William White was indeed a bit cunning. He was really annoyed with those old geezers, but there was nothing he could do. He had to work with them when necessary.
"Man, it looks like we need to ease the tension a bit. The kid sure has quite a bone to pick with us."
"Boss, this time it's not even related to us. Is he really that extreme?"
"Ha, a lot of people underestimated him. Remember, nobody gets successful easily. Isn't Jobs smart? But does he earn as much as William White?"
"Boss, that seems to already be on another level."
"Yeah, we thought at first he was just another Jobs, but we were completely wrong. He understands our ways, knows what we're afraid of, and knows what we need. He's a tough nut to crack!"
A bunch of Wall Street fund managers were originally mocking the "land of the rising sun" folks as ignorant bumpkins. Two companies established just a year ago couldn't possibly be worth more than 700-800 million dollars in valuation. It was nuts to give them a valuation of over a billion dollars.
They were raving about "those Japanese fools" but couldn't believe their eyes as within days, the usually conservative Morgan Stanley matched that valuation and even slightly exceeded Japan's offer, showing they were determined to go all-in.
These elites weren't dumb. They quickly realized there had to be something going on behind the scenes that they didn't understand. There must be something in these companies' development plans that's grabbing attention; otherwise, the price couldn't be explained.
Darn, why did the Japanese find out before us?
Immediately, a lot of guys in suits and ties started circling these three companies.
Although it was clear that people wouldn't reveal too much, as these were top-secret commercial information.
Their vague words didn't stop these guys from probing. Something that could support stock prices was nothing but new profit points. The way to estimate a company's value was pretty much the same worldwide -- it was merely a prediction of future earnings.
If the Japanese deemed it okay and Morgan Stanley also thought it was reliable, then it had to have significant appeal. Otherwise, Morgan's offer would be less than Japan's.
The group of elites was surprised to find out William White's assets surged again. The scary part was that he was only raising capital now. By the time he actually IPOs, the price would be way higher.
Truth be told, he could have directly IPO'd at that time without bothering with all those procedures.
When someone asked this out loud, they were greeted with disdain and scorn. Was William White short on cash? His companies were cash cows, and now he just needed strategic investors. Did you think you could buy shares just because you have money?
...
With all that money, it was only natural to stir things up. Although he hadn't gotten his hands on this cash yet, it didn't matter. No one doubted his ability to pay.
"Mr. White, please trust us. Our Lürssen shipyard will absolutely meet your requirements." Hearing the fellow's German-accented English, William White couldn't help but laugh.
"Hmm, I certainly believe in your abilities. It's my first yacht, and I don't want any surprises."
"Rest assured, Mr. White. Our designers will submit the drawings again within two weeks."
"Good, I look forward to it."
Back then, there wasn't even a concept of superyachts. William White's demands were quite terrifying -- nearly 200 meters, which was already the size of a cruiser, and they had to achieve a speed of no less than 26 knots.
If the ship wasn't large enough, the Germans wouldn't be able to manage it.
The shipyard manager was in quite a bind. This so-called yacht was already their limit. They couldn't make it any larger; this was practically a battlecruiser standard. Where was he going, on a vacation or to war?
A helicopter landing pad was understandable as it was standard for luxury yachts, but wanting a hangar was a headache, as it required a large lift.
A mini-submarine that could carry twelve people?
For Pete's sake!
A mini-submarine was for two people, alright? This was actually a small submarine.
But, to be fair, this guy was definitely a genius. The yacht didn't seem like it belonged to the current era; it was too futuristic.
Drawing it was one thing, but it was actually buildable. He wasn't just fooling around.
As for the yacht's cost?
This big guy cost over 40 million dollars, definitely not cheaper than a Boeing 747. Add the helicopter and submarine, and it was well over 50 million.
"A 50-million-dollar yacht?"
"Sigh, I must be getting old. I remember the Dreadnought only cost less than two million pounds back then."
"Yeah, boss. It was about 1.5 million pounds."
"Is inflation really that bad now?"
"Probably not? Gold is around 500 right now, and even if it depreciated, 90% inflation is unlikely. You could produce a battleship for this price."
"Is this big thing going to take a long time?"
"At least two years, I'd guess."
"Man, that sure is indulgent."
A 50-million-dollar yacht.
This news was more shocking than how much William White had. Billions of dollars were numbers that had no connection with regular people. The interest alone from putting that money in the bank could flatten you.
Was he a prodigal?
No one dared call him that outright. If the wealth was inherited, mainstream society would definitely criticize. There was nothing to criticize about legal income; it was just his hobby. Many even believed he wasn't splurging enough.
At least that's what many investment banks thought. How could you hold so much cash? How are we supposed to invest?
Being so high-profile, William White couldn't help it. You can't be deep and arrogant at times; you have to consistently maintain your current persona.
*****
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