Chapter 390 |
The results of the trip to Europe began to emerge one by one.
France's EDF joined hands with Rosatom. While they would pursue TWR development independently, they decided to recognize Rosatom, which had already succeeded in development, as the standard.
Although it hadn't formally received ISO certification yet, the likelihood of Rosatom's TWR becoming the international standard specification had increased.
French President Blanc had made efforts to secure a supply of OTK batteries, and I bolstered his prestige by announcing plans for CL Chemical and SSK Innovation's European factories to produce OTK batteries and supply them to Renault and Peugeot in the future.
And BMW internally solidified its decision to align with the CarOS camp.
BMW was a globally recognized luxury car. However, in the ultra-luxury car market where vehicles cost over $100,000, it was, in reality, losing ground to Mercedes and Porsche.
Their strategy was to dominate the electric large car and electric luxury car sectors.
If BMW alone switched sides, the alliance of the German Big Three would crumble. CarOS and Seosung Electronics held secret negotiations.
Meanwhile, CarOS was also moving busily. The unmanned electric truck, ADT1, was selling like hotcakes even before its official launch. Companies with significant logistics operations were practically shoving advance payments at us, placing pre-orders for hundreds of units.
For this, an algorithm developed by Tenway was utilized. Tenway analyzed the travel routes of US logistics trucks to select optimal locations for the BRCs and calculated the anticipated battery quantities needed.
The unmanned taxi service was also well underway.
After completing test runs without any accidents during the pilot period, California and Michigan were the first to issue official operating permits.
However, due to concerns about adverse effects on the existing taxi industry, they agreed to contribute 15% of their revenue to a fund for existing transportation industry workers, and also to comply with state government regulations regarding the number of operating vehicles and hours.
The safety of autonomous driving technology had been sufficiently proven. But the biggest problem was the public's negative perception.
Across the US, incidents of people deliberately driving aggressively towards unmanned vehicles or vandalizing parked ones occurred, and the police launched investigations.
Regardless of its practicality, the animosity towards unmanned vehicles was a challenge that needed to be addressed.
It was an unavoidable issue during a transitional period. If the conflict escalated, countermeasures would be necessary, but otherwise, time would likely resolve it.
***
I visited the research institute to meet Professor Kim Ho-min after a long time.
As OTK battery production expanded, enormous royalties poured into the research institute. And Professor Kim Ho-min, who developed the OTK battery, had earned more money than he could spend in a lifetime.
Despite becoming incomparably richer than before, he still had his usual down-to-earth demeanor. As evidenced by his creation of a foundation to support basic science, he wasn't particularly interested in money.
Just like when we first met, Professor Kim Ho-min personally made me a cup of instant coffee mix.
"I've tried all the supposedly good coffees in the world, but I can't find one more delicious than this."
"Isn't it just that your palate is used to it?"
Professor Kim Ho-min said while sipping his coffee.
"Exactly. It's hard to break away from what's familiar."
He had recently conducted a joint investigation with the government into the ESS (Energy Storage System) fires.
"So, what was the cause?"
"Everything was a problem. The battery, the power conversion system, the software, operational management, and so on. It seems our experience in operating such large-scale energy storage devices was insufficient. So, this time, while fixing the problems, we established an integrated management system. Even just detecting and responding to battery overheating or shorts in advance should significantly reduce damage."
ESS stores electricity generated from sources like solar or wind power in batteries and then releases it. As it can stably supply renewable energy regardless of the weather, it can be considered essential equipment for expanding renewable energy.
I had invested in batteries because of electric cars, but recently, batteries had come to play a crucial role in all industries. As technology advances, the demand for batteries will only increase, never decrease.
Companies realizing the importance of batteries were rushing to increase investment, but in terms of technological prowess, no one could match the OTK battery.
Professor Kim Ho-min also continued research on miniaturization. Besides batteries used in smartphones or tablets, his goal was to create flexible batteries and batteries thin enough to be embedded in clothing.
"Batteries can be called the semiconductors of the future. Their utility will only grow."
As battery demand exploded, companies eagerly sought to secure talent. While other manufacturing sectors were in turmoil due to a lack of jobs, the battery industry faced a severe labor shortage across research, production, and sales positions.
In particular, the value of researchers skyrocketed. Researchers working at the OTK Research Institute also received many lucrative scouting offers.
Some moved to other companies, but most remained. This was partly because they were already receiving the best treatment in the industry, and partly because everyone wanted to research and learn alongside Professor Kim Ho-min.
"You've done it again. I saw yesterday's announcement. They're greatly increasing soldiers' salaries next year and also boosting support for veterans injured during service, right? Everyone was praising it as a great move."
"The company also received many thank-you calls."
Of course, I received even more criticism than that. By now, I've grown accustomed to most of the insults.
"Have you ever thought about going into politics? Come to think of it, it might not be a bad idea for you to jump in."
"Me?"
"You haven't had any offers to run? Even I get calls from here and there sometimes, offering a party nomination if I run."
Even if one runs for election, winning isn't a 100% guarantee. However, both the New Politics Party and the Liberty Korea Party have regions that are their strongholds.
Getting nominated and running in such a region makes victory almost certain. Campaigning with a Nobel Prize in hand would be the icing on the cake.
Koreans love Nobel Prizes.
"I'm too busy with work."
"But there are chaebol chairmen who also wear the pin of a National Assembly member."
