Sun Lian Guo quickly asked, "Is it about layoffs?"
Sun Lian Cheng said, "That's right! If you really do this, there will be a lot of problems. Public opinion will be rampant, and you won't be able to bear the consequences!"
“But I think this is the direction of future development! We have relatively mature artificial intelligence, controlling those assembly lines is like playing a game. Isn’t that better than managing so many employees?”
“Sigh, that's true, but you have to consider the impact. If you lay people off, what can they do? Can society accommodate so many people? It's not just a matter of employment, there are also merchants and vendors who depend on these jobs. The issues are complex, and you shouldn't be the first to jump in, lest Secretary Zhou can’t even clean up the mess for you!”
Sun Lian Guo slumped back in his chair and said angrily, "I just don't understand. Why can't I use my advanced technology?"
Sun Lian Cheng said, "Why can't you use it? Artificial intelligence can be used on the internet, in software development, and in life services. Oh, right, you can also use it in enterprise quality management and some production management, financial management, etc. Artificial intelligence should be more reliable than humans!”
“Do you need to tell me that? We've already invested in it, we just haven’t publicized it."
“So that’s it? Big brother, your Feiyang Group has a scale of hundreds of billions now, right? Why are you so eager to expand?”
Sun Lian Guo said in a very depressed tone, "Second brother, you've been so carefree for so long, you don't know how fierce the competition is out there. If I don't think of ways to improve, Feiyang Group might not even survive next year!”
“So this is your reason for bringing my son into the company?”
Sun Lian Guo defended, “This is not my fault, my nephew is naturally suited for our family’s company! You should know how smart he is, and he’s also a strong researcher. But if he goes to other companies, when will he rise to the top? It’s different with our company. You can directly make him responsible for the research and development department!”
Sun Lian Cheng shook his head but didn’t refute him.
Feiyang Group is now a big and powerful company. Aside from its public industries, it also holds 8% of Penguin’s shares and varying shares of other internet giants, ranging from 3% to 15%.
But it doesn’t directly control any of these companies, and there aren’t many companies where it is the major shareholder.
The companies whose share ownership reaches the level of a major shareholder are mostly small and medium-sized enterprises, especially those in the fields of materials, biotechnology, mechanical technology research and development, etc. They are mostly controlled by Feiyang Group.
Of course, Feiyang Group doesn’t exploit them for nothing. It invests funds and uses artificial intelligence to help solve many research and development and technical problems, promoting their development and growth.
But Feiyang Group has not yet gone public, so it remains a privately held company belonging to the Sun family.
It doesn't need to publish its financial statements every year, and it's not easy for others to know its specific situation.
Based on its surface industries, its estimated value is about a trillion yuan.
However, its actual total assets are already more than that. If it were to go public, it would likely push to a trillion-dollar market value.
Even so, Sun Lian Guo still ranks among the top 20 on the "Killing Pig" list.
However, because it's difficult to value, he can't reach the top.
Moreover, the shares of Feiyang Group have been repeatedly divided several times. Now, they are mainly held by Sun Lian Guo, Sun Lian Xiang, and his elder brother's children.
His elder brother, Sun Lian Guo, directly controls 90% of the shares, making him the majority shareholder!
He wanted to give some shares to Sun Lian Cheng and his nephew, Sun Shang Ping, but unfortunately, Sun Lian Cheng's position was awkward, and he couldn't accept these shares.
Besides, he already had a lot of assets and didn't necessarily need shares in Feiyang Group.
Over the years, he has bought shares in foreign companies and invested in other areas, accumulating a total of over 800 million US dollars.
This is because Sun Lian Cheng was not bold enough, and did not intervene in previous financial crises and other events in time, mainly holding shares of various companies.
Sun Lian Guo probably knew this, so he didn't keep trying to persuade Sun Lian Cheng to hold shares in Feiyang Group.
However, ever since Sun Shang Ping appeared, he has been trying to get him to join Feiyang Group.
Firstly, the highest control permission for artificial intelligence is in Sun Lian Cheng's hands, and he couldn’t completely ignore his relationship with him.
Secondly, Sun Shang Ping has already shown his exceptional talent. He is only 18 years old and is about to graduate with a master's degree!
Sun Lian Guo’s own son is relatively mediocre. He's considered a talented individual among ordinary people, but compared to Sun Shang Ping, he falls far behind.
Sun Shang Ping is not just a bookworm, he's also smooth in dealing with people. His cousins might not be able to outsmart him.
Although there may not be any equity disputes in the foreseeable future for Feiyang Group, Sun Lian Guo wanted to tie Sun Lian Cheng and his family together.
Sun Lian Cheng also guessed his intentions. He initially wanted to refuse, but then he thought, what if he is removed from his position? It wouldn’t affect his son’s business then, would it?
Sun Lian Guo was right about one thing: it was more suitable for Sun Shang Ping to do research at their own company. There wouldn't be so many unnecessary hassles.
Therefore, Sun Lian Cheng didn't explicitly oppose it, and simply let his son Sun Shang Ping decide for himself.
After all, he is 18 years old now!
However, today, his elder brother, Sun Lian Guo, came mainly to discuss the company's development direction. Sun Lian Cheng could only stop him.
“Brother, don’t rush into artificial intelligence and automation. It's okay to take it slow. We already have a huge advantage. We don’t need to rush on other things.”
Sun Lian Guo sighed and said, “Okay, I was already ready to launch the AI-powered ride-hailing service. Since you said so, I’ll postpone it.”
Sun Lian Cheng advised, “Don’t only focus on cities! Our artificial intelligence is so powerful, we can develop some small machines for use in rural agriculture and some high-intensity work, partially replacing some labor-intensive tasks. But don’t directly replace them. Give them a buffer time.”
“Yes, this is already arranged. Didn’t we already have drones for spraying pesticides a few years ago? Now there are more designs, they just haven’t fully matured, and the feedback is not quite there yet.”
“Alright, just remember this.”
Sun Lian Guo secretly asked, “Second brother, I heard that Zhao Li Chun is getting promoted?”
Sun Lian Cheng shook his head and said, “I don't know. Don't pry into it, just do your own thing! Are you thinking of going back to Han Dong to invest?”
“Forget it, I have PTSD. I'm really scared!”
“Hahaha…”