[Chapter 979: Two Hundred Percent Likelihood]
With Christina's reminder, Eric recalled that he had indeed thought about that before. However, he just didn't have the energy to concern himself with such matters now.
The two were engaged in a quiet conversation when a staff member approached to inform Eric that the press conference would start in just five minutes, and he could head inside.
Eric nodded and stood to make his way into the conference hall, with Christina following closely beside him. She asked, "Are you heading back to Los Angeles today, Eric?"
"No, I'm flying directly to Lone Pine in Eastern California tomorrow. I'll spend the night in San Francisco," Eric replied, shaking his head. He added for her to join him later at his place.
Christina blushed slightly. Although she initially planned to return to Los Angeles after the conference, she didn't argue with Eric and nodded obediently.
Upon entering the conference hall, they parted ways to take their respective seats.
...
At precisely 2 PM, Victor McNally, CEO of Firefly Electronics, stepped onto the stage with a smile. After a brief address, he announced the official start of the press conference.
Next, Bill Olsen, president of Firefly Electronics, took the stage to review the sales performance of the Fireflyer player since its launch last year.
When the large screen displayed the total shipment figures for the first generation Fireflyer, murmurs swept through the audience of guests and media reporters below.
The first-generation Fireflyer gradually ceased production in early March as Firefly Electronics' major production lines began prepping for the Fireflyer 2. By the time production ended, the total shipments of the first-generation MP3 player had reached 8 million units.
This figure sparked discussion among the attendees, as according to information released by Firefly Electronics earlier in the year, the first generation had only shipped 3.95 million units in the previous year.
And in just the first quarter of this year, the Fireflyer had exceeded last year's total with 4.05 million units shipped. Although this surge could be attributed to production limitations on the Fireflyer from the previous year, the astonishing growth rate left everyone in awe.
Based on the shipment data, Firefly Electronics was projected to easily surpass 20 million units for the year.
Currently, the portable music player market in North America was around 30 million units, while the global market capacity for portable players was only 80 million. Clearly, only two years post-launch, the Fireflyer was poised to capture 25% of the global market share for portable music players.
More importantly, if the current trend continued, the Fireflyer was bound to bring about a fundamental transformation in the portable music player market.
As Bill Olsen continued to showcase how the Fireflyer player had promoted the software and hardware industries, including USB interfaces, CD drives, and online payment systems, a series of questions began swirling in the minds of the attendees, particularly the media reporters.
Would Firefly Electronics maintain exclusive rights to the entire suite of MP3 player patents?
How would Firefly Electronics tackle any potential monopoly issues?
Had Firefly Electronics considered the impact of the Fireflyer player on the traditional music industry?
However, based on earlier reports, the conference had not scheduled a Q&A session for the media.
With this in mind, some reporters, seizing the moment while Bill Olsen finished speaking and the Backstreet Boys performed a new song, began contacting their superiors via mobile phones, trying to secure private interviews with Firefly Electronics executives.
The following segments saw Victor McNally and several executives from Yahoo and Nokia take turns on stage to unveil the second-generation Fireflyer player, the latest Yahoo Music Box software, and the Nokia M-100 music phone among other products, interspersed with a few more performances.
Two hours later, Victor McNally and a vice president from Nokia returned to the stage to announce the much-anticipated pricing information for several key products, concluding the press conference.
...
Afterward, having networked with some significant high-profile guests, Eric intended to return to his place in Atherton, Palo Alto but was pulled to the Firefly Electronics headquarters by Victor McNally and others.
In a small conference room at the Firefly headquarters, as a secretary served coffee to everyone, Victor McNally asked, "Eric, have you been keeping an eye on Microsoft's antitrust case?"
For the past few years, the media had not ceased reporting on Microsoft's antitrust investigation. Over time, as long as it didn't involve personal interests, few paid it any special attention.
Eric shook his head honestly, realizing he hadn't felt inclined to follow such matters lately.
Victor McNally got straight to the point: "The Federal Department of Justice filed charges against Microsoft last week for bundling the Windows operating system with software like the video player and Office. The investigation may also involve the Yahoo browser, as its version and features on the Windows system consistently came before other operating systems. The Department indicated that such behavior constitutes unfair competition."
In reality, Microsoft's monopolistic practices extended far beyond merely bundling software. It also comprised exclusive agreements with PC manufacturers to eliminate competing operating systems; using kickbacks to aggressively promote its software; and forming an alliance with hardware manufacturers like Intel to sideline competitors.
