Becoming a Russian Oligarch After Rebirth
Chapter 454: Also Has Ideals and Ambitions_1

Chapter 454: Chapter 454: Also Has Ideals and Ambitions_1

For Wang Ye, United Airlines was nothing more than a task that he was coerced into.

He held no hopes of making any money from the company. Making less of a loss would already be considered a profit!

The reason he agreed to take charge of the company was to gain some political capital and expand his network.

Instead, the automobile and chip industries, which were capable of earning big money, were the ones that Wang Ye intended to operate in the long term.

After all, Russia is one of the members of the Warsaw Agreement. Plus, during that time, the developed countries in Europe and America had not imposed any blockades or sanctions on Russia, so purchasing advanced lithography machines was easy. All it took was money.

ASML Company would love to sell more lithography machines. In addition, there were two other companies, Nikon and Canon, that also sold lithography machines. ASML only accounted for sixty percent of the market share at the time.

Because the investment in wafer factories was so substantial, there were only a few countries and regions willing to venture into such a business at the time.

The return on investment was simply too low!

Moreover, globalization was rapidly advancing at that time and the global trade environment was extremely relaxed. Why not design chips and let others manufacture them for you? Who in their right mind would invest tens or hundreds of billions in constructing a wafer fab?

It can only be said that the global chip industry has undergone enormous changes in just over a decade.

What Wang Ye had planned to do was to get a head start. While the global situation was not yet severe and Russia, along with a certain major power, hadn’t yet been targeted by the West, he would develop the chip industry.

He even planned to suppress a certain foundry through targeted competition.

Why did a certain foundry manage to achieve a near monopoly on the production of high-end chips?

Excluding something that happens a decade later, Wang Ye firmly believed that in 2002, with both funds and technological talents, Russia, with its nationwide resources, could definitely outperform a single factory on Frog Island!

Perhaps, if he really wanted to make big money, Wang Ye had many other better options too.

For example, he could engage in financial investments and buy more stocks from high-quality internet companies during the global internet winter.

Then, he would literally be making astronomical amounts of money without having to lift a finger!

Why must he bother to develop the chip industry laboriously and invest a massive amount of capital to build wafer fabs?

Even if he managed to crush the certain foundry and monopolize the production of high-end chips globally, how much money would he make?

Wang Ye has thought about this, but ultimately decided to pursue his goal because he is Chinese.

In the future, due to a tiny chip, Europe and America would choke China, leaving it indignant yet helpless. This humiliating predicament weighed heavily on his mind!

...

Hearing Wang Ye’s words, Grezlov grinned curiously and asked, "Are you really planning to venture into automobiles and chips? These capital-intensive industries are not easy to profit from. The investment is large, the results are slow, competition is fierce, and profits are low. Just like your uncle, wouldn’t it be better to be in the energy industry since it’s a quicker and larger source of money?"

Indeed, at the time, many wealthy Oligarchs emerged from Russia, but a pattern could be ascertained when the group was consolidated.

These top tycoons were basically involved in two industries, either energy or finance...

Whereas those enterprises with glorious histories such as aircraft factories, automobile factories, and shipyards were entirely neglected. Even if they were offered up for free, people may not even want them!

Were those wealthy Oligarchs and tycoons stupid?

On the contrary, they were extremely shrewd!

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have amassed billions of wealth in just a few years.

Therefore, Grezlov was curious about why Wang Ye, who was clearly equipped with excellent resources, chose to venture into these laborious and thankless industries of automobile and chip manufacturing, instead of energy or finance.

Could it be that this young man is genuinely patriotic and is planning to revitalize Russia’s national economy...

Frankly, he didn’t quite believe that. There still existed such "fools" these days!

Wang Ye responded with a faint smile.

"Making money is the simplest thing for me. But aside from making money, one should also have ideals and ambitions.

Since I’ve joined the Economic Committee as a member, this is a trust placed in me by the voters and my colleagues. Therefore, I have to live up to this trust!

The automobile industry is the most capable of driving upstream and downstream industrial chains to create a substantial number of jobs, and chips represent the most advanced technology in this era.

Fortunately, we also have a solid foundation in both industries.

If I can develop across these two industries, it would greatly benefit the country and its people!..."

After listening to his impassioned words, Grezlov was stunned speechless for a while.

It took him a moment to find words.

No wonder Gavriil had always been boasting to him about Mikhail’s "grand visions", "ambitions", "international perspectives", "foresight"...

Initially, he thought those praises were too exaggerated, but based on his interactions with Mikhail so far, the young man indeed lived up to those praises!

Of course, anyone can make grand promises. Whether they can be fulfilled is another story altogether.

He was not just going to listen to what Mikhail said but also observe what he did!

Nodding, Grezlov gave a thumbs up and laughed, "Well said! Man, compared to you, we old folks seem much less impressive. Of course, many of the members do not have the resources you have, so we can’t really compare. However, what we can do is to support you in terms of policies and legislation. Be bold and move forward. I’m looking forward to what changes you can bring to the country."

...

After discussing business matters, Wang Ye excused himself to leave.

There were still some procedures to go through for United Airlines, so the letter of appointment and such would only be out in a few days. There was no hurry for now.

Wang Ye decided to prepare beforehand so he could take over when the time comes.

Returning to his office, several assistants were working in the outer office. On seeing Wang Ye return, they swiftly stood up.

Wang Ye casually removed his suit and handed it to Yelena to hang up for him.

As he made his way into the inner office, he said, "All of you, come in. Let’s have a small meeting."

The five girls followed Wang Ye into the inner office, each finding a seat and sitting down.

Wang Ye sat on a single sofa and, looking at the five assistants, asked with a smile, "You’ve all been working for a while now, how’s the adjustment going?"

Yelena and the "four young girls" quickly nodded, indicating that they had completely adapted to the work.

Having been in the job for so long, they considered themselves full-timers. If they still hadn’t adapted to the work, it would be a sign of their lacking abilities...

Frankly, a high-paying and respectable job like this was extremely hard to come by in Moscow. Naturally, they didn’t want their ’boss’ to think they weren’t up to the task.

During this period, they had indeed worked very hard, often working late into the night, even though Wang Ye usually didn’t assign them specific work...