Back to 1995

Sitch Moore, like other WorldCom executives, sat there watching his eyes, nose, nose, nose, and heart, listening to Bernard Ebes scolding Fang Qiu and pointing the country.

From UUNET Telecom, it was acquired by MFS Telecom, and then MFS was acquired by WorldCom. From last year to this year, Sitch Moore kept changing his career, wandering among several major financial backers.

After selling UUNET, Sitch Moore's net worth is not low now, but the excitement when he first came to Shitong has turned into exhaustion.

I thought that WorldCom would be able to do a big job, but after coming to WorldCom, Sitch Moore found that it was completely different from what he imagined. Bernard Ebes was just like his nickname, the Emperor of Telecommunications. , Arbitrary, do not tolerate the slightest different opinions.

It is true that WorldCom can get to where it is today, indeed it is inseparable from Bernard’s strategizing. He has brought WorldCom to where it is today, but Sitch Moore believes that the times create heroes, rather than heroes create the era. To put it bluntly, West Chi Moore believes that Bernard just happened to be in a period of great explosion in the telecommunications industry.

From short-distance local calls to long-distance calls, to international calls, satellite calls, TV networks, and today's Internet and broadband, the telecommunications industry has always been expanding to new areas, allowing a telecommunications company to continue to develop.

Whether it is WorldCom, Southwestern Bell, Princeton, or Verizon, they all conform to the trend of the times. In the words of that Internet upstart Bruno Song, standing on the wind, a pig can fly !
There is no doubt that WorldCom has been in the limelight for many years. In recent years, through a series of major mergers and acquisitions, it has become a giant telecommunications group that can challenge the Telephone and Telegraph Group.

But Sitch Moore feels that this does not mean that Bernard Ebbes is really the omnipotent telecom emperor. Compared with the Telephone and Telegraph Group, WorldCom's foundation is too weak, and so many companies have been acquired. Except for the good-looking data on paper, the rest are useless, and they can't even bring a little bit of profit to WorldCom.

Even Sitch Moore feels that in a few years, WorldCom may not be able to compete with America Telecom. In the past one or two years, Sitch Moore felt that WorldCom might be overtaken by American Telecom, if WorldCom can survive until then...

Sitch Moore also persuaded Bernard to let WorldCom stabilize first and integrate the business and personnel of the [-] or [-] acquired companies.

However, although Bernard Ebes did not reprimand Sitch Moore, he was obviously a little displeased. He told Sitch Moore not to focus on irrelevant things. Sitch Moore, who had hit the wall a few times, He also became silent. In a meeting like today, he would not say a word.

"No matter how much the acquisition price is, how much the price is paid, 1000 billion US dollars, 500 billion or even more, WorldCom will get Prince Telecom!
As long as it gets Sprint Telecom, WorldCom will become the overlord of the global long-distance telephone market, and can get broadband, mobile network, TV network and many other industries. "

Bernard Ebes looked relaxed, as if the matter was a certainty, and threatened to acquire Sprint Telecom, and all the troubles of WorldCom would be solved.

"I believe that Sprint Telecom will absolutely not be able to refuse WorldCom's merger and acquisition. As long as they are willing, WorldCom can pay everything. In just 24 hours, Sprint's board of directors will agree to this deal!"

Looking at the relaxed and confident Bernard Ebes, many executives in the conference room were hesitant to speak, but in the end they all closed their mouths silently like Sitch Moore.

Glancing at Bernard, Sitch Moore really couldn't figure out where Bernard Ebes got the confidence to be sure that Sprint Telecom would definitely agree to this big acquisition.

For a large merger of more than 1000 billion US dollars, Sprint’s board of directors will hold a one-day meeting, and they don’t know if there will be a result, not to mention the American Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, the American inspection agency, the antitrust department, and Capitol Hill. Waiting for a series of institutions to agree before the deal can take effect.

Even if America can get it done, there is still a big problem with the European Trade Commission, which also needs to be done.

