Back to 1995

After making up his mind, Harvey Pete stopped talking, borrowed a room in the San Jose Manor, and started making phone calls.

The position of the head of the Federal Securities Commission is still quite powerful. Even compared to Wall Street institutions, as long as they are willing to die, if they really find fault, they will still make those institutions feel extremely uncomfortable.

If you want to hype Google, you must cooperate with Wall Street, and you must not tear it down, otherwise you will not be able to play at all.

There have been a wave of rumors about Google’s listing every few years, but they all ended without a problem, but they still can’t stop countless investors, venture capital firms, and Wall Street institutions from chasing it, because no matter how you look at it, Google has become The potential of a giant!

From the rise of the Internet to the present, countless companies from all walks of life have been born, but today, it is recognized that the most promising industries in the Internet industry are still the five major industries of portal websites, games, Internet social networking, e-commerce, and search. These five major Internet industries are also identified as the most promising existence of giant companies!

Rumors of Google's imminent IPO were spread again. At first, there were only a few tabloid media in San Jose and New York. The outside world didn't pay much attention to the rumored reports. They thought they were just eye-catching reports.

But when the Wall Street Journal reported, "Google, America's largest search company, may formally apply for NASDAQ listing in the near future. This time, Google's listing financing scale and market value may set a new Internet record!"

If the reports of the tabloid media can be ignored, then the Wall Street Journal's report will shake the entire Internet industry. The news of the Wall Street Journal has always been quite predictable. What's more, even the Wall Street institutions are surprised by Google. The appetite for this listing has been huge, and for a while, many people have speculated about how big Google is going to play this time.

Later, KPCB Ventures, which invested in Google as a round A round, also released news that a company invested by KPCB was about to start listing. The Wall Street Journal and KPCB Ventures released news one after another. rumor.

"According to a partner of KPCB Venture Capital, the market value of Google's listing this time may exceed 350 billion US dollars, or even...may be higher!"

In the Yahoo conference room, there was silence at the moment. After a director finished speaking, the atmosphere was even more solemn and oppressive, making it hard to breathe.

Semel, president of Yahoo, rubbed his dwindling hair in pain. Since he became the president of Yahoo, Semel's hair has been falling out more and more.

There is a long history between Google and Yahoo. The reason why Google can become the world's largest search giant overnight is really inseparable from Yahoo's assistance.

Back then, Yahoo personally replaced its portal search engine from its own search brand to Google's search engine. As for the reason, of course, it was one of Yahoo's major shareholders at the time, holding 9% of Yahoo's shares. Song Yang proposed an agreement to return the 9% stake to Yahoo's board of directors in exchange for Yahoo's replacement of search.

The result is not surprising. Whether it is a search brand or Yahoo’s 9% stake is important, Yahoo’s board of directors voted with their feet and repurchased Song Yang’s 140% stake in Yahoo for US$9 billion. Yahoo The portal's search engine has also become Google.

Looking at the transaction at the time, it didn’t seem like a loss. After all, Yahoo’s stock price and market value were soaring at the time. As for when the search brand will be able to realize its cash, no one knows.

But what everyone didn't expect was that the Nasdaq, which seemed to never fall, suddenly collapsed. Yahoo's board of directors spent more than 100 billion dollars to buy back the equity from Song Yang, which directly shrunk by a half. For the most part, it's not even worth $70 billion now...

This led to the deal that year became a taboo for Yahoo, and no one wanted to mention it. Google became a big trouble, and for Yahoo, it was like a thorn in the throat.

Back then, Google rushed to beg Yahoo for an acquisition, and Yahoo ignored it. Now, Google wants to complete the listing at a valuation of more than 300 billion US dollars. I don’t know if Yahoo’s board of directors regret it, but it will definitely make Yahoo become One of the laughing cakes of Silicon Valley!

"Google shouldn't have been allowed to become Yahoo's on-site search engine in the first place, but now it has become a way to lure wolves into the house!"

Another director representing a Wall Street institution couldn't help saying in a muffled voice.

Like a clay bodhisattva, Yahoo founder Yang Zhiyuan, who was sitting in the conference room, couldn't help but glance at the director when he heard this.

If Yang Zhiyuan remembers correctly, he was also the director back then, and he insisted on a deal between Yahoo and Song Yang. Even though Yang Zhiyuan expressed his opposition to the deal, it didn't help in the end, but now he has completely changed his attitude.

"It's all Cooger's fault. He wasted Yahoo's time and made too many wrong decisions!"

