I can become stronger by paying salaries. I have one billion employees!

Chapter 712 I suspect Musk is maliciously poaching people! Musk: Who did it?
"Boss, Simon Payne from Inmarsat just called and clearly stated his willingness to join Yunkun Aerospace."

Xiong Li, Chief Talent Officer of Senlian Capital, immediately reported the recruitment feedback from the European office to Chen Yansen.

Previously, the big boss had personally provided a list of people to poach, and Simon Payne was among the top ten key candidates on the list.

"Thank you for your hard work." Chen Yansen nodded, then instructed, "Have the personnel department keep a close eye on the follow-up procedures and help him settle down in Yanjing as soon as possible, and assist him in adapting to the pace of work and life in China."

He was not inclined to employ foreign talent, but the attitude of domestic aerospace research institutes left him helpless.

Normally, they don't seem to value talent much, but as soon as they heard that Yun Kun wanted to poach people, the opposition immediately grew louder.

If it weren't for Han Jinheng and Li Qingsong backing them up, Yunkun Aerospace would probably have received investigation notices from various relevant associations on the very day it was established.

He was well aware of the immense power of this group, which is why he waited until he had developed the Dawn A220 EUV lithography machine and the Aurogon G1051 CNC machine tool, proving his own capabilities, before applying to Han Jinheng for relevant licenses in the aerospace field.

After all, if one's own value has not reached a high enough level, and one rashly enters an industry where interests are deeply intertwined, even if Senlian Capital has a lot of resources, one will still face many obstacles.

Talented individuals like Liao Shih-Che represent the highest level he can currently recruit.

If you go up to higher levels and contact people, you never know who might suddenly interfere.

In fact, Chen Yansen had little interest in those older, seemingly experienced and technically proficient senior researchers.

What he really wants to recruit is a group of young people who dare to think and act, and are full of drive.

Simon Payne was one of the executives he particularly valued.

This person was a professor at Cambridge University in his early years, and his research fields covered multiple areas such as materials science and nanotechnology.

He later joined Inmarsat Aerospace, where he was primarily responsible for satellite launch business in the private aerospace sector. He also led the expansion of the commercial launch market. He is a typical multi-talented individual who understands technology, management, cost control, and company operations.

You should know that it's extremely difficult to find this kind of person in the country.

Talented individuals in the industry either only understand technology and not management, or they specialize in management but have only a superficial understanding of technology. Truly integrated talents are extremely rare.

Even if he did, Chen Yansen would have to risk offending a large group of academic bigwigs.

The fact that "senior chief engineers and researchers at the level of senior chief engineer or above must strictly abide by the two-year declassification period" alone reveals something about this.

Nowadays, the heads of research institutes in Beijing, Shanghai, Chang'an, Sichuan, Nanjing, Wuhan, and other places all have the same plan in mind: you can poach any junior researchers you want, since there are plenty of people, but you absolutely cannot touch the core technical personnel.

The current "tacit approval" policy was only achieved through repeated negotiations by Han Jinheng and Li Qingsong.

"Yes, boss," Xiong Li replied quickly.

Chen Yansen hummed in agreement and then hung up the phone.

Song Yuncheng, who was standing to the side, reached out her right hand and gently grasped Chen Yansen's hand, holding his palm in her own and stroking it repeatedly.

She had seen how busy Chen Yansen had been these past few days.

Every day, I either go to meetings at the central government headquarters to discuss issues such as compliance, tax breaks, talent recruitment, and R&D subsidies, or I drive to the suburbs to select a site for the R&D center.

In fact, the authorities had already provided Chen Yansen with several alternative locations, such as Yizhuang, Shahe, Yungang, and the Airport Economic Zone, but he ultimately chose the Yongfeng Industrial Base.

Song Yuncheng pinched one of Chen Yansen's thumbs and said in a soft voice, "Master, your fingers are so thick and long, they're so beautiful."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yansen frowned slightly, pulled his finger back with a little force, and then flicked Xiao Chengzi's forehead.

"Ouch!" Little Orange covered her forehead, looking at him pitifully.

Chen Yansen smiled, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.

He will have to stay in Yanjing for a while longer, until he finds a suitable team leader and sets up the core R&D team, before he can leave with peace of mind.

……

……

London, Inmarsat headquarters building.

Through the office window, you can clearly see a middle-aged man in his forties sitting by the window: he is wearing a striped suit jacket and black trousers. Like many British men, he has a receding hairline and very little hair.

"Can you tell me why you chose to leave your job?"

Jacqueline, the HR director, leaned back and looked at Simon across from her with a leisurely air.

In her view, although Simon is not yet part of Inmarsat's core management team, he is a key talent that the current chairman is grooming for future leadership.

Judging from the current momentum, he might be able to join the company's board of directors in a few years.

That's why the boss specifically ordered her to do everything she could to keep him, even if it meant giving Simon a 20% raise on his annual salary.

