Tech giants start by disassembling systems

Chapter 59 Silence

Zhou Ming sent Lu Weimin's article and Weibo post to Su Chen's phone.

Su Chen didn't say anything after reading it.

Zhang Lei glanced at the screen and his expression changed.

"A pancake stall? He said we're a pancake stall?"

Su Chen did not respond.

Meng Xiaoyi saw it too. Her face looked even uglier than Zhang Lei's.

"Mr. Su, should we respond? This person's words are too much. Our ground sales team is already asking me, 'What does Mr. Su think?' If we don't respond, some people will think we're 'guilty'."

Su Chen thought for a moment.

No response.

Zhang Lei and Meng Xiaosui both looked at him at the same time.

"Our customers don't follow Weibo. They care about how steadily the machine flies. Responding to a 'pancake display' comment won't make us sell an extra machine. But not responding—our F3 will speak for us."

Su Chen stood up.

"Meng Xiaoxi, tell the field sales team three things. First, don't mention Tianying in front of customers. Second, don't post any responses on WeChat Moments. Third, next month's field sales bonus will be double the number of units sold for F3."

Meng Xiaochu understood.

"Double?"

"Yes. Focus your energy on selling machines. Sales volume is the best response."

Meng Xiaosui nodded. She knew Su Chen's style: no complaining, no arguing, just getting things done.

Zhang Lei was still somewhat unwilling.

"President Su, he said we're like pancake vendors—our flight controllers are written line by line of code. They're written by twelve of us working over ten hours a day. His flight controllers were bought; what right does he have to criticize us?"

Su Chen glanced at Zhang Lei.

"Zhang Lei, remember one thing. Our flight controller doesn't need others to prove its quality. Whether it's good or not, customers will know once they use it. So don't waste your energy responding to a Weibo post—focus your energy on the next firmware version of the F3."

Zhang Lei didn't say anything more. But Su Chen could see that his jawline was taut—he was suppressing his anger through his work.

Su Chen felt that this was the right way.

For the next week, Su Chen did not issue any statements, give any interviews, or post anything on any social media.

It was as if the turmoil outside had nothing to do with him.

What is he doing?

During the day, I handle routine tasks—F3 production and shipping, connecting with new customers for the agricultural protection SDK, receiving operational feedback from Toyota channels, and exchanging emails with Southeast Asian customers.

In the evening, he went to the virtual disassembly lab to continue researching flight control requirements for industrial inspection scenarios. The framework for the RTK fusion algorithm has been successfully implemented, and now he is studying the basic principles of visual obstacle avoidance—the most challenging of the three new technology requirements.

This is how Su Chen responded.

Not words. But actions.

In early November.

Lu Weimin sat in Tianying's conference room, looking at the data report on the table, his expression not very good.

The Falcon Industrial Edition has been released for two months. The GG link fee has exceeded three million.

But the sales figures in the county town market made him frown more and more.

The Falcon Industrial Edition has achieved a cumulative sales volume of 2,400 units in two months.

F3's cumulative sales during the same period: 7,100 units.

The difference is almost three times.

And the trend is even more alarming—monthly sales of the Falcon Industrial Edition are declining, while monthly sales of the F3 are rising.

Lu Weimin closed the report.

"Where is the problem?"

Sitting opposite me was Wu Yu, the vice president of Tianying.

Wu Qun hesitated for a moment.

"Mr. Lu, the feedback from the Ministry of Commerce is as follows—after trying out the Falcon Industrial Edition and the F3, most small business owners in the county chose the F3. The reason is simple—the difference in flight control quality is too obvious. Our engineers claimed it was 'super durable,' but after flying it a few times, customers found that our aircraft shook violently in strong winds, while the F3 remained very stable. Our aircraft slowed down in high temperatures, while the F3 was almost unaffected."

"Simply put, our hardware is indeed more durable, but the flight control system can't keep up. Customers aren't buying the shell—they're buying flight quality."

Lu Weimin's facial muscles twitched slightly.

"Can our flight controller be replaced?"

