Chapter 314 Wolf Dog

Chapter 314 Wolf Dog

Chapter 314 Wolf Dog
In the hotel conference room, Fu Yunliang and Zhuang Guanlin both became a little depressed.

The two of them were originally quite excited. One of them had never poached such a senior executive before, and the other was only a mid-level manager at BMW. Thomas, who was in charge of car safety at Volvo, was...

Simply put, there are some filters.

Now I see that Thomas only cares about money when he starts a conversation. Looking at the picture of him and his boss both rubbing their fingers with a smile, the filter is really broken.

However, their dullness did not disturb the communication between Yu Xing and Thomas. The two had a friendly exchange through Fu Yunliang's translation, that is, they talked about money.

Yu Xing did not know the specific salary of Thomas, the senior vice president of Volvo, but through an evaluation of similar positions in the industry, he believed that his annual salary range was between 300 million and 500 million US dollars. For example, the annual salary of the same position in Volkswagen Group is about 350 million US dollars.

Moreover, considering Volvo's mediocre market performance in the past two years, Thomas' salary may be close to 300 million US dollars.

In addition, the $300 million will be divided into three parts according to convention: fixed salary, annual bonus, and stock options. The first two are expected to account for 40%-70%.

Experts like Thomas are positioned as technical executives.

Although the judgment about him is a little distorted, Bai Xiaosheng's team believes that if he leaves Volvo, his options in the industry will be relatively limited. Fuel vehicles belong to the traditional industry, and similar positions are occupied by experts. It is also quite difficult to get rid of the label of technical executive and continue to climb to more core management positions such as CTO and CEO.

So, Thomas is close to the ceiling he can reach in his field.

And when Volvo is acquired by Geely, the height of this ceiling is likely to continue to drop.

Although Geely has promised to respect Volvo's independent operation, the sequence within the entire group is bound to change, and people like Thomas who are in charge of safety technology have always been lower than those in charge of brand, sales, production, etc.

While translating, Fu Yunliang connected all the information he obtained after the filter was broken. He was no longer frustrated by his judgment this time. Instead, he became excited about continuing to reach out to other targets.

Yu Xing also talked a little about Thomas' salary structure, and speculated on the figure of $300 million.

Then he saw that Thomas did not refute, but just smiled and offered the reward he was willing to give.

"Thomas, if you are willing to come to Carbon Silicon Group, we can provide you with a salary of 400 million US dollars, not including options, in addition to greater room for development."

"Fu Yunliang mentioned to you that I have a Nasdaq-listed company. Carbon Silicon Group will also be listed in the future, and its market value performance will definitely be better, because we are facing China, the world's largest automobile market. As long as we can gain some competitive advantages, it will be immediately reflected in the future stock price."

"Regarding the options, considering your non-compete agreement, it will take effect after you officially join Carbon Silicon Group. In order to compensate for your potential losses from joining a third-party consulting company in the early stage, we will have a step-by-step increase in the next few years. It will be at least 30% higher than your cash salary every year."

Yu Xing had previously asked Fu Yunliang to translate the solution to the non-compete agreement, and also talked about the resulting delayed option setting.

Thomas shook his head after listening to the translation: "No, I'm tired of stock options. If you are sincere, you should convert them into cash directly. In addition, regarding the non-compete agreement, I think we can temporarily ignore its existence."

After listening to Fu Yunliang's translation, Yu Xing did not respond immediately. Instead, he asked in confusion, "What does he mean? Why not consider the professionalism agreement? He will definitely betray me. If he doesn't want the options, will he run away at any time?"

Options are not only compensation, but also a long-term binding.

As for being fed up with stock options... that is conceivable. Volvo was not listed before it was acquired by Ford, and Ford's performance in recent years has not been good, otherwise it would not have sold Volvo. Although its stock has rebounded after the financial crisis... but Thomas's expression is probably the kind of expression that shows he has sold his shares at a loss.

Fu Yunliang was also surprised and directly asked about the relevant details of the non-competition agreement.

However, Thomas just smiled and didn't answer.

Zhuang Guanlin gave a reasonable guess: "He seems quite sure. If there is really no need to consider it, then I guess... Volvo is quite independent now. Geely needs Volvo's technology. Maybe this foreigner can negotiate with Volvo's management when he leaves."

Fu Yunliang agreed with this possibility.

"He doesn't want options, he just wants a discount. If we want to tie him up, we can only use a non-compete agreement." Yu Xing considered, "If he comes, he still has to work. Without options, his enthusiasm in this regard is questionable."

Fu Yunliang suggested: "Then I will talk to him and reduce the proportion in this regard. If it is necessary to operate from a third-party consulting company, if Carbon Silicon Group can really go public, the early option value will be very cost-effective."

Yu Xing nodded and said simply: "Then you can brag about it."

