Chapter 551: Here to Learn
After seeing off Ellison, whose face bore a complex expression, Su Yuanshan rested for a moment in the reception room. He then discussed some details of the show segments with the head of the Discovery Channel, finalized the interview schedule, and only then did he finally have a chance to breathe. Picking up the coffee Wen Xiaoqian had bought, he took a sip.
"President Shan, is it true that the mobile phone business is going to be spun off?" Wen Xiaoqian, who had been taking notes until now, couldn't hold back any longer now that Su Yuanshan was done with his business.
As Su Yuanshan's secretary, she naturally knew that the separation of Yuanxin's foundry division was only a matter of time—it was already being scheduled. At the latest, next year, the foundry would, like the EDA unit before it, be spun off from the Yuanxin group.
Precisely because of this timeline, and with the depreciation of the RMB, the foundry had been taking on a huge number of overseas orders and had begun another round of expansion.
However, Wen Xiaoqian had never expected that even the mobile phone department, which Su Yuanshan had always valued so highly, would also be split off.
"What do you think?" Su Yuanshan didn't answer directly but instead smiled and threw the question back at her. "Do you think spinning it off is better, or not?"
"I…" Wen Xiaoqian was stunned for a moment and bit her lip in thought.
As the new secretary, she had received quite a bit of guidance from Zhou Xiaohui, whose most important piece of advice had been to learn and think more under President Shan.
"If we separate it, the biggest benefit would be that we can expand our core business, like chip sales, technology imports, and licensing," Wen Xiaoqian said, though still a bit hesitant. "But if we separate it... our cash flow could become a problem. The mobile phone business currently accounts for nearly half of our profits… If it's spun off, even if we can sell some equity, it's like draining the pond to catch the fish."
"Mm, your analysis is good," Su Yuanshan nodded with a smile. "But you missed one thing."
"What?"
"The essence of Yuanxin," Su Yuanshan narrowed his eyes slightly and said softly. "The essence of Yuanxin, or rather, what I envision it to be, is a company standing at the pinnacle of technology, providing technical support and services for all of humanity."
"In that light, all our current businesses are merely attempts toward that goal."
"…" Wen Xiaoqian was stunned silent for a long time. Finally, she forced out a dry line of flattery, "That's… quite the noble dream!"
"Heh, I'll take that as a compliment."
Su Yuanshan chuckled, glanced at the time, and closed his eyes on the sofa to rest for a bit.
Just recently, he had received a piece of news from Japan—something that hadn't yet appeared on the internet or in any domestic media. Still, he had caught wind of it.
This news startled him.
—Historically, this event was supposed to happen later.
"When the tree wants to remain still, the wind refuses to stop." Su Yuanshan muttered to himself, somewhat grateful that he had finalized the semiconductor summit early. Or perhaps, it was precisely the summit's success that spurred certain parties who didn't want friendly relations between the two nations to start stirring up trouble ahead of schedule.
"President Shan, what did you say?" Wen Xiaoqian quickly looked over at him.
"Oh, nothing." Su Yuanshan raised his wrist and glanced at his watch again. After a deep breath, he stood up. "Let's go. Let's check out the conference hall next door—see what those internet folks are talking about."
...
It had to be said that this group of young internet entrepreneurs loved a lively atmosphere. Even though their meeting had long since ended, they were still chatting in clusters.
Su Yuanshan understood it well. Compared to the big shots from traditional industries, internet companies were still the "little brothers."
Since the press conference was over, Ye Rudai no longer held back. She openly brought out the Imusic app for everyone to check out and discussed issues like MP3 distribution and copyright with the others.
When Su Yuanshan arrived, some of the unfamiliar faces in the room were a bit reserved, but after a few casual exchanges, his humor and insight into the internet world quickly won them over. After everyone exchanged contact information, they reluctantly dispersed.
Wang Rui and Carter stayed behind to tidy up the venue, while Su Yuanshan, Ding Lei, Pony, Zhang Xiaolong, and Ye Rudai headed for the villa—the first two insisted on being guests.
...
"This villa is amazing," Pony said from the lawn, his admiration genuine. "Once I make some money, I'll get one just like it on the West Coast."
"You could get one now, couldn't you?" Ding Lei was lounging on a swing, now much slimmer and clearly no longer worried about breaking it.
