$35 billion!
That's the net worth figure Forbes magazine attributed to Simon Westeros for the year 1991.
Keen observers would note that compared to last year's $21 billion, the $14 billion increase in wealth exactly matches the sum Simon spent acquiring MCA and Bell Atlantic.
However, Forbes did not attribute the increase to these acquisitions.
Instead, the $14 billion increase in Simon's wealth primarily came from stock price gains over the year from tech companies like Microsoft, Intel, Oracle, and Sun Microsystems, as well as the recent IPOs of America Online and Cisco, which have contributed significantly to his personal wealth.
Specifically, after the IPO, Simon's 65.4% stake in America Online and 50.1% stake in Cisco—based on their market values during Forbes's evaluation period—added a whopping $10.3 billion to his wealth.
Thanks to the hot-selling Windows 3.0, Microsoft's stock price doubled over the past year.
Simon's stake in Microsoft increased from about 10% last year to 21.3% this year. With Microsoft's market cap valued at $12.5 billion by Forbes, this stake brought Simon an additional $2.6 billion.
His share in Intel also increased to 15.6%, and with Intel's market cap at $10.5 billion, this brought him another $1.6 billion.
Adding it all up, the total value of Simon's shares in America Online, Cisco, Microsoft, and Intel alone reached $14.6 billion. His stakes in other tech companies like Oracle, Sun Microsystems, and Silicon Graphics, brought his total holdings in the tech sector to over $2 billion.
This increase is calculated over the baseline from last year.
The acquisitions of MCA and Bell Atlantic essentially offset the total liabilities of the Westeros Corporation.
It's clear that, marked by the Gulf War at the start of the year, there was a significant rebound in the U.S. stock market. Simon's precise timing in acquiring MCA and Bell Atlantic before the war was a masterful market play.
Even now, with both companies having been delisted, their intrinsic values are certainly not limited to the $14 billion from the beginning of the year.
Furthermore, Forbes's estimates of growth in other industries like fashion and technology under the Westeros banner remain quite vague.
Then there's the unavoidable issue of Cersei Capital.
According to industry rumors, Cersei Capital made billions through operations in oil futures and stock index futures around the Gulf War.
Although Simon only holds a one-third stake in the hedge fund under Cersei Capital, it still represents a significant amount of wealth.
Additionally, the key entity, Daenerys Entertainment.
Last year, Forbes valued Daenerys Entertainment at $8 billion. This year, following its merger with MCA, the company's net assets alone are no less than $15 billion, even though the acquisition has added billions in debt. However, the financially healthy Daenerys Entertainment clearly stands out from the struggling Time Warner.
Even conservatively estimated, the market value of Daenerys Entertainment would not be less than its net asset value.
Overall, unlike previous years' controversies, when Forbes released its new annual list of America's 400 richest, the consensus among mainstream media both in North America and abroad was that this time, Simon Westeros's fortune was clearly underestimated.
Some even speculate whether there was some agreement between Simon Westeros and the Forbes group to make his wealth appear less glaring.
Though $35 billion is already quite glaring.
Many Western rich prefer to keep a low profile, but when it comes to personal wealth, they are relatively open and view it as a form of glory.
Usually, no one would negotiate with the media to reduce their wealth estimate.
This is just the norm.
Simon Westeros, however, is not your average fellow.
Facing media skepticism, Forbes firmly denied any bias, claiming that the wealth assessment might be contentious due to the complexity of Simon's asset portfolio but overall is quite accurate.
Forbes has maintained its reputation over the years, and no similar rankings from other publications like Fortune magazine have threatened its credibility.
Therefore, even amid controversy, since the figures have been released, Forbes would certainly not amend them, and both the media and public will continue to refer to these numbers.
Years later, when someone reviews the historical Forbes lists and looks at the 1991 data, all they will see is Simon Westeros's net worth at $35 billion. By then, the controversy of that year will likely have been forgotten.
After Simon's expected top ranking, there were significant changes in the positions on this year's list.
Media mogul John Kruger continues to hold the second spot with a personal fortune of $5.9 billion, roughly the same as last year.
Bill Gates occupied the second spot on this year's list with a personal wealth of $5 billion.
Forbes made a special note of this, mentioning that after transferring 5% of his Microsoft shares to the West
eros Corporation last year and receiving a large cash sum, Gates bought luxury homes in New York and San Francisco and even acquired a Gulfstream private jet, finally taking on the lifestyle of a super-rich individual.
However, Forbes commentators pointed out that the shares Gates sold last year have already appreciated by over $300 million.
In other words, Gates actually lost $300 million.
If Microsoft's stock continues to rise, the loss from that 5% could potentially increase.
Paul Allen, who also transferred 5% of his Microsoft shares at the same time, faced a similar situation.
Following Bill Gates, the fourth to eighth places on the list are occupied by the Walton family, whose fortunes have been evenly distributed, with Sam Walton and his four children each having a fortune of $4.4 billion.
In the past, some media claimed that the real wealthiest American should be the Walton family, but from this year onwards, such comments have ceased. The Walton family's combined wealth of $22 billion is a full $13 billion less than Simon's.
Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, ranked ninth this year with a personal fortune of $4.2 billion.
Pittsburgh steel magnate Henry Hillman ranked tenth, though his personal wealth dropped directly to $3.3 billion.
