Simon returned to Los Angeles, with Veronica Johnston and Anthony Johnston arriving in the morning.
Veronica was there to drop off the little one; Simon and his wife planned to take care of Melbourne for a while.
Anthony Johnston was there for the BHP acquisition case.
Perhaps due to the latest release of the Forbes Rich List today, reporters were once again seen outside Dume Cape Manor. As Simon's car entered the gate, flashes went off, and some reporters even tried to take pictures through the car window, but they couldn't get any shots due to the one-way glass.
The car stopped in front of the Shell Villa.
Simon got out of the car and greeted Anthony with a hug. "Tony, how have you been lately?"
"Not bad," Anthony hugged Simon back, patted him on the shoulder, and laughed, "And congratulations, the world's first centibillionaire."
"Thank you," Simon smiled and walked into the villa with Anthony, asking, "Where are they?"
"They're all inside."
As they spoke, they followed an approaching Indian maid to the east side of the villa's hall, to an exhibition room.
This room was specially created by Janet to store the various awards Simon had received over the years and other memorabilia between the two.
As they neared the exhibition room, a somewhat disorganized 'clang clang' sound came from inside. Entering, they saw a little one lying on the pedestal where Simon's flaming guitar used at Madonna's concert was placed, strumming the strings randomly, having a great time.
Of course, there was no fire coming out now.
Janet and Veronica were standing nearby. When they saw Simon coming in, Veronica picked up the reluctant little one from the pedestal, hesitated for a moment, then put him down on the floor, crouched, and gently pushed the child towards Simon, saying, "Mel, Daddy's back, call Daddy."
Thanks to frequent video calls, Melbourne's expression as he looked at Simon wasn't unfamiliar, but he clearly wasn't interested in the person in front of him. After a few glances, he turned and went back into Veronica's arms, pointing once more to the flaming guitar.
Instinctively, Veronica hugged the child close, then looked at Simon cautiously, knowing he didn't like her always holding the child.
But she couldn't bear to let go.
Simon stepped forward, took the child from Veronica, and the father and son looked at each other for a moment. Unmoved by the teary-eyed pitiful expression, Simon quickly handed him over to the maids, Isabel and Zoe, saying, "Take him out to play." Seeing Isabel about to pick up the child, he added, "Don't carry him; he can walk on his own."
Due to a privileged environment, and perhaps some genetic factors, Melbourne was much stronger than children his age, and walking was no problem.
Everyone watched as the little one, with a pitiful expression, sought Veronica's help while being obediently led out by Isabel. Once the child left the exhibition room, Janet finally laughed, took Veronica's arm, and said cheerfully, "Mel is smart, he knows who the real big boss is here."
Veronica looked worriedly towards the door, whispering, "Mel is still so young."
"Not that young, he'll be two in a few months," Janet said, leading her aunt outside, "Let's go prepare lunch. Don't worry, Isabel and Zoe are very good with kids. Oh, Simon, has A come back? I have some things to ask her."
Simon nodded, "She's outside."
Once everyone else had left, Simon and Anthony sat on a sofa in the corner of the exhibition room. After Alia brought in coffee and left, Anthony said, "Aunt is indeed too doting on Mel, so is Dad. But don't be too strict with him either, he's not even two yet."
Simon asked with a smile, "How were you as a child?"
Anthony, apparently recalling some unpleasant memories, smiled bitterly, "I don't remember being Melbourne's age. But from when I could remember, Dad was very strict with Norman and me, and Grandpa was the same. He probably stopped caring as much from Janet onwards. Janet, David, and Pat, I actually envied these three younger siblings."
Simon shook his head slightly and said honestly, "I don't know how to raise kids; this is mainly Janet's job. But I think they should know that the world doesn't always give them what they want. They need to understand giving and restraint; for a family like ours, this is very important."
Anthony joked, "I just thought you might be a bit envious of Mel."
Simon was taken aback, didn't respond, and picked up his coffee.
