Rebirth of America, this is my time

Chapter 170 Mr. Jones, Mr. Rockefeller says hello to you

Although judging from the current development situation, Apple Computer's prospects do not seem as clear as Destiny Game, because Destiny Game has temporarily defeated all enemies and achieved a pseudo monopoly in the field of electronic games, but Apple Computer Company is still The project that Ethan Jones wants to run well is not because the memory of his previous life tells him that Apple Computer will change its name to Apple in the future and become a technology giant with a market value of trillions, but that the computer business they operate is the foundation of the times.

The computer age was born with the promotion of computers, which are platforms that carry countless contents. When Ethan Jones understood that the computer tool was the productive force of the times, he would naturally hold on to it since he had already had a foot in it.

As for saying that Apple in the previous life was ultimately defeated in the computer war?

This kind of past life memory is actually meaningless to the current Ethan Jones, right?

Although his own understanding of this period of history is very one-sided and he does not know exactly why Apple failed, this does not mean that he will give up on Apple. Because what he is doing now is industrial, not value investment in his previous life. When President Fred Terman asked his Wall Street friends if he had any intention to go public, he refused without even thinking about it. Because he knows that once industry is attached to finance, all business development will serve the purpose of financial reporting. In this case, decision-makers will definitely make short-sighted mistakes, because many layouts will cost money in the early stage.

With Ethan Jones's mind as clear as a mirror, he doesn't care at all whether the company he is involved in can make a profit in the early stage. To put it bluntly, in the electronic field, no one knows how to make money better than him!

Since he doesn't even care about profits, it's even less likely that he will hand over the company he views as a layout. And now...are there any Wall Street companies with special numbers eyeing Apple?

‘Wori Nima’s! ’

‘The one with this special code is like an old man who wants to die by hanging himself! ’

Bang! He wanted to go home for the holidays and slammed the table hard.

Read! he yelled at Steve Ballmer.

Okay.

The boss's order made Steve Ballmer clear his throat and read the newspaper.

It is reported that Venrock, a well-known New York investment company, has expressed optimism about the booming computer industry many times in the past few years and wants to get involved. According to people familiar with the matter, they are currently interested in three companies. In the past six months, During this period, they have conducted multiple investigations on Apple and have contacted them recently. If nothing unexpected happens, Venrock may reach an investment agreement with Apple in the near future and become a part of the high-speed express train.

‘? ? ? ’

Steve Ballmer's announcement raised questions in Ethan Jones' head.

‘Special code, Venrock has been eyeing Apple for half a year? ’

‘How come I don’t know about this? ’

At this moment, Ethan Jones only felt bitter in his mouth.

The feeling of being targeted by locusts made him extremely uncomfortable.

Although he understands that this kind of secret investigation before investment is a routine operation in the financial industry, unless the investigator conducts the investigation on the founder's bed, generally the person being investigated will not find that someone is investigating him, but he knows It belongs to knowing, but if you cannot accept it, you cannot accept it, right?

and……

Venrock has already contacted Apple?

Then how could he not know?

Good guy!

Did it turn out that Steve Jobs, a guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, also betrayed the revolution?

Ethan Jones felt angry when he thought about how things had gone wrong in the past two months.

He stood up suddenly and said, Come to Cupertino with me!

He is going to raise an army to investigate the crime!

While waiting for Steve Ballmer to act as a driver and take the angry boss to Apple Computer, Steve Jobs, who was arranging his annual leave there, was pleasantly surprised.

Wow - Ethan~ Why are you here? You're not here to see the annual report, are you? That thing hasn't come out yet! If you're in a hurry, I'll send it to you after the vacation at the beginning of next year!

Oh, by the way, how many days off does your company have for Christmas and New Year this year? I'm thinking of starting the holiday from Christmas Eve until January 8th, and then returning to work on Monday the 9th. Sixteen days will allow everyone to have a good time. Relax, it’s been a busy year after all.”

Oh no, why do you look so bad? And this one... Is he your driver? Or secretary? Wow - where is the original Julis? Where has she gone?

The constant flow of words made Steve Jobs, who was jumping up and down, look like a monkey.

When I think about this guy, he has helped me a lot in the past three years, no matter whether it was his initial cooperation with Atari, which made him make his first pot of gold in the shortest time; or his subsequent notification to Nolan Bushnell The news that Atari was about to be sold allowed him to sort out all the situations; or the acquaintance with Steven Spielberg helped him solve the problem of video game patents; or it brought him to see the third The birth of an Apple computer allowed him to come into contact with the cheapest chip 6502 in history... These things made Ethan a little angry. To put it harshly, this guy may not be as handsome as I am, but his luck attribute is indeed quite good.

In the face of these facts, the eager emotion also made Ethan Jones sigh.

Are we friends? Steve? He put away his anger and asked.

Steve Jobs was stunned for a moment, then shook his head decisively, No——

‘WTF? ’

Ethan Jones's eyes widened.

‘Hang! As expected, this guy also rebelled! ’

But before he could curse, Steve Jobs opened his arms and hugged him, laughing and saying: Oh Ethan - we are brothers, okay -

I will never forget that it was you who helped me make money!