Capitalism is one won, one vote, but democracy is one person, one vote. So, it's easy to think elections happen independently of money, but in reality, that's not the case.
For example, imagine a landlord, A, owns all the land in a region, and everyone living there is a tenant farmer under A.
If A, B, and C run for election in that region, who will the locals vote for?
Regardless of who is more capable, they have no choice but to vote for A. If A, having lost the election, gets angry and refuses to lease land to them anymore, the tenant farmers' livelihoods would be at stake.
Therefore, in countries where land reform was not properly carried out and a landlord system persists, a significant number of members, from local councils to the central assembly, are landlords. And these landlords naturally create and pass laws favorable to themselves, creating a vicious cycle that further strengthens the landlord system.
Similarly, if a large corporation is the primary employer for an entire region, and that corporation's chairman runs for election, he often gets elected with an overwhelming majority.
No matter how fairly elections are conducted, the reality is that people cannot be free from the influence of money.
"If I were to enter the National Assembly, everyone would be lining up to grab me by the collar."
Professor Kim Ho-min burst out laughing at my words.
There were more than a few assembly members, from both the New Politics Party and the Liberty Korea Party, who held a grudge against me. In many ways, it’s a tough world for a gray figure like me.
"And it's not like you have to be a politician to engage in politics."
Sometimes, when celebrities make political statements, people criticize them, saying, 'If you're going to do that, quit your job and go into politics.'
However, in a democratic country, sovereignty rests with the people. This sovereignty doesn't just mean casting a vote in an election. As the economy and politics are closely intertwined, all my actions can already be considered political.
Claiming that one must formally enter politics to engage in it is little more than a ploy to distance the public from political discourse.
In the US, all sorts of celebrities—global company CEOs, Hollywood stars, entertainers hosting TV shows—openly declare their preferred parties and candidates, expressing their political opinions without reservation.
They might face criticism from people with different political leanings for doing so, but that too is their choice.
"Will you really never go into politics, even later on?"
"That's something I don't know yet."
Professor Kim Ho-min nodded.
"Good answer. Life is long, and you never know what will happen. Who knows? Maybe you'll run for president someday."
For reference, I don't meet the age requirement yet.
I said jokingly.
"I have a long way to go before I'm old enough to run, so how about you run, Professor? I'll vote for you."
"No way. I have to go back to academia later."
"You won't continue with research and development?"
Professor Kim Ho-min shook his head.
"In the humanities, academic achievements tend to increase with age, but it's not the same for science. Someday, if I feel I can no longer produce new results, I should return to academia. If one of the students I taught achieves something I couldn't, wouldn't there be anything better than that?"
Hearing this, he was clearly a scholar by nature. Suddenly, Professor Mohan and Professor Petrov came to mind. They had a similar feel.
Professor Kim Ho-min said with a smile.
"That's why I'm maintaining friendships with other professors. If there's nowhere for me to go later, I'll have to ask them for letters of recommendation."
Even if he said this, places like Caltech, MIT, Moscow State University, and Hanguk University would all be clamoring to recruit him.
Professor Kim Ho-min asked me.
"What are you thinking of doing when you retire?"
"Well, I haven't really thought about it yet."
Sometimes I see glimpses of the future, but I can't quite picture my own future self. Where will I be and what will I be doing then?
"Well, you're still young to be thinking about post-retirement."
"Not necessarily. Chairman Masayoshi Son of SoftBank is said to have made his life plans in his late teens."
Chairman Masayoshi Son, of the Japanese conglomerate SoftBank which spans IT, software, and mobile communications, planned to earn money from his 20s to his 60s, build a huge company, and then retire.
Surprisingly, that plan became a reality without a single deviation. If there was one part he didn't stick to, it was the retirement plan.
He postponed retirement, saying that this is the fastest-changing moment in human history and he wanted to work a bit more.
Before OTK Company, the world's largest investment company was Berkshire Hathaway.
Berkshire Hathaway relies entirely on the abilities of one man, Warren Buffett. It's no exaggeration to say Berkshire Hathaway is Warren Buffett, and Warren Buffett is Berkshire Hathaway.
However, Chairman Warren Buffett is close to 90 years old, and shareholders were all concerned about his health. Even if something like a sudden deterioration in health doesn't occur, there's a high probability he'll retire within the next 10 years.
Therefore, Warren Buffett has been grooming successors for decades and told shareholders that even if he stepped down the next day, the next chairman would lead the company well.
In reality, even if he retires, Berkshire Hathaway will likely have no major problems. Then what about OTK Company?
OTK Company's growth into the world's largest company was entirely due to my investment skills. However, this stemmed not from investment techniques or insight built through long study and experience like Warren Buffett, but from my foresight.
Investment techniques and insight can be passed on through education, but foresight cannot. And it's not like they can find another person like me.
Even highly successful investment firms can collapse in an instant.
During the global financial crisis, venerable investment banks, including Lehman Brothers, went bankrupt one after another, and Barings Bank, with a 200-year history, went bankrupt due to the misguided investments of a single individual, Nick Leeson.
After I leave, can OTK Company continue to exist? Or, like other companies, will it disappear into the annals of history?
I'm still young and have no intention of quitting work right away. So there's no rush, but it's a problem I'll have to think about someday.
"I enjoyed the coffee."
Professor Kim Ho-min said with a smile.
"Come by for coffee anytime."
[TL/n: Lol, the professor doesn't know he literally see's glimpses of the future]