When I am reborn, I just want to be a top student

This trend quickly spread from within Galaxy Technologies to the entire internet.

Netizens have started to spontaneously launch a campaign on various social media platforms to "show off company benefits," not to brag, but to compare.

An employee of a leading internet company shared the results of their year-end bonus lottery: a box of chocolates.

The caption was just one sentence: "They're both year-end bonuses, but the difference is so huge."

An engineer who has worked in a traditional manufacturing company for ten years posted his payslip: a monthly salary of 8,500 yuan, social insurance and housing fund contributions at the minimum base, and less than 300 yuan per month for housing fund on one side.

He commented that he used to think it was no big deal since everyone was like that, but now, seeing the treatment he receives at Galaxy Technology, he suddenly feels like he's wasted the last ten years of his life.

A programmer who worked for a major company for three years at an outsourcing company posted his contract online, which stated that he "voluntarily gave up his annual leave," "voluntarily gave up his overtime pay," and "willing to be compensated according to the local minimum wage standard in the event of layoffs."

At the end of the post, I added: "I've already submitted my resume to Galaxy Technology. If I'm lucky enough to be hired, I'll let everyone know as soon as possible. If I'm not hired, I'll just apply again and try again. I'll see when I get in. I really can't stand this lousy job anymore."

This trend of "showing off benefits" quickly evolved into a "reverse pressure" movement that swept the entire internet.

Netizens were no longer satisfied with just watching and commenting; they began to actively flood the comment sections of official Weibo and Douyin accounts of various companies, throwing out words like knives.

"@A certain big company, Galaxy Technology's meal allowance is fifty yuan a day, but your employees have to pay for their own meals in the cafeteria. Aren't you ashamed?"

"@A certain e-commerce platform, other companies offer a minimum year-end bonus of 12,000 yuan, while your year-end bonus is a lottery for chocolates. How can you be so shameless?"

"@A certain mobile phone manufacturer, your boss said last time that young people should be able to endure hardship. But what did Wang Donglai say? 'Being good to employees is not a cost, but an investment.' Your vision is worlds apart."

"@A certain ride-hailing platform, what is your driver social security coverage rate again? Less than 10%? All couriers of Xinghuo Express sign labor contracts upon joining the company, and their social insurance and housing fund are fully paid. We are both platforms, how come there is such a big difference?"

"@A food delivery platform, Pinduoduo's full-time delivery rider base salary has increased, what about yours?"

The first to get restless was Huang Tuan.

Wang Xing's office was brightly lit, with the head of the HR department sitting opposite him, a freshly printed internal salary analysis report spread out in front of him.

The report shows that the turnover rate of Huangtuan delivery riders increased by two times year-on-year in the past quarter, and the turnover was very concentrated in Pinhaofan.

"Should we go or not?" the HR manager asked directly.

Wang Xing leaned back in his chair and stared at the report for a long time.

Huangtuan has been listed for some time now, but its stock price has been declining, rider costs remain high, social security compliance pressures are increasing, and the capital market's tolerance for losses continues to decrease.

If salaries are increased at this point, the financial statements will look very bad, and the shareholders will be unhappy.

However, if we don't add riders, riders will continue to leave, delivery capacity will continue to shrink, user experience will deteriorate, and financial reports will only look worse.

He stubbed out his cigarette for a while before speaking in a tired but resigned voice: "Follow, not with Galaxy Technology, follow the market. If we don't, all the riders will leave. Also, extend the delivery time limit for 'on-time delivery' a bit, so that riders don't run red lights to save time anymore."

Chrysanthemum Factory, Sakata Headquarters.

In Ren Zhengfei's office, Yu Chengdong placed a newly printed industry salary comparison report on the table.

The report shows that in the past quarter, senior engineers in many departments of Chrysanthemum Factory received headhunting calls from Galaxy Technology, with salaries generally much higher than their current levels, and some core positions even seeing double the salary.

What's even more troublesome is that this wave of talent poaching isn't just targeting Huawei; Xiaomi, Oppo/Vivo, and several of Huawei's chip design subsidiaries are all within Galaxy Technology's sights.

"To go with it or not?" Yu Chengdong asked directly.

Ren Zhengfei did not answer immediately.

He flipped through the report, reading it carefully page by page, and stopped when he reached the page on the talent turnover rate.

The resignation applications of several senior architects in the chip design department have been stuck with HR for several days, and they are all heading to Tangdu.

"It's not a question of whether to follow or not."

