Chapter 80
While Googol had not shone during the initial dot-com rush, the company became a Superstar after the dot-com bubble broke. They managed to gather up the best of the talented developers who were out of jobs because the bubble broke, and their companies went out of business. The Wall Street situation was similar, because after Russia, Jonathon scooped up the best of the talented managers, funds, and support staff for the New York firm. The result was that the New York firm emerged the victor in the buyout battle. (EN: Yes, Googol. Let’s not get the author sued for trademark infringement. ^_^ ) (EN: Yep, Sun drove their original firms to bankruptcy, and scooped up all the best talents. Yes, he is indeed evil. ^_^ )
***
In the winter of 1998, there was a Christmas tree in front of the company’s main building. I couldn’t help but think ‘how appropriate’. In a typical household that celebrates Christmas, at the bottom of the X-mas tree are all the presents stacked for the family, waiting for the anticipated morning. And our competitors, excuse me, former (now bankrupt) competitors gave us SO many presents this year! Jonathan asked me a question.
“What happened to school?”
“I’m on vacation.”
Jonathan greeted me with a smile, and his office was filled with documents.
“Check this out first.”
It was the board member list of the New York firm, and it was filled with names that could host a global financial conference. He seemed to have aged during the past few months, completing the list must have been taxing. Jonathan seemed sick and tired of the list. However, I could see the fire in his eyes as I had anticipated.
“The firm name will stay, as those on the list were gushing about the brand power of my name. The losers will always flatter the winners with their words.” (EN: It seems the list includes names they poached from the losing hedge funds and businesses.)
“We’re on the same boat now.”
“No, they’re on our boat. They’re just failures.”
I could feel Wall Street oozing out of him with each word, as the board members must have stressed him out during the negotiations.
“This firm is now bigger than the two of us, and we need as many good sailors as we can get.”
“I can only act like this in front of you. Why don’t we go out? It’s snowing and going to get colder.”
Snow was falling, and we intentionally went out of Wall Street to avoid people and went to a small whiskey bar in a secluded street. There were not many customers, and I could hear jazz music. This was better than a bottle of wine that cost ten thousand dollars.
“You’re not going to act like a child here, right Ethan?”
Jonathan spoke one of my major aliases as he poured me whisky.
“Jillian doesn’t know anything, right?”
I nodded.
“You’re not going to tell him?”
“Never.”
“Let’s drink first.”
The whiskey was strong, and it seemed that Jonathan was going to drink his stress away with it. His eyes became more comfortable after a drink, and he asked me with a faint smile.
“The best thing we did was to bring in the Connecticut Retiree Teacher’s pension, wasn’t it?” (EN: Chapter 37.)
We more than tripled those funds, and the relevant government departments would have looked on us with great favor. Not only American government officials but officials from other countries were contacting us while observing our buyouts. When we finished, the offers began to come in, and the total was 400 billion dollars so far. (EN: I’m sorry if it seems that I’m going nutters on the Editor’s Notes in this chapter, but I need to point this out. While Sun and Jonathan’s private fortunes were ridiculously large by this time, over half a trillion dollars, their real power in the financial world is the vast funds they managed for their clients. They CONTROLLED trillions in client funds, and as long as they made money for their clients, they could move those funds as they wished. )
“The board members won’t have a day off from now on.”
Jonathan’s smile was bitter, as he also knew that giving them work for the rest of their lives was also a form of success. The New York firm alone controlled enough funds to affect the global market, and the whiskey was a small celebration for that fact. When the bottle of whiskey was halfway gone, we were looking over the next investment proposal now.
“Will the hedge funds under us move?”
“No, let them be. They’ll be pouncing on internet startups soon by themselves anyway.”
“That’s true.”
There were hints already from 1995, and soon, everyone will bet insane amounts of money on Internet Startups.
“We will not intervene on that or the pension funds. They just need to follow orders when the time comes.”
The elites will do a good job, as their only fault was not going back in time.
“They’ll need to make up for their losses. Our rich clients are gone, right?”
“At first, but they’re coming back after the mergers. They can smell the money.”
“That’s better. However…”
“However?”
I took out a piece of paper from my bag and handed it to Jonathan.
“Buy the stocks of the companies listed on the list with our own funds.”
“When did you prepare this?”
The names were famous in my previous life and now was the time to buy stock, before their rise. Jonathan folded the paper neatly and placed it in his wallet. His voice was mellow with liquor.
“It’s time for us to also become fans of the new century.”
“Like everyone else. However, let’s prepare to get out before the bubble bursts, Sun.”
“All right.”
“Then, work talk is over?”
“Yes.”
“Then, let’s drink up again.”
“No, this is enough, Jonathan.”
“We’ve just begun.”
“I have a meeting tomorrow.”
“Where?”
“I came to America because of this, so come with me tomorrow, Jonathan.”
“Are we meeting the Treasury Secretary? Is this like how Russia began to fall?” No, Jonathan, we were not going to shake the United States. Yet.
“Do you want it in the morning or the afternoon?”
“Afternoon, which is the reason I’m going to keep drinking.”
“There’s something only you can do.”
“What is it?”
“You need to persuade two Stanford students.”
***
I wondered how I could minimize the effect I would have on their company. When they put their PageRank technology on the market, their intent was to use the funds to focus on their studies. However, it did not sell, and they continued to work at their firm until they hit it big with the dot-com rush. They had not received major funding until their IPO. As they had ignored the traditional methods of Wall Street and gave chances to public investors, I needed as many shares as possible beforehand.
The irony was that if I intervened too much, they would go back to their studies, and if I did not, I would lose THE Golden Goose. Jonathan seemed like he could not understand me.
“Buy it if it’s only a million dollars.”
“Then they’ll only go back to their studies with the money.”
“Why aren’t people buying it if it’s such good technology?”
“They’re idiots.”
Actually, the search engines up this time had only focused on gathering content in a website.
“You need to be careful, all right?”
If I failed, I would buy their technology and replicate what they had done in the past. That was the worst-case scenario.
“I hope they can be persuaded.”
“They will be.”
“Thanks. How about tomorrow morning at Stanford?”
“I changed my mind. Let’s have the meeting at the firm, Jonathan.”
“Is it that serious?”
I nodded, and Jonathan seemed to be deep in thought. His gaze was different now.
“Take notes. I can manage two graduate students.”
Edited by Userunfriendly.