Chapter 74: Are We Really Going to License It?

The female reporter’s question hit the nail on the head. If Legion Ant Company removed the Smart Assistant from the market, it meant the Smart Assistant would only be available through Butterfly Eye. Without a doubt, this would solidify Legion Ant’s position in the high-end phone market.

Because they were the only ones offering a fully smart-controlled phone.

During this time, many people had grown fond of the Smart Assistant software. When they were bored, they chatted with Xiao Die, told jokes, and the conversations weren’t stiff—sometimes, it even came out with a classic dry sense of humor.

A monthly fee of 20 yuan was practically a steal for such high-end technology. Apart from the initial smear campaign, Legion Ant Company now had a very good reputation in the market.

If Legion Ant Company removed the Smart Assistant this time, it would probably attract a lot of criticism again.

Now, all the reporters turned their attention to Zhao Min. Because Zhao Min’s answer would determine the future direction of Legion Ant Company’s decisions.

“You asked three questions, and they were very sharp and very good,” Zhao Min responded to the female reporter. “First, regarding the Smart Assistant, we will not remove it for now, but the new version will not be updated temporarily.”

Originally, Zhao Min planned to remove the Smart Assistant after releasing it, but the impact of the Smart Assistant was too great. Suddenly removing it would only bring more criticism to Legion Ant Company.

Moreover, the Smart Assistant in the market could continue to collect data for them, constantly improving its voice interaction features. It also brought in a decent amount of revenue, so leaving it on the market wasn’t a bad idea.

“As for the battery technology, we can license it out. We are businesspeople, and we are in it for the money. When Butterfly Eye first came out, I said we are not afraid of competition. Competition brings vitality to the market. We want to be a first-class company, and what we do sets the standard.”

As soon as Zhao Min finished speaking, the room buzzed with excitement.

At this point, Legion Ant Company’s biggest advantages were the Smart Assistant and battery technology. Now that Zhao Min was licensing out one of their key advantages, everyone was shocked.

“This is the mindset of a true leader. This colony of army ants is destined to rise.”

“Impressive. I respect this move.”

“A company with a conscience. Survive in competition or perish in competition—this is what it means to be proactive. They are a hundred times better than those companies that just change a phone case and try to make money.”

…

Zhao Min’s words sparked heated discussions among those watching the live stream and those at the press conference. Everyone was talking about the impact of her statement.

Clearly, many were won over by Zhao Min’s bold declaration. No company had ever dared to so openly license out its core technology.

“Chen Mo, are we really going to license it?” Xiaoyu, who was watching the press conference, turned to Chen Mo beside her. She was no longer worried about things going wrong at the press conference.

“Why not? The previous smear campaign was an example. We need connections and relationships. Otherwise, when we run into trouble, no one will speak up for us,” Chen Mo said.

For a sole proprietorship like his, these connections were even more important.

Joint-stock companies naturally had strong connections and resources and didn’t have to worry about being shut out.

As a sole proprietorship, they had to accumulate these resources and form symbiotic partnerships. Once tied together, no one would easily mess with them.

“I told her to say that. In this market, hogging everything for ourselves just isn’t feasible, and we can’t handle it all. Right now, we can only produce one million batteries per month, which is just enough for our own use.

“If we license it out, those factories can produce ten million batteries per month, and we’ll collect 15% to 20% in licensing fees. Without lifting a finger or using any materials, we’d earn more than by producing them ourselves.”

Xiaoyu nodded and stared intently at Chen Mo.

“This is just the beginning. There will be more collaborations in the future. This is an era of win-win situations. The strength of one company is limited, and these technologies aren’t that important anyway,” Chen Mo said. Right now, these technologies weren’t that crucial to him, so there was no need to hoard them and attract resentment.

Half an hour later, after Zhao Min answered various questions from the reporters, the press conference ended. The internet was already buzzing with excitement.

Legion Ant Company’s previous announcement about the discovery of Carbon Crystal Material was dug up again.

Only now did people realize that Legion Ant Company’s Carbon Crystal technology was already ready for application. The last time, to keep it under wraps, Legion Ant Company had downplayed the news.

A new material, from discovery to application, in such a short time—many materials experts were starting to take an interest in Carbon Crystal.

Even if its use was limited, its low cost and quick application meant it could replace other battery materials in a short time.

Apart from Carbon Crystal batteries, news about the Butterfly Eye Phone also became a hot topic of discussion. Under Legion Ant’s official Weibo, a group of humorous complainers gathered again.

“Shocking, my wife is acting cute with me again…”

“Shocking, my wife says the son in her belly wants to play with the Butterfly Eye so he can transform and be born…”

“Shocking, my daughter found a rich boyfriend!”

“History always repeats itself! Hahaha…”

The official Weibo was filled with all kinds of jokes, but this time, there weren’t many smear campaigns online. Instead, there was more praise because of Legion Ant’s open attitude.

The official pre-order page was already open on both the official website and Black Cat Mall. In just three hours, pre-orders exceeded 300,000 units.

This number shocked many media outlets. Many people openly stated that Legion Ant Company would replace Apple as the most popular phone.

Whether in performance or design, Legion Ant’s Butterfly Eye inherited the unique characteristics of the Apple Jobs era.

Not just domestically, but many mainstream foreign media outlets also reported on the Butterfly Eye, though the content wasn’t very friendly.

“A Phone from the Future?” — European Times

“The Next Apple from Huaxia?” — San Francisco Daily

“Scary Huaxia Knockoff—Army Ant” — BBC

“Army Ant Should Open-Source Its Smart Code.” — CNN

…

This time, after the Smart Assistant, Legion Ant Company once again caught the world’s attention. Because the Butterfly Eye · Metamorphosis was too beautiful, it looked like a phone from the future.

The video of the Butterfly Eye press conference was soon uploaded to famous foreign social media sites. In just an hour, it attracted hundreds of thousands of views, and the comments were filled with envy and jealousy.

“Unbelievable, this is a product from Huaxia? A knockoff?”

“When it’s released, I’m going to Huaxia to buy this phone. Oh my, it’s a masterpiece.”

“This thing looks pretty, but it’s useless. Aren’t you afraid it’ll break after one day? The quality from Huaxia? I wouldn’t dare use it.”

“Ignorant Westerners. Even though I’m a Westerner too, at least I’m not poisoned by the capital media. Huaxia is better than you think.”

…

Because Legion Ant’s design was so perfect, it attracted attention, and many were ultimately won over by its powerful performance. The price was similar to Apple’s, but its performance far surpassed Apple’s.

Outside, it was bustling, and inside Legion Ant Company, it was just as busy.

After Zhao Min said the battery technology could be licensed, the next day, many battery manufacturers came to the company to obtain the technical licensing. They had to act fast, in case Legion Ant Company changed its mind.

Producing phones and licensing technology—once again, Legion Ant Company was immersed in busy work. But everyone in the company had a happy expression on their face.

The company’s business was good, which meant their year-end bonuses would be even bigger. The Chairman was never stingy with bonuses, as long as they worked hard and did their jobs well, just like the last two times.

The entire company was busy, and Chen Mo wasn’t idle either.

After all the hard work during this time, the Laser Sensor was already made. Its accuracy and performance were tested and completely met the specifications. The next step was to take the sensor out of the Laboratory and apply it in real-world scenarios.

Just as Chen Mo was thinking about how to use the Laser Sensor, Xiaoyu came into his office to find him.

“Chen Mo, the heads of the four major phone companies will come tomorrow. General Manager Zhao wants to know if you want to meet them.”

“Sure,” Chen Mo said after thinking for a moment.