America's No. 1 financial conglomerate

Chapter 83 Chief Qiao

"Hey Steve. I never expected to see you here today. You're my idol."

Steve Jobs, Ernst never expected to see a living person on this occasion.

In response to Ernst's flattery, he only gained arrogance.

Jobs's expression didn't change at all because of Ernst's words. The corners of his mouth were curled up, seemingly in a smile, but it gave outsiders a very uncomfortable feeling.

It was an arrogance that emanated from the very core of the being, like a monarch from the palace visiting the common people to understand their plight, feeling in his heart that he was not on the same level as those around him.

Ernst didn't care about the other person's expression. After all, in America today, this man who was destined to become a legend wasn't very popular with the public or his peers.

Arrogance is one thing, but he has also done many things like betraying his friends for personal gain.

However, as he achieved great success and became a legend, these blemishes were naturally forgotten by everyone.

His sudden death, in particular, caught the outside world off guard and added to the tragedy of his life.

Moreover, a person who changes the world truly deserves everyone's respect.

No one is perfect, and mistakes are part of the legend, especially for those who have already passed away.

"I know you, Ernst Garfield. Google, which you founded, is very interesting. Are you interested in selling it?"

'

Ernst nearly choked on the champagne he had just taken a sip of, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face.

I came here trying to get close to you, hoping to get something out of you. I haven't even said anything yet, and you've already turned your attention to my wife.

"That's my belief, just like your passion for computers."

"Are you mocking me?" Jobs' eyebrows furrowed instantly, and his tone turned cold.

Ernst chuckled to himself, "So you're not expressionless after all."

Isn't that ironic? After being ousted from Apple by the CEO he personally promoted, Steve Jobs founded .NET in Silicon Valley to continue his Macintosh product philosophy.

He first spent $100,000 to create a trademark for net, and then spent a huge sum of money to customize a production line for net.

Because of his obsessive nature, he insists on perfecting every step of the process.

The computer had to be painted the black he specified, and the case couldn't have the cheap metallic feel of other products on the market; it had to have the texture of titanium alloy.

To achieve the desired quality in this computer case, Steve Jobs even sent several people to General Motors to learn how to paint it.

It must also be a perfectly shaped cube, with each side exactly one foot long and each corner exactly ninety degrees.

When .NET was released, everyone thought it would be a disaster, but it turned out to be a huge surprise.

With performance almost identical to Apple's Macintosh, the lowest-spec net configuration costs $7995, more than three times the price.

Bill Gates said in a media interview, "I would pee on it."

Everyone knew that Steve Jobs had failed miserably in the computer field, but Ernst, though mocking his arrogance, couldn't show it.

"Of course not, I've said before that I'm a loyal fan of yours. I even bought a Net one."

"Putting price aside, I think it's a perfect product. And the price issue isn't your fault. With technological advancements, I believe costs will definitely come down, and then the whole world will be amazed by your design concept."

Ernst will still fawn over others.

Sure enough, his explanation softened Jobs's tense jawline, made his eyes less sharp, and made his face less arrogant.

"No wonder you were able to found such an interesting company as Google. I think we are kindred spirits."

"Who's like you? I'm going to be a big capitalist," Ernst thought to himself, but his face showed a look of deep sympathy.

"Of course, I believe there is a resonance among geniuses."

"I like what you said."

Jobs raised his hand to signal the waiters moving around the room and ordered a glass of champagne. Ernst knew that he had completed the first step in getting closer to the other party.

The two casually found a place to sit, and Ernst politely raised his glass to the other person, saying, "To innovation."

O

Jobs lightly tapped the rim of his glass, making a crisp sound. "A toast to paranoia."

Ernst was at a loss for words again, and fearing he would continue down the path of obsession, he quickly changed the subject.

"By the way, are you here just for a charity gala?"

Based on Ernst's understanding of Jobs from two lifetimes, this workaholic who treated products as his life would never appear in such social situations unless there was something particularly important to do.

It's not that he doesn't do charity, but rather that he believes changing the world is more meaningful than giving alms.

"Not entirely. In fact, I came here to invest in Pixla."

Ernst's heart skipped a beat, and his fingers tightened slightly around the wine glass.

Pixar! The name struck him like an electric shock. The animation studio with a Turing Award winner at its helm, whose every future film was guaranteed to be a huge financial success.

Incidentally, Steve Jobs' acquisition of Pixar was also related to NET Corporation.

After the massive first-generation .NET, Steve Jobs began to focus on marketing.

So he set his sights on animation promotion companies, not only for promotional purposes, but also to showcase the performance of .NET products through animation.

The end result was that Steve Jobs bought the computer animation division of Lucasfilm, the company that enhanced the special effects for Star Wars, and renamed it Pixar.

Did you think Pixar started making animations after being acquired by Steve Jobs?

No, Steve Jobs' goal was still to sell computers.