"Nope, and I don't have the heart for that right now." Pony shook his head and wandered into the gazebo. Sitting down with Zhang Xiaolong, they raised their teacups in a toast. "Here we are again."
Zhang Xiaolong smiled and nodded. "Yeah, the last time we met was by the lake in Yuanxin Science Park. How have you been?"
Then he turned to Ding Lei. "And you?"
"Want the truth or a lie?" Ding Lei jumped off the swing and took a seat on the other side of the gazebo, smiling.
"Whatever you want to say, I'm listening."
"Heh... truth is, things aren't as good as they were at Yuanxin." Ding Lei glanced toward the villa entrance, where Ye Rudai and Su Yuanshan were approaching with fruit trays. "Back then I just followed Xiao Shan's lead. Now I have to take responsibility and find the direction myself... it's tough."
Pony merely chuckled, clearly not agreeing.
"I don't buy it," Zhang Xiaolong laughed and shook his head. "You're just playing humble while sitting on a goldmine—being your own boss and you're not happy? By the way, how's your IPO coming along?"
That was the reason Ding Lei and Pony insisted on visiting Su Yuanshan. Both of their companies had completed two rounds of financing and were preparing for IPOs.
After all, going public was the fastest way to raise capital.
Moreover, listing Easybook and EM carried an extra layer of significance.
—They wanted validation from the investment world to cement their status in the internet sphere.
"What are you all chatting about?"
Su Yuanshan's voice came before he arrived. Since everyone here was a friend, he acted like the host himself. Carrying a tray? No need to trouble Wen Xiaoqian for that.
"We're talking about seeking wisdom," Ding Lei lifted his teacup and grinned.
"Seeking wisdom?" Su Yuanshan glanced at these former "three giants" of the internet and joked, "Then where's your master?"
Ding Lei burst out laughing. "The master's been kidnapped by monsters!"
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Chapter 552: Eavesdropping Pays Off
In early May, California's climate was perfect for this kind of outdoor gathering.
Since there weren't enough chairs, Ye Rudai had gone back inside to grab a small folding stool. She now sat behind Su Yuanshan, resting her chin on her hands and smiling as she listened to the "veterans" chatting about the future of the internet.
She had spent quite a bit of time in Silicon Valley and also studied at the University of Pennsylvania. She was well aware of Ding Lei and Pony's reputations within the internet industry, especially among the younger generation—the excitement they stirred at this internet conference was proof enough.
But she also knew that the internet was still a "niche" sector. In terms of social or economic status, it was still subject to the whims of the "big players."
"President Shan, speaking objectively... I don't think your download site for MP3s is going to work." Ding Lei had always been blunt with Su Yuanshan and wasn't afraid to speak his mind.
"Oh? Tell me why." Su Yuanshan chuckled as he shelled a handful of pistachios. Once he had a small pile ready, he handed them to Ye Rudai behind him—he knew she liked them.
"No need for deep reasoning—anyone who understands knows why." Ding Lei glanced at Ye Rudai and chuckled. "Unless you encrypt every single music file and then decrypt it individually... With the way information spreads on the internet and the general spirit of sharing, who's going to pay to download music? Especially when payment is such a hassle right now."
Currently, Yuanxin and Sony's plan for music copyrights was to provide both online streaming and downloads. Of course, downloads weren't free—not even all the streaming content was free.
And the payment system? Barely a prototype. Due to technical and banking limitations, users could only recharge via telephone payment systems.
For someone like Su Yuanshan, used to the future convenience of scanning a code or tapping a screen, this was just way too cumbersome.
(Side note: Many Chinese websites in the early 2000s still used money transfer or remittance systems where users would leave a few extra cents as verification—I got my own Qidian VIP account by transferring 200 yuan plus a few pennies.)
And just as Ding Lei pointed out, the moment downloads became available, someone somewhere would start sharing them. Good Samaritans like that existed in every era of the internet, in every country.
"Let's not even mention China… With how expensive it is to go online there, unless it's through government networks, who would dare to download anything? Let alone pay for it."
In a single sentence, Ding Lei pronounced a death sentence on digital music copyright in China.
Su Yuanshan smiled calmly, unfazed. "Even a mosquito's leg is still meat. As for the payment channel… We're working on that."
