The frequent social media posts and trending appearances of Yu Hao are bound to attract controversy and, in fact, have likely offended many. Such scenarios have not been uncommon since the "Story of Spring" in 1992. However, a recent media article labeling him a "boomer breaker" seems to have given Yu Hao a new potential adversary: local government investment funds. This is rather novel. While news reports of local government investment funds turning against entrepreneurs after failed ventures, unable to exit their investments, are not rare—with a certain province famous for bride prices being a hotspot—many in the media, including this author, have called for changing the rules of this "pseudo-venture capital" game with its "unlimited joint liability." But it is abnormal for such "boomer breaker" criticisms to emerge just as Dreametech is gaining momentum, with its sales doubling after sponsoring the 2026 Spring Festival Gala and during its rapid expansion into European and American markets. As Lu Xun once illustrated, if someone throws a banquet for their child's first-month celebration, all guests offer auspicious words like "this child will surely become great," which are pleasant but statistically improbable truths. Only one person states the absolute, undeniable truth: "This child will eventually die." It is true, but meaningless and resented. Even the formidable Jack Ma has consistently expressed the hope that "Alibaba will become a 102-year-old company." Even the revered teacher, from a materialist dialectical perspective, wrote in a famous essay that "XXXX will also disappear," a point Li Ao once cited in a speech at Peking University. So, why should Dreametech be sentenced to an ultimate fate just as it begins to rise? Lei Jun, who frequently rides trends while adding "fine-print disclaimers," faced a setback in 2025. OPPO, which has long regarded Duan Yongping as its spiritual leader, encountered a marketing mishap in 2026. Yu Hao, born in 1987 and admitted to Tsinghua University without examination, displays a performative personality in his social media presence. Yet, while he hasn't faced a major setback, he is now accused of defrauding local industrial investment funds. Is this normal? Furthermore, if Dreametech were to fall out with a local investment fund, it should be for the local government itself to make a statement. It is national policy for local governments to preserve and increase the value of local assets through investment, and win-win cases are countless. The Suzhou government, where Dreametech is headquartered; Zhongguancun and Yizhuang, home to Xiaomi; Qianhai and Nanshan, where countless Shenzhen tech firms reside—all are big winners. Huizhou in Guangdong, Yantai in Shandong, not to mention county-level cities in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai, are also major beneficiaries. As for Yibin in Sichuan, its investments extend beyond Dreametech to include Unitree Robotics, Galaxy General, Songyan Power... Looking at this portfolio, the Yibin local government clearly knows what it's doing. Interestingly, the doomsayers have two main arguments: First, taking money from local governments essentially entails "unlimited joint liability," so Dreametech accumulates significant risk, with many precedents to heed. Second, Dreametech is pursuing many projects unrelated to its core products and unlikely to succeed, thus allegedly scamming local governments. Wait, who exactly is the "boomer" being "broken," and who is breaking whom? The arguments contradict themselves. Since procedural justice is followed, the relationship between Dreametech and local industrial funds should be judged by results. At least so far, the rising Dreametech has not failed any local industrial fund. These funds have already learned their lessons and made their decisive moves throughout the 2010-2025 period. In contrast, they might view Dreametech, a leader in consumer electronics, as a promising investment target. Ren Zhengfei, born during the War of Resistance, is older than Donald Trump—a true veteran. Jack Ma, born in 1964, is now 62—undoubtedly a veteran. Lei Jun, born in December 1969, is 57—also a veteran. Duan Yongping, OPPO's spiritual leader, was born in 1961, older than Jack Ma. Chen Mingyong, OPPO's CEO, born in 1969, is slightly older than Lei Jun. Among these five, some brands not only endure but grow stronger with age; others have stumbled. Herein lies the revelation: Entrepreneurs are not ordinary people. The contest is not about who is older or younger, but about who can remain true to their original aspirations and justify their actions logically. Why did OPPO's marketing stumble? Because smartphone manufacturers have all adopted the tactics of traffic-driven marketing, much like the entertainment industry packages celebrities—riding trends, creating conflicts, deliberately stirring controversy. But accidentally crossing the bottom line of public values or fan group sentiments leads to failure. In reality, industry veterans of advanced age are