After wrapping up various matters accumulated at Daenerys Entertainment, Simon set off for San Francisco on Wednesday, May 8, to oversee an employee interview at the FusionTimes team and handle other business in the Bay Area.
Over the past few months, the frameworks for FusionTimes, SolarCity, and SpaceX had been nearly completed.
FusionTimes and SolarCity were both based in Silicon Valley, while SpaceX was headquartered in Los Angeles.
The most advanced among them was SpaceX, which had already started designing its first rocket.
FusionTimes faced the greatest challenges. In the short term, the team would be based at the Egret Park campus in Mountain View, focusing on theoretical research. The actual construction of a fusion reactor would begin only after FusionTimes' headquarters was fully built.
As for SolarCity, while it seemed to involve the least technological complexity among the three companies, Simon placed no less importance on it. This was because SolarCity was the most likely to achieve sustainable commercial operations in the shortest timeframe.
Interestingly, in the original timeline, SolarCity was founded by Elon Musk's cousins as a photovoltaic product distribution company. The company introduced a new business model where, instead of selling photovoltaic systems outright—often prohibitively expensive—SolarCity installed them for users and then charged for electricity through a rental model. Additionally, customers could sell excess energy back to the grid.
This business model didn't offer electricity much cheaper than traditional power grids, but it had the appeal of clean energy and solved electricity supply issues in remote areas, which led to its success and the entrance of many competitors.
Simon planned to adopt this business model but with far more ambitious goals.
Mountain View, Egret Park.
In a conference room at SolarCity's headquarters, after completing the FusionTimes interview in the morning and having lunch, Simon arrived to meet with SolarCity's five-member core research group to discuss the specific plans for this newly established company.
The core research group mirrored the chief scientist model used by many companies or research institutions.
Simon initially considered a similar setup for the three companies but ultimately decided against it after careful deliberation.
A single person's ideas can be limited.
Although Simon was a believer in elitism, he had more faith in teamwork. As a result, all three companies adopted the core research group model, with each group consisting of five members. These groups didn't consist solely of top-tier scientists; they also included individuals with management skills, such as Emmanuel Brandt at FusionTimes.
Since all three companies were fundamentally commercial enterprises, driven by profit, Simon concluded that their long-term success depended on sound cost control and corporate management. Simon wasn't about to let a group of scientists recklessly spend his money—everything had to be under control.
At FusionTimes, for instance, Emmanuel Brandt had proactively proposed joining the company, and Simon quickly agreed. He appointed her as the company's president and a member of its core research group. With a PhD in particle physics, Emmanuel was far more technically knowledgeable than Simon, despite all the reading he had done to familiarize himself with the subject.
More importantly, Simon valued Emmanuel's business acumen.
Someone with both technical expertise and a strong grasp of corporate management was the perfect fit for this type of project.
At SpaceX, Simon was naturally grooming Elon Musk for this kind of role. However, Simon wasn't going to wait for Musk to mature. Relying on his memory, he brought in Gwynne Shotwell, who had served as the president of SpaceX in the original timeline.
Yes, another woman.
Though female, like Emmanuel Brandt, Gwynne Shotwell had both high intelligence and excellent credentials. At 33, she held dual master's degrees in mechanical engineering and applied mathematics from Northwestern University. Since 1988, she had worked for a NASA-affiliated aerospace company for eight years, making her highly qualified.
In the original timeline, Gwynne Shotwell joined SpaceX in 2002 and became Musk's right-hand woman, managing the day-to-day operations. If Musk's vision shaped SpaceX's culture, Shotwell was the one who turned that vision into reality.
Though Simon had recruited her six years earlier, he believed that 33 was the prime age for Shotwell.
Like Emmanuel Brandt, Shotwell was appointed as SpaceX's president and a core research group member.
With these two appointments, Simon decided to follow the same approach at SolarCity.
The head of SolarCity was also a woman, Daniela Greenwater. At 31, she held a PhD in materials science and engineering from MIT and had also managed to earn an MBA from Harvard. Before joining SolarCity, this sharp, brown-haired woman, who wore glasses and exuded a professional air, was preparing to leave the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to start her own solar energy research company in Silicon Valley.
Faced with the opportunity Simon offered, Daniela chose to join SolarCity instead of starting her own business. She was surprised, however, when she was appointed as SolarCity's president and playfully tested Simon to see if he had any ulterior motives. After all, although she wasn't a beauty, Daniela's looks and figure were easily a solid 70 out of 100.
Simon told her he did have other motives.
This immediately put her at ease—after all, men often say the opposite of what they really mean.
"First question: does anyone know when photovoltaic technology was first discovered?" Simon asked, catching the core research team off guard.
While many people find the historical background sections in technical textbooks tedious, Simon's team didn't let him down. One member replied, "1839. A 19-year-old French scientist named Edmond Becquerel discovered the photovoltaic effect in silver chloride liquid and created the first photovoltaic cell."
"Very good," Simon said, writing "1839" on the whiteboard, followed by "1996." "From the discovery of the photovoltaic effect in 1839 to now, 1996, 157 years have passed. What do you all think of that?"
The group exchanged glances. Finally, Daniela Greenwater spoke up, "157 years, all wasted."
Simon tapped the whiteboard with his marker, nodding, then glanced at the others. "That's why Daniela is president, and you're not."
The other three men and one woman couldn't help but roll their eyes.
In fact, no one in any of the three companies really had an issue with female leadership.
