Tech Giants: Starting from Bankrupt Companies

46: Chapter 46: A Single Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire, Setting Sail for the FutureThe dust had settled on Spark Technology’s 600 billion market value and the frenzy of internal equity incentives, but Su Chen’s pace did not falter in the slightest. He clearly recognized that his rapidly expanding business empire was like a giant ship constantly being loaded with new modules; without a solid keel and precise coordination mechanisms, it would eventually capsize in the storms of the future. In the spring of 2017, a profound and resolute corporate restructuring began under Su Chen’s planning.

The atmosphere in the largest tiered conference room at Spark Technology’s headquarters was solemn and grave. All middle and high-level managers, nearly three hundred people, gathered together. They represented the vast body of this emerging empire, now spread across the globe and spanning multiple cutting-edge fields.

Su Chen stood in the center of the podium, with the giant Spark logo behind him. He offered no opening remarks; his gaze was like a torch, scanning every face below, whether familiar or new.

”Everyone,” his voice spread clearly throughout the venue via the microphone, ”I have called you here today to announce a fundamental transformation concerning the next ten years, and even the longer-term development, of Spark.”

The screen behind him lit up, displaying a brand-new organizational chart—at the top was the striking ”Spark Group” logo, with six clear sectors beneath it.

”Effective today, ’Spark Technology Co., Ltd.’ will be renamed ’Spark Group,’ serving as the holding parent company for investment, strategy, and core resource control. Our existing and newly established core business units will be reorganized into six wholly-owned subsidiaries, operating independently and responsible for their own profits and losses!”

A wave of irrepressible low-voiced discussion broke out below; everyone realized this was by no means a simple name change.

”In the past, we were like a powerful battleship, concentrating all our strength to point at one goal, invincible,” Su Chen’s voice suppressed the discussions. ”But now, our battlefield has expanded to the sky, the ground, energy, chips, materials, optoelectronics... What we need is no longer a single ship, but a carrier strike group!”

He waved a hand toward the organizational chart: ”Spark Group is our aircraft carrier platform, providing strategic guidance, financial support, risk control, and a shared platform. And the six major subsidiaries—” his finger pointed to each of the six sectors in turn, ”—are the destroyers, frigates, and supply ships surrounding the carrier! What you must do is not sail under the carrier’s protection, but strike flexibly and take charge within the Group’s overall strategic framework, becoming the strongest presence in your respective fields!”

Immediately following this, the Group’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Lin Wan, took the stage to provide a detailed interpretation of the core principles of the newly issued ”Spark Group Management White Paper.” Her voice was clear, calm, and analytical:

”First, Strategic Synergy. The Group will formulate a three-year rolling strategic plan to clarify development directions and boundaries. Each subsidiary must formulate its own more aggressive business plan within this framework, to be executed after Group approval.”

”Second, Financial Independence. Each subsidiary will establish an independent financial system with independent accounting, responsible for its own profits and losses. Your performance will be directly and deeply linked to team compensation, bonuses, and even option incentives!”

”Third, Marketization of Resources. The Group will integrate functions such as human resources, legal affairs, strategic investment, and public relations to establish a Shared Service Center. Subsidiaries can ’purchase’ these services at internal market settlement prices. This means that if you feel the Group’s services are poor or inefficient, you can even seek external suppliers—provided, of course, that it is compliant and can be proven to be more cost-effective.” This principle energized many in the audience; it meant the Group platform would be forced to maintain high efficiency.

”Fourth, Decentralization of Personnel Authority. Except for core executives such as the subsidiary General Manager, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Technology Officer, who are appointed and removed by the Group, all other personnel staffing, recruitment, promotion, and salary adjustments will be decided autonomously by the subsidiary General Manager within the budget.”

Once the principles were announced, there was silence in the hall as everyone digested this massive decentralization of power and binding of responsibility.

The main event arrived. Su Chen stood at the front again, holding a list in his hand.

”Now, I announce the six wholly-owned subsidiaries under Spark Group and the appointments of their first General Managers!”

