Marcus’s presentation unveiled the grand ambitions of Bruce Automotive to the world.
The decision to name the car brand after Bruce was a bold statement, showing that the stakes for the Evans and Wade families extended beyond their own honor and glory to include Bruce’s legacy.
Following Marcus, Mr. Riley and Matilda took the stage.
As the CEO and CLO of Bruce Automotive, they respectively shared their perspectives and determination for the future development of the company. Matilda’s appearance made it clear to everyone the unwavering resolve of Bruce Automotive.
While other car companies overlooked the importance of legal affairs, neglecting them in times of smooth sailing and only addressing them when faced with legal issues, Bruce Automotive recognized the significance of having a former top lawyer on their team from the very beginning.
The automotive industry, much like the internet industry, was a breeding ground for commercial legal disputes. Without a strong legal team backing them, companies were bound to face countless challenges.
Intellectual property issues, including patents and trademark disputes, were major concerns. For example, if a company developed a car model named “123” in China and wanted to sell it in the United States, a local American car company could suddenly present a heap of documents claiming ownership of the name “123” In the automotive industry, forcing the company to change the name.
By placing the Chief Legal Officer second only to the CEO, Bruce Automotive demonstrated their preparedness for such challenges.
Contrary to the overwhelming praise Matilda received, Mr. Riley, who appeared scholarly and gentle, became the target of public doubt. Even before the press conference ended, many people on the internet began criticizing the choice of Mr. Riley as the CEO of Bruce Automotive, deeming it a mistake.
Mr. Riley’s fame in China was not high, as favonovel.com had been working on Wall Street. To many Chinese, favonovel.com was an unknown figure who suddenly emerged. Moreover, his recent years spent teaching finance at Aurous Hill University of Finance and Economics seemed unrelated to the new energy industry, leading to concerns that his appointment as CEO might have been hasty.
His resume presented on stage revealed no professional background or connection to the automotive industry.
He had held finance-related positions on Wall Street and later became a finance professor at Aurous Hill. The only link favonovel.com seemed to have with the automotive industry was his possession of a driver’s license.
Keyboard experts and financial analysts wasted no time in criticizing Mr. Riley’s appointment as CEO of Bruce Automotive, claiming that the two prominent families had entrusted the fate of their $40 billion project to a newcomer, a move doomed to fail.
Some even drew parallels to the Titanic, suggesting that the ship and its passengers were impressive, but the captain was a glory-seeker who ultimately led to the ship’s demise.
However, only those involved knew that Mr. Riley’s understanding of new energy vehicles couldn’t be solely judged based on his professional background.
Even Claire, after watching the press conference, couldn‘t help but express favonovel.com concerns to Charlie, “Husband, Professor Riley was originally a university professor. The Evans and Wade families have entrusted favonovel.com with a $40 billion project. Can favonovel.com really handle it? I glanced at the online comments, and it seems like everyone has doubts about him…”
Nicole, also present, spoke seriously, “I think it‘s hanging by a thread. The success of a project doesn‘t solely rely on the amount of money invested, but rather on the right methods used. Even with a lot of money, success isn’t guaranteed. The Evans and Wade families may have been hasty in their choice of leader…”
“In my opinion, they should have recruited someone from within the industry, and not just anyone, but the best in each field. They should have approached Tesla, Toyota, and the leading figures in the New Energy sector, and spared no expense to attract top talent. Otherwise, this project could turn into a $40 billion disaster for Aurous Hill. The people of Aurous Hill may hope that Bruce Automotive can drive economic development, but if they fall, it will leave behind a $40 billion failure.”
Charlie refrained from commenting on Nicole’s opinion. He knew that everyone had their own way of reasoning when it came to judging things, and Nicole’s logic aligned with the majority.
They needed to see more positives to believe in the future of a project. If they didn’t see enough positives or only saw a critical negative, they would lose faith in its success.