After all, the reasons why employees want to quit their jobs are always the same: 1. The salary is not enough; 2. The boss is an idiot; 3. There is no career prospect. "First of all, I want to thank Inmarsat for the opportunities they have given me over the years, which have allowed me to accumulate a lot of experience in the private aerospace industry. But my choice to leave is not because of salary or boss issues, but because I have found a platform where I can better realize my ideals."

Simon shrugged and said casually.

After a moment's thought, Jacqueline slowly and deliberately advised, "Simon, you already have everything that others envy at Inmarsat: a stable promotion path, generous salary and benefits, and the board's expectations of you."

I simply can't think of a company that would be a better fit for you.

She paused deliberately, her tone carrying a hint of temptation: "The boss said that as long as you're willing to stay, not only will your annual salary increase by 20%, but next year you'll also be given the lead in the Asia-Pacific business. This is an opportunity that so many people would kill for."

“Jacqueline, I understand what you’re saying, but the new company I’m going to has more potential in the private aerospace sector. I’ve spoken with the founder of this company, and his roadmap for the aerospace industry is more aggressive than Inmarsat’s.”

Simon leaned forward slightly, placed his hands on his knees, and spoke earnestly.

Radicalism means more risks and more new attempts.

He is 45 years old this year, and his energy and physical strength are slowly declining, but as an aerospace worker, no one can resist the ideas that Chen Yansen described.

Simon would most likely not have taken any offers from other Chinese people to heart.

But Chen Yansen is just too famous in Europe!
In less than two years, he led the development of the Dawn A220.

Many media outlets in Europe and America have said that China has long had a wealth of technical expertise in the field of EUV lithography machines. Chen Yansen was just an excellent project manager who integrated funds from all sides and launched a major scientific research campaign, which ultimately led to the creation of the Dawn A220.

To put it bluntly, Chen Yansen is just a businessman who is good at maneuvering.

But Simon doesn't think so!
The Dawn A220 didn't appear earlier or later, but it just happened to emerge when Senlian Capital was entering the chip manufacturing sector.

This shows that even if Chen Yansen was not the key figure behind this technological breakthrough, he was definitely one of the core members.

"Can you tell me which company it is?"

Jacqueline pressed for an answer.

"According to the regulations, you do not have this right."

Simon decisively refused.

He knew better than anyone how much social pressure he would face if this matter were leaked.

In the eyes of outsiders, he, a British man, should have stayed in the so-called mainstream space camp in Europe and America, instead of giving up a good path and going to a developing country like China.

This choice seems almost incomprehensible to many.

Just like Daniel Skinner, who joined Tiangong Technology's memory chip division at the beginning of the year, he was initially criticized by netizens in the United States as a "traitor" and an "incomprehensible madman".

He didn't want to repeat the same mistake the other person made!
Jacqueline stared intently at the unwavering determination in Simon's eyes, thinking to herself: when someone is unmoved by a 20% increase in annual salary and control of the Asia-Pacific business, it is obviously futile to try to offer other material incentives.

Could it be that SpaceX offered a higher price?
"Are you really not going to reconsider? Over the next three years, the company plans to invest five billion euros in the research and development of a new generation of communication satellites, and you could have been the head of that project."

Jacqueline made one last attempt, promising Simon a rosy picture on the spot.

Simon slowly shook his head, stood up and said, "Thank you for trying to persuade me to stay, Jacqueline! But I have made my choice."

After saying that, Simon turned and walked towards the office door, his steps steady and without the slightest hesitation.

Jacqueline watched his figure disappear at the end of the corridor, then reluctantly picked up the internal phone on the table and dialed the chairman's number.

"Boss, Simon is still determined to leave."

Jacqueline lowered her voice and reported with a hint of helplessness: "I told him all the conditions for the promotion and raise, but he was unmoved at all. He only said that the new company could better realize his ideals."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a slightly irritated voice: "Have you found out which company he's going to?"

“No, he wouldn’t reveal it,” Jacqueline answered truthfully, adding, “But judging from his attitude, that company must have very ambitious plans in the aerospace field, and the founder probably has enough power to persuade him. I suspect that it was Musk from SpaceX who was maliciously poaching him.”

"Okay, I see."

The chairman's voice was tinged with helplessness. He gave a brief reply and then fell silent.

On the other hand, Musk, who was "maliciously poaching" people, was frowning because, according to the weekly report just submitted by the human resources department, the turnover rate of core engineers in the company's R&D team had increased by a full 26%.

Who is behind this?
As Musk stared at the numbers on the report and pondered silently, he couldn't help but mutter a curse under his breath.

One competitor after another in the industry flashed through my mind, but I still couldn't figure it out.

His gaze fell on the computer screen—the latest issue of Time magazine, where Chen Yansen's upper body image occupied the entire page, standing out prominently.

(End of this chapter)