[Chapter 610: The Gene of Self-Destruction]
Bush Jr. was hurrying away like a rabbit with an arrow stuck in its backside. Washington is Washington, and the Bush family is the Bush family; these are completely different concepts.
William White had no plans to hog everything for himself, nor could he. So, it was essential to make preparations in advance.
"I mean, why did he have to put the screws to the British? Haha, if it were me, I'd be furious too."
"Dad, there can't be any fluff in this, right? Sure, mobile phones are super convenient, but the call charges are really no joke."
"Haha, mobile phone prices are dropping like a stone; why wouldn't the call fees? If this thing were still in the Galvin family, it would be selling for five grand."
"Ugh, this bunch still has an eye on that satellite phone project."
"I think William White's success might light a fire under them. This project could move forward very quickly."
...
Bush Sr. wasn't wrong; the leader of the Galvin family was indeed thinking this way. Satellite phones were commercialized now, and they were hardly mysterious anymore.
If mobile phones were expensive, satellite phones were absurdly overpriced. Forget regular folks, even William White wouldn't bother with that useless gadget for anything trivial.
Most importantly, the call confidentiality between satellite phones was high. If you were in contact with a landline, the outcome was predictable. It was far easier for regular phone calls to leak information.
"What? They're planning to secure more funding again? It can't be that quick; dozens of satellites? This isn't a joke."
"About 66 low-orbit satellites; this is a hundred billion investment."
"Ugh, how did they come up with this? The mobile communications industry isn't bad, right? That something, it must be under sunlight to use. Haha, you know, Filson, I get a headache just looking at satellite phone bills. I just can't wrap my head around who's this for."
"There's probably a user base, but it won't be huge. If it's military grade, it makes more sense."
William White still held a degree of respect for the Galvin family. Although they liked to push the envelope, you couldn't deny they had an innovative spirit.
Once the money hit a certain threshold, having more doesn't mean much. If it was something they liked, then they just went with it. In fact, William White thought they were ahead of their time. If this gadget had come after '08, it would have had its fair share of attention.
Unfortunately, after the failure of the Starlink project, the Galvin family was thrown to the curb. The professional managers brought in by the board certainly had a solid short-term performance.
However, without innovation, they just faded into mediocrity.
Just look at the subsequent mobile phones; forget a hundred bucks, they don't even need to cost ten! And those LEDs? Haha, even a hundred inches wouldn't cost that much.
...
"Lisa, take this script to the Writers Guild for registration. Oh, and contact the ad department; the racing cars in this need to be discussed with the manufacturers."
"Sure thing, sir. Is the publicity for Jurassic Park still on schedule?"
"Yep, we can't delay this any longer. It releases on May 18, and for IMAX theaters, we have to push Star Wars back. Ugh, and I still have The Lion King coming up. Those films will just have to wait until next year."
"Giggle, that Lucas is going to be after you again." This new assistant had dimples when she smiled. Haha, that's not the main point; the main point is her gourd-shaped figure -- it's quite a sight.
"He won't mind too much; he has an investment in Jurassic Park. He'll probably be overjoyed."
In '91 Hollywood, White Films was undoubtedly the reigning king. With Jurassic Park, The Lion King, and The Departed, any other company was in trouble.
"Sir, Mr. Filson is here."
"Mm-hm, get us two cups of coffee. I'd like a latte, with a bit more milk."
"Sure thing, sir." The assistant's face turned slightly red, and William White was genuinely perplexed. Did he say anything? No way, is this over-sensitivity? Is this a hint or just ambiguous?
...
"Filson, are you planning to bid?"
"Indeed, sir. The recent drop in oil prices is quite noticeable. BP seems to be planning to sell its Gulf of Mexico oil companies again."
"Ha, I feel like prices are going to drop even further. This year's GDP in the U.S. is likely going to be negative, and Japan is on shaky ground. Honestly, the world doesn't really need this much oil."
"Sir, are we wrapping up our acquisition?"
"Of course not; keep your eyes on them. Once oil prices drop below twenty bucks, we can snatch it up for a steal."
"Got it, I'll just keep them ambling along for now."
"With such a massive operation, there's no way they can sell it off. Oh, and when you're in China, could you explore investing in a petrochemical plant? Ideally near the coast."
"Sir, they don't seem to lack oil?"
"You've got to be kidding. Let me tell you, they're in dire need. Their own oil quality is lackluster, nowhere near the Brent oil quality from the North Sea. Of course, they might look like they're flush with resources right now, but you need to think long-term. Look at Tesla's reports from Korea; you'll see they have zero inventory. My goodness, coupled with that Volkswagen, just give it five years, and look at how many cars there will be."
"Alright, I'll keep a close eye on that. It seems that investment was right after all."
...
After spending quite a while at the office, William White was preparing to head home. It was a relatively peaceful period these days.
With a capable team, the boss could afford himself some free time. Generally speaking, as long as the direction wasn't catastrophically wrong, he wouldn't meddle too much.
There were really no shortcuts in technology. Sometimes, a mistaken research direction could lead to unexpected breakthroughs.
Coca-Cola's formula is like that, and so is Viagra.
"Hey, what perfume are you wearing? Chanel No. 5?"
"Yes, sir."
"Mm, nice, but the application area seems a bit off."
The assistant's face turned even redder as she struggled to tie his tie, appearing soft all over.
William White smiled and left without saying much more.
That girl, generally, perfume is sprayed behind the ears and on the wrists. There's no reason to spray it in such deep crevices. I'll ask Suzuki when I get back where she found such a gem.
...
"Sir, William White has also increased his investment, just not by much."
"Ugh, how reliable is this Starlink project? I thought he'd give up, but I'm surprised he still invested. If so, we at Morgan should invest a little too, nothing too significant."
"Sure, sir, I'll go talk with them."
Even though William White knew this would fail, he still chose to invest. After all, he had a good relationship with the Galvin family and saw no reason to sabotage them.
He believed there would be plenty of people keeping an eye on him. Since they love to follow trends, let them dive into self-destruction together. When those satellites are forced to self-destruct, the scenes won't be pretty. Tens of billions of dollars worth of high-end fireworks -- Haha, it would be a spectacular sight.
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