After several years of work, Pixar and Networks collaborated to create a graphics computer called Piar, which boasted extremely high resolution and superior performance, but cost a staggering tens of thousands of US dollars.

Back then, special effects were mainly done manually, with computer assistance, and animation was entirely hand-drawn, so very few people bought them.

To promote the computer and demonstrate its contribution to special effects and animation, Pixar was forced to produce a series of animated short films.

To Steve Jobs' surprise, while the computers sold very few units, the short films became a huge success.

For example, Tin Soldier won the Academy Award for Best Short Film, becoming the first computer-animated short film in history to win the award, which also attracted the attention of Disney.

Although Pixar and Disney have had business dealings in the past, the volume of business was not large, at most Pixar would help Disney with small clips or the like.

But this time it's different. Disney has decided to collaborate with Pixar to produce a feature-length animated film, with Pixar handling the creation and animation production, and Disney taking on the promotion and distribution.

Then came Pixar's masterpiece in 1995, Toy Story, which grossed $3.61 million worldwide on a production cost of $3000 million.

"I heard you guys renegotiated a contract with Disney for five animated films, didn't you?"

After the success of Toy Story, Steve Jobs was not satisfied with the current collaboration at all.

Disney provides the funding, Disney handles the promotion, and Disney distributes the products. Pixar is like an outsourced factory, with the lion's share of the profits going into Disney's pocket.

So Steve Jobs approached Disney and restarted negotiations for a partnership.

The final result was that both parties invested 50/50 and split the profits equally, signing a contract for the next five works.

"So I need to raise money. Pixar's next animated film is in production and is expected to be released by next year at the latest. But Disney wants to start another new project, so I need to be prepared."

Ernst could tell that Jobs was very dissatisfied with Disney's approach; Disney was using a calculated strategy to force him to comply.

Starting a new project before the previous one is finished, with both parties contributing 50/50, would put Jobs under financial pressure.

Another issue is cost. Whether it's equipment or manpower, Pixar is clearly not capable of simultaneously producing two animated films.

No money?

No money? No problem, Disney says I have it.

I'll contribute the majority of the funding to help Pixar develop; of course, we'll need to redistribute the profits as well.

Historically, it was because Steve Jobs found funding that Disney abandoned its original plans, and Ernst saw this as an opportunity.

"Why don't you sell your Pixar stock?" This was the question in Ernst's mind.

After the success of Toy Story, Steve Jobs began Pixar's business operations, namely going public.

In 1995, Pixar went public with an offering price of $22, raising a total of $1.4 million. At the close of trading, the price had risen to $39 per share, giving it a market capitalization of approximately $15 billion.

If Pixar needs money, it can raise funds on the stock market, so why come to Wall Street?

Do you know what Pixar's market value is right now?

Ernst shook his head in response to Jobs's question.

"US$13.2 billion".

Wall Street, Ernst understands.

Pixar's IPO was a facade of prosperity created by Wall Street. Now that Wall Street has reaped all the profits, Pixar's stock price has been brought back to its original level.

No wonder Steve Jobs's shareholding actually increased after Pixar went public.

He is using his reputation to instill confidence in the market; otherwise, Pixar's stock price would have plummeted.

With only one animated film released, it's clear that genuine investors have serious concerns about Pixar. If Pixar were to reduce its holdings to raise funds, and someone were to manipulate the situation, Pixar's market value could suffer another setback.

Not to mention the short-selling forces on Wall Street, even Disney wouldn't let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"Have you found an investor?" Ernst's heart began to race.

This is the best opportunity, and the last chance to invest in Pixar.

Once Pixar's second animated film is successful next year and proves itself once again, Pixar will never have to worry about funding again.

Steve Jobs' voice carried a hint of worry. "I don't know. I haven't had any contact with him yet."

"What do you think of me?" Ernst leaned forward slightly, his eyes shining with sincerity, his face earnest.

Jobs turned to look at him with some surprise, his gaze displeasing Ernst. It was full of suspicion, like someone scrutinizing an arrogant young man, with undisguised contempt.

He even blurted out, "Do you have money?"

Ernst wasn't annoyed. He took out his business card from his suit pocket and handed it over. "Let me formally introduce myself. Besides Google, I'm also the owner of MGM Studios."

"Really?" This time it was Jobs' turn to be shocked. He took the business card and examined it repeatedly.

Ernst laughed irritably. "If you had any free time and read entertainment news, you would know about this situation."

Last year, his acquisition of MGM caused quite a stir, but this tech visionary only had his computer in mind and ignored the unimportant things happening around him.

Jobs put down his business card and looked Ernst over again, his gaze becoming much more direct.

This guy who founded Google and is also the owner of MGM certainly has the right to talk to me about investment.

Regardless, this is one possible approach, and at least it can be used as a bargaining chip in negotiations with those guys on Wall Street.

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