From knock-off old-man's electric vehicles to industrial giant

Chapter 188 Why is everyone targeting Baidu?!

That's quite a coincidence.

Meanwhile, He Xiaopeng is having a headache over the autonomous driving team.

This year is a crucial transition year for the XPeng G3 from prototype to mass production.

Besides these early technical leaders.

He Xiaopeng has been hiring top headhunters to scout out experts in autonomous driving and deep learning both domestically and internationally.

This is especially true for top talents in the industry.

XPeng Motors' current mass production plan involves sourcing almost everything from its supply chain.

You have to come up with something of your own.

They are raising the banner of autonomous driving, and this is the kind of talent that XPeng Motors is currently in dire need of.

If the results are only similar to other companies' L2 systems, then there won't be much of a selling point after the release.

Two months ago, the headhunter had a great target, Wu Xinzhou, who works at Qualcomm, and the two sides met once.

They had a very pleasant conversation.

At least that's what He Xiaopeng thinks.

But I didn't expect it.

The next message I received from them was a polite refusal, along with news that they were returning to China and settling down at Xingchen Motors.

For an instant.

He Xiaopeng's world has collapsed!

I almost called to ask.

Mr. Xu, how could you do this?!

Do you know how much XPeng Motors is currently lacking a top-tier talent to carry the company?

Do you know how difficult things are for me?

Did you know that?!

-

But after a while.

He could only sigh and accept the fact with a gloomy expression.

After all, when it comes to high-level talent, everyone is using their own unique methods.

It's not a matter of stealing or robbing.

There's only one group of truly outstanding individuals; they either work for major domestic companies, major international companies, or have started their own businesses.

Xingchen Motors' current strength and foundation far surpass those of XPeng Motors, which didn't even have a single mass-produced vehicle.

This is not a matter of first come, first served.

If you can't provide the conditions they want and the opportunities to realize their ambitions, you won't be able to retain such people.

A good bird chooses its tree to perch on.

Basic conditions like salary and benefits alone are unlikely to be very attractive to top talents.

Attracting such people requires both personal charisma and corporate strength.

"Mr. He, Baidu released a news article; they've actually gotten into a conflict with Xingchen Automotive..."

Just now.

A phone call came in; it was from Yang Chunlei, another founder of XPeng Motors.

"Ah? Is there such a thing?"

"Yes, Xingchen Motors has made a big move this time. Not only did they poach Wu Xinzhou, but they also poached a lot of talent from Baidu. Li Yanhong publicly criticized them in the media, and now there are many people discussing it and watching the drama unfold..."

...

The two sides exchanged a few words about this matter.

This piqued He Xiaopeng's interest.

He quickly turned on the computer in front of him and checked.

He didn't attend Baidu's AI developer conference this time, since XPeng Motors had no intention of using Baidu's solution. He never expected that something like this would happen.

He was still a little resentful towards President Xu, but now he's just feeling a bit dumbfounded.

This Li Yanhong—

He pretends to be so calm and collected on the surface, but he's probably even angrier than him inside.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have lashed out at the media.

to be honest.

The Apollo team has some really good talent.

XPeng Motors also has employees from Baidu and talents poached from Tesla at high prices, but they are not as "blatant" as Star Auto.

When Li Yanhong publicly stated in the media that he wanted to add non-compete clauses.

He Xiaopeng immediately realized what was happening.

"No! We need to hurry and grab a few too, we can't let Xingchen Motors snatch them all up!!"

He was getting anxious.

Wu Xinzhou had already been robbed.

There aren't many targets left, both domestically and internationally.

"Okay, I understand!!"

Yang Chunlei's spirits lifted, and he immediately realized the problem as well.

It's very serious.

There were only a handful of companies working on autonomous driving, and only a handful of people worldwide had made significant progress. Now, suddenly, Star Auto has jumped the gun.

We must intensify our efforts!!
……

NIO (NIO Inc.)

"Brother Bin, something went wrong at the Baidu AI Developer Conference yesterday..."

Li Bin had just finished a meeting about the first-generation battery swapping station when Qin Lihong arrived.

"Baidu...Xingchen Automotive?"

Upon hearing the news, Li Bin was slightly surprised.

"StarCars has made its move in the field of autonomous driving, should we also..." Qin Lihong suggested.

NIO currently relies on Mobileye's solutions, but its autonomous driving division has always been short of personnel in the perception, decision-making, and control areas.

Later, they need to develop targeted high-speed intelligent driving scenarios, at least to the L2+ level, which will also create an urgent need for talent.

"Sure! Recruit as many suitable candidates as possible. We don't aim to be the best in autonomous driving, but we can't fall behind either."

Li Bin nodded immediately.

I felt a vague sense of urgency.

There weren't many established players in the new energy vehicle sector, but the addition of Xingchen Motors has created a strange sense of pressure for them.

