Who would still start a business seriously after being reborn?

Chapter 669 Lei Jun is here?
Norbert pondered for a moment, trying to find a compromise, and said, "Mr. Mike, we acknowledge the core importance of technology, but does your Enze Group's 58% controlling stake mean that the three of us will completely lose our say in future company decisions? This is not conducive to the company's long-term healthy development."

“Norbert has hit the nail on the head.” Mike Zan nodded and said, “Holding a controlling stake is to ensure the efficiency of strategic execution and the purity of technology, and to avoid missing market opportunities due to differing opinions among shareholders. You are experts in the automotive industry, but you are novices in the IT industry. To put it bluntly, if you novices make decisions for experts, our company will be in danger.”

"You just need to wait to collect the money. This company will be the strongest IT group we create after Momo Group and Universal Vision. It will definitely be able to dethrone Nokia and Motorola," Mike said confidently.

Upon hearing this, all three fell silent.

Either Nokia or Motorola could easily outperform the combined total of the three of them.

Nokia alone has a market value of 2030 billion euros, while the combined market value of the three companies barely reaches 1400 billion euros.

They worked hard for decades, but it was all for naught compared to Nokia's one-off success.

I'm so hungry I could cry!

However, they also know very well that getting into the IT industry is not a matter of money at all.

The real obstacle is the chip restriction.

Looking at the telecommunications industry, it's all American companies or companies controlled by the US; other countries don't even get a taste of it.

Seeing that the three remained silent, Mike was not in a hurry.

Because the big boss said that Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi would never refuse an opportunity to embrace the IT industry.

These three industrial giants dream of embracing the IT industry, and it would be even better if they could take the opportunity to kiss it.

After a brief discussion, Weller asked in a deep voice, "So, what about the allocation of board seats?"

“Allocation according to shareholding ratio.” Mike answered without hesitation: “Enze Capital holds the majority of seats, but the three directors each have their own board seats allocated according to their shareholding ratio, ensuring that your voices are fully reflected in the decision-making level.”

The negotiations have entered their most delicate tug-of-war phase.

Dieter Zetsche remains dissatisfied with the shareholding ratio, but he also understands that without Enze Capital's technology, the so-called in-car smartphone is just a castle in the air.

He continued, “Mr. Mike, this new company uses the brand effect of the three of us, so we still want to have some say. We believe that Enze Capital should hold 51% of the shares to maintain relative control, and the remaining 49% should be redistributed by the three of us based on channel value. If you think our investment is too low, each of us can contribute an additional £5 million.”

"Yes."

“We can accept this,” the other two immediately agreed.

Their tone even became somewhat excited; Dieter Zetsche truly lived up to his reputation as a pioneer of European industry.

Using £15 billion to acquire a 7% stake may seem like just 7%, but it represents a completely different story.

Enze Capital is an investment company, and what they love most is money.

£15 billion for a 7% stake is enough to tempt a capital investment firm.

To their surprise, Mike shook his head and said firmly, "Mr. Zetsche, 51% and 58% may seem like only a 7% difference, but it represents our absolute control over the company and our determination to take ultimate responsibility. We must ensure that at critical moments, the company can steadfastly follow the technological path we have agreed upon, rather than getting bogged down in endless internal strife."

"As I just said, 58% is the maximum sincerity we can offer, and it is also our bottom line."

The three fell silent again.

Mike looked around at the three men, then played his final card, smiling as he said, "Gentlemen, our initial intention in collaborating was not merely to manufacture a mobile phone. Rather, it was to use this phone to deeply integrate the European automotive industry with the electronics and information industry, creating a high-value closed-loop ecosystem of our own."

"In the future, the value of the data generated by this terminal, the services derived from it, and the ecosystem it builds will far exceed the value of the hardware itself. Ensuring technological dominance means ensuring that the core of this ecosystem is in our own European hands, rather than being held hostage by external forces one day in the future. Isn't stability more important than a simple percentage of equity?"

These words precisely struck at the deepest sense of crisis and strategic ambition in the hearts of the three car company representatives.

Dieter Zetsche exchanged glances with Norbert and Weller, and they all saw the weighing and compromise in each other's eyes.

