"Mr. Chen, generally speaking, to optimize a more usable mobile operating system based on the Android system, we need at least one system architect, 4-6 framework developers, 6-8 application developers, 2 driver developers, 2 UI designers, and 4-6 testing and security architects. That's roughly a 20-person R&D team."
Wang Teng took a deep breath, organized his thoughts, and explained slowly.
"How long will the development cycle take?" Chen Yansen asked again.
"Nine to twelve months," Wang Teng replied.
"Too slow. With sufficient funding and manpower, how many months can it be completed at the fastest?" Chen Yansen shook his head and continued to press.
"Three months, but the team would need to be expanded to about 60 people. After the product goes live, it will require repeated debugging and modifications." Wang Teng paused, then, after gathering his thoughts, gave a new estimate.
"Draft a staffing plan. Before you officially join, I'll have HR fill the positions for you," Chen Yansen said directly.
"Mr. Chen, are we still developing the FoxTao mobile app?" Wang Teng realized then that the other party's real purpose was still to build a phone.
"Develop the mobile operating system first, then the app. The current mobile devices and network environment aren't yet sufficient to support FoxTao's full transition to mobile," Chen Yansen said unhurriedly.
"Mr. Chen, I understand. I will start as soon as possible." Wang Teng made up his mind and took the initiative to speak.
"Our surrounding area is mostly rural. Colleagues recruited from outside usually either rent faculty apartments or houses across from the East Gate. You can consult Xu Dan about this and arrange a place in advance," Chen Yansen patted his shoulder and reminded him with a smile.
"Thank you, Mr. Chen." Wang Teng grinned, his expression showing more respect. After all, he had accepted the offer, and Chen Yansen would be his boss from now on.
"It's lunchtime. Would you like to try the food at the Xuyuan cafeteria?" Chen Yansen suggested with a light laugh.
"Then I'll be polite." Wang Teng readily agreed. If the boss was treating, even if it was just a boxed lunch, he had to keep him company.
Chen Yansen called out to Wang Zihao, and the three of them headed to the cafeteria together.
During the meal, Chen Yansen and Wang Teng naturally discussed OPPO, Xiaomi, and the development trends of the domestic mobile phone industry.
"Brother Sen, you're going to enter the mobile phone industry?" Wang Zihao asked in surprise after listening for a while.
"Still in the preparation stage. Making mobile phones isn't that simple. Keep that to yourself, don't talk about it in the project team," Chen Yansen said, looking at Wang Zihao.
Xiaomi's R&D team had over 100 people, plus technical experts like Lin Bin and Li Wanqiang. Even then, it took them more than four months to release the MIUI beta version. Although Wang Teng boasted a three-month timeline, Chen Yansen didn't have high hopes. He considered it a goal Wang Teng had set for himself—a preliminary version to gauge the effect.
"Awesome!" Wang Zihao gave a 'thumbs up' gesture.
After the meal, Wang Zihao took Wang Teng back to the startup park, first greeting Xu Dan, then helping him look at an apartment.
In Brother Hao's words, "We both have the surname Wang, so I definitely have to take care of you."
In reality, Wang Zihao knew that Chen Yansen had interviewed many external candidates but had specifically invited Wang Teng to lunch, showing how much he valued him. This Wang Teng was highly likely to be a key figure in FoxTao's future; it was best to build a good relationship early.
By the time Wang Zihao and Wang Teng had sorted the apartment, they were already so familiar they were practically arm in arm.
After finishing these tasks, Wang Teng said goodbye, preparing to return to Dongguan to process his resignation.
Apart from Xu Dan, no one else knew about Chen Yansen's actions. Using investors' money to support his own project sounded questionable, but conventional morality held little sway over Chen Yansen.
In the afternoon, Chen Yansen walked into Cao Dahua's office and immediately rented six startup rooms on the first floor.
"Are you really planning to make mobile phones?" Cao Dahua handed over the keys, a hint of hesitation flashing across his face. He didn't fully approve of Chen Yansen's decision.
"Of course! I've already hired over a dozen people; I estimate these rooms will be full by the end of the month." Chen Yansen took the keys, not in a hurry to leave, and plopped down, brewing himself a pot of fresh tea.
"Honestly, I'm a little worried about hiring so many people from outside the university," Cao Dahua said, pushing up his glasses with a troubled expression.
The six rooms downstairs could accommodate sixty or seventy workstations, plus the dozen or so externally recruited staff on the second floor. If anything went wrong, he'd be the first to take the blame.
"Can Lao Tang handle this?" Chen Yansen glanced at Cao Dahua, and seeing he wasn't joking, his heart sank. Getting the security department to issue access passes again probably wouldn't be so easy this time.
"Probably not," Cao Dahua concluded.
"Are we going to move them all off-campus?" Chen Yansen was somewhat annoyed. The rental costs for the startup park were almost zero; renting office space off-campus might be cheaper, but controlling and monitoring the R&D progress would be a major concern.
"I'll talk to the principal tomorrow and try my best to help you," Cao Dahua replied after thinking for a moment.
"Ha, if all else fails, I'll just move the project to the nearby science park," Chen Yansen said nonchalantly.
If he moved FoxTao away, how could Tang Qingshan utilize his university student startup credentials? The university student entrepreneurship competition in mid-March was still counting on Chen Yansen to hold things together.
