In the conference room, most people had already arrived. Sam Noah was dressed in a suit, exuding a sense of simplicity and competence. Even though he hadn’t slept well the night before, he still appeared energetic the next day, which was the quality expected of a leader.
He sat down and announced the meeting’s start. For a moment, no one dared to speak. Fernando had been with him the longest, and many things others were afraid to say ultimately fell to him.
“Noah, do you think we can hold off on that AI plan for now? I know your considerations, but implementing AI in the factory means many people will lose their jobs. Many of them are long-time employees who have dedicated their lives to the distillery. We can’t let people say our distillery is a place without humanity.”
Sam Noah clasped his hands on the table, looking around as he asked, “Is this your attitude as well?”
These were all the heads of the distillery, and their agreement with Fernando was expected.
Sam Noah continued, “Then tell me, can valuing humanity bring benefits to the company?”
This time, no one spoke up.
“AI is a major trend in today’s world, just like when we entered the industrial age and began using machines. If we had insisted on maintaining the company’s humanity back then and continued with manual labor instead of mechanization, Sam Group would never have reached today. Not only that, we would have been eliminated by the world, drowned among countless small distilleries. Now, the AI era is just like the industrial era back then; if we don’t stay at the forefront of the times, we will be the ones eliminated in a few years. I know you all have feelings for the distillery workers.
If AI is implemented, many will inevitably lose their jobs, just as many faced unemployment when the industrial era arrived. You feel reluctant to see that.
But this is not something I should consider, nor is it something you should consider. You should, like me, think about how to make the company better, how to create more value in this era; that is the attitude a business person should have.”
After finishing, Sam Noah looked around again, “So, does anyone have anything else to say?”
No one answered. Sam Noah looked at Fernando, who shook his head, indicating he had nothing to say.
After the meeting, Sam Noah got into the car, leaning back against the seat, his body lazily reclined. He crossed his legs, tapping his right hand rhythmically on his knee, and asked Wade, “Do you think I’m a cold-blooded and heartless person?”
Wade replied, “The president is not a cold-blooded and heartless person; it’s just that not everyone has the president’s broad perspective.”
Sam Noah leaned his head back against the seat, his tone lazy, “‘If only I could build a thousand houses to shelter all the cold and hungry people,’ that’s the attitude of a saint, and I am not a saint.”
Wade fell silent; in fact, he wanted to say that the president was a saint to his wife.
No matter how much the wife hated him, how much she hurt him, how much she wanted to escape from him, how much she avoided him, he still wanted to keep her by his side.
In the presence of his wife, the steady and rational president seemed to lose his broader perspective.
However, Wade didn’t say this out loud.
**
When Thelma woke up, she was the only one in bed. The pillow beside her was neatly piled, as if no one had slept there. Did he not come back to sleep last night, or did he sleep somewhere else?
Ruth and Sam Noah were not at home, and it was boring for her to stay at home with Tyler. The butler told her there was an ancient city nearby to visit, so with nothing else to do, Thelma took Tyler along.
The ancient city was quite large, with red lanterns hanging on the city walls, giving it a festive feel. The narrow bluestone streets were lined with many small shops selling food and curios, with food being the majority.
