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Chapter 465 The Changes at Bell Labs

Los Angeles.

Carl Weller walked through the revolving doors of the Beverly Hills Hotel into the banquet hall and was immediately drawn to the enormous crystal chandelier hanging from the dome.

"Karl! Over here!" A slightly hoarse, rough shout came from the northwest corner of the banquet hall. Joe Hansen was standing next to an aluminum scaffold, directing three workers to fix a giant lighting device on the edge of the banquet hall ceiling.

This technician from Bell Labs always said "no problem," and Carl was very impressed with him.

"You all need to get some rest." Carl Weller walked over slowly, his gaze sweeping over the workers' tired faces, his tone filled with concern. "I heard you were installing until 3 a.m. yesterday?"

"There's no other way, time is tight, we have to race against time," Joe Hansen said nonchalantly, the bloodshot eyes not obscuring the smile on his face.

Carl Weller shook his head and said nothing more. There were many Bell Labs employees who worked so hard for experiments, but this was the first time he had encountered one with such a commercial purpose, and he was momentarily dazed.

My gaze fell on the stacks of silver equipment boxes on the ground, with the Starlight Technology blue logo printed on the side of the boxes particularly eye-catching.

"Is this the lighting product that AI Technology launched?" Karl squatted down and gently ran his fingers along the frosted coating on the surface of the box.

At Carl Weller's wedding, Ernst had a hunch after seeing the lighting system and photo wall software.

He later discussed this with Cook, and that's how Starlight Technology was founded.

Bell Labs and iTech jointly hold 50% of the shares, with iTech providing the capital and Bell Labs providing the technology.

iTech is responsible for the company's management and operations, while Bell Labs provides technical support.

Joe Hansen was the technical director appointed by Bell Labs to work at Starlight Technologies.

There was only one reason for making this decision: he was active enough, unlike other researchers at Bell Labs who were always taciturn.

"That's right, today we're installing the Aurora series lighting equipment." Joe Hansen followed Carl's gaze to the equipment box, patted the box, and said, "This equipment uses laser refraction technology developed in our lab. When the lights are turned on, they shine on the crystal pendant on the ceiling of the banquet hall, refracting seven different wavelengths of light in the dark, creating an effect as magnificent as the aurora borealis seen in the Alaskan wilderness."

He then pointed to another device already installed on the ceiling: "That's Starlight Technology's dazzling lighting system. Unlike the laser beams of the Aurora series, it can project various dynamic graphics through programming, accurately presenting everything from rose petals to starry sky patterns."

"When the two lighting systems are used together, they create a romantic atmosphere as if you are under the aurora borealis."

Joe Hansen's tone was somewhat empathetic: "If I were the bride, I wouldn't be able to move an inch when I saw a wedding like this."

"Provided that you have enough Franklins to pay for it," Carl said softly, as if pouring cold water on the excited Joe Hansen.

"Karl, I think you really should step out of the lab more often and see the business world. Stop using traditional scientific thinking to measure the value of these products." Joe Hansen's smile faded, and his expression became extremely serious. "I still can't believe that such a piece of junk can sell for such a high price. Sometimes I can't help but wonder how many such opportunities for wealth we at Bell Labs have missed over the years."

What a piece of junk.

This is Joe Hansen's assessment of the lighting system.

Carl Weller did not refute this, because in his professional understanding, this was the technical level of the equipment.

The level of this laser is far from achieving the desired effect that Bell Labs aimed to develop in this area.

If Bell Labs' pursuit of laser control precision and spectral purity is a 100-point standard, then this lighting system used for commercial decoration can only reach a maximum of 10 points in terms of technical level.

The laser generator power and beam control algorithm it uses are technologies that were already mature in the laboratory five years ago.

Bell Labs believes that while it looks good, it is far from meeting the requirements of weapons standards.

"Is this system priced very high?" Carl stood up and straightened his suit cuffs.

Since the establishment of Starlight Technology, Carl Weller has never inquired about anything related to the company. His visit today is merely a symbolic inspection as Starlight Technology's first business deal is about to be delivered and accepted.

After all, Bell Labs holds 50% of Starlight Technology's shares, so it wouldn't be right to ignore it.

Joe Hansen held up three fingers, his tone tinged with complex emotion. "The price quoted to the Beverly Hotel for this lighting equipment, along with the accompanying smart photo wall software, is three million dollars."

"Robbery?" Carl Weller's voice suddenly rose two decibels, a clear look of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Even the most advanced laser spectrometer in the laboratory costs no more than $1.5 million per unit, yet these broken lamps cost $3 million.

Joe Hansen quickly gestured for him to be quiet, and then glanced around to make sure no hotel staff were nearby before lowering his voice and saying, "Keep your voice down, don't let the people at the Beverly Hotel hear us."

Carl Weller immediately realized the inappropriateness of the situation, calmed himself down, and then asked in a low voice, "Are these hotel managers idiots? They actually spent three million dollars to install this junk."

Although Carl didn't know the cost of Starlight Technology building the equipment, his years of industry experience made it easy for him to estimate a rough range.

The total cost of all the lighting equipment and wiring needed to be installed in the banquet hall could not exceed $800,000.

Especially the photo wall feature; that broken software was just something Bell Labs staff casually wrote for his wedding, and it cost absolutely nothing.

"That's why I said you should come out and see how the business market works more." Joe Hansen leaned against the scaffolding, took a sip of mineral water from his pocket, and said, "Do you know how much the couple getting married here tomorrow has budgeted for their wedding? Over $60."

He pointed to the equipment box on the ground, his tone tinged with emotion, "And our system, once it's turned on for the wedding day, costs $15 just for the usage fee."

"In other words, as soon as this equipment is turned on and off, $15 goes into the Beverly Hotel's account. It's that simple."

"You mean, we have to pay an extra $15 every time we use this equipment?" Carl Weller stared wide-eyed at Joe Hansen in disbelief.

Joe Hansen nodded. "What you might not believe is that, in addition to the Beverly Hills Hotel, we've also signed equipment installation agreements with six other high-end hotels in California, each with a base price of over two and a half million dollars."

"I spoke with the banquet manager at the Beverly Hotel yesterday, and he said that in addition to the couple getting married tomorrow, there are three other couples planning to get married at the end of this year who have clearly stated that they want to use this lighting equipment and are willing to pay the $15 usage fee."

"I never expected there to be so many rich people in America." Joe Hansen's tone was clearly filled with emotion as he recounted his experiences with the world of the wealthy over the past few days during his interactions with the hotel.

"As the manager of the Beverly Hotel said, clients who hold their weddings here don't care about spending an extra $15. What they care about is the uniqueness and high-end feel of the wedding venue, and our equipment just meets their needs."

Carl Weller fell silent, his gaze slowly sweeping over the installed lighting equipment, before suddenly asking, "How much sales do you expect Starlight Technology to achieve in a year?"

Joe Hansen was stunned, thinking to himself, "You're the head of Bell Labs, the listed vice president of a company that owns half of Starlight Technology, and you're asking me how much sales you make in a year?"

However, it suddenly occurred to me that the other party had never visited this company since it was founded.

Today's appearance marks my first time participating in an event related to Starlight Technology Company.

"I don't know about that, but Emily said that the sales of this equipment must be over a hundred million a year, right?"

"Emily?" Carl Weller turned to look at him.

"Oh, she's the company's marketing director, so what she says should be reliable."

Carl Weller fell silent again, and just as Joe Hansen was wondering what was going on, he uttered two words: "A calculated scheme."

"What?" Joe Hansen didn't understand what he meant.

Karl Weller didn't answer, but turned and left, leaving him standing there completely bewildered.