His voice was steady and powerful; with every name read, a spotlight hit the newly appointed General Manager.

”Xinghuo Power Co., Ltd., focusing on the R&D, manufacturing, and sales of new energy batteries. General Manager—Zhang Zhen!” The deputy to the former production director Liu Jian, a man with a resolute face who had shown outstanding supply chain management and large-scale manufacturing execution during the battery factory expansion, stood up and bowed slightly to the audience, his eyes full of pragmatism and boldness.

”Xinghuo Chip Co., Ltd., focusing on chip design, manufacturing, and advanced packaging. General Manager—Dr. Li Wanqing!” A capable young woman wearing rimless glasses stood up. She was originally a core member of the overseas market head David Li’s team, holding a PhD in microelectronics from MIT and having years of experience with major international semiconductor manufacturers; she was a rare talent with both technical and management skills. Her appointment drew significant attention.

”Spark Optoelectronics Co., Ltd., focusing on camera modules, LiDAR, new sensors, and other optoelectronic technologies. General Manager—Zhou Qiming!” The former head of the ’Light and Shadow 1.0’ project, a young man with a beast-like intuition for optical technology and consumer electronics trends, excitedly pumped his fist.

”Xinghuo Industry Co., Ltd., merged from parts of the original Xingchen Technology and the Motor Business Department, focusing on high-end motors, electronic control systems, and precision transmission. General Manager—Zhao Tiezhu!” The former production head of Xingchen Technology, burly and tough in style, proficient in heavy machinery manufacturing and production process optimization, responded with a booming ”Present!”

”Xinghuo Communications Co., Ltd., newly established, responsible for laying out future communication technologies (4G/5G and beyond). General Manager—Lu Weizhou!” A newly recruited core network technology expert from Huawei, with a steady temperament and deep gaze.

”Xinghuo Materials Co., Ltd., newly established, focusing on the research and development of cutting-edge new materials. General Manager—Dr. Wu Yi!” Another newly introduced young talent, a star scholar in the field of materials science, with an infectious passion for innovation on his face.

Six new General Managers, six governors about to take charge, stood under the spotlights, receiving the gaze and expectations of the entire hall. The skeleton of the empire was clearly constructed at this moment.

Spark Drones and Lingmou Action Cameras would temporarily be managed by headquarters, with a consumer electronics subsidiary to be established later to take over.

Before the shock of the structural adjustment had been fully digested, Spark Group immediately dropped another bombshell.

At the subsequent first strategic investment review meeting of the Group, reported by Shen Nanpeng and approved by the Board of Directors, the Group would make a strategic capital injection totaling 6 billion rmb into three core R&D subsidiaries.

”To Spark Materials, an injection of 2 billion!” Shen Nanpeng announced. ”To be used for tackling next-generation ultra-high-strength composite materials (applied in drone fuselages and automotive lightweighting), high-temperature and high-pressure resistant battery separator materials, and the R&D of new semiconductor substrate materials!”

The new General Manager, Dr. Wu Yi, immediately stood up, his face flushed with excitement: ”Thank you for the Group’s trust! This funding will help us establish a world-class materials R&D platform. I guarantee that within three years, at least two of our materials will reach international leading levels and be applied to our products!”

”To Spark Industry, an injection of 2 billion!” Shen Nanpeng continued. ”To be used for deep R&D of next-generation high-efficiency permanent magnet synchronous motors, integrated intelligent electronic control systems, and high-precision reducers, comprehensively solidifying our foundation in high-end manufacturing and core components for new energy vehicles!”

Zhao Tiezhu slapped the table hard, his voice booming: ”No problem! President Su, Director Lin, with this money, I, Old Zhao, guarantee to push the ’Qingtian’ system up another level and let those foreigners see what a real ’Heart of Industry’ looks like!”

”To Spark Optoelectronics, an injection of 2 billion!” Shen Nanpeng read the final item. ”The goals: liquid lens technology (to achieve faster focusing and zooming), next-generation automotive LiDAR (to improve resolution and anti-interference capabilities), and a new generation of sensors applied in artificial intelligence and medical imaging!”