He finally spoke, his voice slow and deliberate, but every word was firm: "It's about whether or not we can choose not to follow suit. Galaxy Technology isn't just setting salary standards now; it's setting the rules of the game for the entire industry. Being good to employees isn't a cost; it's an investment. I've said this before, but not many people can truly do it. Wang Donglai has done it, and done it to the extreme. A million employees, a general salary adjustment for all, a minimum year-end bonus of 12,000, and a complete set of maternity support covering everything from maternity leave to children's education."

"This isn't a show; it's a real testament to everyone: follow me, and you won't be shortchanged. If we don't follow, talent will continue to flow to Tangdu. Once that happens, our research and development foundation will be shaken. If our research and development foundation is shaken, everything else is just castles in the air."

He paused, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and his tone suddenly became somewhat sentimental: "Back when we were sanctioned, everyone outside said that Chrysanthemum survived because of its wolf-like culture. But you yourselves know in your hearts that what got us through that period wasn't wolf-like culture, it was people. It was those who were willing to stay and stand with the company through thick and thin."

"If we let them lose heart now because of inadequate compensation, who will stay when the next crisis comes? We can't compete with Galaxy Technology on compensation, nor do we need to. They have two money-printing machines: the lithography factory and the Xuanwu battery. Their profit margin is much higher than ours. But we have our advantages. Huawei's equity incentive mechanism is unique in China. If we make good use of this advantage, along with appropriate general salary adjustments, we can stabilize the core team without much problem."

Yu Chengdong jotted something down in his notebook, then looked up and asked, "What's the specific range?"

"The base salary for all R&D staff will be increased by 8%, and core positions will receive additional equity incentives. Year-end bonuses will be no less than the industry average. In addition, for the few people who were previously contacted by Galaxy Technology's headhunters, let them choose. Those who want to stay will receive a salary matching Galaxy Technology's offer; those who want to leave will not be stopped, but will receive full compensation according to their contracts, plus an extra month's salary as a thank-you bonus. The door is always open, and you are welcome to come back whenever you want. But we also need to make it clear to those who leave: if you go to Galaxy Technology, work hard and don't embarrass Galaxy Technology."

Yu Chengdong closed his notebook, stood up and was about to leave when Ren Zhengfei suddenly called out to him.

"There's one more thing. Galaxy Technology's employee compensation standards for its supply chain are already clearly stated in the supply agreement with Xuanwu Battery: full social insurance and housing fund contributions, working hours controlled within 44 hours, and an employee stock ownership or profit-sharing mechanism established. If our suppliers don't meet these standards, they can forget about entering our supply chain in the future. To follow or not to follow is not a choice, it's a matter of life and death. Once the standards are established, those who don't follow will be eliminated. Not by Galaxy Technology, but by the entire industry."

He put his reading glasses back on, chuckled self-deprecatingly, then suppressed his laughter, his gaze moving from above the lenses to Yu Chengdong's face: "At my age, I've seen a lifetime of ups and downs, and I'm sure I understand some truths. Being good to employees isn't a cost, it's an investment."

When the news reached Hangzhou, Jack Ma was having a meeting with executives from Taotian Group.

The meeting was originally scheduled to discuss market strategies for e-commerce business next year, but it veered off course in less than half an hour, with everyone talking about Galaxy Technology's financial report and employee benefits program.

The myth of employee stock ownership and wealth creation through Pinduoduo has been repeatedly mentioned in recent times. Those early employees are now millionaires, a huge incentive for Taotian Group's employees. Even more concerning is the continuous increase in wages for Xinghuo Express couriers and Pinhaofan delivery riders, directly driving up labor costs across the entire industry.

"Eleme's rider turnover rate has increased significantly, and the main focus is on group-buying meals."

The CFO reported, "We have calculated that if we were to raise the social security coverage and base salary of delivery riders to the level of Pinhaofan, the labor costs of the food delivery business would increase significantly next year, and the losses would also expand accordingly."

Jack Ma leaned back in his chair and remained silent for a while, then suddenly laughed.

No one in the conference room knew what he was laughing about.

“I said back then that if the banks don’t change, we will change the banks. Now it’s others’ turn to change us.”

He stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the reed beds of Xixi Wetland.

By the end of December, most of the reeds had withered, their grayish-white spikes swaying gently in the cool north wind, like countless hesitant hands.

“All Ele.me delivery riders will have their social security contributions fully paid, their base salary will be comparable to Pinhaofan's, and their year-end bonus pool will be allocated separately. Also, let’s stop discussing that ‘Ant Group employee stock ownership plan’ that we’ve been discussing. It should be implemented before the end of the year.”