Ding Lei and Pony immediately turned to Zhang Xiaolong. The latter shrugged and smiled. "Don't look at me. That's Chief Xi's department. I think he's working with a Silicon Valley team to develop an online encryption-based payment system."
Su Yuanshan nodded. "Yes. If the internet is going to thrive, online payment systems must follow. And they have to be integrated with banks—only then can we make payments fast and easy."
"President Shan, I have an idea." Pony, who had remained quiet until now, suddenly spoke. "Since your music site uses a prepaid system, how about issuing stored-value cards?"
"Stored-value cards?"
"Yeah. Like the old prepaid phone cards—but without the IC chip or reader. Just a printed encrypted number." Pony's eyes sparkled. "You distribute and sell these cards at various values, and the system reads the encrypted number to recharge a user's account. I overheard someone at the conference talking about this. It sounds promising."
Su Yuanshan's eyes lit up instantly!
As a former World of Warcraft player, he couldn't believe he had forgotten this.
Before online banking and digital payments became widespread, stored-value cards were the easiest way to top up any online service. Simple, cheap to produce, and the only real challenge was setting up distribution channels.
But Yuanxin had been building up those very channels across North America for years.
"Excellent, excellent! That was some top-tier eavesdropping!"
Pony coughed softly.
Ye Rudai, suppressing a smile, nudged Su Yuanshan with her elbow. "Pick a better word."
"Haha, doesn't matter. This idea is ours now!"
Su Yuanshan laughed heartily and clapped his hands. "We can even use promotional gift cards to market our MP3s and vidoo5M smartphones! Xiaolong…"
Zhang Xiaolong had always been in charge of the backend tech for the music and video sites. As soon as he heard this, he immediately saw the benefit of the stored-value card concept and nodded. "I'll get started as soon as I get back. This shouldn't be hard. Chief Xi already has an encryption system—we can adapt it right away."
"Yes, speed is key. The faster, the better!"
"I'll email Chief Xi now and book a flight for tomorrow." Zhang Xiaolong, always one to act quickly, stood up immediately.
"...No need to rush that much. Finish your tea first," Su Yuanshan pulled him back down, then turned to Pony and Ding Lei with a smirk. "You two are thinking about IPOs, right?"
They exchanged a glance and nodded.
Since they were here to seek advice, there was no reason to hide it. And Su Yuanshan had always preferred getting straight to the point.
"I don't really have any brilliant suggestions," Su Yuanshan said seriously after a moment. "Just understand one thing—capital never cares about short-term returns or even profits. Sometimes, whether you're profitable or not doesn't matter at all."
"What matters is hope. In other words, it's about storytelling."
"The biggest advantage internet companies have right now is that major players in tech have started publicly embracing and predicting a bright future for the internet—like Bill Gates. His book, The Road Ahead, is a bestseller. Most people read it to understand how the world's richest man sees the future. But we need to understand that investors are inspired and motivated by it."
"In the coming years, it won't just be Microsoft. Yuanxin and Xinghai will also increase their investments in the internet industry. This is a golden opportunity."
"And when the wind blows, even pigs can fly."
Ding Lei: "..."
Su Yuanshan smiled faintly. "Even crime bosses are now throwing around terms like 'the internet.' Doesn't that tell you it's a trend?"
"So, IPOs are easy—it's just a matter of telling the right story, painting a picture of the future."
"What about monetization models?" Pony asked quickly.
"No need to talk about that."
"No need?" Not only Pony, but even Ye Rudai looked confused.
A business that doesn't talk about how it'll make money? Who's going to invest—this isn't a charity.
"That's right, no need. Just talk about lifestyle." Su Yuanshan smiled and said, "Use your brains. Describe what life in the internet era will look like. And if you can't think of anything, just quote from Mr. Gates's new book."
"…"
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Chapter 553: The Process Is Off
The reason Su Yuanshan gave such advice was entirely because he had once been inundated by countless advertisements about "internet lifestyles." To say nothing of abroad, even in China, before the dot-com bubble burst, the sides of city buses were covered in ads from internet companies.
And you know what? Foreign capital actually bought into it.
