Episode 191. Make it impossible.
The head of the IT production team answered with a realizing face.
“Ah… If the production of D phone 2 decreases, I think we can convince the assembler by saying that we can make up for it by increasing the production of D phone 1. We will start discussing line expansion right away.”
“Please do that. And the quality manager.”
“I heard that the durability of the D-Phone 2 is weak, so what happened? Isn’t the impact test tough enough?”
The quality team leader made a troubled expression.
“Of course, the pre-reliability test went well and the results weren’t bad… However, as our D-phone became so popular, we often did all kinds of experiments with our D-phone and posted it on the Internet to brag about it. When testing under harsh conditions such as dropping it from a height of 5 meters, it is bound to be damaged, but there are many consumers who misunderstand it by irritatingly editing it…”
I thought for a moment and then spoke.
“Even so, we cannot leave it like this. The quality team leader puts the explanatory material on the media and website of each country, and contact the netizens who uploaded the video to request that other smartphone products be evaluated under the same conditions. If you refuse, it is clear that there is malicious intent, so please respond proactively, even if there is a litigation process.”
“yes. We will proceed that way.”
“If there is a problem in the future, please report it to the vice president or me right away. A fire that could have been extinguished with a glass of water could burn a house if left unattended. The problem itself can be overlooked, but if it becomes a problem by hiding or neglecting it, it will never go away. Do you all understand what I mean?”
The officers responded with a firm face.
“yes. President!”
Even if I did, I gave up on it just in case.
They made small mistakes but never made any major mistakes, so I smiled at them.
“I said this, but I believe in you. Even if it’s a bit difficult right now, don’t lose your concentration and respond well until the D-Phone 2 settles in the market. The atmosphere is very good right now, so if you keep going like this, a reward that is not disappointing will be waiting for you.”
When I finished my words, anticipation rose on the faces of the executives.
They answered loudly.
“I will do my best!”
Kevin Wells was praised by the person in charge who developed the famous AI (artificial intelligence) Beta Go of Goggles.
I wondered what kind of person he was, but the release of D-Phone 2 and the time of the scout overlapped, so I couldn’t even see his face properly.
When I had some free time, I called him to the office.
A young black man with cow-like eyes opens the door and enters.
“Nice to meet you. Kevin. I am Kang Jae-woon, the president of Damoye.”
Kevin bowed his head with an extremely nervous expression on his face.
“hello? President. Kevin..”
He greeted me in poor Korean.
“haha. you speak Korean well. But you can do it in English. I’m comfortable with English too. Please sit this way.”
Kevin’s face brightened at those words.
Soon he spoke in English.
“Thank you for your consideration. Mr. Kang.”
“How about coming to Korea?”
Kevin put on an expression of supreme satisfaction with my question.
“It’s so good to have security in place. Oh my God, no one has a gun… I don’t know how many times I’ve asked Mr. Lee because I can’t believe it. Besides, he helped me find a clean house, and took care of the school my brother Jessie will go to…Isn’t this a dream now, I look out the window every day I wake up…”
Perhaps he was moved by emotion, and as he finished speaking, Kevin’s voice trembled a bit.
I smiled at him like that.
“haha. Considering what Kevin will do for our company, this is nothing. Kevin deserves more than this. Now his first job, his salary starts at $50,000, but if he gives the results properly, his salary will increase several times.”
Kevin hesitated for a moment and then asked me.
“..I still wanted to ask, is the AI I’ve been working on commercially useful? I didn’t research this to sell it, I thought I would make a friend, so I’ve been working on it almost as a hobby.”
“AI that can judge and make decisions like a human has endless uses. Consider, for example, a car equipped with radar sensors that act as eyes, navigation that guides you to your destination, and an ECU that can control all kinds of power components. What do you think will happen if AI gets in here?”
Kevin pondered for a while, then exclaimed.
“Ah… he must be able to drive himself!”
“Right. Self-driving cars that only appear in sci-fi movies, good AI is essential to make them. It’s not just that. Imagine AI combined with a system that can remotely control electronics. You can act as a secretary who prepares and executes everything on your own with a single abstract command from the user. Let’s take a simple smartphone as an example. If you ask what’s good for today’s lunch menu, they can show you a recommended meal or show you the location of a good restaurant nearby.”
Kevin said excitedly to me.
“Five! You can do so many things with AI.”
“Of course, for such things to be possible, we need an AI that can judge and make decisions similar to humans, not AI that can barely answer a set question and answer.”
“Um…Mr. Kang, do you think that I, without a proper education, can create such an AI?”
