After rebirth, I became a great master

Chapter 326 Talent is the Primary Competitive Advantage

A short while later, Dongfang Lang arrived, holding hands with a pretty girl.

"East!"

Zhou Haoran waved to him.

"Why are you here?"

Dongfang Lang came to inspect the work.

Zhou Haoran laughed and said, "Didn't you have class?"

"I skipped class."

Dongfang Lang didn't take it seriously and looked at Qiao Hai.

Zhou Haoran introduced him, "This is Qiao Hai, whom I told you about before. He's a master's student in the computer science department. You can call him Brother Hai. You can contact him if you need anything."

"Brother Hai!"

Dongfang Lang is clearly much more tactful.

Qiao Hai, looking rather old-fashioned, frowned and said, "Why did you skip class? That won't do!"

Zhou Haoran said dismissively, "Skipping class is good. It's better to go pick up girls than waste time in class. This kid's got some skills, don't judge him by ordinary standards. Whether you go to class or not doesn't matter much. When have you ever seen me in class?"

"you really……"

Qiao Hai thought this kid was a real freak, full of absurd ideas.

Dongfang Lang smiled and said, "Brother Hai, what are you guys talking about here?"

Qiao Hai said irritably, "I'm listening to him brag!"

"No way?"

"He said he wanted to build a listed company worth tens of billions!"

"Oh."

Dongfang Lang's reaction was rather indifferent; he didn't seem surprised.

This surprised Qiao Hai.

I thought to myself, "Birds of a feather flock together; these two seem to be of the same ilk."

Fearing that Qiao Hai would think Dongfang was an outsider, Zhou Haoran recounted how Qiao Hai had bravely ventured into academia, applied for the national project "Campus Card" for on-campus research and development, and then, through some intellectual property circumvention, commercialized the project through Zhongbo Software, first acquiring the "Red Star Card."

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Lang was quite shocked: "This intricate scheme, with its interconnected steps, is truly remarkable!"

"It was just a coincidence."

Qiao Hai pursed his lips.

Dongfang Lang shook his head and said seriously, "Brother Hai, there are no coincidences in the market. Fate only favors those who are fully prepared. Haoran is so busy, yet he comes here to do academic research without seeking fame or fortune. He must have complicated motives."

Zhou Haoran smiled and said, "That's how it is."

"It's just a project." Qiao Hai didn't think Zhou Haoran had planned it from beginning to end; it was probably just a coincidence. "Developing an on-campus project—how complicated is that process? Don't believe me? Ask him how troublesome it is! He spent half a month in the capital just to secure the project!"

Dongfang Lang analyzed, "Is it possible that the purpose of pursuing projects is not actually for the projects themselves?"

"Huh?" Qiao Hai was slightly taken aback, not understanding at all. "What do you mean?"

Dongfang Lang pointed to the simple coffee shop, "I run this coffee shop. The purpose of this project is not the project itself, but to meet more like-minded people in university and accumulate some experience in opening and running a business."

"Ok?"

Qiao Hai was very surprised, and now he really realized that this Dongfang Lang was no ordinary college student.

Dongfang Lang said, "Zhou Haoran's trip to the capital to run projects may have been very arduous. But I believe that in the process, he must have met many officials, leaders, experts, and professors in the science and technology industry in the capital. Using the guise of running projects to expand his network is probably the real purpose of breaking into academia and doing research projects."

Zhou Haoran lowered his head and drank his coffee.

With Dongfang Lang present, there are some things that don't need to be said by him.

During his trip to the capital, he even went to the sea.

I also visited several leaders from the port who are now at a low level but have a bright future, such as the former team leader of the debate team at Fudan University.

"That's what they say..." Qiao Hai's antagonistic attitude suddenly changed, "But the process for doing research projects is still too troublesome. If we really think the market prospects for smart cards are that good, we can just develop them under the name of Zhongbo Software, why bother with all this trouble?"

“Zhongbo Software?” Dongfang Lang was surprised. “Isn’t that just a small, almost empty private company that you just established? How could it be capable of developing a project of this caliber?”

We're hiring!

Qiao Hai's words were perfectly reasonable.

The overall structure of the "Campus Card" project was designed by Zhou Haoran. With him in charge, what can't be accomplished? Why should we be so constrained when doing research at school, having to constantly deal with the school's meddling?

Dongfang Lang chuckled and said, "Brother Hai, I know how to recruit people, but where are we going to recruit them? What kind of people can a small private company that has only been established for a short time recruit? As far as I know, even tech giants from the United States like Microsoft, Cisco, IBM, and Oracle can't recruit enough people in China and have to send people from the United States on long-term business trips!"

"Ok?"

Qiao Hai suddenly realized the key point.

It's 97 now, and universities hadn't expanded their enrollment yet!
There are very few college students in China.

Coupled with the surge in overseas travel, there's a severe shortage of elite talent in the private sector. Even foreign companies are struggling to find enough staff, let alone private enterprises. Small private enterprises are even less likely to be in need!