After dinner, Ding Lei and Pony lingered for a while before leaving with Zhang Xiaolong. After thinking through the advantages of a recharge card system, Zhang Xiaolong could hardly sit still—he'd already booked a flight for the next day to head back early to the Special Economic Zone. Most likely, the three of them would have a small private reunion tonight in a foreign land.
As for Su Yuanshan, he stayed at the villa chatting with his senior schoolmate, enjoying a rare moment of "vacation."
"You really don't want anything to do with those two websites anymore?" Yang Yiwen suddenly asked, changing the casual tone of their conversation.
"What websites?"
"Ding Lei's and Pony's." Yang Yiwen was very well-informed about Yuanxin's holdings. She knew the company's share in those two internet firms had dropped below 35%. Once they went public, a little maneuvering from the other shareholders could easily push Yuanxin out of the major decision-making seat.
"What do you mean? Of course we still want them." Seeing that only Yang Yiwen, Tang Wenjie, and Ye Rudai were present, Su Yuanshan smiled and lowered his voice, "But once they're listed, we'll start cashing out."
"You're selling off too?" Yang Yiwen looked exasperated. "So you're bearish on the internet?"
"I'm not bearish. I just know the trend is dangerous right now—the spending is out of control." Su Yuanshan turned to Ye Rudai. "Yezi, your company is expanding purely based on fundraising, right?"
"Yeah—but that's because you told us to!" Ye Rudai nodded immediately, adding that last line with a hint of mock protest, making Su Yuanshan chuckle.
"Yes, the internet is inherently a future-oriented industry. But this pace of expansion will inevitably lead to a fall." He paused, then added, "Actually, a lot of investors know this already. But each one thinks they'll be the one to get out before the bubble bursts. It's the gambler's mentality…"
"I'm different. I'm happy with small wins. I'll cash out early…"
"You? Happy with small wins?" Tang Wenjie laughed. "That doesn't sound right coming from you."
"Haha, but I do believe in the long-term future of the internet—so I'll buy back in after the fall."
Ye Rudai thought for a moment, then summarized: "So… the idea is to let them burn through capital and expand, then you make a quick profit, and when the market crashes, you buy it back cheap. Is that right?"
"Exactly. Great summary." Su Yuanshan praised with a grin. "Capitalists are bastards—if you can make money off them, never pass it up!"
Five days later, Su Yuanshan arrived on schedule at Apple headquarters.
When the Discovery Channel's tech show had invited him, Mr. Qiao had agreed after barely a second's thought.
But he had one condition.
Mr. Qiao was busy and had no time to fly to Maryland. If the interview was to happen, it would have to be at Apple's headquarters. That way, it would be convenient for both him and Su Yuanshan.
So the Discovery Channel production crew showed up with all their gear.
"Mr. Steve, Mr. Su, I'm George Bruce, the host of today's interview."
George, the host from Discovery, greeted both men in a temporary studio built in Apple's conference center and welcomed them into the set.
Since this was an interview program, a live audience was essential. And to maintain a sense of "neutrality," the audience wasn't composed solely of Apple employees. Students from Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley, were also invited—most of them were majoring in electronics or IT.
After the interview, Apple would even give them a tour of the company's headquarters. A win-win.
"Alright, everyone, quiet please. Let's begin."
George Bruce took his place in the center, seated at a podium-like table between two sofas, where Su Yuanshan and Steve Jobs were seated.
From this arrangement, it didn't feel like an interview so much as a debate.
Su Yuanshan and Jobs noticed this too, but neither minded.
"Welcome to Discovery's Technology Channel."
As applause rang out, the host officially began.
"Today, we are honored to welcome two outstanding entrepreneurs to our show for a discussion on the future of the digital age."
George gave the standard opening, smiling at the central camera.
"We all know that the internet and digital products are becoming more integrated into our lives—some would say they're already changing the way we live. But how exactly will this evolve? What future products might emerge to reshape or even overturn our current lifestyles? That's what we'll be exploring today."
"Now, let's welcome Apple CEO Mr. Steve Jobs to share his thoughts."
Applause again. Jobs picked up his microphone, his brow twitching subtly. He glanced at Su Yuanshan to gauge his reaction.
Su Yuanshan returned the glance with a smile and gestured for Jobs to begin.
…
In the audience, Zhou Xiaohui and Wen Xiaoqian exchanged glances—both could see the displeasure in each other's eyes.
