Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 417 Lei Jun: Mr. Chen, how could you poach my people?

Seeing Zhou Shouzi's resolute decision to leave, Lei Busi, who was gradually recovering from the shock of being hit over the head, realized the seriousness of the matter.

He tossed the food on the table aside, glanced at Zhou Shouzi seriously, and then put on that shy smile again.

"Shouzi, let's not make this sound so serious! Why did you suddenly stop working at Xiaomi? I'm a little taken aback."

"This decision was indeed a bit sudden, but it wasn't impulsive."

Zhou Shouzi spoke very calmly, but his attitude was unusually firm.

His plan was to discuss the specifics with Chen Xiu this week before formally submitting his resignation and beginning the handover of his work.

Now that we've brought up this topic, it's always better to explain it beforehand than to be caught off guard by a surprise attack.

After all, we've worked together, so it's only natural to part ways amicably.

However, upon hearing Zhou Shouzi's words, Lei Jun frowned in distress.

"Could you tell me why you want to leave? We've been working together for over three years, since 15, and if we're talking about how long we've known each other, it's been even longer."

"Mr. Lei, my decision to leave is the same as my decision to join Xiaomi. They are both choices made at different times."

Upon hearing this, Lei Jun pondered in silence, feeling that it was still necessary to find the problem at its source.

"What are your plans after you leave your job? Which company do you plan to join?"

"I can't disclose this aspect of her appearance right now. I need to confirm with the other party further before I can..."

Zhou Shouzi stared wide-eyed, nodded slightly, then pointed to himself and then to Lei Jun, indicating that the announcement could only be made later.

For him, this job change was simply a career choice, and apart from the details that cannot be made public yet, there was nothing else he needed to hide.

Having received no answer, Lei Jun pursed his lips, his expression gradually turning serious.

Although he had a suspicion that Douyin might be the one poaching Zhou Shouzi, the suspicion was not confirmed, and he had no way to negotiate with Chen Xiu or Zhang Yiming on this matter.

If they can't find the person behind it, they can only try to keep Zhou Shouzi by trying to persuade him to stay.

Having made up his mind, Lei Jun said, "Shou Zi, you should know that when I invited you to be the CFO and handle the company's listing, it wasn't just a one-time job. I hoped to work with you in the future."

Many large companies typically hire a CFO to manage the IPO before it goes public, and then dismiss the person once the IPO is successful.

In the world of capital, this is an open secret; everyone plays by the rules.

Lei Jun's statement at this time is also a public expression of his regard for Zhou Shouzi and his hope that Zhou will seriously consider leaving the company.

Having successfully been promoted to Senior Vice President and also holding the position of CFO, Zhou Shouzi naturally understood Lei Jun's high regard for him.

However, just as Chen Xiu speculated, Zhou Shouzi only had a colleague's friendship with Lei Jun, plus a certain degree of personal acquaintance, and did not feel any gratitude for Lei Jun's recognition of his talent.

In his view, he was invited to manage Xiaomi's IPO, and now that the task has been accomplished, he has received the compensation he deserves.

Although Lei Jun had other plans for him, these plans were not necessarily what he wanted.

Or rather, he wanted something else...

With this in mind, Zhou Shouzi smiled and began to politely decline: "Mr. Lei, I am very grateful to you for giving me the opportunity to personally participate in a company's journey from its initial sprint to the completion of its IPO."

"I have never doubted that Xiaomi will become a great company in the future."

"However, my career plan is not to stay in a relatively mature company and do a management job. I want to be the one who leads the company to grow."

Zhou Shouzi's attitude was very sincere.

These words truly came from the bottom of his heart.

Chen Xiu had already told him about TikTok during lunch.

Compared to Xiaomi's stability, TikTok, which is being suppressed by international giants, will undoubtedly face a greater challenge.

Taking over as CEO of TikTok means that Chou Shou-tzu must lead the company to withstand the difficulties from Facebook and other companies. It is foreseeable that he will be summoned for questioning and punished in the future.

Rights and responsibilities are equal; this has always been the case.

Upon learning of this situation, Zhou Shouzi not only did not back down, but became even more eager to try.

For him, work is not only a way to pursue greater economic rewards, but also a greater opportunity for personal fulfillment.

Not to mention, Chen Xiu even chose his hometown as the headquarters for TikTok...

After so many years away from home, with his wife and children still in his hometown, Zhou Shouzi finally has the opportunity to go back and work, and such a good opportunity at that. He doesn't know what he needs to hesitate about.

The more sincere Zhou Shouzi spoke, the heavier Lei Jun's heart became.

In an effort to retain this promising young man, he began to outline his offers.

"If that's the case, Xiaomi can also give you that opportunity!"

"..."

Seeing that Zhou Shouzi was about to object, Lei Jun hurriedly said, "The company's next major strategic direction is to go international. You already know this. I originally wanted to announce it later."

