金蝉脱壳
Stratagems of Contending · 混战计Escape by leaving a facade behind. Create a convincing illusion of presence while the real force moves elsewhere.
Zhuge Liang, after death, had a wooden statue placed in his command carriage. When Sima Yi saw the figure, he suspected a trap and retreated. The real army had already safely withdrawn, leaving only a convincing shell behind.
When forced out of Apple, Jobs left the shell of NeXTSTEP behind while building Pixar into a powerhouse. By the time Apple needed rescuing in 1997, Jobs had transformed from a failed executive into a proven entertainment mogul — the cicada had shed its shell.
Founders often maintain a "shell" company with a public-facing CEO while secretly building their next venture. The original company continues operations while the real strategic move happens elsewhere.