"Carter, why is the opening different from what we agreed on?" Zhou Xiaohui immediately turned to Carter, her tone stern.
Carter frowned. "Damn it, I don't know. There must've been some miscommunication…"
"I don't think it was miscommunication. I think someone's brain isn't working."
Zhou Xiaohui's words were sharp and direct.
Carter shut his mouth immediately.
He knew this young woman—yes, Zhou Xiaohui wasn't even thirty yet—was not only Su Yuanshan's longtime secretary, but also his assistant as chairman, and in many ways, his spokesperson.
She was a senior executive who could represent Su Yuanshan's will anywhere.
If she was unhappy, he had to take it.
And he knew exactly why she was upset.
For programs like this, the opening and format were always set in advance. Even the questions for the guests were usually prepared beforehand. This wasn't some celebrity talk show with spontaneous banter.
This episode, especially, had been funded by a large amount of money from Yuanxin. It had a clear promotional purpose.
The original plan was for the host to begin by introducing Yuanxin and Su Yuanshan's innovations and products.
But with this change in format, Su Yuanshan had been reduced to a nobody—no different from a random guest.
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Chapter 554: No Comment
"…So, I believe that electronics and digital products are essentially an extension of the computer field."
After giving his thoughts on computers and digital devices, Steve Jobs offered a concluding statement.
As a product manager—and a pioneer of the personal computing industry—Jobs's perspective naturally emphasized the PC space.
Su Yuanshan nodded from across the stage with a gentle smile, signaling his agreement.
At this moment, the host George picked up the conversation with a hint of wit, "So should I take it to mean that Apple won't be entering the digital device market?"
Jobs shot him a glance. "No, we're about to enter that field."
The host was clearly caught off guard, and murmurs rippled through the audience. The students exchanged glances and whispered among themselves—Apple entering the digital product space? What exactly did that mean?
Everyone knew that Apple's golden era had already passed. Although Jobs made a celebrated return last year, Apple's product strategy hadn't changed much. It still revolved around personal computers and the Apple OS, followed by notebooks and PDAs.
But a PDA, at its core, was still just a handheld computer running an operating system.
"Mr. Steve, could you satisfy our curiosity just a bit?" the host asked with a smile, glancing at the buzzing audience.
"Sorry, I can't." Jobs shrugged.
"Oh… Well, it must be a revolutionary product. We'll look forward to it," the host said with a chuckle before turning toward Su Yuanshan.
"Mr. Steve just mentioned that although digital products may be the trend of the future, they are still reliant on PCs. Mr. Su, do you have a different perspective?"
Su Yuanshan picked up the microphone, smiling lightly.
"My view is the same as Mr. Steve's."
With that, he set the microphone back down and shifted into a relaxed posture.
The host froze for a second, clearly caught off guard. He stared at Su Yuanshan in disbelief, while the latter smiled, spreading his hands in a gesture that said he truly had nothing more to add.
…
In the audience.
Zhou Xiaohui glanced around the room and, seeing that Carter was no longer at her side, let out a few heavy breaths—her anger had nowhere to go.
It was obvious Su Yuanshan was pissed off.
She had followed Su Yuanshan long enough to know that if anyone other than Academician Su Xinghe and his wife knew him best, it was her.
He looked perfectly calm right now, even cheerful, composed, and refined. But she would bet her life that if the host pushed his luck even a little more—or if someone else dared to challenge him—what they'd face next would be a storm of devastating sarcasm.
At Yuanxin, Su Yuanshan always played the role of the affable gentleman. But only Zhou Xiaohui had seen the biting wit he wielded when his patience wore thin.
That was the kind of intellectual and logical destruction that could humiliate a person to the point of wanting to disappear.
"Uh…" Clearly rattled, the host glanced off-camera, then quickly looked down to shuffle through his cue cards. His expression shifted several times before he raised his head again with a renewed professional smile. "But Mr. Su, according to my notes, Yuanxin seems to be more inclined toward promoting digital products."
"For instance, you are here today representing Yuanxin to launch the iMusic and Vidoo series phones—if I'm not mistaken, these are typical digital electronics, correct?"
Su Yuanshan smiled and nodded, picking the microphone back up.
In the audience, Zhou Xiaohui finally let out a long breath.
After all, they were here to promote products—not to argue.