Zhou Qiming adjusted his glasses, his gaze sharp: ”We have already had preliminary breakthroughs in the laboratory; this funding comes at just the right time! In the field of optoelectronics, we must not only keep up, but define the future!”

Su Chen looked at the three eager General Managers and spoke slowly, his tone solemn: ”This 6 billion is seed money, it is gunpowder. Once sown, what I want to see are not just papers or lab results, but towering trees that will allow all our products—from drones to cars, from phones to precision instruments—to be reborn within the next three to five years. It should be the thunder on the roaring battlefield! You are the sowers and the igniters.”

Just as the corporate restructuring and massive R&D investment sparked heated internal discussion, a warmer but equally profound change quietly took place next to the Spark Technology Park.

After months of intense construction, the first phase of the ”Spark Housing Project”—a high-quality residential community named ”Spark Garden”—was officially completed and delivered.

The delivery ceremony was held on a bright, sunny Saturday morning. The entrance to the ”Spark Garden” community was decorated with lanterns and streamers, and a red carpet was laid out. Three hundred sets of fully furnished, move-in-ready apartment keys were neatly arranged on trays covered in red velvet.

Su Chen, Lin Wan, and all the Group’s high-level executives were present. Below the stage were the 300 core employees who had been the first to follow Spark through thick and thin, along with their families; every face was filled with excitement and anticipation.

Su Chen did not take a speech script. He picked up the first golden key, symbolizing ”No. 001,” and turned his gaze toward the 35 veteran employees standing in the front row—those who had stayed even when the company account had only a few hundred thousand left.

”Two years ago, when the company was at its most difficult, someone asked me if Spark would fall. I said no. Not because of how much money I had, but because I had you,” his voice carried a hint of imperceptible emotion. ”Today, Spark has stood up. This first key, along with the other 34, belongs to you—the original sparks of Spark. This is not a reward; it is your deserved share, a small expression of the eternal trust and gratitude that Spark has for you.”

He personally handed the golden key to the first veteran employee, an old engineer who had accompanied Wang Ming in the warehouse to debug the very first ”xinghuo no. 1” prototype. The old engineer’s hands trembled as he took the key, and he instantly burst into tears. He turned around, facing the camera and all his colleagues, and said with a choked sob: ”Two years ago... the company could barely pay salaries. President Su talked to me and asked if I was willing to stay... I said, I believe in you! Today... today I understand that following President Su and following Spark doesn’t just mean having a future, it means... it means having a home!”

These words were transmitted to every corner of the company via internal live stream, causing countless employees in front of their screens to instantly tear up.

Following that, the remaining two hundred-plus apartments were also sold at prices far below the market rate to core backbone staff and management who had made major contributions to the company’s various technological breakthroughs, market expansions, and management optimizations. According to the regulations of the ”Spark Housing Project,” for every year an employee worked, one year of their mortgage would be waived; if they worked for 20 consecutive years, the property would belong entirely to the individual.

The significance of this grand delivery ceremony went far beyond providing housing. It was like a silent declaration, deeply engraving the concept that ”the company and its employees are a community with a shared future” into Spark’s corporate DNA. In return, it gained an ultimate loyalty rooted in emotion and interest, far stronger than any labor contract.

A single spark had started a prairie fire; the momentum was already established. The innovation of the institutional framework ensured the order and efficiency of the empire’s expansion; the massive R&D investment locked in the continuous deepening of the technological moat and the positioning for future tracks; and the fulfillment of the ”living and working in peace” promise built a unique, high-stickiness, and high-cohesion corporate culture and talent foundation.

Standing on a high point in ”Spark Garden,” overlooking the brand-new homes below and the vast industrial park in the distance, Su Chen knew that the commercial aircraft carrier that was Spark Group had completed its most important internal preparations. Its keel was now indestructible, its engines were ready, and its crew was loyal and fearless. The next stage of the journey would see this brand-new fleet braving the waves in even broader global waters, writing an unstoppable new legend belonging to Spark.