Perhaps it's because they're so successful. Just like Tesla, their development and actions inevitably attract attention.

……

Major new energy vehicle leaders, as well as many traditional automakers, have taken notice of Xingchen Auto's actions.

Some chose to act, while others remained on the sidelines.

An invisible vortex of talent has thus begun.

By the time Baidu responded, a week had already passed.

During this week, Baidu was supplementing non-compete agreements internally, but before they could be fully implemented, Li Yanhong found another twenty or thirty resignation letters on his desk.

Sudden changes.

Li Yanhong was completely dumbfounded!

"Why not just stay on Baidu?"

...

"I'm sorry, Mr. Li, I've probably just been too tired lately."

"I want to change my work environment."

One by one, people from intelligent driving-related departments, including voice departments and high-precision map departments, offered all sorts of explanations.

Some even went a little further and more tactfully.

Some even stopped acting altogether!

They practically had "They're giving too much" written all over their faces.

"What's your problem?"

Li Yanhong felt as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water, and immediately began to grit his teeth.

...

"President Li, we've investigated. This time it's not just Xingchen Automotive, but also other new energy companies, as well as one or two traditional car companies, that are trying to poach our employees. Some employees said they received invitations from six or seven headhunters at the same time, including some companies that we had previously cooperated with..." an executive reported.

This statement made Li Yanhong start to doubt himself.

To be honest, for a giant like Baidu, even if the number of losses were doubled or tripled, they would never normally care.

Baidu has no shortage of talent.

What truly made him question the meaning of life was...

How could these car companies do this?
They'd rather poach their people than consider purchasing Apollo's autonomous driving solution!
What the hell is going on?
prior to.

They put in a lot of effort, inviting many car brands to participate, but it was all talk and no action.

Because the participating car manufacturers all have reservations and do not want their vehicle systems to rely on Baidu's system.

Baidu has devoted a lot of energy to negotiating with these car companies to determine who has the greater initiative.

And now.

Some of these companies are incredibly ruthless and unreserved when it comes to poaching talent!
"Why!!"

Why is everyone targeting Baidu?!

"And that Starcraft Motors, they're so despicable!!"

Li Yanhong attributed all of this to Xingchen Motors.

They not only poach the most talent the most, but they also have the longest reach.

Before they knew it, even the people working on high-precision maps and voice recordings had been poached.

"Investigate thoroughly and stop this behavior immediately, no matter what method you use!"

Starting today, we're streamlining our departments and scaling back all unrelated business units within the AI ​​business group. Also, to those with a restless mindset: if you want to leave, you can leave now, but don't regret it later!

Li Yanhong said coldly.

This time, he didn't intend to publicize it or hurl insults.

People are misunderstanding and targeting them on Baidu. When time passes, they will know who is truly right.

……

……

"Mr. Li is a great person who has made indelible and outstanding contributions to the industry!"

Xingchen Motors.

Thanks to Baidu's proactive scaling back of its business and the change in attitude from higher management, Xingchen Automotive's expansion efforts have actually become smoother.

The vehicle infotainment system department has added many new colleagues.

The team of most of the intelligent driving department has taken shape, and they even know each other.

There are almost no obstacles to them working together.

If this group went out to run projects, people who didn't know better would think Baidu was having a team building event!

of course.

That was just a joke.

After sighing, Xu Yi began to get down to business.

Although the intelligent driving department has personnel, it is still in the team integration stage. Once the closed data system and environment are set up, it can officially start training Xingchen's own L2-level algorithm in conjunction with the supplier's solution.

It needs time to develop before it can exert its full potential.

Simultaneously.

Sun Pengfei brought him some good news from the motor R&D department.

The prototype of the new generation V6 motor has officially rolled off the production line.

It passed the verification and performance testing.

Research and development center.

A compact, efficient, and aesthetically pleasing cylindrical integrated motor assembly is laid out before everyone!

The entire system is designed as a single integrated unit consisting of a motor, a reducer, and a controller.

Xu Yiguang was immediately filled with admiration upon seeing it.

The outer shell is made of pure silver-gray die-cast aluminum alloy with a matte sandblasted finish, giving it a very delicate texture and making it wear-resistant!

If we compare the internal combustion engine to the heart of a gasoline car, it's the epitome of "muscle-flexing."

Such advanced, high-performance motors are undoubtedly a powerful symbol of the new energy era!
prior to.

In the industry as a whole, Xingchen's V4 motor can only be considered to be at an entry-level level.

Now, this V6 motor has officially entered the top tier of the industry, both in terms of performance and specifications.

"Mr. Xu, this generation of V6 motor uses a new rectangular winding to replace the traditional round wire winding."

The internal stator is directly oil-cooled, allowing the motor to continuously output maximum power for longer periods of time.

The controller also uses our self-developed SiC silicon carbide module.

Switching losses are significantly reduced, and it can withstand voltages above 850V.

……

　The next chapter will be later.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)