Rebirth 08: Can a mobile game company also build a tech empire?

Chapter 134 Poaching

Lu Chen nodded.

Talent is indeed the biggest bottleneck.

ZhengTu Technology now has a game team, a system team, and a hardware team.

However, there are zero chip design teams.

You have to start from scratch in this field.

We need to recruit people who truly understand the field.

These people need to understand technology.

You also need to understand the market and the supply chain.

Understand the entire process of chip design and mass production.

This is not a problem that can be solved by simply hiring a few recent graduates.

This is a business that requires a veteran with more than ten years of experience in the industry to manage.

"Mr. Lin, do you know anyone in this field?"

Lin Bing did not answer immediately.

Instead, he picked up the water glass on the table and took a sip.

He quickly searched his mental network of contacts.

He has worked in the internet industry for over a decade.

He rose from a junior engineer to a senior executive.

I have met countless technical experts.

But in the niche field of chip design.

There are indeed very few truly top-notch talents.

Moreover, most of them are firmly held in the hands of a few giants.

"Spreadtrum has a few people who make baseband chips, and their technology is quite good, but I don't know if they'd be willing to switch jobs."

"HiSilicon has developed rapidly in recent years. They have several architects who are highly skilled. However, Huawei employees generally do not easily switch jobs."

"There are also those who have returned from abroad. In recent years, quite a few people from Silicon Valley have returned to China to start businesses. Some of them are chip designers. If we can find suitable candidates, we can talk to them."

Lin Bing rattled off seven or eight names in one breath.

Each one comes with a brief background introduction.

Who are the top technical experts, who are good at leading teams, and who are good at architecture?

Lu Chen listened attentively, nodding occasionally.

These people are all well-known technical experts in the industry.

If we can dig up one or two.

It certainly provides the framework for a chip design team.

"President Lin, these people are all quite good."

Lu Chen spoke slowly.

"But I have an even bolder idea."

"What are your thoughts?"

"Go directly to MediaTek and poach their talent."

Lin Bing was stunned.

MediaTek?

That's the originator of the turnkey solution.

It was the king of the era of knock-off phones.

Lu Chen's strategy comes from MediaTek.

Now they actually want to poach people from MediaTek?

"Mr. Lu, what you've done—"

Lin Bing didn't know how to respond for a moment.

Lu Chen smiled.

"Mr. Lin, think about it, who understands turnkey solutions best?"

Lin Bing answered subconsciously.

MediaTek.

"right."

Lu Chen nodded.

"MediaTek has accumulated more than ten years of experience in this model. Their engineers know how to integrate chips, software, and hardware into a complete solution, how to lower the barrier to entry for customers, and how to respond quickly to market demands."

"If we can poach a group of MediaTek engineers, the chip design team at Journey will not have to start from scratch. They can bring MediaTek's experience and help us avoid many detours."

Lin Bing fell silent.

This idea is indeed bold.

But there is indeed some truth to it.

MediaTek engineers.

What I do every day is turnkey solutions.

They know this game best.

I know the ins and outs of it.

Bring them over.

The journey is like standing on the shoulders of giants.

Skip the initial trial and error.

It entered a phase of rapid development directly.

"But,"

Lin Bing raised her concerns.

"Would anyone from MediaTek be willing to come?"

"That depends on the terms we offer."

Lu Chen said.

"We offer them better treatment, a larger platform, more freedom to develop, and a more promising future. What MediaTek can give, we can give too; what MediaTek can't give, we can still give!"

"and,"

He paused.

"MediaTek is now slow to react in the smartphone era, and there is definitely internal turmoil. Some people may already be considering changing jobs."

Lin Bing nodded.

The timing was indeed excellent.

In 2009, MediaTek's smartphone chips were still under development, and the market response was lukewarm.

Those visionary engineers.

They may already be looking for a new way out.

Although ZhengTu Technology is not large in scale now.

But the direction is clear.

In addition, Lu Chen showed determination.

For those who want to do things.

It may not be without appeal.

"President Lu, I agree with your approach."

Lin Bing finally said.

"I know a few people at MediaTek, so I can contact them privately first and see what their intentions are."

"it is good."

Lu Chen nodded.

"I'm entrusting this matter to you. You need to be quick; the window of opportunity is closing."

Lin Bing stood up, preparing to leave, but then stopped.

He turned around and looked at Lu Chen.

"Mr. Lu, I have another question."

"you say."

How far do you plan to go in chip design?

This question hits the nail on the head.

Should we stop after making one or two generations of chips, or should we invest in it long-term?

Is it only targeting the low-end market, or will it eventually aim for the high-end market?

Lu Chen did not answer immediately.

He stood up and walked to the window again.

Outside the window, the summer sun shines brightly over Hangzhou, and in the distance, rows of buildings stand side by side.

"Mr. Lin,"

His voice was calm yet firm.

"Zhengtu Technology's goal is to become a great technology company. A great company must have core technologies."

"Chips are the core technology."

"We are starting from the low end and from turnkey solutions now in order to survive and to accumulate experience, but the ultimate goal is to make truly world-class chips that belong to us."

"This road may take ten, twenty years, or even longer, and I may encounter countless difficulties along the way, but I will keep going."

Lin Bing stood behind him.

Looking at the young man's back.

At that moment, he suddenly felt a little dazed.

Just a few months ago, he was still in Google China's offices.

Every day, I deal with those tedious localization tasks.

At that time, he never imagined that one day...

Standing in a conference room in Hangzhou.

Listen to a young man in his early twenties talk about the future of chip design ten years from now.

But he doesn't regret it.

On the contrary, he had a strange feeling.

I am witnessing history.