Anthony soon realized he had misspoken, changed the subject, and said, "This 58list issue, although Ygritte had the upper hand, there will still be trouble afterward, right?"
Simon, automatically forgetting the previous topic, nodded, "The relationship with print media will be a bit strained."
"Dad has been paying attention to this matter lately too. He asked me to tell you not to launch a similar site in Australia."
Simon agreed, "I won't. Murdoch actually mentioned it to me."
Australia is different from North America.
Across the federation, there are over 2800 newspapers of various sizes, despite giants like Hearst, Condé Nast, The Washington Post, The New York Times, etc., their influence is relatively dispersed. Even the largest, The New York Times, has a daily circulation of only around 1.2 million.
Even though the threat from internet media is growing, the sheer number means the print media group can't unite to resist the trend.
Also, Ygritte Portal's over 20 million daily active users mean that even if someone wants to attack, Simon has considerable strength in public opinion. In the 58list incident, despite the aggressive stance of the print media, online users, guided by Ygritte Portal, largely supported 58list.
Australia is different.
Simon has always maintained a cooperative stance with Australia's media forces, and their cooperation is very close.
Moreover, Australia's News Corporation and Fairfax Group essentially monopolize the print media in Australia and New Zealand.
Classified advertising also represents a significant income for the Australian print media industry.
If Ygritte Australia were to launch a classified advertising service, News Corp and Fairfax would certainly unite to attack Ygritte. This would mean the entire Australian print media attacking simultaneously. Even though Simon isn't afraid of such confrontation, it's not worth turning allies into enemies for a small market like Australia.
That said, even if Ygritte doesn't launch a classified site in Australia, someone there will develop a similar project based on what's happening in North America.
It just won't be related to Ygritte.
Anthony was relieved to hear Simon didn't plan to do this.
If Australian media overwhelmingly opposed, the Johnston family's BHP acquisition would face significant obstacles.
With this in mind, Anthony asked, "Doesn't Daneylis Entertainment's movie promotion heavily rely on traditional print media too? How do you plan to handle that?"
"It will have an impact, but print media's influence on movie promotion isn't that big," Simon shook his head, "And it's like international relations between countries, especially major ones; there's always both conflict and cooperation. Even with conflicts with Ygritte, print media must maintain a certain friendly attitude if they want Daneylis Entertainment's ad revenue. Also, Ygritte Portal not only has its own movie section, but we've also invested in several movie review sites in recent years, enough to ensure our films' publicity."
Print media's main impact on movies is on their reputation.
But many cases have shown that reputation doesn't significantly impact a movie's box office; the key is popularity.
Even a poorly reviewed movie can do well if it's popular enough.
Currently, the main channel for promoting a movie's popularity has shifted to TV ads.
The internet media hasn't significantly conflicted with the TV industry yet, so there's no need to worry much about that. Moreover, within a few years, Daneylis Entertainment will also complete its layout in the TV network.
Seeing that Simon had thought through these matters, Anthony didn't say more, and instead, mentioned, "Before I came, Dad asked me to tell you that the Westeros system is now too large; some things need to be let go. Many people didn't realize it before. Now, seeing the growing interest in the internet industry, they won't allow you to monopolize it."
Anthony smiled, "Dad also sees that you've been trying to give up some interests to avoid risks, but it's not enough, like the recent 10% share transfer of Ygritte; it's hard to satisfy the old capital's appetite."
"I know," Simon said, "So, I won't give up anything more in the near future."
"Hmm?"
"If no matter how much I give up, someone will be dissatisfied, then I won't give anything at all," Simon said, "Things too easily obtained are hard to cherish, and it gives the impression that I'm easily bullied. So, my plan is to make them come and take it."
Anthony was taken aback, then understood after a moment, "This 58list?"
Simon nodded, "Two years ago, someone inside Ygritte proposed the classified information site project. Everyone knew it would impact traditional media's significant business, and I held it back. Now, I won't. In the coming years, I plan to let Ygritte and the entire Westeros system grow wildly, taking over any possible field. We'll deal with future problems when they come."
