[Chapter 896: Making a Mistake Is Not Difficult]
"William, can't we just keep this CDMA deal between us?"
Looking at the middle-aged guy across from him, William White felt somewhat annoyed. This heir of the Galvin family always gave off a vibe of living in a utopia.
"Christopher, do you know why I gave up a part of the profits? If I went solo on this, those old foxes would tear me apart."
"Really? It's just anti-trust issues and hostile takeovers. You've got the funds, and I doubt the Justice Department would pursue you."
William White felt a sense of camaraderie. Christopher Galvin was a good guy. Or rather, he was a very straightforward person. Only a fool would directly ask such questions.
"Buddy, I was indeed thinking of going solo. Trust me, those old guys are far more terrifying than you think. I might be oversharing, but they're constantly scheming to take over my company, and I'm certain of that."
Christopher paused, his expression becoming serious. First, the way William addressed him indicated a level of familiarity.
Like William, he also came from a wealthy background, so they shared a certain way of communicating and interacting, a part of life that they would never mistake.
"So, William, is this the result of compromise?"
"Haha, of course not. You know I never compromise. I gave the profit I could all at once. For me, negotiation was nothing less than torture. To be honest, if possible, I'd prefer all my companies to be private enterprises."
"Haha, that's impossible. To grow quickly, we must keep reducing our stake in the company."
William shook his head with a wry smile. Christopher wouldn't understand. He had once said something iconic: I was fired by my own company.
"Christopher, publicly listed companies are the norm. There's nothing wrong with that. Unfortunately, those professional managers care too much about short-term gains. You know? Filson even opposed my acquisition of Bell Labs."
"Sigh, yes, their incomes and profits are intertwined. That's where I clash with those old-timers."
Christopher Galvin smiled ruefully. He wished the company's performance would skyrocket, but without innovation, could they really call themselves a high-tech company?
Look at that damned legendary phone; it was just a product of those shareholders' meddling. He was certain that if they dared to oppose relocating the DVD chipsets, William White would walk away from it all.
As it turned out, leaving them behind, others had thrived.
"By the way, William, is the DVD chipset really selling that well? It feels to me that current production capacity can't keep up."
"Next year, it will drop to fifty bucks. In three years, if we don't hit ten million a year, you can come find me, and I can help you once."
"Deal, and by the way, bring out some good wine. This isn't how you treat guests. I know you have plenty of '82 Lafite at home."
"Cough, cough, who said I use Lafite to rinse my mouth? Haha, just kidding. But really, I usually just use it for rinsing."
Christopher shot him a glance. Although he was a bit older than William, he also carried a privileged attitude. Showing off had always been a prerequisite for being rich.
"Lisa, bring in some ham and cheese. Oh, and a bottle of '82 Romanee-Conti."
"Sure thing, boss."
Christopher shook his head, amused. He wouldn't be surprised if William actually used Lafite for mouthwash. Even if he didn't, William probably treated it like a table wine.
A bunch of old-timers eyed William White with envy; how could he not notice? Seeing this middle-aged guy across from him, William felt a sense of shared plight.
People were like that; when they were having a rough time, if they encountered someone in worse shape, it somehow lifted their spirits a bit.
To be honest, lamenting over what hadn't hit someone else yet was rather idle. William White truly had too much time on his hands.
Whenever he thought about Motorola's final outcome, he couldn't shake the feeling of sorrow for the rabbit when the fox dies.
Without a doubt, Motorola had been devoured by the sharks. Such a great company ended up dead like a stray dog.
"William, by the fastest estimates, we'll start launching by the end of the year. Do you have any suggestions?"
William White looked conflicted again. The Yixing project, although Christopher wasn't CEO yet, he was the one shouldering the burden.
The mobile business was thriving now; couldn't they just earn the money first? This Yixing project was indeed impressive. He had to admit, what they developed twenty years from now would be great.
"A bit ahead of schedule, huh? If you can wait until my Tesla rocket is successful... Haha, alright, alright, it's unlikely. It's impossible without three to five years."
"Oh my gosh, I really want to ask you: is it possible for that rocket to be reusable?"
"Is it so difficult? My scientists don't think so. In fact, we already simulated it on a supercomputer. Those low-orbit satellites can be blasted up with a cannon from that little mustached guy.
Sigh, who knew some should go and remodel this--such prodigal kids!"
Christopher happily took his leave; he felt he had gained a lot today. In his eyes, this guy was very talkative, and his demeanor was noticeably different from their previous interactions.
He couldn't claim he wasn't annoyed by those shareholders; if it weren't for them, he would have succeeded in taking over long ago.
What he didn't realize was that Wall Street was most annoyed by founding families. These people held a lot of sway, and unless they made significant mistakes, they shouldn't be moved.
Even if their shareholding was less than five percent, they couldn't just be dismissed easily.
The aftereffects were substantial. Sequoia had ousted its founders but couldn't control the subsequent management. Look, William White just had to stir the pot a little, and Cisco was his to snatch.
Ultimately, Sequoia couldn't keep its management in line. If the management hadn't turned against him, even with all his capabilities, William White wouldn't have been able to succeed.
While there were malicious takeovers every year, they were, in truth, acts of desperation. Companies that were taken over maliciously wouldn't regain their vitality in less than two to three years.
Look at Cisco; it wasn't affected at all. It just switched chairmen, but the management hadn't really changed.
This wasn't a display of William White's dominance. In the end, the means by which they had ousted the founder was too crude; the employees and management were incredibly dissatisfied.
These people looked forward to him failing, and he had to figure that out himself.
Seeing Motorola racing towards its own demise, William White was at a loss for words. Since the Yixing project was proposed, they had either been killing themselves or racing towards ruin.
Having not tripped on the GSM path, the semiconductor side had developed pretty well. Now, Motorola was much stronger than it had ever been in history.
He had thought there would be some changes.
Unfortunately, their reckless tendencies were simply too strong. Their in-house equipment was selling well, and their phones were doing fine. What on earth were they doing with satellite phones?
Sigh, good advice couldn't sway the damned.
But those old timers shouldn't think they could dismantle Motorola without difficulty.
What are you on about, acting so self-righteous? Are you so bored?
This really isn't the case. Isn't it said that the enemy of my enemy is my friend?
Do you think William White is foolish enough to pour resources into Europe? Given that everyone here is a bad guy, he certainly didn't mind seeking some outside help.
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