"Boss, how are you doing?"
"What do you think? It's just breakfast time, you bunch of idiots."
"Boss, who's your girlfriend? I'm going crazy over this!"
"Oh, come on. Can't you do something serious? I'm just daydreaming. Haven't succeeded yet."
"Alright, alright, I get it."
William White wasn't exactly a model student in school, so naturally, someone willingly admitted to something, but no one really cared about the truth of the matter.
The Falklands conflict had come to an end, and both sides began seeking diplomatic solutions, but tensions in the desert regions were escalating.
Based on the current trend, it seemed like it might continue to worsen. The Americans were favoring one side, but Europe didn't seem to want to back this up.
You had to hand it to Reagan; his performance wasn't shabby. Facing tough questions from foreign journalists, he acted all clueless.
...
Watching the TV, William White burst out laughing.
"Look at that, now that's some acting talent. You, on the other hand, should stick to singing."
"Alright then, write me another song." Madonna interrupted as she snuggled up to him.
"Sigh, I've run dry, no inspiration left."
Hearing this, the girl sprang into action.
"Oh, again?"
"This is to give you inspiration."
...
While things heated up there, a group of old geezers was arguing endlessly in a spacious conference room, indicating a long dispute.
"No way, there has to be a conclusion today."
"I want to ask, is there any point in what you're doing? Are you confident?"
"Well, what do you suggest?"
With a loud bang, an old man said shakily, "It's only been a few years; do you really want to take that money to the grave?"
They're giants, sure, but they're not William White, unable to take a big gamble.
But then again, William White looked arrogant, but mostly it was just talk. Of course, if they pushed him too far, he might actually retaliate harshly.
The most important thing was that they had channels to negotiate with William White. Just like between two countries, if diplomatic channels remain open, there generally won't be any big conflicts.
The old folks knew this, and after pondering overnight, they understood that it was William White who had made the first move. As for the reason, it was simple: if they're allowed to mess with him, shouldn't he be allowed to defend himself too?
...
William White was actually taking advantage of the situation. He knew he had to buy himself some time. Money is a deadly temptation. Even these financial empires can't control their greed, it's just human nature.
"Dad, does this mean they've compromised?"
"Heh, temporarily, yes. For the time being, they won't do anything. Oh, these young folks these days."
"But it's not William White's fault."
"Heh, in this world, what is right or wrong? Your fist is harder, then you're right. Even wrong becomes right. Usually, there would be trouble, but his timing was perfect. Most importantly, the financial empires have grown too powerful, causing discontent among many forces."
Bush father and son were chatting about William White, while he himself couldn't care less. Political correctness, he might know it all too well.
Trying to recover influence? Well, you can forget it. At most, he'd reduce reports about it. Whether it's race or ideology, he wasn't going to touch those because they were too risky. To put it plainly, unless someone attacks him, why would he pick a fight with formidable enemies?
...
It's hard for ordinary people to imagine that America would be afraid of war. Yes, indeed, they were afraid. Not to mention World War I and World War II, even in the two Asian wars (Korea and Vietnam), they paid a very high price.
The Falklands issue seemed hopeful for a peaceful solution, but before people could catch a break, the Middle East conflict flared up again. It's hard not to worry. Did you really think the Soviets were all talk?
NBC kept calling for peace, but anyone with a high political sensitivity could easily see that discussions and coverage were significantly reduced. This reflected William White's position. He wouldn't change his stance, but he'd say less and wouldn't comment on whether things were right or wrong.
Although NBC chose to compromise, anti-war forces began to rise. Washington was in chaos, with constant protests against war funding.
Whether it was Star Wars or continued unconditional support for allies, these proposals faced strong opposition. Everyone agreed -- no more wars.
The people's worries weren't unfounded. The Soviets also had their proxies in the Middle East. A proxy war was one possibility, but if things went south, the U.S. might have to get directly involved.
...
Saying the economy was entirely stagnant was not correct, at least not in IT, which performed excellently. IBM, smacked hard by Compaq, was licking its wounds.
Having temporarily shaken off the financial groups' attention, William White was speeding up his own plans.
"Sir, Bill Gates agreed. Our two companies can cross-hold shares."
After months of frustration, William White finally received some good news.
"Ha ha, Filson, how much stock can we hold?"
"5% shares."
"Tch, that's a bit low, but fine. When there's financing or an IPO, our shares can't be reduced. We can promise not to develop an operating system."
"Boss, if I may, it doesn't seem very worthwhile."
"Oh come on, Filson, don't be fooled by Apple's success in the low-end market. Compaq's so-called compatible machines will make Apple very uncomfortable. Our investment isn't in IBM's supporting software."
"I see, I'll finalize the cooperation immediately."
5% shares -- well, that's not bad. Still, you can't be too greedy. If we took too many shares, Bill might have no desire to work on the Windows system.
William White thought Bill Gates was destined for something big. Just taking a small advantage would be fine; after all, making money off him was all that mattered. But if they pushed too hard, it might all fall apart.
There was indeed a butterfly effect, at least because Oracle was almost done for. William White was waiting for the opportunity -- if Larry Ellison wavered, he wouldn't mind stepping in.
...
"Tom, how's the database development going?"
"Sir, it's going smoothly. Aren't we participating in government procurement?"
"Tsk, not entirely out. It's just that there are too many restrictions. I'd advise you to start with those retail chains. You might want to approach Walmart."
"Got it, sir, anything else?"
"That's it. I'll hang up. Start with small businesses."
Today's IT industry could be described as a mixed bag, full of overnight success stories. William White was no exception; he was already a legend.
After all, myths were myths -- ordinary people couldn't reach them. Apple and Compaq were different; their success had patterns that could be followed.
...
Filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment, people marveled at Steve Jobs's dumb luck.
What they didn't know was that Steve Jobs was in a bad mood. Markkula didn't care about it. He found Jobs too stubborn.
The Lisa project was a failed product unless they followed William White's advice. Otherwise, that computer would have failed.
Given that the 6800 computer was too expensive, close to ten thousand dollars, its performance increase was only a mere 30%.
The big guy couldn't be wrong, which meant William White was wrong. His suggestion turned out unreliable. The Lisa 6700 sold well, but unfortunately, the profit margin was too low.
Steve Jobs believed that the cut-down version of Lisa was a foolish move. Without that version, the high-end one would have been a hit.
Hearing his subordinates' descriptions, William White was speechless. He couldn't understand this logic. Did you think IBM would just sit there?
"Sigh, better sell the shares earlier. This stubborn guy is truly unreliable." William White mumbled to himself. He couldn't take it anymore. Until Jobs experienced failure, he wouldn't grow up. Better let him go his own way.
*****
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