You could obviously lie at home and wait for your dividends, but you still took me to the West Coast!

As I said, I took the money home.

My parents are very happy.

‘Huh…’ Classmate Xiao Qiao’s response made Ethan sigh in relief.

He shook his head and motioned to come into the office to talk.

Xiao Qiao didn't hesitate and closed the door directly.

And Steve Ballmer...

This funny man stood at the door and acted as a doorman.

What's going on? After sitting down, Ethan took out the Wall Street Journal.

The lackluster inquiry made Steve Jobs frown slightly, but he finally came to his senses after reading the Wall Street Journal report.

Oh Ethan—are you angry about this?

What do you think? Ethan's attitude was very direct.

Jobs scratched his head and said with a smile: How to put this matter... uh... I can only say that half of the Wall Street Journal report is right. Venrock did contact me, and in just a few days Before, they showed me their investment intentions, but I did not agree to them because this matter is not something I can decide alone.”

I originally wanted to wait until after Christmas before telling you about this.

But I didn't know...

You knew already?

Jobs looked at Ethan with a smile.

Those calm words made Ethan sigh in relief.

What do you think? He asked: Since I'm here, let's talk?

Of course! Jobs stood up with a smile and poured Ethan a glass of water.

Sitting back down, he pursed his lips while holding the cup and said, Ethan, to tell you the truth, I actually have the idea of ​​attracting external funds, because our company's current development has reached a bottleneck. In my opinion, Come on, we need to use external forces to break through.

Although on the surface, our company's current product sales are good, there are currently only two ways to sell our products. The first is the same mail as the Altair 8080. When we receive the customer's order call or order letter, , we will contact them by phone and ask them to call the payment by postal service, and then we will send the product to them by postal service. This method is guaranteed by the postal service and is very safe, but it is too slow. .”

The second way is to talk directly with merchants and ask them to put our computers on their shelves. But so far, the merchants we can influence are only limited to California, and my goal is Like Coca-Cola, let electronic product stores all over the country put our products on the shelves. Only in this way can we make more money.

At this point, Jobs stopped and looked at Ethan with his lips pursed.

And his words also made Ethan nodded.

Building their own sales channels is a problem that all companies will face. How to sell products to more target customers is a headache for all companies. In later generations, when the Internet was prevalent, e-commerce websites solved the problem of selling goods for countless small and medium-sized sellers. However, before the emergence of the Internet, connecting with physical business districts was the only way out for countless consumer goods companies.

Ethan admits that Destiny Games has the same dilemma in this regard.

To be honest, his two rivals, Atari and Milover, are ten thousand times better than him in this field. The parent company of the former, Warner, has been operating in the entertainment field for many years and has built an all-American distribution network based on North American theaters. It allows them to spread their products to the whole of America faster, not to mention the latter. Mi Luohua itself is a star company in electrical sales. It has a sales network that has been operating for decades, and the parent company Philips The sales network is global.

It was precisely because of the need for a sales network that Ethan restructured the company's structure.

And now...

Does Apple also have this need?

It's understandable because I'm facing the same problem now.

Ethan nodded and said: But accepting external investment just for this?

I don't think it's necessary?

We can get a loan from a bank.

They'll be happy to.

If that doesn't work, I can lend you a sum of money in the name of Destiny Game.

Ethan didn’t say to continue investing, that’s because the proportion of the company’s shares would be wrong if he invested any more.

Sure he could add more money, but what about Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs? These two guys can't invest money as crazy as him.

When his follow-up investment will seriously dilute the shares of the two founders, this kind of thing is not advisable. Firstly, he really does not have time to manage two companies at the same time. Secondly, Apple must have Steve. · Wozniak and Steve Jobs, the former is a real technical guarantee and background guarantee, the latter... Ethan admitted that even if the current thin version of Jobs is not the future fat version of Joe Gang Leader, his Personal luck is absolutely top-notch.

Ethan didn't believe in luck, but Jobs did help him solve countless troubles.

Oh Ethan, I personally think outside investment is necessary.

Jobs smiled and said: To build a complete sales network in North America, the money from bank loans alone is simply not enough. As for your borrowing? Of course I am willing to ask you to borrow money, but how much can you lend to the company? You have already said it , you yourself need a North American sales network, is the money earned from Star Wars enough for you to squander?

‘…’

This question actually asked Ethan.

Because he didn't know how much it would cost to build a sales network in this era.

Especially if he also studies optical storage.

Although video games can make money quickly, you have to save money no matter what.

As for Apple and Destiny Games, they jointly funded a subsidiary and worked together to establish a sales network? This is impossible. He can borrow money, but the two companies cannot be explicitly bound.

Okay, what you said makes sense. Ethan nodded in agreement.

Jobs sighed, touching the cup and said: There is another reason, and that is that after I founded the company, I realized how difficult it is to start a company well.

On the surface, absorbing external funds means selling company shares, which only allows the company to enter the fast lane of rapid development. But in fact, those investment companies can not only bring us money, but also bring us certain resources. For example, suitable managers and more channel providers.”

To be honest, after more than a year, I found that I may only be suitable for making products for the time being.

