406: Chapter 406 Has Adebayor become arrogant?

After letting everyone leave, Mr. Adebayo checked the equipment they had prepared once more. Confirming there were no issues, he called Shen Fei again.

"Boss Shen, I have something to tell you!"

On the other end of the line, Shen Fei was already playing the role of a doting father at home.

When Zhang Mingzhu saw it was a call from Mr. Adebayo, she gently picked up their daughter and prepared to take the call aside.

"What is it?"

"Time magazine is coming for an interview again!"

"Aren't you a regular guest at Time? They give you feature interviews every other day, don't they?"

"This time is different. It seems they want to do a long-form feature profile, and the deputy editor-in-chief is coming personally. The title is 'The Steve Jobs of Africa'."

Mr. Adebayo laughed after saying this. After all, he knew his own capabilities better than anyone.

Back in the day, he was just a small street vendor. Although he was better off than most Africans, in the grand scheme of things, he was just a small ant...

And Shen Fei had given him this opportunity to change his fate, so he knew very well why he was where he was.

"The Steve Jobs of Africa. Mr. Adebayo, that's quite a big hat to wear! Although Time magazine does these kinds of features, they usually cost money. What's going on with you…"

"Boss, that's exactly what I wanted to say. I also feel like something is wrong this time!"

The voice on the other end, Mr. Adebayo, was also very urgent: "I feel like this is a carefully planned flattery. Someone wants me to get carried away."

Shen Fei nodded. He truly was the person he had chosen; that brain was sharp.

Shen Fei realized instantly that it seemed the United States couldn't help themselves again.

Since they knew they couldn't sanction Transsion, they wanted to try a different approach.

Blow up their agent in Africa to the heavens, make him think he is the protagonist, and that Transsion is just a stepping stone.

Once he is puffed up high enough, someone will come to persuade him: "Mr. Adebayo, why don't you strike out on your own?"

"Mr. Adebayo, are you tempted?"

Shen Fei's tone still carried a hint of a smile, and the laughter of Mr. Adebayo on the other end grew louder.

"Boss, I have experienced this kind of choice many times, but without you, there would be no Mr. Adebayo today. How about we play along with them?"

"Then let's play along! By the way, don't neglect the real work; urge them on the licenses in various regions again. Also, we aren't short on money, but don't let people take us for fools. If anyone thinks they are very capable, let the security team invite them for some tea. I believe they will come to their senses."

"Boss, don't worry, the brothers are all standing by!"

...

The formal interview was on November 12th.

The interview was set for 2:00 PM. Mr. Adebayo's office had been temporarily rearranged again.

The biggest change was that the books on the desk had been rearranged. The ones with covers facing outward were all specially selected by Time magazine, basically top-tier works on African economic development and technological innovation.

Of course, there were also some books about entrepreneurship. In short, all the details signaled an attitude: Mr. Adebayo wanted to strike out on his own.

And Mr. Adebayo was very cooperative, even proactively picking out a few more.

All of them were books about how to be a good founder, how to make a startup successful, and so on.

After all, details determine success or failure. He also wanted the people behind this to feel that this person was enjoying his status and was becoming arrogant.

The formal interview started at 1:30 PM.

Richard Hoffman's handshake was that of a diplomat trained for many years. Although he wanted to change it, he still did it subconsciously.

"Mr. Adebayo, thank you very much for taking the time to accept this interview."

Hoffman sat on the sofa to the side, crossed his legs, and adopted a very relaxed posture, as if this were just an ordinary interview with no other purpose.

"Mr. Adebayo, we have been following the development of the African technology industry."

In recent years, the African technology industry has also been developing rapidly, but among all African technology entrepreneurs, you have the most compelling story.

"We hope that through this report, readers all over the world can learn about your story—not just the story of Transsion, but your personal story."

Hoffman was indeed an old hand. When he spoke, through the variations in his tone, although the words themselves didn't reveal much, the tone conveyed a lot of meaning.

Mr. Adebayo immediately imitated Lei Jun, becoming sincere.

"Mr. Hoffman, this is my honor!"

When he said this, Mr. Adebayo smiled very sincerely, so sincerely that Hoffman couldn't see any flaws.

"However, I am curious, why are you so interested in me this time? Previously, reporters always interviewed me individually. You leading the team this time really makes me feel a bit flattered."

Hoffman's smile didn't change, but he still felt that Mr. Adebayo's attitude was a bit off. Soon, he realized that since he had come to interview personally, it was normal for the other party to be a bit excited.

So, he smiled and answered the question.

"Because the time is right. In '08, '10, and those few small interviews, you were just the African head of Transsion at the time. But today... after all these years of effort, your influence has already pushed the formulation of Nigeria's communication policies and influenced the direction of technological development in various African countries. You are no longer just a simple African head; you are the leader of the entire African technology industry."

Leader!

When Mr. Adebayo heard these two words, his face was instantly filled with uncontrollable pride.

Although he didn't nod, his smile was already full of pride.

Hoffman also thought his words were clever.

After all, in their view, the other party was not just the African head of Transsion, but a leader in the African technology field.

The gap between these two identities was very obvious; the former's power came from Transsion, while the latter's power came from himself.

And Mr. Adebayo, on the surface, couldn't stop smiling, but in his heart, he silently said that the first wave of flattery had been received, but he also knew this was just the beginning.

The sugar-coated bullets of the American empire came one after another.

"You overpraise me!"

He waved his hand. Although very humble, the pride on his face could not be hidden.

"I just did what I had to do. It mainly relies on the company. Transsion gave me a platform, and I did some useful things for Africa on this platform, that's all."

"No, Mr. Adebayo."

Hoffman didn't feel his efforts were in vain. After all, word games were necessary, and the more this Mr. Adebayo praised Transsion, the more it showed he was a smart person.

After all, he was still working at the original company; he couldn't stab his boss in the back to his face. That would be treacherous and would actually lower the outside world's evaluation of him.

"Transsion is a Chinese company. Its success in Africa is largely due to you. It is you who let Transsion understand Africa, not Transsion that made you into the President Adebayo of today. Actually, before coming here, I learned about this in many countries. They all believe that the reason Transsion is so successful in Africa is because of you."