Xiaomi Heavy Industry, its first entrepreneurial venture!

Chapter 474 Zhang Yiming: My surname is Alexander! (Third update!)

Seeing that Cook's tone softened, Lin Yi immediately smiled and raised his right hand: "Then tell me your conditions!"

This statement also made Cook realize that the guy in front of him was truly focused on making money, and that he would immediately abandon his principles as long as there was enough profit.

Such people are both troublesome and not troublesome.

He leaned forward and calmly uttered a sentence:

"This applies only to yourselves, or to companies in which you hold a majority stake, with a stake exceeding 50%. Otherwise, it will be calculated according to the standard paid software pricing."

"If you agree, then our cooperation for today is considered complete!"

"You disagree!"

“I’m leaving now. If you dare to give those things to the EU, I’ll risk my life to take you down with me.”

After saying this, Cook leaned back on the sofa, his hands naturally resting on the armrests on either side, his right index finger lightly tapping the armrest, as if waiting for Lin Yi to break the deadlock.

He dares to say that because he has the confidence to back it up.

Like hardware development, software development faces uncertainty about the future, but the uncertainty surrounding software development is greater than that of hardware development.

Since the cost of hardware and labor is fixed, if they can be assembled, it means there are no problems.

If the parts cannot be assembled, then there is a problem with the workmanship or the parts themselves; these can be checked one by one.

Once everything is assembled, passes quality inspection, and looks decent, it can be sold. Even if it doesn't sell, it can be sold at a discount to recoup some of the costs.

And software...

It depends on the demand.

Countless software companies are working on projects, and a large portion of these projects are repetitive. Perhaps a month ago, there were many project requests in the same area.

However, a month later, another company beat them to it and launched the same project.

Those who come later can then consider washing their necks clean and waiting to die.

Of course, projects released early may also encounter problems and require manpower and significant financial investment for maintenance.

Moreover, some code is strange; it works fine on its own, but causes problems when put together.

Therefore, when people start a project, they usually gather a few people to code together. Once they have achieved results, they then start a company.

After establishing the company, they start raising funds and operating it. If the operation fails, it dies.

In typical companies, when undertaking a project, the process usually involves gathering a few people, creating a department, and having them write code. Once they achieve some results, the project can be officially launched.

If a project can't be operated, it will die.

Then they pretend nothing happened and move on to the next project, working on each one without making a sound.

Based on available information, Xiaomi Heavy Industry is a company that focuses on scientific and technological research and development, and is unique in basic materials science and communications.

Their technical capabilities are very strong, and many outsiders speculate that this company is actually a puppet of the Chinese government.

The person in the public eye is Lin Yi, but behind the scenes, there's an even higher-level decision-making team.

Such companies, if placed on key projects in the natural field, would have strong execution capabilities and be able to produce results quickly.

But if you're developing software or games, that would be so much fun!

Just imagine the decision-makers behind this company, sitting in a conference room, dressed in formal attire, holding those investigation reports and those revealing game concept art, having a serious discussion.

Cook was already secretly overjoyed.

Let's do it!

They do things without making a sound.

A huge loss!

After that, the guy surnamed Lin in front of me will be hung up and beaten, or at least he'll have to get out of this position.

When he thought of something that made him happy, the corners of his mouth curved into a slight smile.

Across from him, Lin Yi squinted, scrutinizing Cook with a look of suspicion.

Because after he said those words, his eyes went unfocused, and he leaned back on the sofa and laughed to himself.

I have no idea what he's laughing about.

Have you thought of anything happy?

After mentally complaining, Lin Yi nodded slightly: "The terms are acceptable, I agree."

"Of course, to demonstrate my sincerity in cooperating, I am willing to help Mr. Cook to streamline the supply chain and make Mr. Cook a true successor to Mr. Jobs."

"How about it?"

Upon hearing the topic of an heir once again, Cook pressed his temples and said, "Shut up!"

"real!"

"Can you beat Foxconn?"

"Are you kidding me? Why don't you give me a batch of orders and see if I can drive Foxconn out of business?"

"..."

"See, I'm being serious with you, and you're still not saying a word!"