Last year, ICQ, Comcast TV Network, and NBC Group’s large-scale mergers and acquisitions. Judging from the inside story dug out by the media after the incident, the senior management of several companies in this large-scale mergers and acquisitions have been in collusion for a long time, but the ins and outs add up. It took nearly a year to get it done, not to mention the merger between AOL and Time Warner.

Now Bernard Ebes expects to get Sprint Telecom into his pocket within 24 hours, Sitch Moore really can't figure it out!
The meeting at WorldCom’s headquarters didn’t last long, and all the senior executives broke up. After leaving the meeting room, Sitch Moore heard some voices, some questioned the acquisition, and some complained that the time was too short. But most of them were whispers in twos and threes, and no one dared to accuse Bernard Ebbes aloud.

"Another sleepless night!"

WorldCom's senior vice president in charge of marketing, like Sitch Moore, was promoted from the previous MFS Telecom to Brint, who was promoted to WorldCom's headquarters, and said to Sitch Moore with a wry smile that the relationship between the two is quite Closely, among the executives of WorldCom, they are all outsiders.

"Do you think this acquisition will be successful?" Sitch Moore couldn't help asking Brint.

Blint first looked around, and then whispered to Sitch Moore, "Bernard doesn't like to hear that someone questions his decision!"

After finishing speaking, he complained in a low voice, "Who knows, he always only asks about the result. If the acquisition of Sprint Telecom fails, it may cause the stock price of WorldCom to collapse. At that time..."

Everything about WorldCom is based on the establishment of a high stock price, and there are leeks who are willing to pay the bill. Well, the current WorldCom, as Boss Jia said, is suffocating for dreams, which has the same effect. They are all optimistic about the future of WorldCom. Gambling with real money, betting that Shitong will be invincible in all battles, and can take down opponents one after another. Once he loses a battle, no one dares to think about the consequences.

Sitch Moore is a master of technology and not an expert in stocks. Hearing Brint's words, he felt that WorldCom was walking a tightrope. He wanted to say something, but Blint pulled him away.

Song Yang's car drove into Austin, and Song Yang looked at the email in his hand. Just after Christmas, the technology industry began to become noisy.

In addition to ICQ preparing to acquire the Bronfman Group, WorldCom preparing to swallow elephants again and eat up Sprint Telecom, other technology companies also have large and small acquisitions, and AOL and Yahoo are also buying all the way. buy buy.

Although Yahoo did not acquire a giant company, a small company kept making acquisitions. After the beginning of the year, it made two more acquisitions. It acquired the world's third largest virtual community and personal web server GeoCities website for US$28.7 billion, and the world's largest virtual community. The community is ICQ's space.

In addition to this deal, Yahoo is also preparing to spend another $57 billion to acquire the online broadcasting business Broadcast!

Yahoo is planning to use this company to enter the Internet broadcasting industry. It has to be said that this gimmick and concept are indeed no problem.

But that is to say, is this concept a little superfluous now? Before the arrival of the mobile Internet, using a computer to listen to the radio, is it a bit of a fart to take off your pants? Isn’t it good to play games on the Xueleshan online game platform? You have to listen to broadcasts with no picture, and America Telecom’s broadband fee is very expensive, okay?

The founder of this Broadcast website is Cuban, the one who bought the NBA Mavericks. Without the assistance of Yahoo, he would never be able to buy an NBA team!

Although the acquisition was done with Yahoo's stock and didn't use much cash, in fact Yahoo couldn't come up with that much cash, but Song Yang couldn't help shaking his head when he saw Yahoo's prodigal behavior.

It can also be seen how far the Internet industry has come in today. Yahoo did such an outrageous deal. I don’t know if it got kickbacks in the middle, but there are still so many leeks supporting Yahoo. The more Yahoo buys, the higher the stock price !

If you don't cut a handful of leeks, you will be sorry for the knife in your hand. It's not that Song Yang insists on cutting leeks, but that the leeks are already on drugs. If you don't look at the idol you support, what the hell is it!
In addition to these companies, Song Yang also saw a familiar company, Google, which is in the search business.

