Chapter 178 The Interview
The interview started promptly at two o'clock.

The female reporter sitting across from So Yip-Hao was surnamed Song, and her name was Song Yuefei. She looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old and appeared quite shrewd and capable.

At this moment, the two of them were sitting in So Yip-Hao's office, while someone else was in charge of filming, recording the interview.

Reporter Song stared at So Yip-Hao and asked:

"Everyone knows that you are still very young. At the age when your peers are just graduating from college, you already possess a fortune of over twenty billion US dollars. This number is astonishing and even has the power to influence the entire world. What are your thoughts on this, and what are your next plans?"

"...Aren't I already doing it? Instant messaging software has changed people's lifestyles, and e-commerce, online games, and other internet products have enriched people's daily lives. To date, I've created job opportunities for tens of thousands of people, and indirectly influenced even more. All of this is quite meaningful."

So Yip-Hao said calmly:

"I don't like people only focusing on my money. It's just a number. In reality, I was born into a wealthy family and have never been that interested in it."

"My dream is to drive social progress, create convenient, efficient, and intelligent products, and provide innovative services for all of humanity. Things like the Huangzuan computer and the Heizuan mobile phone are products of the information age, and they will continue to become more common in the future. My success today is due to keeping up with the trend of technological innovation."

"This is just the beginning. Even if I become a top-ranked billionaire, my funds are actually never enough. In fact, some epoch-making products have already been born in my laboratory..."

As soon as So Yip-Hao said this, it immediately caught the attention of Reporter Song Yuefei.

She immediately abandoned her original questions and tentatively asked, "Oh? Can you reveal some specific details in advance and tell everyone?"

So Yip-Hao reached into his pants pocket, took out a small gadget in a plastic box, and said:

"This is a chip led and developed by my team, produced using new technology. We successfully trial-produced a 90-nanometer chip using a 132-nanometer lithography machine. It is more advanced and efficient, enough to allow personal computers and other high-tech products to take another big step forward, truly achieving global leadership."

Song Yuefei was a little dazed. This was touching on her area of ignorance. After a few seconds of pause, she asked, "I remember that the best computer chips are currently produced by Intel in the United States, right?"

"It's not the same concept. My team has created a lithography machine that can produce higher-end chips, and it can affect a massive market worth trillions of dollars. Let's put it this way, when the new lithography machine hits the market, if Intel doesn't purchase my company's machines, or if I don't help them with the OEM, then their products will fall behind, and their market share will be taken away by other companies."

So Yip-Hao also decided to release this news on a whim.

AsmL's stock price soared by 6.3% yesterday. The outside world has already received rumors that the lithography machine technology has once again made a breakthrough, and now they are just waiting for the news to be confirmed.

There was no point in continuing to hide it; the necessary arrangements had already been made in the past two days.

Rather than waiting for the news to be dug up by other newspapers, it would be better to take the opportunity to actively advertise, promoting AsmL, Qianxin International, Hong Kong Microelectronics, and other companies, and strive to secure a new batch of orders before the holidays.

Reporter Song Yuefei didn't understand lithography machines.

But when she heard that the breakthrough in this technology could affect a massive market worth trillions of dollars, and could control international technology giants like Intel, she immediately showed a surprised expression, realizing that her article would likely have a sensational effect.

Having been trained, she wouldn't lose her composure during the interview. She continued to ask, "Then doesn't that also mean that it will be beneficial to the development of the mainland's semiconductor industry?"

So Yip-Hao thought to himself that this girl really didn't know what she was talking about, and only replied:

"Yes, but I am only responsible for production and OEM. There are still big gaps in other areas. The expansion plans of Qianxin International in Pengcheng and Hong Kong Microelectronics Group have already been put on the agenda. I invested more than ten billion Hong Kong dollars before and after to achieve this technological breakthrough, and future factory expansion expenses are likely to be as high as hundreds of billions of Hong Kong dollars."

If the expenses for financing and acquiring AsmL shares were included, the total cost would indeed be more than ten billion Hong Kong dollars.

The reason why he was vague was mainly to create the impression that he was not just rich, but had earned his money through his own ability.

Some ultra-rich people are scolded every day, while others are considered cool.

How to shape one's image is an art. So Yip-Hao learned a lot from Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and others in his previous life, such as focusing on developing products and setting ideals high.

Whether or not they are achieved is not important. As long as others think that someone is awesome, having a huge fortune will become more reasonable and easier to accept.

If possible, So Yip-Hao would also like to keep a low profile now, and it would be best if others could forget about him.

However, the reality is that his assets are already too large to hide, and he occasionally has to be high-profile in order to create a public shield as much as possible.

As for the behind-the-scenes, there are actually backup plans.

For example, the other day, Dr. Lin Baojian had just finished reporting on the smooth progress of research and development, when the information was accidentally leaked by an AsmL consultant at a party.

And those who happened to hear the news were all people with the ability to manage AsmL. Everyone knew what was going on and exchanged a few small favors in return.

Reporter Song Yuefei felt that this content alone was enough to make the headlines of the financial section, and thinking that it would be good to be able to put together another article, she continued to ask:

"As far as I know, you have a particularly wide variety of businesses, from liquor to real estate, to tourism and the internet. According to your evaluation, which company has the brightest prospects? Also, 2003 is coming soon. What do you think the economic performance will be like next year?"

"It's true that my investments are relatively diversified, and they are all the result of my careful selection. Of course, the internet business has the most promising prospects, but the others are not bad either."

So Yip-Hao lightly glossed over this topic, and he continued to say:

"The economy has been in recession in recent years and needs a process of accumulation. Short-term fluctuations are still relatively large. I think the high-tech industry will be the first to recover, and the mainland's real estate, foreign trade, manufacturing, finance, etc., will also usher in a new round of rapid growth cycle. This doesn't mean that it will definitely rise next year. I pay more attention to long-term value investment. There are still many uncertainties in the short term, but the general direction will definitely move upward."

Giving investment advice to others is purely thankless.

Even 5s Asset Management, which he personally oversees, will often encounter black swans and gray rhinos. At least he can earn some money by helping people make money at 5s Asset Management. Only someone with nothing better to do would invite scolding for nothing.

So So Yip-Hao answered ambiguously, quite perfunctorily...