very shrewd. These elder statesmen are cutting costs and engaging in borderline marketing to earn free traffic. So why can't Yu Hao, born in 1987, do the same? In fact, Yu Hao's statements thus far can hardly be called borderline; at most, they are an entrepreneur's "boasting." Is it a case of allowing the veterans to set fires while forbidding Yu Hao from lighting a lamp? Not only has Yu Hao lit a lamp, but he has also done so even more brilliantly, earning him the label of "traffic terrorism." Indeed, Yu Hao not only excels in traffic marketing compared to veteran entrepreneurs but is also willing to spend real money to invite hundreds of media outlets to launch events in the U.S. Do other smartphone manufacturers have such audacity? I've heard that a certain smartphone brand leader said in a marketing meeting years ago: "What's the use of spending so much on media placements? I might as well post one Weibo." This highlights the difference between Yu Hao and these veteran entrepreneurs. The dragon-slaying youth becomes the dragon, while the true youth is branded the dragon. This is not fitting. Although Yu Hao, with his performative personality, has avoided addressing this, one cannot deny a certain resemblance in temperament to Jia Yueting. Dreametech's choice of venue for its late April U.S. launch event—the same site used by LeEco a decade ago—deepens this impression. But speaking of Mr. Jia, few are more qualified to comment than this author. Mr. Jia never deceived users, right? He never engaged in marketing that crossed the bottom line of public values, right? He wasn't a chatterbox, right? In fact, Mr. Jia was a man of few words, neither turning himself into entertainment nor frequently riding trends—a trait that persists in him now, a decade into his life in the U.S. and of advanced age. But if one says Mr. Jia boasted, from a results perspective, that might be a fair assessment. Upon closer inspection, Yu Hao's resemblance to Mr. Jia, who spoke of "ecological integration," lies mainly in describing future visions. Yet, after LeEco, which tech giant isn't pursuing ecological integration? LeEco simply failed, hence its vision was deemed boastful. Looking even closer, is Yu Hao really boasting? For instance, some who label him a "boomer breaker" think his statement about "breaking one trillion by 2028" is insane. Coincidentally, Elon Musk's SpaceX is aiming for the largest IPO in history, with operational data semi-public in U.S. media, allowing us to calculate the revenue of Musk's empire. For SpaceX, total 2025 revenue was approximately $18.7 billion, with Starlink as the cash cow contributing about $11.4 billion. For Tesla, 2025 revenue was $94.8 billion, slightly less than 2024. For X (formerly Twitter), revenue was $2.9 billion. The combined 2025 revenue for these three well-known Musk companies was $116.4 billion. Calculated at the strong 2025 exchange rate of over 7 RMB to the dollar, that's roughly 840 billion RMB. Don't forget, Musk has several other companies, like Neuralink researching brain-computer interfaces, The Boring Company tackling urban traffic congestion, and constantly delayed robot products. Musk's commercial empire reaching an annual revenue of one trillion RMB doesn't seem difficult. So, is Yu Hao, who constantly benchmarks against Musk, boasting? There are always those who, on one hand, admire American technological innovation and imagination, and on the other, pour cold water on Chinese tech companies. This was true in the 3G era and remains so today. This is not good. Not good at all. Among post-80s and post-90s tech leaders in consumer electronics, few are as low-key as Wang Tao. Yet, after a decade of low profile, even Wang Tao could no longer maintain it. Faced with increasing competitors and unscrupulous poaching, he gave interviews in 2026. Notably, when Wang Tao re-emerged for interviews, he explicitly expressed admiration for Yu Hao. Wang Tao said, "Yu Hao is very precious." How does Yu Hao evaluate Wang Tao? Yu Hao said that when he visited DJI in 2013, he was deeply attracted by an article Wang Tao posted in the breakroom. He felt Wang Tao was one of the few with genuine insight, even more "angry youth" than himself. Similar in temperament to Yu Hao is Liu Jingkang of Insta360. Clearly operating in a niche consumer electronics segment, he harbors grand ambitions, not shying away from legal battles with DJI and recently engaging in a public spat with Yu Hao. Youth is wasted without audacity, especially for young entrepreneurs operating in the era of traffic. For someone in a rapid ascent, whether they are audacious is not the key issue. What matters is whether they can justify their actions and be accountable for the results. "Seeing is believing because you believe." If you don't think this way, you might already be a "boomer" of the 2020s. America's technological hegemony is maintained by the audacious chatterbox Elon Musk. China also needs more young entrepreneurs like Yu Hao.
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