This list reveals that apart from Simon and Gates, most of the top ten on this year's Forbes list are traditional tycoons known for their stable businesses, even if John Kruger has built his fortune over many years.
Affected by the recent years of economic downturn and ongoing debt crises, tycoons known for their high-debt business strategies, such as Sam Leestone and Ron Perelman, have dropped out of the top ten.
On the other hand, the total wealth of America's top 400 tycoons continues to show a growth trend.
This year, the total wealth of the 400 tycoons reached $317.3 billion.
From this, it's not hard to see another point: out of the top 400 tycoons' total wealth of $317.3 billion, Simon Westeros alone holds $35 billion, accounting for 11%.
Compared to other tycoons on the list, Simon's personal wealth, both in asset amount and growth rate, clearly shows a lead far ahead of the rest.
As Simon's wealth is mainly concentrated in the media and technology sectors, the release of this list has notably driven up the media and technology segments of the American stock market.
In recent years, many investors, inspired by Simon's Hollywood success, have been eager to invest in the film industry.
The structure of major Hollywood studios has changed due to Simon alone.
However, Hollywood's barriers are not easily breached.
The emergence and closure of a large batch of second and third-tier Hollywood film companies in the eighties have proven this point.
However.
The technology sector, especially the emerging Internet industry, does not have such high barriers.
Just a few days after the release of the Forbes list, the White House also responded to the Information Superhighway Bill that the Westeros system had been quietly pushing. The White House spokesperson stated at a routine press conference that the president had reviewed the bill and held a special meeting with cabinet members to discuss its feasibility.
While the White House does not have legislative power, the president can sign executive orders with the same legal effect.
Moreover, with the assistance of the White House, especially with a host like the Bush family who have deep roots in Congress, many bills are more likely to pass smoothly through congressional review.
However, the media also understands that the White House would not help the Democratic Party push through a bill involving hundreds of billions of dollars in production value. If the Bush team and their backers see a promising future for the Internet industry, they are more likely to introduce their own similar bills.
George Bush has faced numerous criticisms for not caring about domestic issues, and he also needs to push forward bills that are closely related to the domestic economy.
Regardless, the White House's response to the Information Superhighway Bill is a very positive signal.
The investment trajectory of the Westeros system in the new technology field is also straightforward. Thus, in a short period of time, countless capitals have begun eagerly targeting the Internet industry.
When this year's Forbes list was published, Simon was far away in Italy.
Nevertheless, due to the publication of the wealth list, North America remained bustling.
Over the years, many media outlets have marveled at Simon's meteoric rise and have never lacked criticism and skepticism about this young billionaire.
However, just as the slight disturbances previously stirred up by Matthew Broderick and others hardly affected Simon, most media criticisms are actually unknown to Simon, and he doesn't bother to pay attention.
With the publication of the new annual list, the usual criticisms and questions resurfaced.
The most common criticism was about how Simon Westeros should spend such a vast fortune.
In recent years, the operations of the Simon & Janet Westeros Foundation have been very active.
However, due to the enormity of Simon
's personal wealth, some media still believe his charitable contributions are too low, and there are even customary comments that Simon's billions should belong to society as a whole.
Many tycoons have humbly stated in the media that they are merely 'stewards of wealth.'
Perhaps because such views have been expressed so often, some people have come to believe them, thus beginning to call in newspapers for Simon Westeros to 'return the wealth to society.'
Simon doesn't even want to see such news.
A waste of time.
Janet, as the housekeeper, also works behind the scenes to maintain her man's public image.
Thus, she generally collects any negative news about Simon and occasionally lets George Norman send out some legal letters or lawsuits.
However, when Janet sees similar news, she also habitually rolls her eyes.
Besides those urging Simon to give back to society, there are also many who urge donations.
In the days following the release of the Forbes list, Janet in Los Angeles received a large pile of similar donation requests every day.
Most are definitely ignored.
Finally, and probably most troubling for Janet, are the claims of kinship.
For several years, Simon's origins have been a focal point of media attention.
There have even been individuals with ulterior motives who have specifically established teams to help Simon find his relatives, clearly hoping to profit from helping Simon identify his parents.
Over the years, a few couples suspected to be Simon Westeros's parents have been repeatedly hyped by the media, and these people generally have not given up on the idea of acknowledging Simon as their son.
With the release of the Forbes list, another couple has come forward, appearing in the media tearfully hoping to gain Simon's recognition, passionately stating that they ask for nothing but to find their son.
The media also thrives on chaos.
As for dealing with such matters, Simon and Janet have long had a plan—to turn the situation into a farce.
When someone requests recognition of kinship, Janet privately arranges for others to do the same.
The eyes of the people are sharp.
Suddenly, a bunch of people jumping out wanting to be Simon Westeros's parents—if that's not a farce, what is?
Therefore, once such a situation arises, things usually quiet down.
But not this year.
Because a couple arranged by Janet suddenly admitted publicly that they had been paid to do so.
Of course, Janet would not be foolish enough to arrange such things personally; it's all done through intermediaries. Even the couple that came forward couldn't possibly know whose money they were receiving.
But such details are hardly a challenge for the imaginative media.
If someone is paying, there must be someone paying the money.
If some people are paying to have a couple become Westeros's parents and then profit from it... Simon Westeros is not a fool; such a tactic is too easy to expose.
So, who else would have such a motive?
That's a question worth investigating.
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