創始人回歸:王雪紅能否拯救HTC
????王雪紅的家族商業人才輩出。她的父親在92歲去世之前一直運營著自己的塑料帝國。1980年,她的姐姐王雪玲參與創立了電腦主板制造商大眾電腦(First International Computer)。哥哥王文洋在中國大陸創辦了一家半導體公司。超威半導體公司(Advanced Micro Devices,AMD)前首席營銷官史蒂夫?契爾尼克說:“他們是一個非常了不起的家族。”上世紀80年代,職業剛剛起步的王雪紅在姐姐的公司工作,負責從AMD采購組件。目前已從科技行業退休的契爾尼克回憶說:“當時的她就是一個剛剛走出大學校門的孩子,稍微顯得有些青澀,但她很快就適應了自己的角色。” ????事實上,王雪紅的少年時代一直都在學會適應。15歲時,她被從臺北送到伯克利讀高中,后來就讀于加州大學伯克利分校(University of California at Berkeley)。身為一名虔誠的基督徒,王雪紅卻不得不寄宿在一個猶太家庭。她要接觸全新的食物、習俗和責任。王雪紅回憶道:“每周三輪到我做飯。我不知道該怎么做,結果,周三很快就變成了中餐館之夜。” ????王雪紅的母親、王永慶的二房(王永慶共有三位太太)最終也離開臺灣,前往舊金山灣區定居。王雪紅說:“她去美國時沒有帶太多錢。她在60歲的時候學會了英語,還考取了駕照。” ????在談到父母的時候,王雪紅忍不住潸然淚下。很顯然,父親在她的一生中扮演著最重要的角色。他曾給她寫過10頁紙的書信,傳授自己的經商經驗。王雪紅在加州門羅帕克的瑰麗酒店(Rosewood Hotel)接受采訪時說:“我必須得回信,否則他會很生氣。”(她要經常往返于舊金山灣區和臺北,這里靠近HTC的總部。) ????王雪紅在姐姐的公司渡過性格形成期之后,她在上世紀80年代末幫助創建了威盛科技公司。后來,通過收購和投資,王雪紅和幾位高管逐漸轉入手機行業。回想起HTC最初的日子,王雪紅說:“當時,我參加所有人的面試。我會告訴他們我的愿景。周永明是第一個相信這個愿景的人。” ????王雪紅仍然相信,周永明有能力帶領他們共同打造的公司走出困境。周永明說:“現在,我的重點是打造新產品和新的產品類別。”據稱,周永明已經表態,如果公司目前的智能手機無法成功,他就會主動下臺。“她是我最大的支持者。”王雪紅同時也是HTC最大的股東。從2011年以來,她所持有的股份的價值已經縮水90%。雖然王雪紅一直非常謙遜,但如果HTC繼續下滑,就算她像喬布斯一樣選擇重新出山,也不會有多少人感到意外。(財富中文網) ????譯者:劉進龍/汪皓 |
????Wang comes from a family of accomplished business executives. In addition to her highly successful father, who ran his plastics empire until his death at age 92, her sister Charlene co-founded motherboard maker First International Computer in 1980. Another sibling, Winston, started a China-based semiconductor company. “They are a fascinating family,” says Steve Zelencik, the former chief marketing officer of Advanced Micro Devices. Back when Wang started her career, working for her sister’s company in the 1980s, she was in charge of buying components from AMD AMD -2.30% . “She showed up as just a kid out of college, but she adapted quickly,” says Zelencik, now retired from the tech industry. ????In fact, Wang spent much of her teen years learning how to adapt. At 15, she was sent from Taipei, Taiwan, to Berkeley to attend high school and eventually the University of California at Berkeley. A devout Christian, Wang lived with a Jewish host family, where she was exposed to new foods, customs, and responsibilities. “Wednesdays were my day to cook,” Wang recalls. “I didn’t know how to, so they soon became Chinese restaurant night.” ????Wang’s mother, Wang Yung-Ching’s second of three partners, eventually also left Taiwan and settled in the Bay Area. “She didn’t take any money with her,” says Wang. “She learned English and got her driver’s license when she was 60.” ????Wang tears up when she talks about her parents. Her father, clearly a prominent figure in her life, wrote her 10-page letters describing his business experiences. “I had to write back or he would be upset,” says Wang during an interview at the Rosewood Hotel in Menlo Park, Calif. (She splits her time between the Bay Area and Taipei, close to where HTC is based.) ????After spending her formative years with her sister’s company, Wang helped build Via Technologies in the late 1980s. Later, through acquisition and investment, Wang and a small team of executives drifted into the phone business. “At that time I interviewed everyone,” Wang says of HTC’s early days. “I would tell them the vision. Peter [Chou] was the first one to believe.” ????Wang continues to place faith in Chou’s ability to turn around the company they built together. “ Now I can focus on building new products and new product categories,” says Chou, who has reportedly said he would step down if the company’s current family of smartphones didn’t succeed. “She is my biggest supporter.” She’s also HTC’s largest shareholder, and she’s seen the value of her holdings plunge 90% since 2011. Wang may be modest, but if HTC’s slide continues, few would be surprised if she pulls a Steve Jobs-like return. |