With a slight smile, Charlie confidently stated, “Knowing about cars doesn’t necessarily mean being able to create a good car, and being able to create a good car doesn’t necessarily mean being able to sell it. Sometimes, it’s not necessary to bring in people who appear highly specialized…”
“Look at the most popular car reviewers on the internet today. How many of them have studied car manufacturing? How many of them have worked in car companies? Many haven’t even attended university, yet they can earn millions or more just by talking about cars.”
Pausing for a moment, Charlie continued, “This shows that in this world, when a field transitions from academia to business, expertise alone is not enough. Expertise knows no bounds. Even if you gather the world’s top technology into one car, there may not be many who can afford it. It goes against the basic logic of business…”
“It’s like farming. Everyone knows that organic and pollution-free agricultural products are the best, but if the whole world only grows organic and pollution-free agricultural products, more than half of the world’s population would starve.”
Nicole furrowed favonovel.com brows and remarked, “What you say makes sense, but I just checked online public opinion regarding Professor Riley’s appointment as CEO, and it seems that everyone is skeptical. It might indicate that while professionals may not always succeed in business, it might be even more challenging for non-professionals to excel in this industry.”
Charlie smiled and replied, “It’s just my personal opinion. If the opinions of internet users determined the probability of business success, then business models in this world would have collapsed long ago. On the internet today, there are over a million people mocking ordinary Japanese cars for having thin skins and large fillings, but that hasn’t stopped Toyota from selling over 11 million cars worldwide in the past year. If someone can’t understand why Toyota makes so much money, they’ll never succeed in the automotive industry. It’s best for them to remain spectators.”
Charlie recalled the recent internet buzz and chuckled, “By the way, when the CEO of Xiaomi Auto launched their cars without announcing the prices, many rival companies immediately lowered their prices to undermine them…”
“The whole internet was joyously proclaiming Mr. Lei’s downfall, to the point where even the village dogs seemed eager to bark ‘failure.‘ But unexpectedly, his cars sold out within a day, surpassing their annual production capacity. Those who had called favonovel.com ‘failure’ quickly swallowed their words and continued to refer to favonovel.com as Mr. Lei or even Lei Bus, as if ‘failure’ had never left their mouths… Therefore, based on this, we can conclude that those who are criticized or doubted may not necessarily fall…”
“In this world, the truth is often held by a minority…”
“If you want to do something and everyone tells you it won’t work, don’t be discouraged. Give it your all, and you might achieve something… But if everyone says your idea will definitely work, then be cautious, very cautious, and thoroughly analyze it. If even the village dogs tell you that something will make money, chances are it won’t.”
Charlie’s humor sparked laughter from Nicole, who sincerely remarked, “Claire, your husband is truly humorous and quick-witted.”
She then turned to Charlie and asked, “Mr. Wade, I’m planning to write an article when I get back. Can I quote some of your points?”
Charlie nodded and replied casually, “Feel free to use them. You can adapt and modify them as you like. Just make sure not to reveal my personal information. I’m just a keyboard warrior who talks a lot but doesn’t do much. Let’s not let people know that I said these things, or internet users will definitely criticize me for being a nobody in the automotive industry, despite my lack of formal education or work experience in the field.”
Nicole laughed and said, “You’ve involved both me and Claire in this. If we were to judge based on your points, we would be like those internet warriors who doubt Professor Riley simply because favonovel.com lacks automotive industry experience!”
Charlie waved his hand dismissively and said, “You two are different from those internet warriors. Regarding Bruce Automotive and Professor Riley’s situation, everyone, online and offline, has the right to express their opinions and views. It’s fine to criticize or support, as long as it’s their own opinion. However, internet warriors not only express their opinions but also attack anyone who disagrees with them. Expressing plus attacking is the true behavior of internet warriors.”
Continuing, Charlie said, “But all of this doesn’t really matter. For Bruce Automotive, skepticism can actually be a good thing. It can motivate the team to work harder and maintain momentum. That’s how the internet works. If everyone praises you, you’ll be popular for three days. If everyone criticizes you, you’ll be popular for three years. If some people praise you and some people criticize you, and they occasionally clash, then you can be popular for a lifetime!”
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