"..."

"If you have no objections, then I'll call my legal counsel!"

"Call them in! Call mine in too!"

Once the two leaders made their decisions, the legal team got to work.

When they were halfway through sorting things out, Cook appeared in front of Lin Yi with a cup of coffee and asked very seriously, "You just said that you can also do OEM manufacturing, is that true?"

"Yes!"

"And the price? I quoted Foxconn $7. You can set your own price!"

"15 USD!"

"Nima!"

"Don't scold me. I can assure you that the quality of products from our factory far surpasses that of other factories. Furthermore, there will be no product quality issues within your planned scrapping period. Even after the planned scrapping period, the problems will only be minor and will not cause consumer resentment."

Cook had already learned about Lin Yi's information from a series of negotiations not long ago.

So he wasn't surprised to hear the term "planned scrapping" from the other party's mouth.

What he cares more about is ensuring there are no problems within the planned scrapping period.

Product scrapping is a... a... an indescribable problem.

If we consider very objective requirements, the life cycle of a product should depend on the main material used in that product.

The lifespan of a product should be determined by how long the materials can be used.

But in reality, as long as the product is used and doesn't break, it will occupy a demand position.

Thousands of products roll off the production line, and only when consumers buy them can money flow.

If these products can't be sold, the money can't circulate.

As for the economy, that's out of the question.

After all, General Electric once produced an ammonia refrigerator that was still running after 80 years.

For the sake of the economy, the whole world is carrying out planned scrapping.

Apple was no exception, and Jobs did not object.

Of course, things can't be done too sloppily, or they'll be done too sloppily.

Business was failing. The engineers racked their brains and exhausted all their efforts to ensure that the iPhones could be scrapped as planned.

However, their painstakingly designed schemes often encounter unexpected problems when they reach the manufacturers.

This is why there are always pieces of equipment that, within their planned obsolescence period, trigger the mechanism for planned obsolescence at a time when they should not be obsolete.

In America, consumers instinctively take them to court and then pay compensation.

In other countries, they would choose to tear each other apart.

Every year, a sum of money is spent on it. The money itself isn't the scary part; what's scary are these lawsuits, especially those from the EU. Those old fogies in the EU bring up these lawsuits every time they have a policy negotiation.

If the issue is repeatedly brought up and criticized, and if the criticism is successful, the policies Apple obtains from these negotiations will become worse. Each of these policies costs at least tens of millions of dollars, and sometimes hundreds of millions of dollars.

America's is the same.

If this problem can be solved, $15...

It's not impossible.

He fixed his gaze on Lin Yi: "Are you sure?"

"Do you want me to stake my life on it?"

Cook didn't want to talk; he just kept searching for weapons and wanted to kill people.

Finally, he finished his coffee in one gulp and turned to look at the legal representatives of both sides who were drafting the cooperation agreement:
"Johnny, draft a manufacturing agreement. We are the client, and Xiaomi Heavy Industry is the contractor."

"The product being manufactured is the iPhone 4. Let them produce 1000 prototype units first!"

After instructing his legal team, Cook turned around and fixed his gaze on Lin Yi:
"Mr. Lin, I'm giving you a chance to destroy Foxconn!"

"Thank you!" Lin Yi extended his right hand, this time with genuine sincerity.

After shaking hands and exchanging a few words with Dai Zhifeng, Lin Yi turned and went out to arrange the evening banquet. At the same time, he took a moment to make a phone call to Zhang Yiming.

The ringing stopped, and Zhang Yiming's cheerful voice came through: "Boss, our software passed the RT test. I was just about to call and report the good news, but I didn't expect you to call first."

"Is it a premonition?"

"RT test?" Lin Yi asked quietly on the phone, his voice so soft that it didn't reach the other end.

RT testing is a step in the final testing phase (RC) of software.

The start of this testing process indicates that the development of a software is basically complete. What follows is a lot of testing and testing to determine whether the software meets the requirements under various conditions.

It's pretty fast.

"Very well done! Once the testing is finished, contact President Ji and I'll have her prepare some activity funds for you so you can have a good rest." Lin Yi was generous with his praise and money when it came to those who were capable and hardworking.