“Absolutely. The AI that Kevin created alone in that poor environment was probably called Uni, right? When I showed the uni to other experts, everyone was amazed. It’s well over 10 years ahead of the current level of technology. When it comes to the growth of a genius, it doesn’t really matter if he or she acquires other people’s knowledge. Everything you need is within you. I can assure you that Kevin is a genius, so if you can’t trust him, trust me. I am sure that if Kevin continues his research with my full support, the results will be truly amazing.”
As I said this, I breathed a sigh of relief.
‘..It must have been around this time when Kevin suffered a head injury…If I had been a little late, I would have lost a precious AI developer…’
Kevin nodded with a look of relief at my words.
“If Mr. Kang, who made the D phone, saw it that way, then he would be right. thank you Thanks to this, I feel more confident and more motivated. I will do my best to create a good AI.”
#Mid November 2004.
Beijing, China.
Li Yang, head of the Ministry of Science and Technology under the State Council, the Chinese administration, was having a secret conversation with Wang Shuo, president of VOE, a local display company.
Wang Shuo handed Li Yang the box he had prepared and smiled.
“Boss. This is a gift that I brought to greet you. Please accept it.”
‘Kwansi (relationship)’ that makes things that shouldn’t happen and things that shouldn’t happen.
Wang Shuo worked hard for years to create a relationship with Li Yang, a powerful man who oversees policies related to science and technology in China.
In the end, it came to fruition and we were able to meet alone like this.
Li Yang also smiled and received the box.
“Whatever you have prepared for all these things… Anyway, it’s the King’s favor, so I’ll appreciate it.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just accept it with a light heart. By the way, how is the display support policy going to pass… soon?”
Liyang nodded her head.
“of course. An official announcement will be made by the State Council within a week. The only thing left for Mr. Wang to do is to run his business to his heart’s content.”
Wang Shuo clasped the hand that was next to his lap.
“..finally! Thank you very much. Boss.”
Li Yang grabbed the glass and smiled.
“haha. Wang’s sincerity reached the heavens. Congratulations, sir.”
It was a devotion that was too heavy to ascend to the sky.
Anyway, it seemed to have worked.
Wang Shuo was very happy and held up a bottle of wine.
“Have a drink. Boss. It’s a really nice day, so I’ll take care of it!”
Li-yang answered with a satisfied expression as if she liked the words.
“Okay. Let’s enjoy it properly once in a while! haha.”
And after 1 week.
A huge subsidy policy for the purpose of promoting the LCD display industry in the country was officially put into effect through the State Council.
#Early January 2005.
As the year passed, RG Display, which was under legal management, was eventually sold to Chinese display company VOE.
In my previous life, I bought my TM display and based on that, the company that later rose to the No. 1 share in the global LCD market was VOE.
It was also a company that became famous due to the scandal that only the technology was taken out and the acquisition company was abandoned.
In China, not only VOE but also other LCD panel makers such as ESOT are growing for a long time.
If these companies are big enough, it is clear that the LCD chicken game will only be expendable, so I was reconsidering the timing to start the LCD war before that happened.
TM Display headquarters meeting room.
I was speaking alone with President Kim Chan-myung.
“Chief Kim. How long do you think it will take to complete the OLED line?”
“The building has already been completed, and all utilities related to air conditioning have been brought in. However, it seems that it will take another month for all OLED facilities to come in.”
“It’s a month.. Considering the setup of the equipment, it will take about two more months until it starts operating in earnest.”
“How about operating the 10th generation line?”
“Since the original plate is so large, we started operating it in June of last year, but the process conditions were not properly established until the beginning of last month. We are mainly producing large panels over 70 inches, but there is no competitor, so the profit is very good.”
“How much do you think the operating profit will be last year?”
At my words, President Kim put on a sad expression on his face.
“If the 10th generation line process had been caught quickly, it could have exceeded 20 trillion, but it is very disappointing. The tentative calculation results are expected to be around 18 trillion.”
“This is a new record in the 18-illuminance display industry. That’s good enough.”
At my words, President Kim shook his head.
“no. Didn’t the president tell you to remain a hungry wolf rather than a full lion? This year, we will definitely reach the 25 trillion mark.”
“…do you still remember those words?”
“sure. It was such an impressive statement that I still write it on the front of my notebook and read it every day.”
“haha. It’s good that Mr. Kim thinks so. By the way, did you know that RG Display was sold to VOE, a Chinese company?”
“of course. As the chairman said, the Chinese government seems to have begun to properly subsidize the display industry in its own country.”
“So…the chicken game I was talking about at the time, that’s what I’m going to start with.”
