Chapter 216: Audience with the New Master

A butterfly effect triggered by a chip shortage is sweeping the globe with unprecedented force.
The semiconductor industry's winter has arrived.
The graphics card giants are bearing the brunt, followed by all companies reliant on TSMC's production lines, trembling in the storm and feeling the chilling effects.
In this turbulent water, giants like Apple and Qualcomm reacted the fastest, quickly signing a humiliating agreement with Jiang Jin Group, temporarily saving their lives.
But the other two—the "graphics card duo," Viinta and AMC—are still struggling in the mire, unable to secure a lifeline.
AMC, in particular, a company already beset by internal and external troubles, has suffered terribly in this storm.
Its stock price has plummeted, like a high-speed elevator to the earth's core, crashing below the one-dollar threshold, just one step away from being delisted from Nasdaq.
At this critical juncture of life and death, an Eastern behemoth boldly stepped into this inferno.
Fanghuan Investment!
This mysterious company from the East, with an almost savage approach, snatched a massive bargain.
For an insultingly low price of 3.5 billion, they easily acquired a 51% controlling stake in AMC from a group of scattered shareholders.
This move was like using the money meant for buying scallions to take over the entire market, including the owner.
AMC's CEO, the renowned Lisa Sue, along with a group of senior executives, traveled across the Pacific Ocean to Shanghai.
To put it nicely, it was to report on work; to put it bluntly, it was to pay homage to their new master, to meet this young man who held their life and death in his hands.
Everyone's face was etched with apprehension, their hearts pounding:
Would this new Eastern boss simply wave a hand and fire them all?
Su Hao leaned back in his executive chair, his face calm, but his mind was perfectly clear.
He didn't have time for the usual grandstanding of a new king, immediately purging the old guard.
At least not all of them.
"Thank you again, Chairman Su, thank you for lending a helping hand in our most critical moment and saving AMC!"
It has to be said, Lisa Su, hailed as the "Queen of Silicon Valley" in the industry, was indeed capable.
Even in this situation, which was practically a trial, she still radiated a certain light.
A light that even Su Hao's unique senses found slightly dazzling.
Compared to her seemingly radiant appearance in her file photos, the real-life radiance was even more dazzling.
A quintessential example of a powerful woman, born to accomplish great things.
Unfortunately, not everyone in the team was so "bright."
The group of executives behind Lisa Sue was a bit of a chaotic mess.
The problem lay with these people.
A few of the executives had a relatively normal "aura," exuding shrewdness and competence.
But the others were a truly appalling sight.
A thick, impenetrable black fog hung over their heads, emanating an odor of decay and decay even more pungent than the smell of a sewer, so strong that Su Hao couldn't help but frown.
"Tsk, the project proposals they brought are all the same—half gold mine, half cesspool."
Su Hao saw right through this group.
They'd traveled a long way, throwing around PowerPoint presentations and speeches, all to keep their jobs.
When a company changes hands, a major reshuffle occurs—an undeniable norm in the workplace.
To make themselves known to the new boss and prove their continued usefulness, they'd brought out their most treasured "visions for the future."
Unfortunately, they were facing Su Hao.
Su Hao's intuition, comparable to a quantum computer, swiftly reached its conclusion after just a glance at the thick stack of documents:
Except for a handful of projects, the rest were all, without exception, wasteful projects designed to throw money away.
"Hmm, well said. Good job, everyone."
Su Hao spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but it instantly silenced the entire conference room.
He picked up the thick project proposal, didn't even glance at it, and immediately circled the projects that his intuition strongly suggested.
Then, he picked up the list of executives and, without hesitation, marked those few men radiating an aura of inequality with bright red "X".
Of course, announcing such a massive purge in front of everyone would have been a bit too ruthless.
“Ms. Lisa,” Su Hao looked up, a friendly smile on his face, “Could you please stay behind for a moment? The rest of you can go and rest now.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the group of executives in the conference room, as if granted a pardon, vanished in a flash, their movements even more swift than clocking out.
In the blink of an eye, only Su Hao and Lisa Su remained in the large conference room.
The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat awkward.
This powerful and influential woman took a deep breath and spoke first:
“Um… Chairman Su. I know that in the three years I’ve been CEO, the company’s performance… has indeed been less than satisfactory.
However, I promise, I will definitely achieve results!”
It seemed she thought Su Hao was going to use her as a scapegoat.
Su Hao smiled, a smile as warm as a spring breeze, instantly dispelling the tension in the air.
“Ms. Lisa, you’re overthinking it,” he said leisurely.
“Of course I believe in you. I believe you can do a great job. So, please continue in the CEO position, and hold onto it even more firmly.”
A flicker of surprise crossed Lisa Su’s eyes.
“I asked you to stay behind alone so I could entrust this to you.”
Su Hao pushed over the project proposal and executive list that he had “annotated.”
When Lisa Su saw the circles and crosses, her pupils constricted sharply, and her breath caught in her throat for a moment.
“These projects I circled, you concentrate all resources on pushing them forward with full force,” Su Hao said calmly.
“Also, please clean up the names of those people on the list who have been crossed out.”
“Yes! I understand! But… these projects require investment…”
Su Hao interrupted her, casually stating a figure:
"The initial startup capital is one billion US dollars. If further needs are required, submit a report, and I will add more after review."
"No! No, no, no! That's enough! This is more than enough!"
Her original expectation was to get at least five hundred million US dollars, fearing that asking for more would displease the new boss.
She had even prepared a whole set of arguments to deal with the new boss's haggling.
Who would have thought that this young new master would double the number without even asking!
The figure of one billion US dollars wasn't actually the result of Su Hao's careful consideration.
He simply and bluntly stated the number that felt most "comfortable" to him intuitively.
Intuition, that thing, is sometimes just that simple and unpretentious.