[Chapter 725: The Great Layoff]
"William, this is for America's employment." George Bush's sudden interjection didn't faze William White. He figured watching football was enough; it just had one meaning.
"Employment? You might not know this, but the Big Blue planned to lay off sixty thousand -- and that was just the first round of numbers."
"Cough, cough, are you serious?" George Bush was genuinely shocked.
"Pfft, their current market value was less than thirty billion. George, my Legendary World already surpassed that number. If the Big Blue collapsed, I honestly couldn't tell what other companies would be safe."
It was ironic that a gaming company had a higher market value than IBM. If William White hadn't consistently pushed for high dividends, that comparison might have looked even worse.
"Isn't it like this? Haha, their stock prices got cut in half, right? No wonder they were losing it; those shareholders must have been furious."
"After years without dividends and with stock prices plummeting, if you were in charge, George, would you keep that management team?"
"Heavens, even so, sixty thousand was too outrageous. How many employees do they have now?"
"I don't know the exact figure, but it's over three hundred thousand. If I took charge, it would be great to just keep one hundred thousand."
George Bush truly didn't know how to respond; capitalists only saw cold hard numbers. Laying off two hundred thousand meant two hundred thousand families faced destruction. Even sixty thousand was a serious matter.
"Is it confirmed? It hasn't been announced yet."
"It's useless; the board already approved it, and it would hit the papers by tomorrow at the latest. Tsk tsk, the title of best employer seems to be no competition for me anymore."
Although William White spoke lightly, both Bush and Filson looked grave.
There was no doubt that the Big Blue was a great company. If it truly couldn't hold on, America's fragile heart would likely shatter.
"You two need to stop worrying; the Big Blue wasn't going under. Their lifelong employment system was completely chaotic. Companies needed fresh blood, and if they were too large, they had to be split apart. Even without the Justice Department's antitrust investigation, my company would still split. Three hundred thousand? Haha, just ten thousand would be a lot."
"Alright, I get it, you absolutely wouldn't miss the chance to throw stones." George Bush said mockingly, the Justice Department was likely to be the target once again.
"Of course, tsk tsk, am I really that easy to bully? Forcing me out of the U.S. without good reason? If I didn't take them down this time, I wouldn't deserve the title of media tycoon."
The three mischievous characters were eager to know what expression Washington's boss must have now.
Legendary World, Viking Comics, and now the Big Blue, the layoffs at these three major companies collided. Even if you wanted to look the other way, you probably couldn't.
...
"Al, are these guys crazy? With such massive layoffs, might the IBM file for bankruptcy protection?" Clinton was most concerned about that; if this giant fell, many related companies might go down with it.
"Bill, it wouldn't be happening just yet; this round of layoffs was largely a self-rescue. The shareholders just couldn't take it anymore, their losses were so severe while employee benefits remained so high."
High, was it? Bill Clinton really wanted to say that William White's company was the true wealth, but he didn't want to mention that name or hear it now.
The time ahead certainly wouldn't be bringing him any good news.
Damn, this antitrust law wasn't my doing. Cough, alright, even if there were some implications; it wasn't that outrageous, was it?
An antitrust case had already pushed two profitable companies out; now it looked like they were trying to bring down another.
Damn, wasn't this thing meant to be against their own? The original intent of setting up this law should have encouraged competition. Tsk tsk, according to NBC, it was merely a tool held by a few.
This accusation was incredibly unreasonable. Or frankly, it was nonsense.
But the problem was, the masses believed it. The tens of thousands of Americans facing unemployment bought into it.
Don't underestimate these folks; they weren't just ordinary workers. This standard middle class was the foundation of social stability. The upcoming midterm elections were sure to become a battlefield. Speaking of winning or losing was pointless; the Democrats just hoped to avoid a pitiful loss.
...
"Holy cow, are you really planning on moving?" Watching a crowd bustling about with packed boxes, George Bush felt a pang of pain. He wanted to see Clinton fail but didn't wish for America's economy to collapse.
"If I don't move, what else can I do? Since so many people disliked my company, I could just leave, right? No one would have any objections to that. You know, if the Justice Department hadn't been hounding me, I wouldn't need to compromise with the Japanese."
"Pfft, the largest gaming company in the world was probably just you left."
"Sigh, another one was coming up soon, fiery right off the bat. Sony, their new model, I heard it was already in the pipeline. What did I say back then? The traitors were in the front three rows. Driving out their own company, only to welcome the Japanese. Was there anything funnier than that?"
"Tsk tsk, this story could be turned into a movie later. I even thought of a title: The Attack on Pearl Harbor: IT Storm."
Regarding this rant, both Bush and Filson could only smile helplessly. This would surely become an international joke.
...
George Bush left, feeling unusually light. William White wouldn't leave America; he knew that much was enough. As for the performances now, the crying child gets the milk would always hold true.
Now everyone knew that William White was a mad dog; it was best not to poke the bear.
Forget about the Washington; the bigwigs on Wall Street shared the sentiment. Picking a fight with someone who had lost control of their emotions was never a wise idea.
If this fellow ended up destroying himself, it would be the best outcome. So, who wanted to bump their heads? We'd all cheer you on.
How William White thought this through was unclear. Not even Filson could figure it out.
Retaliation was possible, but it had to be measured. Not many could handle being reckless like you.
...
William White truly had some character flaws, and he knew that. Otherwise, why do you think he kept such a large think tank around?
The think tank could help him cover his blind spots. Cough, calling it that was too polite. In reality, it was a team specifically meant to tidy up after the boss.
As for the legal team, they specialized in throwing punches, but they also had to guard against getting punched back. Getting stuck with a boss like this, you could only say it was both painful and joyful.
The salary and benefits were, of course, very generous. But the boss's sharp tongue was hard to handle; they barely got a moment's rest.
"Sir, you could tone it down a bit lately. Washington and that group of old folks must feel dumbfounded right now. For a while, there wouldn't be any reason to poke the bear." These words were a necessity for Filson; if the boss completely lost control, his position could be in jeopardy.
"Well, since they were upset, I felt relieved."
Cough, well, boss, they must be regretting jumping off a cliff now. IBM exploding at this moment was quite awkward.
*****
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