In Hu Zhengming's view, being invited by Bill Gates is a rarer thing than earning $4 million from starting a business in just half a year.
This is the era when Microsoft and Bill Gates are at their peak.
Hu Zhengming could also earn four million US dollars, although not in a short period of time, but he could not get the opportunity to meet Bill Gates alone.
He confirmed again: "Is it a private meeting?"
"Yes, Bill Gates's secretary has sent me an email, including the time and place, and the fact that it's just the two of us.
I figured there would be some security around. "
"Would it be inappropriate for me to go?" Hu Zhengming asked.
Although Bill Gates has not invested in semiconductor-related companies yet, it does not mean that meeting Bill Gates is meaningless.
The other party's casual connections can bring great help to Hu Zhengming's company.
SiLiao Electronics, founded by Hu Zhengming two years ago, focuses on the EDA platform. Of course, EDA also has many subdivisions. The direction of SiLiao Electronics is: intensive modeling and fast full-chip circuit simulation.
Later, Cadence would fully acquire Silius Electronics because of Silius Electronics' leading position in this field, which can help Cadence narrow the gap between nanotechnology and IC performance.
The acquisition happened in 2003, but now, Hu Zhengming still has the ambition to do something big.
He has been traveling between academia and industry in order to find a better development space for Thinkless Electronics.
In the field of EDA, the first-mover advantage is too obvious.
If latecomers want to make breakthroughs, they must either spend money or have unique technical advantages in a certain niche.
Siwei Electronics is taking the second path, and it's going pretty well. At this time, it's time to spend money.
The bottleneck period of the second path is very short.
Hu Zhengming hopes to get to know some powerful investors through Bill Gates.
Zhou Xin: “I can send an email and ask the other party’s secretary.
See if the other person minds. "
Hu Zhengming thought for a moment and said: "This time you will go alone.
This should be your first meeting with Mr. Gates.
You also interned at Microsoft before.
Big men don't act without reason. Although I don’t know much about the Internet industry, I guess there must be something valuable that the other party is interested in.
There will be many opportunities in a person's life, but there are only a few critical opportunities. You should perform well.
If you can catch up with Microsoft, you can save many years of time.
It’s better not to waste the opportunity to make demands on me when you meet someone for the first time. "
Zhou Xin wanted to say something else, but Hu Zhengming waved his hand: "I know what you mean.
Although I brought you to Berkeley
Since you didn’t come to work in the laboratory, and you spent most of this time working in foreign trade
In fact, I don’t know you very well.
But based on my rough understanding, you will definitely not feel anxious because of this kind of thing, and you need someone to help you check it.
The reason why you want to take me there is because you want me to have a more intuitive feeling about your current strength.
It will also make it easier to reach some conditions with me in the future.
You still want to get a PhD at Berkeley, right? "Hu Zhengming asked.
Zhou Xin felt helpless. Lao Hu's sense of smell twenty years ago was even sharper than twenty years later.
He could almost read his thoughts at a glance.
This reminded Zhou Xin that he wanted to work at ZTE after graduating from his Ph.D., but Hu Zhengming directly said that it was like taking a chestnut out of the fire.
He smiled and said: "Professor, I don't want to put any conditions. I will definitely complete relevant research results in accordance with Berkeley's doctoral graduation requirements.
You will not be allowed to violate your professional ethics. "
Hu Zhengming added: "It's just that you can't stay in the laboratory and work every day like ordinary doctoral students."
Zhou Xin nodded and said: "I guarantee that the paper I publish and the results I produce when I graduate will meet the relevant requirements.
In terms of time, they really cannot treat this as their only job like other doctors. "
Hu Zhengming asked: "What if it is not achieved?"
Zhou Xin: "I will not choose to delay graduation until I reach the goal. I will focus most of my energy on my studies when I am relatively free."
Hu Zhengming was still a little confused: "Since you have achieved certain success in your career.
Even if you graduate with a PhD, it is almost impossible to earn five million US dollars in just half a year.
Why do you still insist on getting this PhD degree?
Since you hope not to stay in the laboratory but guarantee that you will produce research results that meet graduation requirements, it means that you are a results-oriented person.
If you are committed to academics, earning five million US dollars will be enough for you to have enough food and clothing for a long time in the future, and you can focus most of your energy on your studies.
If you are committed to achieving business success and want to start a great company, then you should drop out of school directly. A PhD in the field of integrated circuits will not be of much help to you in starting a business in the Internet field.
I don't quite understand what you want to do in the future? "
"Making money is just a means, not an end. I still hope to return to China to start a business in integrated circuits.
Professor, you have been to China many times, and you should have talked with experts and practitioners in the field of integrated circuits in China.
In the current environment, China does not have an entrepreneurial environment and financial support in the field of integrated circuits.
I need to have enough funds on my own to be able to support my return to China to start a business.
So now the Internet field is where all Wall Street capital is pouring in, and it is also the easiest place to obtain wealth. I need to rely on this to complete the primitive accumulation of capital.
When I return to China, my identity determines that if I earn this money in China, there will be certain security risks.
In Amerikan, my status as a Doctor of Berkeley can provide me with sufficient shelter.
So I ultimately hope to return to China to start a business in the field of integrated circuits. "
Zhou Xin is very honest, because not only him, but countless Chinese scientists and technical experts in later generations have contributed to the development of China's semiconductor field.
In this era, Amerikan did not realize that semiconductors could be weapons, and they were eager to sell semiconductor products to China.
This is self-confidence. The Amerikan behind is a sign of lack of confidence.
But it is true that I no longer had the capital to be confident at that time.
Hu Zhengming nodded silently after listening. He understood China's integrated circuit industry environment very well. It can be said that only the government wants to support the integrated circuit industry.
From private capital to state-owned capital, no one is optimistic about this area.
The gap is too big. If you go back to start a semiconductor business, you won't make any money at all.
Now I don’t even have policy support when I go back.
China did not issue specific documents to support the development of semiconductors until June 2000.
The driving force for development at this stage depends entirely on policy input.
