Steve Jobs was a prideful guy, seeing only two kinds of people: the foolish and the smart. Although William White was smart, he was too cunning, making him a bad person.
Bill Gates was a pretty decent fellow, much better than William White. Thus, Jobs began making mistakes.
"What did you say? Microsoft is helping them develop software?" Tom was puzzled, as the boss didn't seem upset, just had a peculiar expression.
"Alright, I get it. Whatever they do is fine, just don't delay the office suite. The other stuff doesn't matter."
After dismissing Tom, William White couldn't help but marvel at Bill Gates' good fortune. If nothing unexpected happened, the idea for a Windows system was probably born at this moment.
Speaking of luck, William White couldn't avoid believing in it; he had already experienced reincarnation. So, the concept of luck made sense.
History has proven that reborn individuals are no match for those blessed with fate. So, William White had no plans to compete with Bill. Besides, he owned shares in Microsoft.
...
In fact, when Jobs was flaunting his system, Bill Gates didn't listen to a word. If not for some sanity, he would've sat down to write code right then.
To him, Jobs was missing the main point. That ridiculous computer company could be shut down. If the software succeeded, who would buy computers anymore?
Develop an office suite?
"Oh, come on! Let's not cause friction with the White system now. If we annoy that guy, we'll have another opponent."
Bill was indifferent to Apple's system; it was a closed system and not a threat no matter how good it got.
To be fair, Bill had great luck. Because of his support for compatible machine software, IBM was unhappy. If not for antitrust regulations, Bill Gates might've been out earlier.
Even so, their relationship with IBM was strained. The 286 generation might not pose problems, but future collaborations could be tricky.
Things were different now. If they developed a graphical interface, even if IBM was annoyed, they would have to accept it. To reach such a situation, could you say Bill wasn't blessed with fate?
When they first collaborated with IBM, William White did sabotage them. Yet, it didn't stop Bill from making money. The moment compatible machines appeared, Bill supported them without hesitation, despite being IBM's subsidiary.
Internally, the company had many dissenters. Bill Gates' insistence led to this result.
And now?
The number of compatible machines far exceeded IBM PCs. The money spent on the operating system was recouped a long time ago. Without this, they wouldn't have the standing to challenge IBM now.
...
William White knew, sooner or later, Bill Gates would target office software. When that day came, it might be time to mess things up again.
In reality, the White system had started evolving, with the company's focus shifting towards databases. If the situation turned unfavorable, trading software for shares was fine; William White wouldn't lose out.
As long as Windows 95 didn't emerge, Bill Gates remained vulnerable. There were plenty of opportunities to humble him, as long as there was enough patience.
...
Bullying Bill Gates might be problematic, but picking on Larry Ellison was another story. Larry was a late bloomer, barely staying afloat. With the White system in place, selling Oracle was his only choice.
"Filson, the price is fine, but Larry Ellison is talented. We must sign a non-compete agreement; otherwise, buying Oracle is unnecessary."
"They're out of options. If he doesn't want to sleep on the streets, he'll agree to our terms."
"Alright, you get on it."
Larry Ellison couldn't figure out what White System saw in Oracle. Honestly, the company wasn't worth that much. Asking a hundred million was excessive, but the other side agreed, demanding only a stringent non-compete agreement.
Such agreements were normal; what if you took a bunch of people and left? I'd end up buying an empty shell! But this agreement was something else. If he signed, he'd be leaving the industry for good. If not, well, did he have a choice?
No, this was the best option. With this money, he'd still be wealthy.
Larry Ellison had a tough childhood, basically poor. He never wanted to return to the slums.
Thus, meddling by William White transformed the IT industry landscape beyond recognition. Now, he had no historical experience to rely on.
...
Unbeknownst to him, William White's status had shifted. By targeting Japan, he operated like those conglomerates.
The only difference was probably in the sector. Conglomerates didn't care; they played cross-industry. Any company with a monopoly, they'd try to control.
William White clashed with Citibank for this reason. Comics, games, media--though not major industries, had substantial market presence. As such, companies under William White were valued higher.
With such interests, it's normal they were coveted. The shares he threw out weren't enough to satiate their greed.
But now, there's nothing they can do. A single Citibank couldn't shift anything. A wrong move could end with them losing face.
Timing was crucial. Had this happened after the Plaza Accord, William White would have faced more challenges.
At that time, conglomerates were at their weakest. Even though they later recovered, they could never influence as before.
America's shock therapy not only messed up the global economy, but it hit the conglomerates hard.
It's unclear whether the plan was accidental or deliberate. Whoever devised it was a genius. It influenced international and domestic situations for decades.
However, despite its brilliance, there was a wildcard.
Of course, William White wouldn't act recklessly. Maintaining a low profile was necessary. He'd remain out of sight.
One had to admit, William White might have been overthinking. Of course there were plans, but those who made them didn't expect such a massive impact. Those are stories for another day, which we'll skip for now.
*****
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