Actually, the entire World Wide Web was considered Ygritte's invention.
Simon's ability to complete the entire internet industry chain layout through Cisco, AOL, and Ygritte depended on this point
. Initially, no one thought it was inappropriate; enjoying the exclusive rights of the technology developed with huge investments was natural.
But as the internet industry's scale grew, more people felt it wasn't natural anymore.
So, despite trying to be restrained, Simon kept hearing more and more about the Westeros system monopolizing the internet industry. With personal assets surpassing 100 billion, and the Westeros system's strength substantial, Simon decided not to hold back.
58list is just one of Ygritte's recent projects impacting traditional media.
After getting $1.5 billion in investment from Goldman Sachs and Morgan, Simon, through Ygritte Capital, recently invested in a batch of startups.
eBay, an online auction site, chosen from many venture capital projects. Like 58list, the name came from Simon's personal preference.
Broadcast, an online radio site, streaming radio broadcasts online, another name from Simon's memory. In the original timeline, Broadcast was a total failure, sold to Yahoo for billions during the internet bubble peak. The founders and investors made a fortune, while Yahoo acquired worthless assets. Simon's plan is to cash out at the right time.
iPets, a pet food sales site, similar to Amazon's e-commerce.
IMDB, an Internet Movie Database, created in 1990, recently acquired by Ygritte Capital, continuing to offer free access to general users while providing data to Amazon and Blockbuster Online.
iMap, an online map site.
And many more.
All together, just the few months since completing the 10% equity financing for Ygritte, over 20 startups have received investments, not counting ongoing projects. Simon's goal is to drive Ygritte's wild growth during the upcoming internet industry boom.
Driven by Ygritte, in recent months, tens of billions of dollars of venture capital have poured into the internet industry. In Silicon Valley now, if you can present a barely reasonable business plan, you can easily raise millions or even tens of millions of dollars.
Letting Ygritte, Cisco, AOL, and the entire Westeros system grow wildly, Simon only needs to wait.
He has over $100 billion in personal assets, more than the Rockefeller family at its peak. The Westeros system controls even more substantial assets. Moreover, with strong positions in media platforms and political connections, Simon doesn't need to be cautious anymore.
If someone wants to enter a field controlled by the Westeros system, they must show enough sincerity or strength.
If they have neither, they should stay out.
If possible, Simon would prefer the Westeros system to grow steadily and unnoticed, becoming an unshakable giant.
But with the current scale of the Westeros system, staying low-key is impossible.
So, he needs to show his sharpness.
Anthony always felt Simon had a maturity beyond his years, which wasn't necessarily good or bad. Now, after Simon's words, he finally sensed the sharpness and flamboyance a young man should have.
"In that case, you won't raise funds for the BHP acquisition by selling stocks?"
Initially, Simon considered selling some Westeros system-held tech stocks for the BHP acquisition.
Given Simon's sudden change in mindset, he won't be selling stocks soon.
Simon nodded, "The Clinton administration is pushing for capital gains tax reform, returning to pre-Reagan's tiered tax system based on investment duration. If Ygritte cashes out now, it will impact the passage of this bill. So, I plan to raise funds through loans for the next few years; the Westeros system's debt ratio is still low, borrowing another $10-20 billion won't be a problem."
Reagan's tax reform fixed the capital gains tax rate at 28%.
Simon paid high taxes on his stock market operations back then, using it as a bargaining chip to get federal approval for the MCA and Atlantic Bell acquisitions.
Now, with Ygritte's tech stocks continually rising, any announced sale would be very noticeable, definitely becoming an excuse for many to block Clinton's capital gains tax reform.
According to Washington sources, the reform bill should pass by the end of next year's midterm elections at the latest.
Once passed, capital gains tax will have several tiers based on investment duration, with the lowest likely being 15% for investments over 18 months. By then, the tech stocks held by the Westeros system will all qualify for the lowest tax tier.
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