Stephen and I can always come up with interesting ideas together, but managing a company...neither of us may be very good at this aspect...

If it were just a small company, I would definitely run it seriously by myself, but Apple is already so big that it cannot be managed by just one person, and if you want it to continue to grow, you must attract some talents. They Maybe it's financial, maybe it's management, after all... I'm just a kid who hasn't finished college...

‘…’ Ethan’s head was covered with black lines.

Oh Steve! Why are you trying to imitate me? he shouted angrily.

At this moment, the resentment in his heart was dissipated by Jobs's sincere words.

Hahaha - Jobs smiled and patted his thigh, I'm telling the truth.

What Steve Jobs said is indeed true. Not everyone can invest in this industry.

Except for those companies that are extremely short of money and may go bankrupt in the next second without the help of external funds. In addition, any company that needs investment actually desires not only simple money, but also those that The resources and connections held by investors.

If these were Jobs' goals...

Then Ethan had no reason to stop him anymore.

most……

‘Hold on to the shares. ’

‘Don’t cause an investor to kick me out of the company. ’

'That would be funny. ’

Okay, your thoughts are very careful. It seems that you have already made your own decision.

Then do you support me?

If you go for the better development of the company, then I will definitely support you.

Oh Ethan - my brother - thank you so much for understanding me -

You don't have to be like this. I want to know what's going on with Stephen? What's his thoughts?

Stephen Wozniak had a simpler idea.

When Ethan and classmates Xiao Qiao came to his house, the fat man sitting in front of the workbench raised his head and said, My thoughts? I am not interested in money because my dad is rich.

So, it's up to the two of you to decide whether to accept external investment.

I have only one requirement from beginning to end. The company's decisions must be able to serve the product. If attracting external investors can make our computers serve more people, then I absolutely support it!

Come on!

The little fat man is indeed an idealist.

And since the little fat man didn't have any objections, it would be easier to do this.

Although it is impossible to finalize this kind of cooperation before the Chinese New Year, it is okay to take a look at the terms.

However, when classmate Xiao Qiao asked Venrock to meet at the Apple headquarters in Cupertino, the Venrock staff who came to discuss investment matters offered a price that the three of them thought was unreasonable.

According to our calculations at Venrock, Apple Computer's current valuation is 100 million... We are willing to spend 10 million US dollars and certain auxiliary resources to obtain 20% of your shares... At the same time, we ask you Establish a nine-member board of directors... We will get at least three seats. Finally, we will have the power to appoint and remove the company's CEO and CFO, and we will also need anti-dilution clauses for future financing and a listing within three years. Make an agreement.

The three people's eyelids jumped when they heard such a price.

Are you sick? Steve Jobs was the first to complain. Our company's revenue this year has already reached 100 million! In this case, you give us a valuation of 100 million?

Did you forget to take your brain with you when you went out?

Uh... I don't think your terms are sincere. Steve Wozniak also nodded: Our company is worth more than 100 million, and we use 10 million and verbally committed resources to get 2% Ten shares? This is impossible...

Since both Steves were dissatisfied, Ethan stopped speaking.

He looked at Venrock's person with a stern look.

Even though he was scolded by Jobs, Venrock's white investment manager was not angry. He looked at the unshaven Steve Wozniak with a smile and said, Lockheed?

Then he turned his attention to Ethan, Vinton Cerf? Barbara Babcock?

Your background does not help you establish sales channels for consumer electronics in North America.

The investment manager spread his hands and showed his white teeth.

Upon hearing this, Woz and Ethan immediately frowned.

The white manager's frank words and deeds also made Steve Jobs a little unhappy.

You mean you can? Classmate Xiao Qiao looked fierce.

Of course, if you don't believe it, I can invest in your competitors and prove it to you. Do you want to give it a try? Venrock's investment manager smiled.

Are you a threat? Ethan thought this guy was crazy!

He proactively came to your door to get shares in the company, and then acted so arrogantly?

Damn it!

Who gave you the courage!

Liang Jingru?

Seemingly sensing Ethan's surprise, Venrock's investment manager immediately smiled and said——

Mr. Jones, I'm just telling the facts.

We, the founders of Venrock, are very sorry that we did not invest in your Destiny Game before.

Now, he thinks Apple is good, so he wants to help you grow faster.

Before coming again, our founder told me that if I am lucky enough to meet you, then I must convey his sincere greetings to you on his behalf.

Mr. Jones, Mr. Rockefeller says hello—

While talking, he took out a business card holder from his coat pocket.

He took out a gold-plated business card and pushed it in front of Ethan.

I took it and took a look. There were only three words on it——

Laurance S. Rockefeller

Note: ①Venrock is a venture capital firm of the Rockefeller family, and it actually invested in Apple. Apple's unscrupulous development is actually related to the fact that no one can offend its backers. As for Sequoia Capital...it's just little Kalami. This company has always been there, and it is currently operating the eighth batch of funds. Over the past few decades, they have invested in a series of successful companies such as Intel, Apple, 3com, and DoubleClick. Yes, the survival rate of the companies they invested in reached over 80%. Rockefeller never disappeared, he was always there.

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