[Chapter 914: Perfectionism vs. Taking What's Available]
Ahem, it seemed these two didn't have much conflict, and their relationship appeared to be decent, contrary to what some claimed about it being tense.
"Whoa, are you in the media?"
"If there wasn't any conflict, wouldn't you go ahead and create one?"
Poor Xerox found itself caught in the crossfire yet again. Steve Jobs had taken their graphical user interface, which led to the groundbreaking Macintosh computer. Bill Gates then slyly adopted Apple's operating system, resulting in the birth of Microsoft.
In the era of America, especially with tech companies, there seemed to be no morals at all. Societal opinions clearly showed signs of acceptance toward such blatant acts of plagiarism, with the public remaining largely silent. As for those directly involved, they even appeared somewhat smug.
"Look at that! Such good stuff wasted on you, it's a shame!"
Xerox lamented in despair, feeling cheated. "I've seen a lack of shame, but I've never seen such brazen arrogance. Where's the sense of ethics?"
America was, in fact, the most adept at imitating and copying, ever since it was founded. From its legal to political frameworks, everything was practically a modified version of something else. The subsequent industrial and financial revolutions were practically cut from the same cloth.
The idea that cowboys are the younger cousins of these origins had some basis. At the core, they were closely related, appearing quite similar yet differing in significant ways.
The next morning, reading the newspapers felt futile; another revenge of the prince, another hero's return. In summary, the public really seemed to hope for more of this drama.
Bill vs. Steve - upon seeing this headline in the Wall Street Journal, William White couldn't help but snicker.
"What a lack of culture; is that how you use that abbreviation?"
"What's the issue, dear? Isn't that how it's done in boxing matches? Tyson vs. Holyfield?"
"Sigh, that's an abbreviation of the Latin word 'versus' meaning opposing or contrasting. A better reference would be PK - Player Killing.
Haha, that's amusing! Comparing is so tedious; a matchup sounds way more exciting!"
"Ho ho ho, you really want them to fight it out, don't you?"
Seeing Nastassja looking fit, William White suddenly felt a stir of excitement.
Tsk tsk, it seemed he was still quite young. Perhaps deep down, he was eager to see a good confrontation.
The reasoning was simple; he was no longer eighteen, and doing the deed three to five times a day was no big deal. After turning thirty, most men typically flashed back on the days of tackling challenges again. But of course, indulging in casual fun didn't count. Didn't they say that a mistress is better than stealing?
In William White's view, a win for Bill Gates or Steve Jobs could not be seen as good for the world.
Steve had become so obsessed with perfection that he appeared mad. Bill Gates was too shallow to truly appreciate innovation.
Starting with Windows 95, the Windows systems that followed essentially carried on the legacy. To put it plainly, if one were to travel back from 1996 to the future, they might struggle with other aspects, but the Windows systems would not be a problem - a couple of hours to get acquainted would suffice.
What would Windows 10 bring? The author actually looked forward to it. With Bill Gates retired and the successors possibly planning to change things up.
Honestly, if they released another Windows 11, the excitement for Windows would completely diminish.
The world William White knew before he traveled was monotonous. When speaking of CPUs, it simply meant adding more cores. When it came to rockets, it was all about adding more engines.
The U.S. had genuinely lost its innovative spirit; everything was about what capital dictated, focused purely on making profits quickly.
Forget being surpassed by those big rabbits; it was merely a matter of when, and if things went awry, even maintaining second position could become unachievable.
This was risky and beneficial to no one. Before this, the GDP rankings hadn't significantly shifted. Each radical adjustment typically foreshadowed war.
If it weren't for massive weapons, one might have thought conflicts would've already erupted.
So what if someone claimed that being number one in GDP meant little?
Before the arrival of the big rabbits, they seemed to have always been at the top. While the Song Dynasty faltered in warfare, its economic strength was genuinely formidable.
It must be said that this was truly unfortunate for the Zhao family; had they managed to linger on for a few more centuries, they might have avoided destruction. Zhu Yuanzhang's eradication of the Huang family was largely due to firearms.
Against an armed unit, sabers and bows were ineffective; one had no choice but to flee for their life.
Once they reached the age of gunpowder weapons, war shifted from being all about courage to a matter of who possessed industrial foundations and capital. You couldn't even defeat a third-rate small nation without those.
Didn't that scene in the North Caucasus perfectly illustrate this issue?
If a soldier couldn't even secure a meal, the army wouldn't have any fighting strength, regardless of whether the enemy was just a ragtag group. They wouldn't achieve victory.
He gently patted his slightly sore back, forced to smile through the pain. Men were utterly useless; they'd say no, yet their bodies often responded differently.
"So, don't even talk about how they're always considering things from a lower perspective. There's no derogatory intent; it's simply a statement of fact."
"Sir, Bill Gates turned us down."
"Sigh, that's a pity. Our audience is going to be disappointed. Honestly, I didn't intend to set up a confrontation between him and Jobs. He clearly took this too seriously, thinking it was a debate. That privilege was for presidents only."
Jason secretly criticized, "Sir, who knows if you'll bring on a special guest? If these two start bickering on stage, you'd be thrilled for sure."
"Sir, the phone interview was pointless, just congratulating Jobs on successfully going public, and so on."
"C'mon, can't you tweak that a little? It's really just Gates hoping for Jobs to focus a bit more on his stuff. You're taking things out of context, don't make me teach you how to do that!"
"Ahem, hey, Sir, will this lead to any legal issues?"
"Of course not! If they sue me, I could use it to publicize the company!"
William White's integrity no longer held any illusions for Jason. It was just as well; the Leo Vanta situation was sensitive, and taking the public's attention off it was beneficial.
Strangely enough, was it not that guy?
Karl in the White House felt unsettled; his New Year's had been rather torturous. He had long believed the situation would worsen, yet unexpectedly, it had so strangely disappeared.
Terrifying - that was the only word he could think of. Even seated in this position, he realized he was merely wearing a crown without any real power. The true power has never rested in his hands.
What Karl didn't know was that his aides at the CIA had gone wild. The situation was no longer concealment; it wasn't a matter of funds anymore; things could unfold into the biggest scandal globally.
As for the economists in America, they were still advising the Russians on shock tactics.
He simply could not comprehend why the Russians had so blindly believed the U.S. would be their savior.
It made sense; for a country that had always been bullied by the Russians, America indeed seemed like the savior. They hoped America would dig the hole deeper, ensuring that when it was sealed, concrete would be laid over it. Just like Chernobyl, they hoped there would never come a day of resurgence.
At that moment, someone suddenly stated that they had been duped, and that their economic collapse was entirely America's conspiracy.
Fools tend to share a trait: after realizing they've been duped, their first reaction is rage and humiliation.
*****
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