…
"Every company has its area of expertise and its own development direction. I agree with Mr. Steve's view because computers are indeed the foundation of all data processing. Digital products, at present, still rely on computers for data processing and interaction."
Once the host dropped the games and got back to business, Su Yuanshan also returned to the core topic.
"But I do want to add a point regarding the interaction process."
"Not long ago, there was an internet conference held right here in Silicon Valley, and one of the key topics was cross-platform data interaction. From our perspective, digital products are not just extensions of PCs—they can also serve as internet endpoints and access tools."
"For example, the iMusic we've launched allows users to directly download music from the internet to a flash memory device that's smaller than a Walkman and enjoy it anytime."
The host looked at Su Yuanshan, his eyes flickering slightly before he nodded. "Can you show it to us?"
"Of course."
Su Yuanshan pulled out the MP3 player and stepped forward to hand it to the host.
As their eyes met, turned away from the cameras, Su Yuanshan gave him a flat look and said in a low voice, "Mr. George, Mr. Jobs came here today as a favor to me. I hope you show him some respect."
Ignoring the host's reaction, Su Yuanshan returned to his seat and flashed Jobs a smile.
Jobs simply shook his head with a helpless grin.
Truth be told, if it weren't for Su Yuanshan, he wouldn't have shown up. Of course, it wasn't that Su Yuanshan had that much influence over him—it was more that Jobs was curious to hear what Su would say in public about the future of electronics and digital products.
If he hadn't come, Su Yuanshan would likely have invited Gates instead.
And rather than watch those two heap praise on each other, he'd rather hear things for himself.
"Su, even if iMusic uses the MP3 format, you still need a PC to download the files," Jobs said, ignoring the host and taking up the microphone himself.
"Yes, which is why I support your view that PCs are still irreplaceable. But I tend to believe that, at some point in the future, the entertainment functions of PCs will gradually be replaced by new emerging devices. PCs will shift more toward productivity."
"And with the development of the internet and technology, work itself will become increasingly fragmented."
"Fragmented?" Jobs raised an eyebrow.
"Mm… think of it as mobile. Working anytime, anywhere—even from home." Su Yuanshan explained slightly, then smiled. "So the future is undoubtedly mobile. From that perspective, I think Apple has chosen the right path."
What Su Yuanshan referred to as Apple's direction was its movement toward notebooks and handheld computers.
Jobs nodded with a smile, accepting the compliment.
Their relaxed conversation continued for a while, with the host smiling awkwardly, looking for an opportunity to steer things back on track. Finally, he found a moment to interject.
"Well then, Mr. Su, could you tell us about what you envision for the future of work and entertainment?"
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Chapter 555: Technology Theft
Seeing that the host was finally back on track, Su Yuanshan opened up. After all, this interview was supposed to be about envisioning the future—he had always believed the better person to discuss that with him would have been Bill Gates.
Still, he didn't go too far with his commentary. Instead, he "carefully" referenced a few viewpoints from Gates's recent book and built on them.
"Marshall McLuhan, in his book Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man published thirty years ago, introduced the concept of the 'global village' and the 'information highway'—I'm sure many here are familiar with him?" Once Su Yuanshan opened his mouth, it became nearly impossible for anyone else to get a word in. Holding the initiative firmly, he first glanced at the host, then swept his gaze across the students in the audience.
Marshall McLuhan, the Canadian thinker, was once hailed as one of the most significant minds after Newton, Darwin, Freud, Einstein, and Pavlov. He was called the "spokesman of the electronic age" and the "prophet of revolutionary thought."
In the December 28, 1964 issue of The Nation, McLuhan was named a "man of the moment." In 1965, Reader's Guide listed four articles about him in publications like The New Yorker, Harper's, and others.
For a time, there was a full-blown "McLuhan craze" in the United States. His books became bestsellers. Between 1966 and 1967, the phenomenon reached its peak. Prestigious outlets like Time, Newsweek, Life, Esquire, The National Review, The New Yorker, The New Mexico Quarterly, Weekend Review, and even Playboy all ran pieces about him.
He frequently gave talks on television and became wildly famous. In fact, European languages even birthed new terms inspired by him: "McLuhanism," "McLuhanist," and eventually even "McLuhan Studies."
