[Chapter 606: The Legendary Bottleneck]
William White was enjoying a cozy candlelit dinner here, but it wasn't quite the same for Lee Kun-hee from South Korea.
"So, you failed again? If I'm not mistaken, this was just a copycat effort."
"Chairman, we're so close to success! It's just the signal issues we haven't fully resolved yet. But we are getting there."
The digital phone has a strong transmission signal, so it should be easier. That's where the misconception lies; once you figure it out, it's really not worth much.
William White has stirred so many things up just to slow down Samsung's pace.
Some people don't quite get it; with so many semiconductor companies out there, why do you keep fixating on Samsung?
Haha, the reason is definitely not because of him being petty. Samsung is really powerful, and their direct competition is fierce.
Memory chips, cell phones, LCD screens -- you have to know, Samsung is a tough nut to crack. The severe Asian financial crisis didn't even bring them down. For that reason alone, William White has to be extremely cautious.
The U.S. is now wary of the Japan, especially when it comes to cutting-edge technology. They absolutely won't let them get involved. As for South Korea, the U.S. is starting to make mistakes again. Well, maybe they're looking to find a rival for Japan.
"Oh, by the way, with such high R&D expenses lately, have you achieved any breakthroughs?"
Park In-yong was at a loss for words; their recent R&D efforts haven't gone well. Whether in semiconductors or LCD panels, they have hit that legendary technological bottleneck.
Dealing with these issues, the usual tricks are just to copy. If that doesn't work, just go for a direct acquisition.
Since they offended William White, those kinds of opportunities haven't happened again.
Copying?
You better not copy William White. If he gets hold of evidence, he will go after you hard. That guy who is always pulling tricks is really something.
Acquisition?
That's even worse. A bunch of lobbyists in Washington seem to have lost their minds. The two acquisitions they agreed on were both sabotaged in the end.
The specific reason? It's all about reducing the competitiveness of American companies. If you dare agree to an acquisition, William White will fire people in droves.
When dealing with such corporate bullies, your best bet is to tread carefully; they don't have a mindset of the strong bullying the weak. When you're weak, they won't mess with you, but once you grow strong, will I still have the chance to bully you?
...
"Filson, these patents were infringed by those Koreans. I'm not looking for any compensation. Just keep the lawyers on them. If you find any financial issues, immediately apply for asset protection."
"Got it, sir. I'll handle it."
Filson left with a strange expression; the boss's friend, Jason Garrison, was present, and he couldn't ask too many questions.
"Damn, boss, do they really have that much of a grudge against you?"
"Haha, don't underestimate them. I can't beat them; I can only slow them down. There is too much competition between me and Samsung, and initially, I hoped for a cross-shareholding with them. I'll steer clear of the industries they're involved in."
William White wasn't just talking nonsense; if you know you can't win, forcing a suppression is really foolish. If you get it wrong, these guys will bounce back.
Like a spring, if you compress it too much, problems will arise. So, you must stay steady; your only chance is to wait until they lose their elasticity. This will take a long time.
Alright, throwing down hurdles when you have the foresight is a bit shameless. But if time travelers weren't a bit shameless, they'd probably be sliced up for research ages ago.
"Boss, the real estate market in Japan is rebounding, does that mean..."
Jason Garrison clearly didn't care about the Koreans. He was just here to figure out where to invest his money.
The U.S. is definitely not doing well this year; as long as GDP doesn't go negative, it's a blessing from above.
"Rebounding? Are you kidding? Two million for a luxury apartment? Jason, five thousand bucks is a ministerial-level salary in Japan. Average office workers earn only two or three thousand. Buying a luxury apartment with a hundred years' worth of wages? You really think that's not a joke?"
William White shrugged it off; determining housing prices by income is really misleading. The price is ultimately based on supply and demand, but income is definitely an important indicator.
"Wow, that's really outrageous. It seems like unless salaries go way up, that price couldn't hold."
"Ha! Hold? How could it hold? Don't think about it, and tell your family not to either. Do you know if all the land in Japan were sold off, it could buy seven times the amount of land in America? Here's the real question: would you want a land that could sink anytime, or American land? For one-seventh of the price, mind you!" William White winked after saying that, indicating, "Don't go telling people you know me; you'd look foolish."
"Whoa, it's that serious? I gotta go. This is one hell of a waste!"
"I knew it."
William White couldn't understand why Japan suddenly became popular in America. Funny enough, quite a few people surrounding him really dig the Japanese vibe. Larry Ellison counts as one, and looks like Jason Garrison is about to be influenced by his wife to be that way too.
Tsk tsk, what's the point of you learning from me? I only like the ladies from the Japan. Haha, okay, and their attentive service. As for everything else, keep your distance from me.
Well, since you enjoy it, I might as well make some money off of it. Isn't this just product placement? I'm a pro at it.
Could it be that now Universal and Columbia are taking on the role of spreading Japanese culture?
Forget it, you all keep going; I'm heading home to enjoy a massage, that is life right there.
On the way home, he was still pondering what kind of script to come up with.
Sports themes obviously wouldn't work; they like baseball, and that's not easy to shoot. Wait, how about racing?
Racing in Japan is different; Americans are all about straight-line racing that's based just on traction and horsepower. It really is simple and very American.
In Japan, there's no place to go crazy; if you want to race, you have to go to the mountains. Or a midnight race on the streets isn't too shabby either.
*****
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