These were young companies, with most employees under 35 years old. There was no hierarchy like in the research departments of large corporations or government labs. Additionally, Simon had promised everyone that if any of the women failed in their roles, they would be replaced, and anyone who performed well could expect to be personally promoted by Simon.
Ignoring their eye rolls, Simon continued, "In 157 years, alternating current, semiconductors, and fossil fuels have been widely adopted in our daily lives, yet photovoltaic technology remains confined to a few niche areas. To me, this is a massive waste. Society's energy ultimately comes from the sun. We've consistently overlooked the most direct and abundant energy source while depleting fossil fuels accumulated over millions of years. This is a significant misstep. I founded SolarCity because I want our approach to energy to get back on track."
The group around the table nodded in agreement.
They wouldn't have entered this field if they didn't share a similar mindset.
After a brief pause, Simon continued, "Now, on to the main topic. With 157 years of progress, the mainstream photovoltaic materials have already been discovered, and so have the surrounding technologies. My expectation for you is not to start from scratch. As Isaac Newton said, 'standing on the shoulders of giants,' I want you to build upon the century and a half of technological advancements. Your first task is to conduct a comprehensive review and consolidation of photovoltaic technology on a global scale. I know you're thinking this might be difficult for others, but it won't be for me, because I have enough capital to support this effort."
The group smiled knowingly—they understood the truth behind Simon's words.
Integration, after all, meant technological integration.
When it came to technology, there were always patent issues, and whether through acquisition or licensing, this required significant funding. While others might have the resources, few would take the risk given the potential investment pitfalls.
For Simon, this wasn't a problem.
Even if he ended up throwing away billions of dollars, it wouldn't hurt his wealth significantly.
Standing at the whiteboard, Simon continued, "Of course, when I say integration, I don't just mean integrating photovoltaic products. I want you to create a closed-loop system, from the production of photovoltaic materials to the disposal of waste. For many people, the biggest selling point of photovoltaic products is that they're clean energy, reducing the pollution caused by fossil fuels. However, we all know that's largely a lie. From the moment photovoltaic materials are produced, they consume large amounts of energy and generate various types of pollution. The waste from photovoltaic products and the batteries used to store energy create even more pollution. Since we're promoting these products under the banner of environmental protection, I want us to genuinely live up to that claim. At the very least, we should strive to ensure that photovoltaic waste and used batteries are processed in a way that minimizes environmental harm."
As Simon spoke, he wrote various keywords on the whiteboard. "After completing the first phase of technological consolidation, I want you to use existing technologies to continue deeper research while also integrating a commercially viable photovoltaic product model. Remember, I'm looking for an optimal balance between cost and efficiency. That's where your efforts should focus. If anyone tries to push some satellite-grade, gold-plated photovoltaic material, I'll fire you on the spot. Of course, this model must also cover the entire supply chain, from material production to waste disposal. We've already discussed SolarCity's leasing model, which is easy to imitate. However, if you can optimize costs to the extreme and create a closed-loop
supply chain, future competitors will have a hard time threatening SolarCity."
Starting at 2:00 PM, Simon spent two hours at SolarCity's headquarters, discussing various topics with the core team. It wasn't until 4:00 PM that he left.
Next, he headed to an area near Morgan Hill, south of San Jose.
FusionTimes had purchased 50 hectares of land here and recently reached an agreement with the surrounding residents to establish FusionTimes' headquarters on this site.
Initially, some suggested that FusionTimes' headquarters be located in Livermore, east of the Bay Area, near the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which is affiliated with the U.S. Department of Energy.
Since FusionTimes was researching nuclear fusion, even as a private company, it needed government approval and oversight. The Westeros system had already secured authorization from the federal government and reached several technical cooperation agreements. By setting up in Livermore, FusionTimes could easily collaborate with the National Laboratory, which was also conducting fusion research.
Simon flatly refused.
He wanted to create a company imbued with Silicon Valley's spirit. Whether it was FusionTimes and SolarCity in the Bay Area or SpaceX in Los Angeles, Simon wanted all three companies to operate with the same pioneering, innovative spirit as Silicon Valley startups.
In contrast, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, almost a government department, might have deep technical expertise, but its rigid bureaucracy and laid-back work culture meant it was unlikely to achieve any groundbreaking breakthroughs.
There's always been a tendency to compare research institutions between the East and the West and lament the brain drain of top Chinese scientists.
But in reality, it's the same everywhere.
Otherwise, the U.S. wouldn't be relying on private companies like SpaceX for its new moon landing program.
The difference is that the West has large private companies and commercial research institutions, like SpaceX, that provide ample opportunities for top scientists from around the world. Unfortunately, even after 20 years, China hadn't developed the kind of environment necessary to foster such growth.
In short, Simon didn't want FusionTimes' team to be influenced by the bureaucratic habits of a national lab like Livermore.
It needed to be far away.
The land Simon purchased near Morgan Hill was just 20 kilometers from downtown San Jose, technically still within the bounds of Silicon Valley. Ideally, Simon would have preferred a more central location, but given the sensitive nature of FusionTimes' work, acquiring 50 hectares in the heart of Silicon Valley was no easy task.
Nestled in the valleys south of San Jose, Morgan Hill was the perfect compromise.
After visiting the FusionTimes site and meeting with the architectural design team, Simon wrapped up his day. He spent the night in the Bay Area and flew to New York the following day.
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