Of course, not everyone agreed with him.
His critics branded him a "charlatan of pop culture," a "bully against rationality," a "metaphysical trickster," and a "high priest of pop thought, performing black masses for half-baked artists at the altar of historical determinism." Others mocked him for being trendy, self-absorbed, chasing fads, and argued that his work was "deliberately illogical, tautological, absolute, and full of slogans, absurdity, and circular reasoning." (The above is quoted from popular critiques.)
Now, with the rise of the internet, McLuhan was being rediscovered.
And Su Yuanshan knew that McLuhan's ideas would see another wave of popularity—twenty years from now, when the mobile internet era arrives, his "prophecies" will again be validated, earning him the reputation of a great seer.
…
Many students in the audience raised their hands.
"Humanity's habit is to keep learning from past mistakes—only to repeat them again," Su Yuanshan said with a smile before offering a tangled yet insightful conclusion. "So, Professor McLuhan's experience teaches us: the reason we find the future unbelievable is often not because it's implausible—but simply because it hasn't arrived yet."
"That is my view on the future."
"Thank you, Mr. Su, for your excellent insights. As a side note, I'm also a supporter of Marshall McLuhan," the host said with a smile, glancing at Su Yuanshan before looking at the time to steer the program.
"Next is the Q&A segment. Are there any students who have questions for our two distinguished guests? This is a rare opportunity."
This segment had always been part of the plan, though it was also one of the least controllable parts.
Still, since it came at the end and wasn't the centerpiece of the program, neither Su Yuanshan nor Zhou Xiaohui was overly concerned—especially Su Yuanshan. He was confident that no student in the audience could stump him with anything IT or semiconductor-related.
Unless they handed him a pop quiz on the spot.
As soon as the host finished speaking, the audience, already eager, raised their hands en masse.
The host casually pointed to a student.
This student, clearly a fan of Jobs, asked whether Jobs planned to continue working in the animation industry. He felt that if Pixar lost Jobs, it would lose its soul.
Everyone on stage chuckled at that.
—It was widely known that Jobs only got into Pixar after being ousted from Apple. It was a "toy" venture at the time, and he had always wanted to return to the tech world.
The next student asked Su Yuanshan whether he planned to expand into internet ventures. Su responded in a very neutral, professional manner—saying it would depend on timing and opportunity.
"All right, one last chance. Let's hear from the student who's been raising his hand this whole time," the host said, scanning the audience before pointing toward the front, where Zhou Xiaohui and Wen Xiaoqian were seated.
A long-haired male student quickly stood up and accepted the microphone from a staff member.
Zhou Xiaohui relaxed her posture and crossed her arms. Though the interview had gotten off to a rocky start, the host had eventually gotten in line, and things were ending on a good note.
After all, Yuanxin had come a long way—it was better to promote harmony.
Curious, Zhou Xiaohui looked toward the student right in front of her, wondering what kind of question he might ask.
"Hello, Mr. Su. I'm an electrical engineering student at Stanford. First, I'd like to ask—was Xinghai Technology also founded by you?"
Su Yuanshan picked up the microphone and replied playfully, "If you plan to keep going, this technically counts as two questions. But I'll answer anyway… Yes."
"Thank you."
—Polite enough, Zhou Xiaohui smiled faintly and nodded.
"My real question is this: You've spent your career on the mainland, leading Yuanxin's growth and collaborating closely with Xinghai across many sectors. Does this mean you aim to use such collaborations to transfer Silicon Valley's technology and patents to the mainland?"
As soon as he said that, the smile on Zhou Xiaohui's face froze. She frowned deeply at the sight of the white male student's back.
She instinctively looked at Su Yuanshan—only to see him slightly furrow his brow. Then she looked at the host, who seemed surprised but made no move to intervene or redirect the discussion.
"Anything else?" Su Yuanshan asked with a smile after a brief pause, looking at the student.
"No, that's all."
Su Yuanshan nodded and chuckled softly. "First of all, I'd like to thank you—for not using the word 'steal.' Otherwise, I'd be worried the CIA might come busting through the door."
The students laughed, breaking some of the tension in the room.
"Next, let me point out the flaw in your question."
"Please do."
"Your error is in assuming, from the outset, that Yuanxin is a company with little technological value."
"And that assumption is false."
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