New Employees With an Annual Salary of 1 Trillion Won - Chapter 142

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 142. One Plus One (1)

ATL, the battery company acquired by the Asia Branch.

Though it was a startup that hadn’t even been established for two full years, it was already gaining attention in the industry for its technology.

The battery industry was already dominated by formidable large corporations.

Nevertheless, ATL was able to stand out thanks to its founder.

Dr. Robin Zheng.

Though he was only 33 years old, he had made a name for himself as an authority in battery research and was someone walking a path that large corporations wouldn’t take.

That Dr. Robin Zheng had come to Korea.

I personally welcomed him when he came to Tiger Fund Korea Branch to discuss ATL’s future with me.

“Thank you for coming to see us like this.”

“It only takes 4 hours to get from Hong Kong to Korea. The time is about the same whether I come to Korea or go to Beijing.”

“I’m truly delighted to meet you. I personally requested the Asia Branch that we must acquire ATL.”

I welcomed Dr. Robin Zheng with sincerity.

Because he was the real deal.

The moment I saw him, gears came to mind, and I could see a massive structure rotating at tremendous speed.

Thanks to having thoroughly reviewed all materials related to Dr. Robin as well as ATL-related data in advance, I could grasp him at once.

“With such a warm welcome, I don’t know what to do with myself. I heard from the Asia Branch Division Manager. He said you’re the real power behind Tiger Fund?”

“The Division Manager seems to have praised me too excessively.”

“I also have many friends working in Hong Kong and US financial circles. I’ve often heard stories about you, Branch Manager. It’s truly amazing what such a young person has accomplished.”

That was what I wanted to say.

Dr. Robin Zheng was the person who had created battery technology at age 33 that even ultra-massive corporations couldn’t achieve.

“I was deeply impressed by the lithium polymer technology you developed, Doctor. That’s also why I strongly requested the ATL acquisition.”

“Other battery markets are already dominated by global corporations, so we had no choice but to target niche areas.”

“I understand that over twenty startups have challenged lithium polymer, but they all failed.”

“We were just lucky. Moreover, it’s still difficult to say we’ve succeeded. Small-scale production is possible, but we have a long way to go for large-scale mass production.”

Lithium polymer was a technology that absolutely had to be developed.

Existing lithium-ion batteries had limitations, and lithium polymer would inevitably be needed for next-generation portable electronic devices requiring ultra-slim and ultra-lightweight designs.

“I’ll help with mass production.”

“That’s not easy. Even slight misalignment of electrodes causes expansion. And the defect rate is too high, and we haven’t solved stability issues yet.”

“I think it’s ultimately a precision problem. We just need to adopt ultra-precision mass production methods instead of existing battery mass production approaches.”

Dr. Robin Zheng nodded as well.

He already felt that mass production wasn’t possible with existing methods.

“It sounds easy, but introducing such processes is never simple.”

“Tiger Fund is already running several businesses that have introduced such processes. Most notably, we introduced ultra-precision processes at Daehyeon Semiconductor, and at Nexcon, which does OEM production for iPods, we’ve introduced various automation equipment to greatly increase precision.”

I showed him factory photos.

Not only the semiconductor factory, but Nexcon’s factory was also quite different from existing factories.

Since human hands inevitably create errors, we were introducing as much automation equipment as possible to increase process precision.

“Can you make ATL’s factory like this too?”

“It’s possible. And we also plan to acquire existing battery companies to improve their technology as well.”

“Which existing battery company are you referring to?”

“I can’t give details, but we plan to acquire a Korean battery company.”

Though it couldn’t compare to Japan or the United States.

Korea’s battery technology was also very excellent on a global scale.

So when I mentioned acquiring a Korean battery company, Dr. Robin Zheng smiled.

“If you do that, we could greatly accelerate lithium polymer mass production.”

“For that, we must move ATL’s research institute and R&D center to Korea.”

“Is that really necessary? Building a research institute and center takes a lot of time. Wouldn’t it be better to move the acquired Korean company to Hong Kong instead?”

Dr. Robin Zheng wasn’t easily swayed.

Asking him to leave his existing base and come to Korea was an unreasonable request.

To bring him to Korea, I needed a solid card, and what mattered most to a technician was ultimately support.

“We plan to invest $100 million in lithium polymer development. And long-term, we plan to invest over $1 billion.”

“Really?”

“I believe this level of investment is necessary to overtake large corporations and become number one in the world. And there’s no need to build new research institutes and R&D centers. We can use the buildings of the Korean company we’ll acquire soon.”

Dr. Robin Zheng’s expression changed.

Using existing buildings meant research could begin immediately.

And with massive development funding of $100 million, the timing for large-scale mass production could be moved up significantly.

“I’d like to gain a bit more confidence. Could you tell me which Korean company you plan to acquire?”

“Please don’t spread rumors. We plan to acquire GL Electronics’ battery division.”

“You mean Korea’s GL Electronics? They make phones and electronic products, so isn’t the battery division essential? Would GL sell their battery division?”

To move Dr. Robin Zheng’s heart, I revealed one secret.

The Korean battery company I was targeting was precisely GL Electronics’ battery division.

“We’re creating a situation where they’ll have no choice but to sell. The acquisition will be possible within next year at the latest.”

