"What in the world is this?"
"Latest mobile phone, see? It's really lightweight."
Looking at the clunky device in front of him, William White couldn't help but feel speechless. Well, ever since he partnered with Motorola, this was the first product hitting the market.
The reason William felt speechless was that this project had been set in motion before he took over, costing over $100 million.
"Tom, do you really think this is portable?"
"Yeah, I saw another one in Europe, not sure if it was Nokia or Siemens, but it was at least ten times larger -- looked like a walkie-talkie from a battlefield."
"I can see that being usable in a car."
"Sir, this thing is good, but it's way too expensive -- over four thousand bucks, and the battery life ain't enough."
"How long can it be used?"
"They say half an hour, but really, it's good for about twenty minutes."
Well, that dampened William White's spirits. He realized he had to start from the basics with the battery. The current batteries were just old nickel-cadmium models; even if lithium batteries weren't developed yet, they could at least use nickel-hydride batteries.
Having figured that out, William decided to call a meeting in the mobile phone department.
To be honest, William wasn't planning to be too radical. This mobile phone was essentially a stopgap product; pushing hard for sales and profits would have to wait for the GSM era.
Luckily, he didn't have unreasonable requests -- he simply wanted to reduce power consumption and increase battery capacity.
Put plainly, nickel-hydride batteries weren't rocket science; for a product priced over four grand, there was no reason not to accept this cost increase.
William planned it out: if those idiots dared say anything was impossible, he would shift that damn factory in a heartbeat.
As for the call quality -- well, he thought it was best not to push too hard; if it didn't short out, that would be a bonus.
...
"Filson, how are things in the digital lab?"
"We made breakthroughs. Two new patents passed review this month, but the Motorola board seems to have issues with the increased R&D budget."
"If they have issues, they can keep it to themselves. If it gets out of hand, they can just sell their shares; a bunch of shortsighted fools."
William White certainly had reasons to be angry. If not for the over $100 million in R&D costs, he would have scrapped everything and started over. But climbing the tech ladder wasn't easy; even with the right direction, it required time and accumulation.
Under William's insistence, departments quickly began to manage technical communications since his requests were very reasonable.
Everything was based on existing technology, nothing in the realm of black magic. Just a week later, an improved version of the "Super Brick" proposal landed on William's desk.
"Well, this is more like it, but what's with the four-hour standby? In reality, after two hours, you'll only be able to make a single call."
"Sir, the cost might be a bit high."
"That's because the order volume is too low. Double the quantity and cut prices by 10% -- that's my demand."
Filson's eyes twitched; he truly felt at a loss. This request was outrageous!
"Don't worry, Filson. If I triple the order, they'll give us half-off."
"Alright, sir. I'll negotiate with them."
"Filson, that's how the semiconductor industry works. What did 64K memory cost a year ago?"
"The boss won't get a good deal for long; I feel like they're just waiting to pounce."
"Ha! No need to fret. We've got the Koreans; trust me, they aren't afraid of losing a little profit to keep their competitors down."
Filson didn't quite get it; the link with the Koreans seemed tenuous, and he wondered about William's line of thought. He had even asked some of his staff, but alas, no one could shed light on it.
...
In facing a partner like this, Motorola truly felt constrained. They were a well-respected Fortune 500 company, after all.
But when dealing with someone who consistently delivered profits for shareholders, what was there for them to complain about?
If they ever pushed William White too far, they would just find themselves with another formidable competitor.
In reality, according to their agreement, the Motorola board had no real power.
A group of folks hungry for recognition had failed.
For investors, they could play around with their affairs, but one important rule was to avoid causing any real havoc, as that would send stock prices plummeting.
Separate from William White?
Come on, let's be serious. If that news hit Wall Street, the stock would react immediately. Conversely, increasing investment in the joint venture would only boost the stock price.
Once the old-timers came to that conclusion, William White's Super Brick plan began to roll out. William believed that having this product would definitely facilitate the promotion of the simulation machine.
Sometimes, being a pioneer was a real pain; no matter how well you developed something, it was of no use -- someone would always find a way to zip past you, especially in the mobile market.
No matter how strong Ericsson or Nokia was, in the end, they could face total defeat.
...
"Mr. White, Murdoch has consolidated Fox Television and is showing clear signs of expansion."
"Heh, the old man is still quite resilient. Barry, what do you think about spinning off the production department?"
"Splitting production and broadcasting? Wouldn't that be too aggressive?"
"Ha! Without competition, where's the drive? This way, our targets won't be so lofty."
"Alright, I'll make some plans. What about the existing shows?"
"Get rid of them all. Let them know that as long as the ratings are good, everything is negotiable. If your offer is too low, they can sell it to ABC; just one thing -- we are not dealing with those Australian crooks."
Barry Diller felt uncertain. Was that old-timer really angling for his girlfriend? Otherwise, it made no sense; what kind of grudge did he hold?
"Okay, Mr. White. I'll take care of it."
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.