Thomas watched the three people discussing in front of him, and a sudden decision came to his mind: he should learn Chinese.

Soon, he and Fu Yunliang discussed the issues of options and value.

Yu Xing listened to the two people's chattering and felt that he needed to find someone to practice his spoken English with.

After a while, Fu Yunliang asked his boss: "Mr. Yu, he recognizes the positive incentive method of options, but thinks that it is more reassuring for us to give cash in the first two years and then give options later."

Yu Xing laughed and said, "We are afraid that he will run away, and he is also afraid that we will run away."

Without waiting for Fu Yunliang to answer, he nodded and said, "You can agree to this condition. The salary for the first two years will be around 460 million US dollars. If there are any problems with the non-compete agreement, you can also go for third-party consultation. If he needs this fee after negotiating with Volvo, well... don't explain it first, just say we can assist. If it really doesn't work, we can pay this 'signing fee'."

Fu Yunliang believes that these conditions are relatively generous, with a salary increase of more than 50% and options to follow.

Also, Thomas is indeed a recognized technical expert, but when looking at the global market, rather than the domestic one, he probably belongs to the category of people who are priced but not sold. If he were not in the automotive industry and turned to a real consulting company, it would be unlikely for him to get such figures.

As expected, Thomas did not bargain for the $460 million salary. He just expressed his attitude: "I am very grateful for your recognition of me. I need to think seriously about this invitation. For me, this may be a cross-border adventure from Gothenburg to Shanghai."

"If possible, I would like to get more detailed information about your tram project."

"In fact, I have paid attention to the progress of the global market in this regard, and Tesla has achieved some encouraging results."

Qian Yi was sure that the car culture in the foreigner began to awaken, and he started talking about his views on electric cars.

As the head of safety technology for a world-renowned automobile company, Thomas surprisingly did not resist or belittle electric vehicles. Instead, he talked about the changes and competition that they might bring to products.

Zhuang Guanlin played a role and talked about his thoughts and explorations in this regard.

At the same time, he also talked about Volvo's achievements in safety and Thomas's promotion of XC90 this time.

Volvo's reputation for safety is needless to say. For example, the cage-type body was first derived from the "rigid protection of the passenger compartment" concept by Volvo engineers in 1970, and then the first body structure used in the 140 series was designed.

This concept is actually very easy to understand. The "roll cage" with a welded steel tube frame in the cockpit of a racing car is the original prototype. Thanks to advances in materials, related structures have been further popularized, allowing the car to effectively absorb most of the impact force when it collides, significantly reducing damage to people, and also enhancing the lateral and longitudinal stability of the vehicle, reducing deformation in accidents.

Thomas naturally talked endlessly about his own field, but he was obviously cautious and only talked about the concepts and the direction of Volvo's progress in different stages, without discussing specific technical details.

The meeting lasted until after 12 o'clock in the morning.

Yu Xing stood up and shook hands with Thomas, and finally extended a warm invitation: "Come, come, good, good."

Thomas gave a concise response, and raised two thumbs after shaking hands. "Do you think he will agree?" Yu Xing asked after seeing Thomas off.

Zhuang Guanlin and Fu Yunliang both shook their heads. They had been given a salary increase for changing jobs, related positions, and subsequent stock options, but this kind of expert... Although he asked about money right away, he must have a very comfortable life himself.

If he were to come, as he himself said, it would be a cross-border job change, and many factors would have to be considered.

"If Thomas is unwilling, we can discuss similar conditions with other targets." Yu Xing did not worry about gains and losses, but talked about other targets.

Volvo's safety is excellent, and Thomas is also Carbon Silicon Group's first-tier target in the field of automotive safety, but there are about ten candidates after him.

Fu Yunliang laughed and said, "This foreigner...he was so straightforward at the beginning, I was a little confused at the time. He was not like this before on the phone."

Zhuang Guanlin said leisurely: "He may not trust headhunters, especially those from other countries. This time, we can communicate directly with the boss."

"No matter what, we should try our best. Safety is the top priority. You say, the cage-type body performs so well, can its principle also be applied to the battery pack?" Yu Xing then remembered a question he had not thought of before.

Zhuang Guanlin hesitated for a few seconds, then shook his head and said, "I can't say for sure. I still have to ask an expert."

Yu Xing smiled and said, "Okay, then I hope we can have as many experts as possible to discuss together. Go to sleep and go back early tomorrow."

Thomas still has meetings to continue at Geely, and he will have to wait until he returns to Sweden to give feedback on his decision to change jobs.

However, within two days, Yu Xing suddenly saw a familiar name on the list provided by Fu Yunliang, Hu Zhengnan, who was also involved in automobile body structure design.

In Yu Xing's memory, this person later became the dean of Geely's research institute and was then poached by Xiaomi.

