"With the general manager, that makes fifteen people in total." After taking stock, Lin Jia said, "In Shanghai, when we're just starting out, at an average cost of five hundred thousand per employee, that comes to seven and a half million a year."
Chen Yuanguang was shocked. "Five hundred thousand per employee? That expensive?"
"We're hiring PhDs in biology, chemistry, environmental science, and materials science, not computer science PhDs. And isn't the job market bad right now?"
"There are also functional staff like finance, legal, and HR. Their salaries should be fairly manageable, right?"
Lin Jia said, "No, no, I'm not talking about salaries. I mean total costs."
"Office space, supplies, Five Insurances and One Fund, housing allowances, training expenses, lab consumables—those are all costs. If someone takes home three hundred thousand after taxes, the company is actually spending five hundred thousand."
"Unless you plan to pay social insurance and housing fund contributions at the minimum rate."
"But the point is, if you want to build a high-tech company, you need to establish its character from the very beginning. High pay, high standards, high-quality output—that's what a true technology company should be."
"So this average cost of five hundred thousand already takes into account that we're hiring PhDs in biology, chemistry, environmental science, and materials science, along with the poor overall job market."
Chen Yuanguang looked at her in a new light. "I thought you cared a lot about profitability. Since I chose not to do vaccine-related business, I thought you'd try to cut costs."
"That's not how it works," Lin Jia said. "Some money should be saved where possible, but some money shouldn't be saved at all."
"If a company wants to last, you can't start out by taking shortcuts. Shortcuts may work at first, but once the company