Finally, Dieter Zetsche took a deep breath and slowly spoke, his tone tinged with reluctance: "Mr. Mike, you have convinced me. Technological leadership and strategic initiative are indeed the most valuable assets at this stage. Mercedes-Benz accepts this equity proposal."

Norbert nodded as well: "We agree."

Weller followed up: "We have no objection."

Mike's face immediately broke into a genuine smile. He stood up, extended his hand to his three partners, and said with a smile, "Then, congratulations to each other! With the four of us working together, we will surely usher in a new era for the European technology industry."

The four hands were clasped tightly together.

Despite intense back-and-forth, their shared pursuit of common interests and ambitions for the future ultimately led them to this seemingly unequal but actually well-thought-out alliance.

Enze Capital dominated with its technological and financial advantages, while the three automakers successfully entered the cutting-edge IT field, which they had long desired but had difficulty breaking into, with relatively small cash investments and existing channel resources.

At seven o'clock in the morning, on the streets of London, the financial center of Europe, many traders and analysts in financial exchanges had just finished their first cup of coffee of the day when they saw three urgent financial industry news alerts highlighted in red on their computer screens.

The content of this news flash is enough to cause some turmoil in the European financial industry.

Because the news source is Mercedes-Benz Group, BMW Group and Audi AG.

The headlines of the news flashes were even more shocking than the last:
Mercedes-Benz Group officially announced: Partnering with Enze Capital to create the future of mobile communications, BBA Mobile Communications Company is launched.

BMW Group Announcement: Defining the next generation of in-vehicle intelligent communication terminals with Intelligent Driving as the core concept.

Audi AG declares: Combining German craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology, we are entering the automotive-grade smartphone market.

Opening the announcement reveals a wealth of inspiring ambition.

The announcement not only announced the joint establishment of BBA Mobile Communications Company by the four parties, but also elaborated on its vision.

They aim to deeply integrate the rigorous safety practices accumulated over a century of automobile manufacturing with cutting-edge mobile communication technology to create a groundbreaking product that is not just a mobile phone, but also an extension of intelligent vehicles.

The announcement repeatedly emphasized one word: Intelligent Driving!

This concept, which was brought into the public eye by the DARPA Challenge in the United States in 2005 and subsequently adopted as a goal by major technology companies in Silicon Valley, has now been picked up in a high-profile manner by an alliance composed of traditional European industrial giants and traditional European capital, and given a new meaning.

It's not just about autonomous driving initiated by the United States, but also about intelligent driving experience that connects people with everything.

Almost simultaneously with the announcements from the three major automakers, Enze Capital's official website and social media accounts were also updated.

Unlike the composed style of automakers' announcements, Enze Capital's announcement reads more like a battle cry:
We firmly believe that Europe's engineering spirit and innovation capabilities are second to none in the world. The establishment of BBA Mobile Communications Company is not just a simple business collaboration, but a powerful return of the European industrial spirit in the digital age. Intelligent driving will no longer be an empty concept; it will surely lead global users towards a truly safe, convenient, and intelligent future!

This massive wave, originating from the eastern coast of the Atlantic, instantly swept across global media.

Reuters published three in-depth analysis reports within half an hour, detailing the resources that the four parties might bring and sharply pointing out that this may be Europe's most direct and powerful response to Silicon Valley's technological hegemony.

In Bloomberg's live television studio, two senior commentators nearly came to blows.

One view is that this is a self-rescue attempt by traditional industrial giants, while another excitedly insists that it is a meticulously planned Normandy landing.

The Wall Street Journal's report focused more on the capital market perspective, detailing the potential ripple effects of this move on the global semiconductor, consumer electronics, and automotive industries, and highlighting Enze Capital, a European investment firm.

Enze Capital, which was forced to apologize to Microsoft just a week ago, has now turned its attention to Nokia and Motorola.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Enze Capital has gone mad.

What truly propelled this media storm to its peak was the announcement on the official website of BBA Mobile Communications Company two weeks later.

Since BBA Mobile Communications Company was newly established, its official website was not yet fully developed. However, a news item on this incomplete website shocked countless finance and IT professionals.

