[126] Jab followed by Straight 1
“What?”
“What did you just say?”
I just sent a smile to the two people who didn’t understand exactly.
“You two are lucky. I was really greedy this time.”
He smiled as he hesitated as to what to say, not knowing why.
“Now, how about doing this?”
The two sat close to me.
“I will invest up to 30 million dollars sequentially. If you need to invest again after that, isn’t it either the company has grown enormously or you’ve lost all your money?”
The latter is another word that means ruined. If Google fails, something is wrong, not that their algorithm is wrong.
“If the scale grows and additional investment is required, many investors will flock to it, even if it is not me. take their funding. on good terms.”
“Wait, Howard. I have a question… don’t misunderstand, can you listen?”
The surprise when I first heard the number of $30 million has already disappeared. It was an incomprehensible doubt.
“whenever. talk.”
The two exchanged glances with each other before opening their mouths cautiously.
“If it grows and needs additional funding, it means the company has improved, so why stop investing? Didn’t you say you had enough money?”
“The money comes from many places. Aren’t they people with a lot of experience in investing? They are living witnesses to the numerous successes and failures of Silicon Valley. Additional funding means it’s time to ask for their advice. Don’t stay away from the nagging people next to you. Because they are the ones who will pour out gems.”
I bet you didn’t know you would hear this. Because what engineers hate most is interference from investors.
“But don’t abandon your values. Goals will change little by little as the company grows, but wouldn’t it be better not to do anything that would shake your values?”
“Okay then what about the latter? Are there any conditions for recovering the investment if our business goes bankrupt?”
“Then I will start over and pour money into it until I succeed. If you need even $101 billion, everything. how is it? Did you get an answer?”
That must have been a great answer. A wave of emotion flowed across the faces of the two.
“Howard, you really believe that our Google will succeed.”
‘Don’t say you don’t know. The 4th industrial revolution begins only when Google succeeds.’
“Your heart knows enough. However, it is impossible to invest only with abstract beliefs…. Can you tell me a specific number now?”
I’m still a little confused about the names of the two. Both have dark brown hair, so you can only tell them apart by their appearance. Could the more handsome guy be Russian Sergei?
“Okay, Sergei. As you already know, I have no intention of having a vote. The voting rights equal to the share I have will be exercised jointly by two people. And I want an average share of the two of you in exchange for the $30 million you’re going to invest.”
At the word average, the two looked at each other and blinked.
“what? Let’s share the same forever between the two of you. Aren’t you a kid?”
The place where founders are kicked out is the United States. Depending on the circumstances of each co-founder, the difference in shares may widen at any time. Isn’t this capitalist paradise?
Fortunately, there seems to have been no such childish oath. Instead of average, it was accepted as a common word.
“So you’re saying the three of us should start with equal shares?”
“yes. The two of them are hairy and I have money. Do you think it’s fair?”
The two waved their hands.
“It’s not fair, Howard, you lose. If you don’t accept even if they ask for 50% of an investment like that, you’re stupid.”
“that’s right. Even if they said they would buy us for $30 million, it wouldn’t be too much of a demand.”
“All right. Then, guarantee my share in the future. Either a capital increase or a free increase. By always maintaining the average of the two people’s stakes.”
Sergei suddenly held out his hand.
“Let’s close the deal before he changes his mind.”
“I’ll make a contract for you tomorrow, so review it. And with a million dollars.”
I smiled and took his outstretched hand.
And they drank beer while listening to the internet world they dreamed of. They have yet to come up with innovative ideas to create, such as Google Earth map translation, Gutenberg project artificial intelligence autonomous driving.
This is because it is the result of convergence with the services of various geniuses who will appear in the future, not alone.
We talked a lot until dawn and got up from our seats.
“Here is the New York office, the Korean office, and my personal phone. Call me whenever you need.”
The two of them accepted my business card and did not hide their surprise.
“Are you Korean?”
“why? Did you think it was Japan?”
“no. He used the surname Jin, so I thought it was Hong Kong.”
Tonight I left two sleepless people in the garage and went outside.
I declined an offer to drive me to a nearby motel. It was because I wanted to walk slowly and enjoy the cool night.
As I took a step, I heard a shout behind me.
“hey! Are you really twenty?”
* * *
I didn’t even look at the contract.
The two Google founders went through their million-dollar checks and started slapping each other.
“Aren’t you a little mistaken this time?”
Rachel, who flew to the garage in a residential area in Silicon Valley with a contract and a check prepared in the morning, began to stare unreliably.
It’s no wonder that these Dumb and Dumber-esque folks are going to be the owners of the world’s most capped company, far behind Microsoft.
“Trust me. This time, it’s not just about making money with stocks. It is the moment when the protagonist who opens a new world shows such a funny face in front of our eyes.”