Seeing the name of Google, Song Yang couldn't help being silent for a moment. Wulf, who was sitting in the co-pilot and observing the road conditions, saw Song Yang who was deep in thought through the rearview mirror, and nodded to the security guard who was driving in the co-pilot. The latter slowed the car down.

It has been three years since Google was actually established. It just changed its name and logo in the middle, but it is still tepid. Last year, Google wanted to sell it to Yahoo for $100 million, but... Yahoo see Not on Google!

It’s no wonder that Yahoo’s eyes are higher than the top. It’s true that there is nothing too surprising about Google at this time. In the search industry, Yahoo itself is the big brother. Many search brands, and even ICQ has an internal search development team dedicated to providing search services for their own internal products.

Companies that play portal websites now have their own search teams. When the search business has not become a weapon for attracting money, it is actually a loss of money to play the search business alone!
It was Yahoo who broke its own arm and packaged its search business to Google, just like when Netscape gave Yahoo its search business and started Yahoo, Yahoo did the same. The same choice as Netscape back then.

The current Google is just a young seedling. If Song Yang wants to enter the search industry, there are two roads in front of him. One is to invest in Google. It is not expensive to buy Google now. Big founders will definitely sell.

Another way is for Song Yang to launch a search company of his own brand. Song Yang now has more traffic than Yahoo, ICQ, Xueleshan online game platform, PayPal, Fortivirus, eBay, Google, and The upcoming Wikipedia, coupled with Alcatel mobile phones and Apple computers, if they all use the same search brand, they will definitely not be able to develop.

After thinking for a while, Song Yang shook his head. It seems that there is no need to worry about this matter at all. Let the North American Global Investment Foundation make an offer to Google. If Google agrees, then it will be included in the bag. Song Yang will launch a new search brand to compete with Google.

Song Yang will not be indecisive like Yahoo, who will be bitten instead of killing a snake, and will not buy the other party, and will package the search business to the other party, for fear that the other party will not grow up.

If Google really rejects Song Yang's offer, then it will face a series of all-round blows from the power of thunder. Song Yang doesn't mind using all his strength, and even some means other than the Internet, including not limited to physical means, to let Its server is down, being kind to the enemy is cruel to its own people. Song Yang doesn't want to be like Yahoo. After a few years, even the headquarters has been bought by the other party. Can't fight back!
After sending an email to Marcus, Song Yang received a call from Betts, the head of the Telephone and Telegraph Group.

Betts' phone call was concise and straightforward, and he said straight to the point, "Song, I need American Telecom to work with Telephone and Telegraph to Capitol Hill, the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, the Antitrust Bureau, and WorldCom to Sprint. Initiated takeover to protest!
The Telephone and Telegraph Group will never allow WorldCom to acquire Sprint Telecom. No matter what method is used, Song, let your group of people on Capitol Hill move! "

Betts planned to unite with other telecommunications companies to protest against WorldCom, disrupting WorldCom's merger.

"Song, this is not a request, but a request!" Betes heard that Song Yang did not respond, and said in a different tone, making the dignified president of the Telephone and Telegraph Group bow his head, obviously pressed by WorldCom.

"Of course," Song Yang chuckled, "America Telecom will always stand with Telephone and Telegraph Group. There should be no improper transactions in the telecommunications industry. This is unfair to other telecommunications companies!"

After hanging up the phone, Song Yang mourned for tens of seconds in silence for WorldCom. If the acquisition fails, WorldCom will definitely collapse. Once it collapses, the telecom industry will also collapse.

If nothing else, ICQ's performance this year is probably not much better, and the same is true for AOL. These two Internet giants with a market value of over 3000 billion dollars have problems at the same time. Will the entire Nasdaq be brought down? Song Yang Not sure.

If the collapse of telecommunications and the Internet is not enough, Enron in the energy industry and Andersen in the accounting industry can be added...