Pei Qian remained silent for a moment: “The goal is good, but I think modern society is one of mutual benefit. Always thinking in terms of zero-sum games makes your perspective too narrow.”
“Besides, I think we can look even further ahead. Although Shenhua’s mobile phone business is good, its influence is mainly significant domestically.”
Chang You was taken aback: “Then what do you mean, Mr. Pei?”
Pei Qian: “The ultimate goal should be set higher. Instead of taking down Shenhua, why not acquire Apple?”
Chang You immediately felt profound respect.
What was this feeling?
It was like finding a kindred spirit who truly understood him!
Chang You knew very clearly that this meeting was a two-way selection.
Mr. Pei was considering whether to hire him, and he was also considering whether to work under Mr. Pei.
Chang You had always been the type of person who spoke his mind and never held back.
Because of this, he often made shocking statements on Weibo and at press conferences, earning the nickname “Big Mouth Chang.”
Many tech company bosses disliked him because of this, thinking he was all talk and no action.
But even so, Chang You had never thought about changing his style.
He would only scoff inwardly, thinking: How can sparrows understand the ambitions of a great swan?
He believed that he would eventually meet a boss who could understand him!
And now, Mr. Pei had casually uttered the four words “acquire Apple,” which undoubtedly aligned with Chang You’s thinking.
And his vision was even higher!
Indeed, why must they take down competitors? Wouldn’t acquisition be better?
Chang You nodded thoughtfully: “Excellent insight, Mr. Pei!”
Pei Qian thought for a moment and asked: “What’s your working style in daily operations?”
Chang You immediately replied: “I’m quite autocratic. All employees under me must completely obey my orders. I’m also a perfectionist who doesn’t allow any imperfections.”
Pei Qian nodded: “Good! A leader must have their ideas and not be easily influenced by others. I completely agree with your view!”
“Then, what’s your attitude toward phone appearance? Do you agree with imitating Apple phones?”
Chang You firmly stated: “Absolutely not! Appearance is a crucial part of brand image, so we certainly can’t imitate other phones. A phone of our design should be unique!”
Pei Qian asked again: “Then what about phone pricing? Should we make budget phones?”
Chang You thought for a moment: “I believe only high-end models can truly reflect a tech company’s strength!”
Pei Qian further inquired: “So, what’s your view on Shenhua as a representative of domestic products?”
Chang You proudly said, “They’ve done well, but someday, I will surpass them!”
Pei Qian couldn’t help but give a thumbs up: “Excellent, that’s exactly what I think too!”
Pei Qian was extremely satisfied with Chang You.
He perfectly matched his ideas!
Regarding what kind of phone to make, Pei Qian already had a rough idea.
For an emerging phone brand, the most likely path to success would undoubtedly be the value-for-money route—lowering profit margins to make phones appear more cost-effective than current well-known manufacturers, targeting the mid-to-low-end market.
In the next decade or more, the domestic economy would continue to develop, but overall, regional economic disparities would ensure that people who care about phone cost-effectiveness would always exist.
In other words, phones that were both good and relatively inexpensive would always have a market.
Since Pei Qian’s goal was to ruin this phone brand, he would definitely have to do the opposite—absolutely avoid targeting the mid-to-low-end market with a value-for-money approach.
Instead, he would resolutely aim for the high-end market!
Currently, the domestic high-end market is generally divided among Apple, MSC, and Shenhua, with Shenhua only daring to price their flagship models at around 5,000 yuan.
Those who had attempted to break into the high-end market had mostly failed.
It was evident that the most reliable method was to make high-end phones!
And Chang You obviously shared the same thinking as Mr. Pei!
During their brief chat, Pei Qian also discovered that Chang You’s image differed slightly from what he had imagined.
Originally, Pei Qian had thought Chang You was simply overambitious, but now he saw that his goals were very clear.
And upon closer observation, Pei Qian found some admirable qualities in Mr. Chang.
For instance… he didn’t treat all competitors as idiots but could objectively acknowledge Shenhua’s achievements.
Moreover, Mr. Chang spoke politely in person. Although he carried some pride, he wasn’t the type of person who would be impossible to get along with.
He didn’t seem to be as stubborn and autocratic as he claimed.
However, these minor flaws didn’t affect Pei Qian’s judgment of him.
In any case, since he was determined to target the high-end market, that aligned with Pei Qian’s own thinking and made him worth employing!
Just as Pei Qian was about to shake hands with Chang You to indicate a successful partnership, he thought of a few more questions and hurried to clarify them.