No matter how loud I sounded, Rachel just shook her head and sighed.
“You were the one who told me to get out of the dot-com company. Are they different?”
“Did I tell you? They say that by the year 2000, dot-com companies will collapse one after another. These kids are the real deal in Silicon Valley. take a good look ahead The guys who show up from now on are the real ones. They are talented people who fill the gaps where scammers have disappeared.”
Still unable to stop her sigh, she banged the desk and screamed.
“You Guys! The check is real, so stop looking at it. Rather, check the contract first and sign it. I’m not one to be idle enough to watch you guys play!”
“Oh sorry.”
Sergey and Larry hurriedly put the check in a drawer and faxed the contract somewhere.
“Hey! It is fundamental that the contents of the contract should not be viewed by third parties. Where are you sending them?”
When Rachel asked in surprise, the two smiled.
“Don’t worry. I am a lawyer at the school start-up support center. They are lawyers who check everything until we sign a contract with a separate law firm. Confidentiality, these lawyers know better.”
Also Stanford.
Provides sufficient support for students’ entrepreneurship.
Rachel took my hand and walked out of the garage.
“Howard. The Amazon.com I talked about at the meeting. Why don’t you invest there? You said it was promising there too. Wouldn’t that be more certain?”
“Of course, the potential value of that company is enormous.”
“however?”
“Rather than making money from rising stock prices, I turned to building relationships with geniuses like that. Amazon’s business structure doesn’t help me much anyway.”
“So, are you giving up on the return on your investment now?”
Rachel shook her head when she asked with a worried look.
“Do you really need to invest only in stocks to make money? There are many better places.”
“What is there?”
“Think about where your money will go when the dot-com bubble bursts. Wall Street devils can’t put money to sleep.”
“What’s next for dot-com?”
Rachel tilted her head when she heard a call from the garage.
“I’ll sign it right now. The school lawyer has seen hundreds of contracts in Silicon Valley, but this is the first such unconventional contract? It’s the torch to ask me to sign it unconditionally.”
“Our Howard is originally very big. You guys have met real angels.”
There was no time for a party to celebrate becoming Google’s first investor.
“Let’s go back quickly. By now your father should have finished meeting with DreamWorks. I can’t wait any longer because I’m curious about the results.”
Upon hearing Rachel’s words, the eyes of the two widened.
“Dreamworks?”
“Howard! Are you investing in Hollywood as well?”
I said with pride to the two of them.
“Please watch Saving Private Ryan. It’s a movie I invested 35% on. haha.”
Rachel added one more word.
“Get 30 million dollars and spread the word. If Miracle invested, there would be a line of investors who would shoulder the money and attack. We are symbols of invincibility on Wall Street.”
* * *
When I got back to LA, my dad took me to the beach in Santa Monica. Ride the Rolls Royce provided by the hotel.
“Why are you at the beach all of a sudden? I’m dying from the heat…”
“Let’s talk quietly. I have a lot to ask.”
Grab a bottle of cold beer and sit down on the sandy beach.
“Did you talk well with Dreamworks?”
“The atmosphere was nice. They also responded positively.”
But why is the father’s expression hardened?
“Has DreamWorks asked for anything unreasonable?”
“swarm? well. You asked for something obvious, but it’s an accurate expression to say that it’s impossible for me.”
“which…?”
“It means building a distribution network in Asia, excluding the Middle East.”
“okay. It’s a reasonable request.”
Half of the film is distribution business. The three masters of DreamWorks are not fools enough to hand over distribution rights just for money.
“I heard that the Asian distribution rights alone cost 500 million dollars. But to build a proper distribution network and expand to the second platform business, it takes astronomical money again. The problem is that if you do something wrong, you will blow away all that money.”
Perhaps the father would have started out with a much lighter heart if the investor had not been his son. Investors always live with the risk of losing money.
However, the dishonor of being a father who blew his son’s money is worse than a stupid son who blew his father’s money.
This fear catches the father’s ankle.
“You can quit if you don’t have the confidence to succeed. But don’t think that you can’t do it because the investor is your son. The money doesn’t have a name tag. It’s my money, so being more careful is a good thing.”
“It will cost quite a bit of money.”
“I still have a lot of money. You will continue to earn in the future. Don’t worry about money.”
“That money is being prepared for the big day. No matter how much money you have, it will not be enough to take over the Sunyang Group.”
It’s a little bit embarrassing to come out so blatantly like this. Why is the story going in this direction?
“There are things that no amount of money can buy.”
“I think so. Buying all stocks in the stock market is not a governance structure that will steal management rights.”
What money cannot buy must be taken away. The least weapon you need to take away is money.
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