America: My Time

Chapter 390 A strong man breaks his wrist
Chapter 390 A Hero Cuts Off His Own Arm
“John, are Japanese workers more loyal than American workers?” DuPont didn’t quite understand John’s statement. It seemed to belittle American workers, and if this got out, it would have a significant impact.

"That's natural. Japanese and American workers are two extremes. American workers have an extremely strong sense of self; most only consider their own interests and disregard the company's survival. They forget that the company is an integral part of them, and if the company goes bankrupt, they will also lose their jobs. Perhaps they don't care, thinking they can find another job if the company goes bankrupt. Japanese workers are different. They are willing to give everything for the company. Japan's rapid development today is due to these employees. Companies are also responsible for these loyal employees, so Japanese employees are almost on a lifetime basis. This is impossible in the United States, and no one would accept it! Japanese workers are not a problem if the company needs them to work overtime, but is that possible in the United States? Absolutely not, no one would accept it."

John's words surprised many people. Although there were many American elites here, they didn't know much about Japan and American workers. They had no idea how big the gap was between Japanese and American workers. Japanese workers could sacrifice for their companies, but that was impossible in the United States.

"Now I can understand why Nvidia and the gaming world decided to give up production. It was indeed the best choice, at least for the company. Otherwise, they would have followed in the footsteps of other semiconductor companies!"

"That's not entirely true. Some companies have production capacity, and as long as management is effective, there's no problem. However, Game World and Nvidia are newly established companies. To motivate employees, they need strong profitability. Relying on self-production is a joke. It not only requires a huge investment, impacting product development, but also diverts more of the manager's energy. You could say such a decision would hinder the company's development. Every company needs to guarantee funding for new product development. Only by constantly innovating can a company have a greater future. It's impossible to always try to control all the profits. Being too greedy will only lead the company into trouble. Production needs funds, R&D needs funds, employee welfare needs funds, everything needs funds. Companies can't possibly have all that money, and they need to be profitable. Of course, this is just my opinion, and it may not be suitable for other companies!"

While John's suggestion may not be suitable for other companies, it opened up a new perspective for many managers: doing what you do best might be the best path. John had actually shared this idea with Jimmy and the other old guys before, but they hadn't listened. At least, the semiconductor companies hadn't followed it; they couldn't let go of their immediate profits. Unless the worst-case scenario occurred, it was difficult to get them to give up.

Many semiconductor companies are publicly traded, and any changes could potentially impact their market value. This makes many hesitant to act rashly, as they are not John, and lack his boldness to take such risks and defy worker and union resistance. Even a slight misstep could plunge the company into dire straits; not everyone dares to do this, and even those who can muster considerable preparation.

"If labor costs in the United States continue to rise and become unbearable for businesses, many companies will make drastic measures. I know many people talk about this benefit and that benefit, but everything must be based on the premise that the company can survive. What's the use of making demands on a company that can't survive? It's useless and will only put the company in a difficult situation. Normal companies don't need employees to ask for benefits; they will make their own arrangements based on their own capabilities."

Some people wanted to use this dinner to test John, and John was also using this opportunity to test those people. Some people thought John's words made sense and were feasible. But others thought they were completely unworkable. Everyone had their own opinions and perspectives, so John offered a different suggestion to General Motors, for example.

The phrase "cutting off one's own arm" applies to workers and unions alike. Anyone who crosses the line can take this drastic step. One instance of injury is better than continuous bleeding. Many people understand that this is John's warning to them, and also his determination. This drastic measure can be applied not only to businesses but also to individuals.

At this moment, President Reagan was also in a heavy mood. He understood John's underlying meaning: abandoning the expansion of the United States on the mainland and choosing to develop overseas was a tough decision. No matter what your plans are, I will not fight you on the mainland. I can choose to develop overseas. You will not have the ability to interfere overseas.

"See? This is his warning to you. Stop fighting all the time. There's a sense of human relationships in this business. Is it any use for you to keep suppressing that little John? Has his development been affected? No. Old ideas need to change. Cooperation is the best choice. No matter what you think or do, Morgan will stand firmly on John's side. We will work hard to cooperate. Cooperation is the best choice." At this moment, Morgan was warning and reminding the old guys like Rockefeller. He didn't want to see these old guys still unwilling to change and continue to fight against John, affecting their own interests. If that happened, Morgan would also take action! "Morgan, we also need to make changes regarding General Motors. Even that little fox John can make a tough decision, so why can't we? General Motors really needs to be cleaned up, otherwise there will still be no hope. Sweep out those greedy guys. We need to turn around General Motors' predicament!" DuPont finally made up his mind at this moment. A tough decision is better than being constantly leeched off.

"Sure, Morgan has no problem with that. We've done similar purges before. Even if things get really bad, how bad can they get? Year after year of losses, and they keep increasing. One day, General Motors won't be able to hold on. We can't wait until it's completely on the verge of collapse before we take action. By then, it will be too late! Actually, John said something that I think makes a lot of sense: companies need to be responsible for their loyal employees. We need to ensure that the lives of those loyal employees are not affected. This is more beneficial to the company's development!"

"Morgan, I heard that John's company has a blacklist of employees. If someone is on the blacklist, no company will hire them in the future. I wonder if this is true!"

"There's such a claim, but there's never been any evidence. The HR department only publicly displays quarterly performance reviews to determine year-end bonuses. Employees can't ask each other about their bonuses, otherwise it will affect their own income. So look at the development of companies like Game World, Dream World, and Nvidia, look at the work efficiency of their employees—that's something other companies don't have. Many Silicon Valley companies envy these companies' benefits, but they don't see that their work efficiency is several times higher. No pain, no gain. Although John is very young, he's very shrewd; at least his companies are doing quite well."

"Morgan, do you think John will agree to our cooperation request? Our plans for Japan have reached a critical juncture, and we need his help!" Rockefeller, the old man, asked Morgan again.

"Hehe, I don't know. Besides, Morgan isn't one of you. You have your own plans, and we have our own plans. You need John's power, but John doesn't necessarily need yours. You don't really think that little fox John would sacrifice his own interests to benefit you, do you? If you have such a ridiculous idea, I can only say you're naive."

"Alright, let's stop arguing about this. Let's find common ground while respecting our differences. On the big picture, we're aligned—we're both targeting Japan. The White House needs to step up and give us some support, otherwise we'll fall before the enemy does. General Motors' situation isn't unique!"

"It's too early to talk about these things now, and we won't sacrifice our own interests for any so-called 'big picture.' That little fox John certainly won't do that either. If you insist on having such illusions, I can only remain speechless. Don't go too far; the consequences are beyond your ability to bear. Don't think that little fox John is joking. If that moment really comes, he will definitely launch a crazy counterattack. He's a media mogul with absolute power. In short, if you want to scheme against that little guy John, Morgan won't get involved. That's our stance!"

Morgan's stance on John's matter was clear: he wouldn't associate with these old foxes and was unwilling to take the risk. These bastards had already banded together, caring only for their own interests and disregarding the feelings and interests of others. Otherwise, they wouldn't have repeatedly opposed that little fox, John. Despite numerous opportunities for reconciliation, these guys had always squandered them. The biggest reason was their own greed; they always wanted to reap all the benefits. Morgan saw no potential advantage in cooperating with such a greedy group and naturally wouldn't stand with them.

(End of this chapter)