Chapter 1 A Slight Disturbance

Even though Su Yehao clearly perceived that something was off with the company's atmosphere, he didn't panic at all.

Knowing his own limitations, he continued his old trick...calling someone for help.

It was McKinsey & Company again.

Ever since he visited Medi Group earlier in the year and witnessed his father using consultants to complete the restructuring of a business unit involving thousands of people, Su Yehao's "management skills" had suddenly improved.

Tax issues were handed over to accounting firms, legal matters to law firms, information research and company reforms to consulting firms, and even overseas acquisitions and investments could be assisted by financial service providers like Goldman Sachs, coupled with a one-stop talent search service from headhunters. Everything was basically stable.

Su Yehao's personal management skills weren't particularly strong, but he had the power of money and was good at delegating and slacking off.

Unlike his usual approach of treating the symptom instead of the cause, this time he planned a major overhaul of iCQ to prevent employees from lacking a sense of respect and treating the company like a retirement home, as the office atmosphere had clearly soured.

Both the carrot and the stick were necessary.

When he sat in the meeting room and called in more than a dozen senior executives, Linda Yun sat beside him as an interpreter.

These iCQ "veterans" didn't take it seriously at first, but when Su Yehao came right to the point, he calmly told them:

"I've already contacted McKinsey, and there will be some big changes coming up, including transferring a group of people to European and Asian branches. We will also be re-evaluating employee levels. Some of you may be transferred, and the same goes for other employees."

Previously, iCQ mainly developed in the United States. With the increasing variety of social products, it made sense to segment functions for different regions.

Some people might like a change of work environment, but most people didn't want to be dispatched thousands of miles away. Hearing his words, many became restless.

A vice president of product development, wearing glasses, suddenly felt that his position was in danger. He had just bought a house near the company in Palo Alto and was in the middle of renovations, with no opportunity to live in it yet. The mortgage had only just begun. How could he want to be transferred? He decisively asked, "Transferring people from the company? Why not just hire new people?"

Su Yehao said matter-of-factly:

"Because the old employees understand our products and development philosophy better. The evaluation will begin soon, and key talents for headquarters will be given priority to stay. In addition, I plan to allocate no less than 5% of the shares as rewards for outstanding employees over the next year. This will start after the evaluation is completed, and you all have a chance."

The stick had just been wielded, and a carrot was immediately thrown out.

Equity incentives have always been the best way to stimulate employee enthusiasm. They not only boost enthusiasm but also give employees a greater sense of belonging, firmly tying talent to the chariot.

In any case, he planned to list iCQ in the future, and the number of shareholders needed to meet mandatory standards, so he would have to consider distributing some shares sooner or later.

Judging from the current situation of iCQ, this matter should be done sooner rather than later.

Hearing this, no one dwelled on the trouble of being transferred to a branch. Smiles appeared on their faces.

CEO Andrew knew that Su Yehao had met with COO Ryan as soon as he arrived. At that moment, Andrew assumed that Ryan knew something and gave him a questioning look.

COO Ryan understood and shrugged helplessly.

Several of the newly appointed executives had been excluded from decision-making by Su Yehao, which clearly showed his dissatisfaction with the company's current situation.

After figuring this out, CEO Andrew began to feel uneasy and started to reflect on whether he had been slacking off recently. The answer was yes.

Andrew was in his thirties and received $4.5 million in cash from the iCQ acquisition. He not only bought a new yacht, upgraded his house and car, but also frequently went to bars with friends at night. As a single man, no one cared, and he lived a carefree life.

People like him, who benefited from the acquisition, were now common at iCQ headquarters. At this moment, Andrew vaguely realized that the claim that old employees understood the company's products better was likely a way to make room for newcomers.

Coupled with employee grading and the introduction of an option incentive system, passivity and slackness would quickly lead to marginalization.

There was no choice. Su Yehao held the absolute controlling stake.

Other professional managers could find balance among the shareholders, but Andrew and the others could only follow Su Yehao's arrangements...

Meetings in English should be as short as possible.

After saying these two things, Su Yehao only asked the development department to release new products as soon as possible, and then let everyone go back to work.

CEO Andrew originally wanted to cozy up to Su Yehao, but a group of people surrounded him, asking questions and wanting to know the details of the equity incentive.

Andrew was embarrassed, as he had only just heard about it himself. He only replied that the specific arrangements still needed to be discussed and that results would be available after some time.

Although he was flustered, he didn't show it.

If others knew that he, the CEO, was being excluded by the major shareholder, his future work would be difficult...

Back in the office.

Su Yehao first took a sip of tea and mocked himself, "My terrible English, it's best if I don't hold meetings in the future. It's practically a public execution."

"It's fine. Although there are many grammatical errors, it's still understandable if you listen carefully." Linda Yun comforted him, took the cup to add hot water, and continued with a smile, "Being scared by you like this, they're probably worried about not getting shares and being transferred to other countries to work. They'll only listen to you obediently in the future."

With all the power in his own hands, Su Yehao shook his head and sighed:

"The work atmosphere in Silicon Valley is too relaxed. Coincidentally, there are some positions where it's best to fill them with some Japanese and Indians. As long as you give them enough benefits, they're more obedient."

After saying this, Su Yehao suddenly understood why there were so many Indian executives in Silicon Valley in later generations. They probably had the same idea, feeling that they were easier to control and didn't consider personal relationships.

Changing the subject.

Su Yehao asked Linda Yun, "After arranging the people from McKinsey & Company, I'll give you a few days off to go back to San Francisco to see old friends? Your parents and relatives are also in San Francisco, right?"

"...Okay, let's talk about it after your work is done. You have to arrange someone to clean the pool, and you have to go to TVT headquarters, right? There's a lot of work to do."

"With Lao Zhou's help, TVT shouldn't be a problem. Remember to tell the headhunters to give priority to recruiting Chinese, especially students from the mainland, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Singapore. If they want to stay in the United States, they can only work hard to keep their jobs. I feel like they'll be easier to manage."

Su Yehao opened his computer to check today's stock price trends. It was evening on the West Coast, and the East Coast had already closed.

Yahoo's stock price rose another 11%. The first-half financial report was out, and they made tens of millions of dollars again.

Seeing the beautiful curve, rising for several consecutive months, Su Yehao no longer regretted preparing to release 5% of iCQ's shares. Instead, he began to regret cutting off some of his option positions some time ago, missing out on earning two private planes...