After two days of intense negotiations, the preliminary agreement was finally reached.
Toyota Motor Industry and Dongfeng Express, two companies, jointly secured the 1.8 million square meters of land provided by the Agil City Government for the construction of a factory and a logistics park.
Of the total land area, 1.3 million square meters were allocated to Toyota's automobile factory and 500,000 square meters to Dongfeng's logistics park. The construction costs were calculated separately, and for the first three years, Dongfeng Express would provide services to Toyota's Georgia factory at agreed-upon prices, not following market rates.
In addition, the Agil City Government also offered a series of supportive policies, including a two-year tax exemption and a three-year tax reduction. Apart from the agreement, Carter also introduced several companies capable of producing automobile parts to Toyota through his relationship with Paulson.
That's the general framework. Other minor details, such as the government vehicle procurement discussed by Toyota's sales company, were also settled, making the negotiation comprehensive.
After two days of what felt like endless negotiations but amounted to only about ten hours of actual discussion, Carter felt drained. His body wasn't tired, but his mind certainly was!
"Did you buy the plane tickets?"
"They're booked, but seriously, aren't you considering taking a break? Look at how many trips you've made this summer."
Handing Carter a piece of paper with the order number for ticket pickup, Goodman, carrying Carter's backpack, expressed concern while escorting him downstairs.
"Ah, I can't help it. The thing is, people have been calling, right? But after this trip, I should be able to take a break. The residential area is almost topped off; you should worry more about that."
Packing his bags, Carter once again flew to the northwest corner of the United States. However, this time, he wasn't heading to Hawaii. After all the back-and-forth traveling by Carter, Jim had already lost his vacation mood and returned to New York ahead of schedule.
This time, Carter's destination was Seattle!
"Hey! Over here, Carter!"
"Paul! Bill! Long time no see!"
After a warm hug with Paul and a handshake with Bill, the three of them walked out of the terminal together.
"What's going on that you needed to call me over urgently?"
"Yeah, Mr. Samms from IBM called us and said that the PC project is about to be approved. They'll be coming back to Microsoft soon, but we still have some internal differences. I don't think we can continue like this; we need to present a unified opinion as soon as possible to welcome IBM."
As Paul placed Carter's luggage in the trunk, Bill, who remained at the front of the vehicle, took over the conversation:
"Paul mentioned that you seem to strongly support developing an operating system. Is that true?"
"Of course, I believe developing an operating system is the real way forward for Microsoft!"
Noticing Bill Gates's scrutinizing gaze, Carter nodded confidently, unafraid.
As time passed, Carter gradually lost the admiration he once held for Gates, the world-renowned and familiar former richest man.
From various perspectives, this guy seemed quite similar to himself? Well, of course, he had thicker skin and a darker heart, but apart from that, there didn't seem to be much difference.
"I don't quite understand why you and Kay are so focused on the operating system. It doesn't seem necessary for us."
"Hey, Bill! Can we not talk about work so urgently? It's getting late, and Carter must be starving after sitting on a plane for so long. He needs food, not your questions."
"Okay, okay, I got it. I didn't say I wouldn't treat him to dinner. You're really..."
"So, Paul, what's the internal situation now? Bill isn't keen on developing an operating system, thinking it's a waste of time and might not yield good results. But Kay is very supportive. Are you hesitating?"
After a satisfying meal in a small restaurant in Bellevue, Carter lit a post-dinner cigarette and pondered the question.
If it's just a matter of manpower and funding shortage, I can help! There's no need to argue over this issue, right?
Carter didn't know how Microsoft made decisions during this period in history. Whether they initially didn't focus on developing an operating system or eventually made the decision to do so. Anyway, they would develop an operating system in the future, right?
Moreover, after taking off through IBM and obtaining IBM's orders, Microsoft would also enter a period of rapid growth. At that time, expanding staff was inevitable. So why not let it happen a little earlier? And besides...
"I haven't looked at your revenue reports yet, but let me make a rough valuation. $10 million! I can invest $1 million and acquire 10% of Microsoft's shares to provide you with financing. I believe $1 million would be enough for you to recruit many talented programmers. What do you think?"