Zhou Haoran chuckled and said, "I won't say anything else, but Hai-ge, just look at you. If we didn't know each other, would you, a master's graduate from Fudan University, be willing to work for a small private company? I've come to you three times to beg you, and you haven't even paid me any attention!"

Qiao Hai remained silent.

It really is.

Undergraduates from Fudan University are already considered the cream of the crop, highly sought after by top companies nationwide. Master's graduates have even more freedom, with a wide selection of companies to choose from – state-owned enterprises, foreign companies, large private companies – they can go wherever they want.

The current shortage of talent in China is completely different from what it will be in 20 or 30 years.

Zhou Haoran sighed and said, "It would save a lot of trouble to form a team to do the project under the name of Zhongbo Software, but there are too few private resources, which simply cannot support a research project of the level of campus smart cards. If we want to make this happen, we must rely on the resources of universities."

"Makes sense."

Qiao Hai finally understood.

Zhou Haoran laughed and said, "If we were to do it under the name of Zhongbo Software, I could beg and plead and still not find a top student of your caliber. But applying for research projects at the university is a completely different story. Not to mention a master's student like you, even professors and PhDs would have to take the initiative to curry favor with me and beg me to participate in the project's development. That's the difference."

Qiao Hai nodded. "There are indeed too few private resources. University resources are the greatest force in scientific research in China."

Zhou Haoran said, "Yes, there's a guy in the capital who came back from the US to start a business, named Zhang Chaoyang. He's all over the news and TV, you know him, right?"

"heard."

Qiao Hai had seen similar reports.

Zhou Haoran laughed and said, "That guy is pretty smart. He used his status as a Tsinghua student to get in touch with Tsinghua after returning to China. It's obvious he's eyeing university resources and wants to use Tsinghua's research capabilities to help him. Tsinghua is so powerful, this move will definitely make him stand out!"

Dongfang Lang said, "There is an even deeper reason."

"Oh?"

Zhou Haoran looked at him with a half-smile.

Dongfang Lang made rapid progress and pondered for a moment before saying, "Tsinghua students are all ambitious and wouldn't join a small startup. But it's different during their studies; they treat it as a work-study internship. With this pretext, they might work for a small company."

"Ah."

Zhou Haoran nodded.

Dongfang Lang said, "Once they work for a small company and achieve results, they've formed a bond and gained a comfort zone. When they graduate, they won't want to leave and will actually join that small company."

"Yup!"

Qiao Hai's eyes lit up.

I finally understand this most fundamental principle.

These days... actually, not just these days, but in the next ten years, the most attractive companies in China will be foreign companies, and elite talents who graduate from prestigious universities will give priority to joining foreign companies.

What should private enterprises do?
Talent is the primary competitive advantage!
Without talent, there is no strength.

Sohu's ability to become the best internet company in China over the next decade is essentially due to its most powerful talent team, comprised entirely of Tsinghua University graduates!
Why did these Tsinghua University graduates join Sohu instead of foreign giants like Microsoft or Oracle?

Because Lao Zhang acted first.

The selection process begins the moment these students enter Tsinghua University. Many of them have already worked for Sohu for two or three years during their university years, forging bonds of camaraderie and establishing their comfort zones.

After graduation, I naturally joined Sohu.

With so many of the best talents in China, even if Zhang Yonghao spent his days traveling, chasing girls, and going to bars instead of doing his job, it didn't stop Sohu from becoming the number one in China for a period of time.

After listening to Dongfang Lang's analysis, Qiao Hai suddenly understood.

So Zhou Haoran also took this path!

No wonder this guy is so busy with several companies outside of school, yet he still spends so much energy coming to school to do academic work, compile textbooks, and work on projects... (This is Qiao Hai's personal analysis, which may not be accurate or comprehensive.)
So here it is!
"No wonder you asked me to recruit those undergraduates to work on those management systems... Such simple systems, I can handle them all by myself, it's easier than having them work on it together."

Qiao Hai's gaze towards Zhou Haoran underwent another change.

Now I'm completely convinced.

No wonder those charming and alluring "older sisters" like Hu Xiaochen, Ji Yingyang, and Sheng Wenwan are all willing to stay by his side.

Zhou Haoran laughed and said, "You finally understand. If you hadn't acted first, why would these top students from Fudan University choose Zhongbo Software instead of Silicon Valley giants like Cisco, Microsoft, and Apple?"

"I understand."

Spurred on, Qiao Hai felt a surge of energy and stood up to leave.

I really don't have time to waste here.

"Oh, by the way..." Qiao Hai took a couple of steps, then turned back, "Haoran, did you know that the college is going to assign a tutor to our project team?"

Zhou Haoran nodded. "Yes, I know. We need a teacher to supervise us."

Qiao Hai's eyes were expectant, yet also a little embarrassed. "I know a teacher from our college named Zheng Shuangwen. How about we have her come over?"

"what?"

Zhou Haoran was slightly stunned.

Qiao Hai said in a low voice, "Professor Zheng is so beautiful, her eyes are so expressive. She came to me the other day and said she wanted to join our project team. Could you help her talk to the department about it?"

(End of this chapter)