"Haha, you've really got the principal by the short hairs." Cao Dahua laughed, looking smug. Anyway, if Tang Qingshan agreed to this and something went wrong, he wouldn't be the one to take all the blame.
"Next, we need to find a reliable purchasing director on the supply side. That's much harder than finding R&D personnel." Chen Yansen picked up his teacup, took a sip, and sighed softly.
In Chen Yansen's view, those in purchasing, once they had access to too many resources, it was hard not to be greedy; it was just a matter of how much.
"So capable, yet doesn't take kickbacks? Wouldn't that make him a saint?" Chen Yansen wasn't that unrealistic. As long as the job was done, a little extra on the side was acceptable. He couldn't claim to be spotless himself, so there was no need to demand sainthood from others.
"I do have some connections in this area," Cao Dahua said, picking up his cup with a smug look.
"Is he reliable?" Chen Yansen put down his teacup and quickly pressed for an answer.
"The purchasing vice president of Big Pineapple has been in the mobile phone industry for over ten years. He knows all the electronic component suppliers in the Southeast region inside and out..." Cao Dahua explained slowly.
Big Pineapple? Wasn't that a knock-off phone brand? Chen Yansen thought to himself, guessing that with their resources, they could only integrate low-end supply chains. What he wanted were top-quality chips, screens, cameras, motherboards, and batteries. If they only made knock-off phones, there was no need to waste manpower and resources developing a custom system.
"What do you mean, kid? You don't like it? Then figure it out yourself," Cao Dahua said, turning away without another word after seeing Chen Yansen's disdainful expression.
"I can definitely trust anyone recommended by Teacher Cao. Give me their contact information, and I'll have Xu Dan talk to them first," Chen Yansen said with a smile.
"That's more like it. Lao Zuo is honest and efficient," Cao Dahua commented seriously.
"How do you know people in the mobile phone industry when you're in the internet circle?" Chen Yansen asked curiously, looking puzzled.
"We're all working in Shenzhen, and we're from the same hometown. It's normal to meet in the Chamber of Commerce," Cao Dahua explained matter-of-factly, spreading his hands.
"You're really wasting your talents staying at Xucheng Academy. Why don't you come to FoxTao and I'll get you a vice president position?" Chen Yansen joked.
"Don't be silly! You took my joke seriously last time? I wouldn't even trade half of FoxTao's shares for my cushy job here," Cao Dahua chuckled, casually boasting.
"Alright, I'm leaving then. I think your tea is pretty good. Can I borrow it for a couple of days?" After saying that, Chen Yansen picked up the tea and walked out without waiting for Cao Dahua's agreement.
"You bastard! I just bought some new tea, and you're taking it all with you!" Cao Dahua cursed angrily at Chen Yansen's retreating figure.
Chen Yansen seemed not to hear him, his pace quickening noticeably as he disappeared in a flash.
Back in room 206, Chen Yansen tossed the phone number of the person Cao Dahua had introduced to Xu Dan, instructing her to contact him first and probe his terms for switching jobs. While developing the system, the supply chain integration work couldn't stop. As for whether to build their own factory or outsource production, that would have to wait until they had sufficient funds.
Chen Yansen opened the data backend; it was only 4:30 PM, and the day's total active users had already reached 1.8 million, seemingly poised to hit 2 million by the end of the month. FoxTao's development couldn't be rushed; its current growth rate far exceeded Chen Yansen's expectations.
As long as they proceeded steadily, preventing Mogujie, Meilishuo, and Taofenba from rising to prominence, and firmly grasping the four major sectors of Super Cashback, 9.9 Yuan, Search, and Mall Rebates, FoxTao could firmly hold the top spot in the shopping guide e-commerce market. By then, whether it was a complete sale or financing negotiations, the selling price or valuation could be maximized.
Before leaving work, Chen Yansen glanced at Song Yuncheng, who was still revising a plan with her head down. He smiled faintly and walked downstairs. She had been incredibly motivated to make money lately, busy all day connecting with various B2C platform channels or communicating with brands to implement marketing plans. Judging by how hard she was working, she was probably determined to earn back the tens of thousands she spent in Beijing.
Just as Chen Yansen left the startup park, Zhang Yifeng called. The matter was simple: merchant resources from Recruiter A's efforts had fallen out of the CRM database and been picked up by Recruiter B. Now, when merchants tried to sign up for brand promotions with A, they discovered the registration rights were in B's hands. A asked B for the merchants back, but B refused. If it weren't for him and Yuan Wei stepping in, the two almost came to blows.
"The troublemaker will have their commission reduced by 1% this month. If it happens again, they'll be fired," Chen Yansen said decisively after hearing the news. These merchants, having made a quick profit in two months, had become arrogant and didn't even follow the 'drop from database' rule. If not strictly dealt with, who knew what kind of trouble they'd cause.
According to regulations, the registration authority for merchants initially entered into the CRM database belonged to the original recruiter. If they didn't register for brand promotion activities within 21 days, they'd be removed from the CRM database and become public resources, which anyone could claim. Therefore, these troublemaking merchants didn't even have a valid argument.
"Okay, Brother Sen, I'll handle it properly," Zhang Yifeng assured him.
Chen Yansen hummed in agreement and continued walking towards the cafeteria. Just as he reached the fork in the road, he saw Song Yang leading a long-haired girl towards the east gate.
"This kid, he's really dating a senior?" Chen Yansen smiled and muttered softly.