William White began to poach talent, directly targeting General Motors, the largest automaker in the United States.
As he had anticipated, the push for lean manufacturing faced setbacks. These individuals received little attention within the company, and inevitably, they would turn to him.
...
The tragedy of Flight 655 was shockingly vivid. The American media might choose to sidestep it, but Europe would not hold back. The efficacy of the infamous Aegis defense system was questionable, leaving many to wonder if it was still needed.
Just when most U.S. media outlets were feeling down, NBC started to put on a show. First, they expressed sympathy for the victims, then they firmly opposed the war, urging both sides to exercise restraint and return to the negotiating table.
While Europeans might grumble in private, the American public lapped it up. They were fed up with wars; just look at Angola, consuming wealth daily. With all that spare cash, they should be developing their economy instead.
What twisted matters further was that this time, the Soviets also claimed world peace, as evidenced by their voluntary military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Despite no one really caring what the Americans and Soviets had to say, it seemed both sides were reluctant to fight.
After NBC issued its peace call, numerous politicians began to take the stage. People unfamiliar with the situation might think they were competing for the Nobel Prize.
...
The media's sudden change in tone quickly overshadowed the Flight 655 incident. The shift in public opinion caught many off guard.
"Gee, this guy is certainly becoming harder to deal with; I bet a lot of folks are feeling headaches," someone remarked.
"Sir, it's wise to keep our distance from this guy. We really underestimated the media's influence, though that Murdoch fellow isn't doing too badly. After being hit hard by William White, he's still hanging in there."
"Ha, looks like our support of him back then was quite the right call. Morgan Stanley needs its mouthpiece, after all."
Murdoch, whom they regarded well, was now dealing with a massive headache; his television networks had been left in tatters by William White. He had only just finished consolidating when he faced serious financial risks if he aimed to expand rapidly.
That risk didn't bother him; he could handle it. However, a hungry wolf appeared to be watching him with ill intent, and that was another story entirely.
If he ran into trouble, would William White kick him while he was down?
That was an unnecessary question; once he showed weakness, William White would pounce.
It seemed he needed to have a word with those greedy fellows. His opponent was William White, and many conglomerates would choose to stand by and watch; that much was clear.
...
Greedy, cunning, and vengeful -- this was Wall Street's assessment of William White. His petty spite was simply maddening.
A gathering of big shots revealed how painfully aware they were of William White's power. For someone with international influence, his joining the Elephants would spell disaster for them.
After all the anti-monopoly efforts, rather than forcing William White to compromise, they ended up shattering the long-standing tacit agreement. The most absurd part? The Justice Department clearly feared him.
Though NBC wielded significant influence, it did not constitute a monopoly; the most ridiculous part was him splitting off the production department. Their little maneuvers were hardly a threat.
As for the gaming consoles, well, America had no competitors left. If it truly acted again, that company might pull out of the U.S. or sell out to the Japanese.
No one could afford that political risk.
"Bill, his movie industry is influencing the growth of other companies. If this keeps up..." an old-timer voiced his concerns.
Unfortunately for him, Bill Clinton, despite his youth, was no fool. "C'mon, you want me to deal with this mess? Why don't you just leave?"
"Really? Don't we still have Paramount and Warner? His Disney just makes cartoons; besides, you can't call it monopolistic just because he's doing well at the box office. He doesn't own theaters, and that talent agency is practically nothing."
Having said that, he fell silent; did this group of fools really think he wasn't familiar with their setup?
At the end of the day, these companies depended on creativity; their location in the U.S. mattered little. One misstep, and everyone would lose. Just look at their comic companies; they weren't sweeping all aside for nothing. Try pulling an anti-monopoly move on them, and see what happens.
The meeting of big shots didn't reach an agreement, but there was one clear consensus: they couldn't let William White end up cozying up to the Elephants.
This guy support Bush Sr., and that's because they had a longstanding relationship. If they truly angered him, it wouldn't just be about helping the Bush family.
William White wasn't Howard Hughes; he was smarter and knew how to protect himself. The similarity between them was that both were Texans.
In fact, it had been said long ago that William White bore a striking resemblance to Howard Hughes -- both lost their parents young, were incredibly talented, and shared a passion for Hollywood.
A tech geek mixing in the entertainment world seemed quite strange. The only real difference was that Howard Hughes flirted with disaster while William White did not.
*****
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