UGB Chapter 245 Global TOP3
Chapter 245 Global TOP3
Every year when Forbes releases its list of the world's largest technology companies, the top two positions are consistently held. Apple and Microsoft have alternated at the top for over a decade. The third position has previously been held by Google, Amazon, and Samsung.
The third place has changed this year.
Forbes has officially released its annual ranking of the world's largest technology companies. Apple is first, Microsoft second, and 402 Technologies third. The evaluation criteria cover revenue, profit, valuation, technological influence, number of patents, standard-setting ability, and ecosystem coverage. 402 Technologies achieved perfect scores in both technological influence and standard-setting ability, making it the only company globally to do so.
The Forbes cover headline was just one line: China's Third-Large Company.
When the news reached Hangzhou, the press conference was being broadcast live on the screen in the lobby of the 402 headquarters. The moment the rankings were announced, the entire lobby was silent for two seconds, followed by erupting applause and cheers. Some jumped up, some hugged the people next to them and patted them on the shoulder, and some had tears in their eyes and couldn't speak.
The girl who was in charge of reception later told her colleagues that she had worked in apartment 402 for three years and had never seen anyone in the entire building stop what they were doing at the same time. Everyone was looking at that screen.
The topic remained at the top of Weibo's trending searches for a full day: "Chinese company enters the top three global technology companies for the first time." The topic garnered over two billion views within 24 hours. The most liked comment was simply four words: "Well deserved."
The People's Daily published a commentator article overnight, titled: "From Catching Up to Leading: A Step from Quantitative to Qualitative Change." The article recounted the entire process of 402's transformation from an incubator to one of the world's top three, concluding that this was not only a victory for 402, but also a historic leap for China's scientific and technological strength from catching up to leading the world.
Even ordinary people who don't follow finance learned about 402 after reading the People's Daily.
CCTV News devoted two minutes to reporting this ranking in its evening news program that night. Two minutes is an extremely high standard for a 30-minute news program. The news report concluded with: From a small incubator in Hangzhou to the world's third-largest technology company, 402 has proven one thing: Original Chinese technology is not synonymous with being a follower; it can be a leader.
The Wall Street Journal dedicated a full page to analyzing this ranking. The core argument is that while 402's valuation ranks fifth in absolute terms, far behind Apple's three trillion and Microsoft's two .8 trillion, its technological advantages in quantum computing, brain-computer interfaces, and space photovoltaics mean its potential is far greater than its current ranking. A company with absolute dominance in three fundamental technology areas cannot be worth only $50 billion.
A retired Silicon Valley investor made a controversial statement during an interview: Silicon Valley's technological dominance, built up over fifty years, has been shaken by a company in Hangzhou that has been established for less than ten years. This statement was translated into twelve languages and circulated globally, causing a frenzy of comments in the comment sections of several mainstream Silicon Valley tech media outlets within three hours of its release.
No celebratory banquet was held inside room 402.
Chen Hao, Liu Wei, and Fang Ze opened three bottles of Coke in the office. No champagne, because they hadn't prepared any.
Liu Wei sat on the sofa, looking at the projection screen on the wall. The screen displayed a loop of screenshots of the Forbes rankings. He took a sip of his cola and said a few words.
"Back when I was coding in my dorm, I never dreamed that one day our company would rank ahead of Google."
[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name 1110 ...
Fang Ze leaned back in his chair and smiled, a rare occurrence for him. "I dare to dream of it."
Chen Hao and Liu Wei both looked at him.
"But I didn't say it," Fang Ze added.
The three of them laughed. They laughed for a long time.
Han Lu framed the Forbes magazine cover and hung it on her office wall. The title on the cover, "Huaxia Company in the Third Place," was framed in gold and hung where it could be seen as soon as one entered the room.
Zuo Cheng walked in, glanced at the photo, and took the frame off and put it in the drawer.
Han Lu was taken aback. "What are you doing?"
"With this cover hanging here, we'll feel like we've reached the finish line," Zuo Cheng said. "Third isn't the finish line. First isn't either. The finish line is the stars and the sea."
Han Lu looked at the closed drawer, remained silent for a few seconds, and then nodded.
Zuo Cheng walked to the window. From this vantage point, he could see half of Hangzhou's sky. The signal lights of the Tianqiong satellite were slowly traversing the night sky, one more than last year.
He opened the system panel and took a look.
In the civilization perception interface, the light pillar in the Huaxia region has changed from deep gold to pure gold. System annotation: Civilization level assessment, Blue Star's technological civilization has jumped from level 8 to level 9. 402 Contribution points: 83%. Of the new contributions, quantum error correction algorithms and spatiotemporal positioning algorithms each account for half.
He turned off the panel. He didn't tell anyone. He would never talk about anything related to the system.
the next day.
The CEOs of Microsoft and Google jointly held an online press conference. The conference had only one theme: the first demonstration of the results from the joint Microsoft-Google quantum research center.
The two stood in a massive laboratory, behind them a silver-white quantum computer, more than twice the size of the Tianyan-2. The Microsoft CEO stepped in front of the camera, his tone calm but each word emphasized.
"We have completed the assembly of a 5,000-qubit prototype. We will be open to any form of public evaluation and comparative testing at the Global Quantum Computing Summit next month."
He paused for a moment.
"We have only one request."
"Tianyan from room 402 is also present."
Less than ten minutes after the press conference ended, the video was all over the front pages of global tech media. The headlines varied, but the core message was the same: the $50 billion Joint Quantum Center had issued a challenge.
Zuo Cheng watched the entire replay of the press conference in his office. His expression remained unchanged throughout. After watching, he picked up his phone and dialed a number.
It rang twice, and then the other end answered.
"Yiming, prepare the latest firmware for Tianyan."
Shen Yiming's voice on the other end of the phone was filled with barely suppressed excitement. "Ready? Just say the word."
"It's not just a matter of a few words," Zuo Cheng said. "Next month, we'll take Tianyan-2 to Singapore. If they want to compete, we'll compete to the very end."
After hanging up the phone, Zuo Cheng leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. A quantum computer, built with 50 billion US dollars and boasting 5,000 qubits, was openly challenging the odds. Microsoft and Google had staked everything on this one machine.
He picked up a pen and wrote four words in his notebook.
We'll see this through to the end.
He put down his pen after finishing writing, and outside the window, the signal lights of the Tianqiong satellite streaked across the night sky over Hangzhou. From the launch of the first satellite to becoming the third largest in the world, it took less than ten years. In the next decade, the destination of 402 won't be on any ranking list.