"Shouzi, in my mind, you are the only one who can be the CEO of Xiaomi's international division! Since you have ideas and want to lead the company to growth, why not give it a try and develop Xiaomi's overseas business into one of the top three in the smartphone market?"

In terms of the art of language, the brands that remain in the smartphone market after its development are now very clear.

Samsung and Apple are undoubtedly the top two, while Xiaomi is currently ranked fourth. The only way for Xiaomi to become one of the top three is to surpass the third-ranked company, which is far ahead of the others.

Lacking core competitiveness, he couldn't even handle this task himself. Letting Zhou Shouzi take charge would be an even more impossible task.

Zhou Shouzi wasn't naive: "President Lei, thank you for your high regard, but this task is too difficult for me."

"We can take it slowly..."

Lei Jun was about to say something when he suddenly felt a tightness on his wrist.

Looking down, Zhou Shouzi had already grasped his forearm.

Using the skills he had learned from Chen Xiu, Zhou Shouzi stared intently at Lei Busi and said earnestly, "Mr. Lei, I cherish our cooperation along the way, but I have to leave."

"..."

Lei Jun stared blankly at Zhou Shouzi, speechless for a moment.

As an entrepreneur and manager, he doesn't let personal feelings influence his thinking. This attempt to retain Zhou Shouzi was also because Zhou possessed advantages that he lacked.

Zhou Shouzi has experience working at Goldman Sachs and DST Investments, and is very familiar with the international capital circle. He played a significant role in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange's willingness to accept Xiaomi's dual-class share listing.

More importantly, Zhou Shouzi participated in Xiaomi's three rounds of financing while working at DST Investments. Lei Jun's recognition and trust in his abilities were built up over time.

Zhou Shouzi left, and for several years, Lei Jun couldn't find a subordinate who could replace him. (In reality, to retain Zhou Shouzi, Lei Jun not only promoted him but also gave him 1 million stock options, which were worth approximately HK$28 billion based on Xiaomi's stock price in early 21.)
These things are also why Chen Xiu and Zhang Yiming value Zhou Shouzi.

After repeated attempts to persuade him to stay were rejected, Lei Jun sighed and said, "In that case, I can only wish you well. When do you plan to start the process?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Shouzi's expression relaxed considerably.

"I plan to submit my application next week. As for the specific handover process, it depends on how the company arranges it."

"Okay, let me get ready."

Lei Jun nodded with a gloomy expression, invited Zhou Shouzi to eat, and did not bring up the topic of his resignation again.

After dinner, Lei Jun returned to his usual self, bidding farewell to Zhun Zhou Shouzi with a warm yet polite tone before turning and returning to his office.

Staring at the half-finished mind map on the screen, Lei Jun frowned and turned off the screen.

He leaned back in his chair, took out his phone, and called Chen Xiu based on his guess.

The phone was answered halfway through the third "thud".

"Hey, Mr. Lei, what brings you here to call me?"

"Mr. Chen."

After revealing his identity, Lei Jun began to ponder.

Chen Xiu didn't urge her, but quietly did her own thing on the other end of the computer.

When he heard a series of barks coming from the phone, Lei Jun immediately squinted and glanced sideways, thinking: I'm trying to build up the atmosphere here, and you're playing with the dog! Aren't you being a little too irresponsible?
"Ahem, Mr. Chen."

"Huh? Mr. Lei, has your signal been restored?"

"...My signal has never been a problem."

"Oh, then why aren't you saying anything?"

Lei Jun pursed his lips, sensing that the topic had gone a bit off track, and without bothering to build up the atmosphere, he went straight to the point.

"I want to ask you something."

"Um, what?"

"Did you make plans to have lunch with Zhou Shouzi today?"

"Yup!"

"Hiss... what did you guys talk about?"

“I wanted to recruit him as the CEO of TikTok, but he said he needed to think about it. I tried my best to persuade him, and at first he was very hesitant, until…”

Listening to Chen Xiu's vivid explanation, Lei Jun's eyes widened, his mouth opened, and he was so surprised that he didn't know what to say.

Finally, Chen Xiu finished speaking.

Lei Jun took a moment to process the intense surprise that was welling up inside him before saying, "President Chen, how could you poach my people?"

"That's too serious. Everyone is a free individual. How can there be such a thing as anyone else's person? I believe Zhou Shouzi wouldn't agree with that either."

"Okay! I may have misspoke, but why did you specifically target Zhou Shouzi?"

"Because I can't think of anyone more suitable than him."

Chen Xiu's candor left Lei Jun speechless once again.

He had originally planned to make the call to confirm his suspicions and then to question her, but Chen Xiu's honest account left him speechless.

After much thought, Lei Jun could only manage to stammer, "You should at least have told me beforehand!"

“I’m afraid that if I tell you, it will be more difficult to poach people.”

"..."

"Mr. Lei, I have something to attend to, so I'll have to go now. I'll treat you to dinner to apologize after Zhou Shouzi leaves. Goodbye."

(End of this chapter)