[Chapter 760: The Intent of the Intoxicated Elder]
William White had casually kicked Sequoia Capital to the curb, sending a clear signal to the outside world.
"Everyone can play the game together, but if you break the rules, I'll break them even more thoroughly."
This recent turmoil also exposed a few problems. The assets managed under the fund company carried a degree of uncertainty.
Before this incident, William White had been reluctant to get involved. Whether his invested companies were profitable or not was something they had to go through. If he acted rashly, there wouldn't necessarily be any unexpected returns.
Of course, while he had the option to stay out of the operational side, being pushed out was a different story.
William's thought process was simple: "If I can't have it, then no one else will either."
"Master, something feels off."
"What do you mean?"
"The cybersecurity department reported that the current batch of routers has issues. Such an obvious system vulnerability shouldn't even happen."
"Ugh, I see. My God, I should have thought of this earlier. If I'm guessing right, this must be a CIA backdoor."
"Master, they can't be this outrageous, can they?"
"No wonder it's taken this long. I should have realized that this whole high-performance computer act wasn't a good plan at all."
"Master, the market is mostly Cisco products. If that's the case, doesn't that mean they all know what happened on the computers?"
"Ha, Tanner, it's not that simple. With such little time, there's only so much they can do. Besides, I'm not really a high-profile target here. However, the computers for high-level contacts need to switch to an internal LAN. Also, Tanner, check all the access ports. For now, let's leave it at that. I'll notify the software department to follow up."
"Alright, I'll take care of it right away. These idiots are really bold."
William chuckled and remained silent. What were these problems compared to the actions taken by the Americans post-9/11? They had been eavesdropping on the world for ages.
After the anger passed, all that remained was a bitter smile. That was something William White couldn't interfere with. Pretending to be unaware was the best way to protect himself.
Of course, he needed to upgrade his internal firewall. Different levels of executives would also need corresponding authorization privileges.
It was really annoying to deal with privacy invaders. The biggest issue was that he couldn't hold a candle to them. All William could do was protect his core secrets.
It was clear why the disputes over 5G and big tech were so heated. This was hardly a simple economic issue.
The internet, as an innovation, had undoubtedly benefited mankind. Yet, due to various underhanded schemes from the U.S., there had never been any real privacy since its inception.
The FBI, CIA, and NSA, America's three major power agencies, had treated the internet as their own territory from the start.
...
"Will they relaunch?"
"Yes, sir. They just underwent a cleaning, and any traces of Sequoia Capital were completely wiped away."
"This really turned out to be an unexpected disaster. Yet even we at Morgan Stanley might find ourselves in a scramble. This guy really is all over the place."
"Sir, Citigroup took a hidden hit this time; they won't back down easily, right?"
"Ha, perhaps. But that old guy has probably reached his limits."
"Sir, you can't be serious?"
"If there's no appropriate expression of dissatisfaction, guess what? William White might pull the same tricks on them. It's one thing to not fear thieves; it's another to fear them lingering. Given how good the current economic situation is, not only can you not make money, but you also have to watch out for others' schemes. Andy, tell me, what board of directors would accept this situation?"
Well, these old fellows certainly knew there was something fishy going on. They often discussed important matters outside the company. Either on yachts or at golf courses.
Did you think those luxury yachts were just for showing off? Flirting with women was just an added benefit. Once your boat went out to sea, no one knew what discussions were taking place.
At least, at the current level of technology, nothing you installed would make a difference. Wireless receivers had transmission limits. Even if you managed to install one secretly, it wouldn't yield any results.
...
Morgridge let out a breath of relief; the din in the capital markets hadn't impacted the company's operations. As a capable professional manager, he certainly knew how to attract good fortune and avoid mishaps.
Sequoia Capital's reputation in the IT sector was nowhere near that of White's fund. They thrived on kicking out founding teams and squeezing company potential for all it was worth.
As for White's fund, they kept a relatively low profile. Until the mystery was unveiled, who would have guessed that William White was Cisco's largest shareholder?
"John, what do you think of William White?"
"A bit of a hipster, a little idealistic."
Cough, cough. Morgridge clearly choked on this answer. This was a young man he held in high regard, and yet he gave him such a response.
"Have you met William White?"
"Yes, I met him once when I was with Commodore. If we had listened to him, things would definitely not have turned out this way for Compaq."
"It seems he never invested in Commodore?"
"True. Without any vested interest, he still offered very constructive advice. Unfortunately, people like Gould and Jobs have their own ideas. Even if proven wrong, they would charge ahead without a second thought." John Chambers said this with evident embarrassment. If Commodore soared high, he'd certainly be an executive now too.
"Ha, this new boss is rather interesting. After removing Sequoia's people, he quickly reaped the benefits. John, you better step up your game; I have high hopes for you."
"Thank you. The next few years will surely have a big breakthrough. I think William White throwing a tantrum definitely isn't just making a mountain out of a molehill."
"Alright, go ahead with your work. Linking equity incentives to performance can indeed be very attractive."
...
With a stick in one hand and a carrot in the other, William White understood this game all too well. Eating alone doesn't usually end well, and if he didn't grasp that, he might find enemies everywhere.
"Dad, is Citigroup going crazy? And what's the deal with Sequoia; what right do they have to go head-to-head with William White?"
"Son, don't just look at the surface of things. They want to dilute William White's shares. While there's certainly a profit motive behind it, it's not so simple."
"If they don't have enough profit to gain, ha!"
"Hahaha, and suddenly two trust companies popped up. How many cards does William White have up his sleeve?"
Busch Sr. shrugged off his son's astonishment. The kid was just a family scion; did he really think this guy had started from scratch?
However, William White's worries did not weigh on Bush Sr.'s mind. The CIA acted with impunity abroad but might not have such freedom in America.
Moreover, even if you got some information, it wouldn't be lawful evidence. Even if you knew, did you dare to go out and blab?
As for whether it would ruin his good fortune, that was even less likely. Public dealings meant everyone's digntiy was maintained. If you disrupted my business, that would truly be a private feud.
Alright, different perspectives yield different insights. Bush Sr. hailed from a political family, so it didn't matter much to him. But William White was different; his plans relied on serious money, and if he was persuading with anything less than a couple hundred million, it simply wouldn't be considered. If something went wrong, it could be a real issue.
*****
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