Turning around, his gaze swept across everyone's face as he said in a serious tone, "This isn't a choice, it's a matter of life and death. Look at what Galaxy Technology has done: a million employees, a company-wide pay raise, a minimum year-end bonus of 12,000 yuan, and a complete maternity support package covering everything from maternity leave to children's education. They're not just setting salaries, they're setting standards. If we don't follow suit, the riders will vote with their feet. If the riders leave, the delivery capacity will collapse. If the delivery capacity collapses, how will we compete with Huangtuan? How will we compete with Pinhaofan for market share?"

No one spoke in the meeting room.

Only the reeds outside the window swayed in the wind, their grayish-white tassels like countless hesitant hands, but the wind had already changed direction.

At the same time, this salary storm has spread from the internet and technology industries to traditional manufacturing.

At BYD headquarters, the company announced in an internal email that the base salary for frontline workers would be increased by 5%, social insurance and housing fund contributions would be fully paid, and year-end bonuses would be no less than two months' salary.

In eastern Fujian, Zeng Qun of CATL was also closely monitoring the storm.

His assistant had printed out Galaxy Technologies' financial statements and benefits packages and left them on his desk for several days, but he hadn't touched them.

That afternoon, he finally opened the thick A4 sheet of paper and read it page by page.

After reading it, he didn't feel anxious like Wang Xing, nor did he feel emotional like Jack Ma. He just sat in his office in silence for a long time.

CATL previously suffered a lot because Galaxy Energy reduced its supply share of Xuanwu batteries due to substandard employee compensation.

He still remembers Wang Donglai's conditions for recovery clearly, word for word: social insurance and housing fund contributions would be paid in full based on actual wages, working hours would be controlled within 50 hours per week, the salaries of senior executives would be linked to the wage increases of front-line workers, and no less than 5% of the annual net profit would be set aside as a special bonus pool for front-line workers.

He used to think these conditions were humiliating, but looking back now, they may just be an alarm clock that rang earlier.

He picked up his phone and dialed the HR manager's number, saying only one sentence: "Follow all four points that Wang Donglai mentioned before, and produce a plan by the end of the year."

The other party paused for a moment, and before they could confirm, he had already hung up the phone.

He sat alone in his office, looking out the window at the sky over eastern Fujian.

It was a hazy gray, and the sun was nowhere to be seen, but a sliver of light was leaking through the gaps in the clouds.

Beijing, Didi headquarters.

The salary storm triggered by Galaxy Technology also kept Liu Qing up all night.

Two documents were spread out on her desk: one was Galaxy Technology's financial report and compensation and benefits plan, and the other was Didi's driver turnover rate statistics for the past few quarters.

The churn rate curve has been rising over the past year, and the point of accelerated increase coincides with the time when Galaxy Technology's driverless ride-hailing vehicles were deployed in Tangdu.

She paid attention to Galaxy Technology's developments earlier than most people, from unmanned driving technology to the Xuan Nu flying machine, from the rider benefits of Pinhaofan to the courier security of Xinghuo Express.

She knew Wang Donglai's strategy all too well: first, establish an irreplaceable competitive advantage using core technologies, and then, based on this advantage, raise the wages of workers at every stage of the industrial chain.

If you don't follow him, your workers, your drivers, and your riders will vote with their feet.

If you're with him, your costs will skyrocket.

This is not a choice; it is an industrial restructuring that has been precisely calculated.

Only one floor lamp was lit in the office, its soft light illuminating the two documents in front of her.

Her phone screen was still lit up, displaying a video recently posted by a Didi driver on Douyin (TikTok).

The driver in the video spoke to the camera, his voice a little hoarse: "I drove for more than ten hours today, and my earnings were less than two hundred. The platform's commission is getting higher and higher, and the subsidies are getting lower and lower. I heard that Galaxy Technology's driverless cars are already running in Tangdu, and the drivers are AI, so they don't have to pay commissions. I was thinking, if our platform could treat our drivers like Galaxy Technology treats its employees, that would be great. I don't ask for anything else, just pay our social insurance and housing fund contributions, and we'll be satisfied."

She turned off her phone, leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes.

The CBD outside the window was brightly lit and bustling with traffic; the city was still running, as if nothing had happened.

But she knew that some things had changed and could never go back.

If Didi wants to survive, it must change, and the first step in changing is to admit that it has gone down the wrong path. She understands this better than anyone else, because this is the most valuable lesson she learned from Wang Donglai.

While the entire industry was forced to follow suit, Galaxy Technology was in an uproar. (End of Chapter)