Xu Chuan proposes to take a stake in Tesla or SpaceX, he will seriously consider it.

Of course, the premise is that he can pass the audit of the business man's side and does not affect his power in the company.

Xu Chuan smiled and said lightly: "I want your brain-computer interface company 'Neuralink'." ”

Hearing this, Musk was slightly stunned and a little surprised.

He originally thought that Xu Chuan would be interested in Tesla or SpaceX in his hands.

Unexpectedly, he was interested in Neuralink, a brain-computer interface company that is not very well-known in China and even in the world.

This request made him embarrassed.

Frowning, Musk quickly pondered the details of the 'Neuralink' company in his mind.

The little-known company was founded in 2016 by his own hands.

Mainly engaged in the research of brain-computer interface technology, it is developing a brain implant, through invasive brain-computer interface technology, implanting tiny electrodes in the brain, using electric current to make the computer and brain cells "interact", so as to achieve virtual reality technology.

In addition, there are some medical researches, such as implanting microchips to help paralyzed people walk again, and to cure other neurological diseases.

In the seven or eight years since its establishment, Neuralink has published a number of research results, including the development of the "brain-computer neural network" device N1, the chip implant device Link V0.9, the surgical robot V2 and so on.

Strictly speaking, however, these results don't actually have much commercial value.

It's simple, because the current brain-computer interface technology is not mature enough.

By the end of last year, most of the equipment produced by Neuralink was still in the stage of animal testing.

As for market capitalization.

He thinks back that so far, Neuralink has gone through several rounds of funding, and before the D round, most of them came from his own funding.

The D round of financing for the first time introduced 280 million meters of gold led by Founders Fund, a fund institution in the United States, and the current market value is estimated to be about 50-6 billion meters.

Of course, market value is not the key, if you can get the cooperation authorization of lithium-sulfur battery technology, the figure of five or six billion meters of gold is not much.

It's just that

Musk doesn't quite understand something. Why did this Professor Xu suddenly set his sights on Neuralink?

Although he thought about it for a long time, he didn't understand what new technology in Neuralink was worth thinking about this Professor Xu.

But he didn't dare to take this request lightly.

What if Neuralink has technology in it that he didn't understand? That could be a big loss.

But it doesn't make sense, does it?

Neuralink has not entered China, and it is currently in the stage of technology research and development, Xu Chuan is an outsider, is it possible that he can know the company in his hands better than him?

It's not scientific.

After thinking about it for a long time, Musk hesitated, looked up at Xu Chuan, and asked curiously: "Can I ask what you want Neuralink brain-computer interface company to do?" ”

Xu Chuan took a sip of the teacup, moistened his throat and said with a smile: "You should know that I have a younger sister, right?" ”

Musk thought for a moment and said, "That Xu Xiao? ”

Although Xu Xiao is not famous, as this sister, he naturally knew about it before he came.

If he remembers correctly, that sister named Xu Xiao seems to be still studying?

Xu Chuan nodded and said with a smile: "That's right, Xu Xiao's direction of study is this, and in about half a year, she should graduate." ”

"As a graduation gift, I think Neuralink would be a good choice."