The launch ceremony and strategic press conference for BBA Mobile Communications Company will be held in three days at BMW Welt in Munich, Germany. At the event, Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz AG, Jürgen Punk, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, and Rupert Hooper, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi AG and Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, will jointly attend. Mr. Du Yusheng, Chairman of Momo Group, will also be present as an important partner. Furthermore, Mr. Smith Leibusi, Chairman of Enze Capital and a mysterious billionaire, who has garnered significant attention in the global financial and technology sectors, has also confirmed his attendance at the press conference.

"Lei Jun? He's actually attending?"

"God, what does he look like?"

"I heard he spends a hundred million US dollars a year to hide his identity? Now that he dares to show his face, does that mean the trouble is over?"

"He must be a member of the royal family in exile."

In an instant, all media attention shifted from BBA (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi) itself to Lei Jun (CEO of BAIC Group).

Interview requests, insider inquiries, data analysis...

Every means was used in the hopes of obtaining even a sliver of information about this mysterious person.

Flight bookings to Munich have surged, with chief journalists, financial anchors, and technology commentators from major media outlets around the world flocking to the Bavarian capital, which is poised to become the focus of global attention.

The news that Lei Jun, chairman of Enze Capital, would attend the BBA Mobile Communications Company event not only excited European and American journalists, but also excited the headquarters of Momo Group.

In the group's senior executives' QQ group, hundreds of messages were instantly sent.

"Really? Lei Jun, chairman of Enze Capital, is going to make an appearance?" The head of the game division was the first to jump out, sending three shocked emojis in a row.

"This is a huge move, directly winning over the three major German automakers. Our parent company has been keeping this under wraps for a long time," a vice president in charge of marketing remarked.

"@Chairman Du Yusheng, you're going to Munich to witness history? Can you reveal some inside information? Who exactly is Mr. Lei Jun?" Li Xiang directly tagged Du Yusheng.

Du Yusheng quickly replied with a smiling emoji, saying, "Actually, I've never met him either."

Du Yusheng's response clearly failed to quell everyone's curiosity, and the various departments began discussing it even more enthusiastically in their private group chats.

"Do you think Raymond Lamb might be an agent of the Rothschild family?"

"I don't think so. It's more like some reclusive Russian energy oligarch or a Middle Eastern prince?"

"A Russian oligarch? I don't think so. If that were the case, Europe certainly wouldn't agree to his involvement."

"I'm getting off-topic! I think he's just an extremely low-key tech genius, like Howard Hughes back in the day?"

In the break room, several familiar middle managers gathered together, coffee in hand, to discuss something.

"They're really going all out this time," said Manager Wang of the Data Analysis Department in a low voice. "They're directly using intelligent driving technology to compete with the US; they're going head-to-head."

"The key question is, where does this confidence come from?" Director Li of hardware R&D frowned and said, "ARM's architecture is powerful, but making it into a mobile phone chip, and an automotive-grade one at that, and integrating the system... there are too many pitfalls involved. Does Lei Jun have some ace team that we don't know about?"

"The chairman definitely knows, but he's tighter-lipped than a safe." Ms. Liu from the marketing department sighed and said, "But then again, if it really works out, our Momo Group's status will rise accordingly. This is a top-tier global ecosystem alliance. I heard that our Chairman Du went there this time to apply to have the production line located in our industrial park."

"Landing in our industrial park? That would be wonderful if it really succeeded."

"Then wouldn't we be able to take off right here?" The group became more and more excited as they talked.

At this moment, even Zhang Lingyu, who was in charge of the huge internet cafe business, was feeling emotional in her office.

She glanced at the news on the screen about Lei Jun's upcoming appearance, swiped her phone, hesitated for a moment, and then sent Cheng Yi a teasing message: "Master, our retired emperor has finally decided to step into the limelight. Shouldn't you, the regional governor, go and pay your respects? Aren't you nervous?"

All she knew was that Cheng Yi enjoyed the deep trust of Enze Capital and was its irreplaceable representative in China, wielding considerable power.

But she never imagined that Cheng Yi would be the same person as Lei Jun, who stirred up European capital.

This was completely beyond the boundaries of her imagination.

(End of this chapter)