"Boss, you're the best!" After a two-second pause, just as Zhang Yiming opened his mouth and uttered a couple of sentences, Lin Yi spoke again, interrupting Zhang Yiming's remaining words:
"I signed a contract with Vivo a couple of days ago, and today I signed a contract with Apple. From now on, your software will be available on these two companies' platforms, and we won't take a cut."

So, keep going!

"I'm going to make dinner!"

…………

Lin'an.

Zhang Yiming stood blankly in the office, surrounded by dozens of people from the project team, all staring at him expectantly, waiting for his next words.

However, instead of hearing Zhang Yiming's words, they witnessed his phone slipping from his hand, falling to the ground, and shattering into pieces.

The sound of the phone falling and shattering brought Zhang Yiming back to his senses.

He turned stiffly, staring blankly at his colleague beside him, opened his mouth, and said in a hoarse voice:

We're in big trouble!

The sudden remark left several colleagues at a loss for words.

Just now, the boss was saying that he would give them some activity funds so that they could have a good rest after the project was over.

How did we get into trouble again?
Could it be that they've added another project?

Sensing their confusion, Zhang Yiming took a deep breath and repeated the contents of the phone call:

"The boss said that he has reached an agreement with people from Vivo and Apple."

"Our software is available on both Vivo and Apple platforms, and we don't take any commission!"

After he finished speaking, the once noisy office seemed to be put on pause, and everyone stood there, motionless.

After a while, gasps and sounds of swallowing rang out, and behind these sounds was a question:
"Did the boss sell his hooks?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yiming did not refute it, but simply shook his head:

"I'm not sure if the boss sells hooks, but I know he must have spent a lot of money on them."

"The price is so high that I can't even imagine it!"

As software developers, most of you here have heard of Apple's "Apple tax" to some extent.

We take a 30% cut from paid software, and free software is free.

The problem is that everyone is in it to make money, so naturally they want to make paid software. If paid software takes 30% of the revenue, it's no different from killing the developers.

Therefore, Apple is like a walled city to them.

It's just a one-sided siege.

The people inside are constantly complaining that Apple's tax is too high, that this can't be done, and that if this continues, everyone will die.

But it just won't come out.

Meanwhile, people outside are constantly complaining that Apple's tax is too high. But the problem is, if they had the chance to get in, they would immediately clean up their act and rush in.

Because Apple users are really willing to spend money, and it's also adaptive.

And their boss actually managed to squeeze that 30% cut out of Apple. This is beyond human ability; it's godlike!

"What should we do then?" someone in the crowd asked.

"What should we do?" Zhang Yiming turned around and glanced in the direction of the voice, but couldn't see who it was.

He turned his head back to the others and said, "In any case, this project must be launched on time and be 100% compatible with Apple."

"We want all users to have a 10000% experience, and there absolutely cannot be any lag or other messy situations."

"We must hold onto this 30% fee that the boss painstakingly squeezed out of Apple!"

"If anyone's part goes wrong, don't blame me for being ruthless."

After speaking, perhaps fearing his intimidation wasn't strong enough, Zhang Yiming placed his right hand, fingers together, on his neck and slowly slid it down, then gritted his teeth and uttered a few words: "I mean it!"

Nearby, a group of people turned their heads to look at the people around them upon hearing Zhang Yiming's words, their eyes filled with wariness.

The fact that the boss squeezes this 30% fee out of Apple means that their revenue can directly increase by 30%, because this is not profit, but 30% of the total cost.

This means that their salaries and bonuses may increase by 30% at the end of the year.

If we can't catch it!

When the members of their project team went out, they were ridiculed by their peers, and no company dared to hire them.

I gave you a chance, but you failed! (Liu Huaqiang)

Once the crowd quieted down a bit, Zhang Yiming waved his hand and said, "Continue the test. Maximize the number of people in the simulation. Simulate a scenario where 100 million people use it simultaneously."

"Run the data to its maximum capacity!"

“Drag out the spare equipment from the warehouse and connect it as well.”

"Call the electrician over, be ready to repair the circuit breaker at any time!"

(End of this chapter)