However, there is no Geely on his current resume. After graduating from NCU, he joined SAIC and later co-founded Shencheng Longchuang Automobile Company. He led the reverse development of F3 and the forward design of Haval H6 for clients BYD and Great Wall respectively.

Now, Hu Zhengnan is having a preliminary friendly exchange with the special task force.

Yu Xing called Fu Yunliang and mentioned Hu Zhengnan's name, saying that he wanted to meet him in person to have a chat, which meant that he was optimistic about him.

He had just finished the call when there was a sudden knock on the door of the president's office.

Soon, two angry strangers entered the office, followed by Liu Jiankai, who had been helping with the work recently.

"Mr. Yu! You are Mr. Yu, right? You are a partner of Red Falcon Capital! You invested in Tongle! You can't threaten us to invest like this!"

After hearing a few words of strong indignation, Yu Xing knew what was going on.

This was because Liu Jiankai had made someone angry, so he came directly to find him.

He listened patiently for a while, and when the other party took a breath, he suddenly attacked Liu Jiankai and angrily criticized him: "Liu Jiankai, I asked you to be in charge of investment so that you can do things well! How do you communicate? Is there anyone who does things like you?!"

Liu Jiankai was stunned for just a second before accepting the role, because the boss is the boss.

Yu Xing said sternly: "Liu Jiankai, don't bring your evil ways from Capital Today here! Do you hear me?"

Liu Jiankai took a deep breath, as if to adjust his mood, and then answered honestly: "Yes, Mr. Yu, I got it. I didn't express it well. I just felt that the market competition was too fierce and everyone should seize the opportunity. So, I was too impatient."

Yu Xing frowned and said, "When seizing an opportunity, you should also pay attention to the methods and ways. This... Mr. Zhao, right? Since Mr. Zhao doesn't want to cooperate, you shouldn't threaten others at every turn, right? Is there anyone in the world who does business like this?"

His smooth criticism at least made the two entrepreneurs who came to him feel better.

Regardless of what happened, Mr. Yu’s attitude is sincere.

The two entrepreneurs were comforted and realized that it was not the leadership that was bad but the execution that had problems, so they re-entered the dialogue and communication phase.

Zhang Yangxu watched his boss's criticism the whole time and felt it was quite...real. Mr. Liu could be tougher but he couldn't push people too hard. This was something he needed to improve.

That afternoon, Yu Xing took time out to go to the fifth floor for a meeting to discuss the follow-up direction with Zhai Yifei, who was working on the app.

Zhai Yifei still wanted to continue working on "Tongle", but felt that he might not have enough energy to open more projects, so he could postpone it for a while.

Yu Xing hesitated for a long time and looked at Liu Jiankai who was accompanying him.

Liu Jiankai licked his lips and said seriously: "Boss Zhai, the Tongle app is inherently flawed. You are just making a simplified version of Tieba. If you continue to do this, there is no need to talk about the next investment! You are just wasting everyone's time, money and energy!"

He became emotional and pointed out his name with great dissatisfaction: "Zhai Yifei, do you think it's so easy for us to help you find an app to divert traffic? Look at the conversion volume of your app, you'd better wake up!"

Zhai Yifei didn't expect to be suddenly criticized like this, and he stood there in a daze for a moment.

After hearing Liu Jiankai's accusation, Yu Xing flew into a rage: "Liu Jiankai, what are you doing?! Are you trying to interfere with Mr. Zhai's decision?"

He said sternly, "Liu Jiankai, don't bring your evil ways from Capital Today here! Do you hear me?"

Zhang Yangxu looked at his boss in astonishment after hearing these familiar words. After he realized what was happening, he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Liu Jiankai took a deep breath, as if to adjust his mood, and then responded honestly: "I'm sorry, Mr. Yu, Mr. Zhai, I was impulsive just now. Two entrepreneurs came to my door today, and I couldn't control my emotions. I'm sorry."

He sighed again: "But, I think... Hey, I'm just a little worried. Time is actually very precious. Mr. Zhai, we can try more. Only by trying can we know which one is better."

Zhai Yifei was silent for a while, then said, "It's okay, Mr. Liu, I will think about it carefully."

"Don't worry, Mr. Zhai, I am patient. It doesn't matter even if we fail. As long as we don't give up, the previous 100 failures are all called attempts." Yu Xing gave timely encouragement.

Zhai Yifei nodded: "Yes, Mr. Yu, I understand, thank you."

Yu Xing patted Zhai Yifei on the shoulder, ending this brief exchange.

He stood up and left the meeting room.

Liu Jiankai followed silently behind.

Zhang Yangxu walked at the end, looking at the figures moving in front and behind in the corridor, and seeing Liu Jiankai with his chest held high, a line from "A Chinese Odyssey" that he recalled yesterday popped up in his mind - he looks like a dog.

(End of this chapter)