Semel didn’t care at all who was at fault for the deal at the time, as long as he wasn’t blamed anyway. As for whether the former Yahoo president Coorg made a wrong decision, or someone else, Semel didn’t care at all. No intention to pursue.

Semel, who is proficient in office fighting skills, knows that if he really finds out the culprit of that transaction, what if Song Yang can get back more than 100 billion US dollars? !
Only dead people will not open their mouths. Similarly, only people who have been kicked out of Yahoo can refuse to take the blame. Anyway, there is nothing wrong with blaming Coorg.

Hearing that Semel gave Coorg the blame, Yahoo and the others did not look for new blamers. Yahoo has long been a company controlled by Wall Street institutions. Why, slap yourself in the face? !

"The most important thing now is the war between Yahoo search engine and Google, we have lost too much time!
In America, Google occupies more than 60% of the search engine market, while Yahoo has less than 32%.

In overseas markets, Yahoo does not have an advantage, and in some places the gap is even bigger than that of America! "

As soon as he saw the expressions of the members of Yahoo's board of directors, Semel knew what these Wall Street gentlemen were holding back. They were nothing more than envious of Google's market value of tens of billions of dollars.

The deal between Yahoo and Google back then was really hurtful. They handed over the search market to Google, and now it is not easy to get it back.

"Google has the support of Bruno Song, and these years, it has also received the support of Microsoft. Products such as ICQ, PayPal, Wikipedia, Alcatel mobile phones, and IE browsers all use Google's search engine, which makes Yahoo too passive. Already!"

Semel complained a lot first. As a senior office struggle expert, he knew when to say something and expressed his determination. I took it in by myself.

The only thing to do is to express the difficulty of the current situation, and then express your determination to lead Yahoo Search to turn the tide. In the end, it must be his credit for winning. If you lose, you can’t blame Semel. Bad card, it can only be said to be a crime of non-war.

Semel thought it was good, but he had no choice but to play cards out of common sense. As soon as Semel finished complaining and had no time to express his determination, he heard Yang Zhiyuan snort, "For Yahoo, losing the search market , means one step closer to death!
Google is robbing the Internet advertising market, and the influence of portal websites is declining, especially after the emergence of smart phones, users have more ways to obtain news, and their reliance on portal websites is constantly decreasing, and Yahoo’s advertising revenue is also constantly decreasing. If it loses its search business, Yahoo's advertising revenue will sooner or later be robbed by Google! "

Yang Zhiyuan's voice fell, and there was a burst of noise in the conference room. His words finally made the old men on Yahoo's board of directors feel a sense of crisis.

Now that Semel finally knew why his predecessor, Coorg, didn't want to see Yang Zhiyuan anymore, it was really disruptive, even if what Yang Zhiyuan said was true, but saying this at this time undoubtedly put him under even greater pressure.

A little annoyed by Yang Zhiyuan's alarmist talk, Semel still smiled and said, "What Jerry said is indeed possible, but I don't think that day will come, as long as I'm here!"

Semel said calmly, "Yahoo is also in the process of transformation. We have missed some opportunities, but we have not fallen. I promise that during my tenure, the Yahoo search engine will overtake Google!"

When Semel appeased Yahoo's board of directors and painted a big pie, there was another person watching Google's news with a bitter face.

Once, Google was only one step away from being in his hands. Once, he had the opportunity to spend 75 dollars to get this search giant worth tens of billions of dollars, but he rejected them all.

The former president of Excite, George Bell, who is now at home, has mixed feelings when he sees the news about Google.

After the dot-com bubble burst, Google, which George Bell despised, was acquired by Song Yang, and then the bubble blew up. Even the desperate Excite search company had no choice but to take refuge in Google, which had been humiliated by George Bell. , at the price of cabbage, sold himself to Google.

After Google acquired Excite, George Bell stayed at Google shamelessly and ran back home. George Bell has finally recovered his mentality in the past few years. I thought this matter would never be mentioned again.

But looking at the news that Google is going to go public, he knows that his reputation is completely ruined. He humiliated Google back then, and he was unwilling to buy Google for $75. He threatened that he would not buy garbage and come back. He will be nailed to the pillar of shame. Google In the future, the higher the market value is, the more times George Bell will be mentioned because of his blindness. It is estimated that he will never get rid of it in this life. George Bell closed his eyes in pain, feeling that he needs to find another place to hide Now, come to avoid the media and reporters who are full and ask him what he thinks about Google's listing...

(End of this chapter)