"Mr. Lu, we're using a generic solution, which is already the best available on the market. If we want a better flight control system, we either need to develop it ourselves—that would take at least two years and a professional team—or buy a flight control system from Hongyuan—but they won't sell it to us."

Lu Weimin remained silent.

The room was silent for about ten seconds.

Then he slowly began to speak.

"We can't let Hongyuan continue like this. If its flight control advantage continues to expand, we'll be completely marginalized in the county-level market."

Wu Qun asked, "What do you mean?"

"Two things. First, increase investment in GG in the county seat. Use marketing volume to pressure them. Second—"

He paused.

"The one who chose Hongyuan."

Wu Qun's eyes twitched slightly.

"Who should we choose?"

"Zhang Lei. Or any of the core engineers in his team. We don't need them all—just one. As long as we get someone who understands Hongyuan's flight control architecture, we can build our own flight control team within a year."

Wu Qun thought for a moment.

"President Lu, Hongyuan just issued stock options last month. Zhang Lei received the largest share. Choosing him wasn't easy."

"Nothing is difficult. It's just that the price isn't right. Offer triple wages. If that's not enough, quadruple them. Plus our stock options."

Wu Qun didn't argue further. He knew Lu Weimin's character—once he made up his mind, he wouldn't turn back.

"Understood. I'll arrange it this week."

Lu Weimin nodded.

But before Wu Qun walked out the door, Lu Weimin added:

"There's one more thing. Our previous patent litigation attempt was dismissed in the first instance. But that doesn't mean we can't try again. Have the legal department re-examine Hongyuan's patent strategy and see if there are any new angles."

"clear."

After Wu Qun left, Lu Weimin sat alone for a long time.

He was thinking about a problem.

Six months ago, his strategy was a price war—1999 yuan. It failed.

Three months ago, his strategy was a positioning war—the Falcon Industrial Edition, "super durable." It failed again.

Now he's switching to a third strategy—selecting the right people, increasing marketing efforts, and restarting the patent war.

But a voice inside him told him—these strategies are all peripheral. The real problem lies in flight control. And flight control isn't something that can be solved by just one person.

But Lu Weimin had no better solution.

He has no choice but to gamble.

But Su Chen—where Lu Weimin couldn't see—wasn't worried at all.

Because he knew that this was all Tianying could do. And none of these—price wars, positioning wars, personnel selection, patent wars—could solve the core problem.

The core issue is flight control.

Flight control systems cannot be bought with marketing. They cannot be copied by picking one person. They cannot be eliminated by lawsuits.

It is the culmination of time, talent, and countless iterations.

Meanwhile, Su Chen was quietly creating distance.

Every day is unfolding.

During the day, I sell F3, maintain SDK clients, and expand channels.

In the evenings, I research the flight control requirements for industrial inspections in the virtual laboratory.

While Tianying was still using GG and picking people to deal with the situation, Su Chen was already preparing the weapons for the next war.

But in the next war—industrial inspection—Skyhawk didn't even have a ticket to participate.

Su Chen shut down the computer.

Tomorrow, the fourth batch of F3 shipments will be delivered to 42 distributors. Three new clients have signed contracts for the Plant Protection SDK. A client in Thailand, Southeast Asia, has sent a preliminary letter of intent for cooperation to Fang Xu.

Su Chen was unaware of Skyhawk's talent selection plan.

But even if he knew, he wouldn't worry.

Because Zhang Lei and his team's stock options have already taken effect. And the value of these options is increasing every day along with Hongyuan's growth.

Using three times the salary to choose someone with stock options?

Su Chen had anticipated this possibility long ago. Options were the moat he had built in advance.

It wasn't because he foresaw that Skyhawk would be selective about its employees—but because he knew that when a company's core asset is its talent, protecting its talent is protecting the company.

Su Chen turned off the lights.

There's still a lot to do tomorrow.

And every new move by Tianying—price wars, positioning wars, talent selection, patent wars—is proving the same thing:

It is becoming increasingly anxious.

An anxious opponent is the one most prone to making mistakes.