“Good. If you acquire GL Electronics’ battery division, I’ll move everything from ATL’s research institute to factory to Korea.”

“I’m convinced that the battery business is the food of the future. Mobile phones especially are evolving rapidly. Just by dominating that market, ATL can emerge as a global company.”

Now it was time to show the vision.

I gave Dr. Robin Zheng a glimpse of what I was drawing.

“I think so too, but ultimately it’s a matter of timing, isn’t it?”

“We can determine that timing. So don’t worry about money and just focus on technology development. I’ll take responsibility for handling everything else.”

“Having Tiger Fund take responsibility makes me feel very secure. I’ll make proper use of Tiger Fund’s capital.”

Money spent on development wasn’t wasteful at all.

If we could dominate the market, we could extract thousands of times more than the development costs.

“There’s still time until we acquire GL’s battery division. You can prepare for the move at your leisure.”

“The researchers also need time to organize, so relocation within this year seems difficult. But I’ll bring everyone to Korea without exception.”

“First, I’ll provide initial development funding so you can continue research in Hong Kong. I’ll deposit it in your account before you return.”

“This is nice about working under a Wall Street fund. You don’t know how much I suffered because of money until now.”

Now money worries were over.

There would be no more being held back by funding, and that time and energy could be devoted entirely to technology development.

***

Dr. Robin Zheng stayed in Korea two days longer than originally planned.

Only after personally touring Daehyeon Semiconductor Factory, Nexcon Factory, Nexfin, and even Rollbook did he seem reassured and return to Hong Kong.

I personally saw him off at the airport before returning to the fund office.

It was to check on the credit card company short selling that was being prepared step by step.

“Is securing short selling volume going well?”

“With headquarters’ help, we’re slowly securing volume through Wall Street prime brokers.”

“The CDS design is almost finished too, right?”

“We consulted with headquarters experts and designed it perfectly. Any Wall Street IB (investment bank) will have no choice but to accept it.”

Investment banks’ biggest revenue source was the commission business.

When we asked them to create derivatives in the structure we wanted, they would even handle the design for us.

But since we had already designed the product ourselves, there was no reason for them to refuse.

And since short selling was also conducted through them, they couldn’t refuse for customer retention purposes.

“Credit card companies will start collapsing before the World Cup begins.”

“We’ll complete short selling volume and CDS contracts by then.”

I could determine the timing.

I considered postponing it until after the World Cup, a national festival, but decided it would be better to cleanly resolve all problems beforehand.

“We should prepare preliminary work too. Prepare materials to release to media outlets. And I should have dinner with the Financial Services Commission Chairman.”

“When should we arrange the meeting with the Chairman?”

“I’d like to have my first meal of the new year with the Chairman.”

“I’ll try to set up the appointment. And I’ll also prepare materials to send to international credit rating agencies.”

“After all, it’s more convenient for us to proceed if overseas parties take the lead first. Please discuss with headquarters and utilize foreign media lines as much as possible.”

This was why I could determine the timing of the credit card company insolvency crisis.

Because we could mobilize the media, Financial Services Commission, and even foreign press all at once.

We couldn’t create incidents out of nothing, but uncovering hidden problems wasn’t difficult at all.

***

Only one day remained in 2001.

Since Tiger Fund Korea Branch owned many companies, I had to be dragged around to year-end parties throughout the end of the year.

And only on the last day of 2001 did I have time to spend with family, with Younger Brother finally coming out of the dormitory after a long time to rest at home.

“How long has it been since I’ve seen your face? Mom told me you’ve been drinking every day lately?”

“You think I drink because I want to? I get called out to these things.”

“I’m jealous. Since I’m on the 2nd Team, I can’t even attend company dinners properly.”

“It’s better to practice instead of drinking. How’s the team atmosphere these days?”

I casually asked about the baseball team’s atmosphere.

Younger Brother didn’t know, but the baseball team was under Tiger Fund.

I was practically in a position where I could wield full authority over the baseball team.

“What would I know as someone on the 2nd Team? There was a lot of worry early this year, but they say a Foreign Fund is providing generous support. They even say the operating funds increased more than when we were under Daehyeon Group.”

“With that much support, the results should follow.”

“It’s a shame the atmosphere was chaotic early in the season so the games didn’t go well. If not for that, first place would have been possible.”

Daehyeon Baseball Team finished this season in third place.

As rumors spread that Daehyeon Group would cut support for the baseball team, several key players left as free agents.

As a result, the team strength weakened and they had no choice but to perform worse than last year.

“Will a championship be possible next year?”

“How would I know? I just hope I can play in the 1st Team at least once.”

“Next year will be even harder. There are rumors that Daehyeon Baseball Team is pouring money into free agents.”

“Really? Well, if I just work hard, an opportunity will come someday. Let’s stop talking about baseball and watch TV. Do we have to talk about baseball even at home?”

I felt sorry for Younger Brother.

But to strengthen the unity of the affiliate companies acquired from Daehyeon Group, a championship for Daehyeon Baseball Team was absolutely necessary.

And the most reliable way to increase championship probability was investment.

We had already finished preparing to make a larger investment than any other team.

Of course, next year baseball’s popularity would fade due to World Cup fever, but for internal unity, that level of investment was never a waste.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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