These actions were arguably more severe than just bundling software, yet Microsoft had continuously managed to circumvent the consequences and faced minimal penalties. As a naturally monopolistic operating system, there was no straightforward solution for these issues.
Therefore, about Victor McNally's mention of the potential investigation regarding the Yahoo browser, Eric had no worries as Chris and the Yahoo management had not even informed him of this, clearly showing they weren't concerned.
At the agreement signing, both parties had already thought through justifications in advance: this fell under product R&D progress. Yahoo had no obligation to release the latest products across all operating systems simultaneously; they could only favor those with higher market shares.
Chuckling, Eric shook his head, glancing at Victor McNally and the others. "You all know this won't really affect us. So, let's get straight to your thoughts."
Victor McNally felt a bit embarrassed that Eric had called them out. Bill Olsen then continued, "Eric, have you considered that if Yahoo were to release the YOS mobile operating system in the future, along with various mobile applications, they would likely face an even more serious software bundling monopoly than Microsoft does now?"
Eric immediately understood: "It sounds like you all want to regain the development rights for that operating system?"
Bill Olsen nodded: "Yes, Eric, we believe that would be more beneficial for the development of tablet products."
"This project has always been handled personally by Steve, and he developed the core of the system himself. Have you considered who would replace him for the next phase of system development if this project were to shift to Firefly Electronics?"
Bill Olsen realized Eric didn't seem too opposed to this idea. He exchanged a glance with Victor McNally and then said, "Eric, we think that if this project transitioned to Firefly Electronics, Steve could still serve as a technical advisor for the operating system. As for the project's actual operations, you should know that Silicon Valley is plentiful with talented software professionals. We've already identified a few suitable leaders through a headhunting firm."
Eric tapped his fingers on the conference table, contemplating for a moment. "Alright, if you can persuade Yahoo to transfer the project, then that could work."
Seeing Eric's nod, Victor McNally and Bill Olsen broke into smiles. Bill Olsen then added, "Actually, Eric, Yahoo isn't too keen on keeping this project."
Eric replied, confused, "Why not?"
"The development budget for this project exceeded 30 million dollars last year. In the coming years, it will only increase, but who knows when it might start generating profits. Once Yahoo goes public, such a project, which only consumes funds without turning profits, will definitely weigh down Yahoo's stock price."
Yahoo's scale wasn't comparable to Google's established dominance years later. Even Google's various forward-thinking projects faced criticism from investors, forcing its upper management to cut those budgets. Given the current situation, Yahoo's extra expenditure of tens of millions of dollars annually could easily attract criticism.
The principal reason Steve Jobs was ousted from Apple's board was his stubbornness in pursuing projects not favored by the board. Many corporate giants faltered due to a failure to adapt to changing times -- often, it wasn't a lack of visionary talent; rather, those talents couldn't compete against capital focused on immediate profits.
Even if Yahoo goes public, true control would still rest with Eric. Yet, upon entering the capital market, Eric couldn't be overly defiant; he would have to adapt to the game rules.
With these thoughts in mind, Eric softened his stance. Placing the mobile operating system under completely private ownership at Firefly Electronics appeared favorable.
...
In Atherton's wealthy neighborhood in Palo Alto.
By evening, Melanie forcibly dragged Caroline into the bedroom to dress her up. Looking at the girl in a light pink tracksuit, resembling a doll, Melanie nodded with satisfaction and said, "Now, I just don't believe some guy won't take the bait."
Caroline's face flushed red as she meekly responded, "Eric isn't into that sort of thing."
"Uh-huh, your word is law. Let's go prepare dinner; he said he'd be back tonight."
Caroline nervously followed Melanie, contemplating aloud, "Mel, could you maybe sleep outside tonight?"
"Of course, I've already called an old friend of mine from San Francisco," Melanie quickly nodded, noticing Caroline's expression relaxing, then added, "However, upon further thought, I decided against it." She reached out to pinch Caroline's delicate cheek, grinning as she said, "I think if I hide away, you'd have a two hundred percent chance of backing out and missing out tonight."
Caroline had no confidence to refute: "N-no, that wouldn't happen."
"Regardless, I'll be keeping an eye on you tonight. If you chicken out, I'll strip your clothes off and toss you in his room."
Caroline blinked, her cheeks flushing again at Melanie's vivid imagery.
The two women had just spent a while busy in the kitchen when the sound of a car resonated from the yard.
Seeing Caroline almost throw a carrot in her hand, Melanie sighed and set down her knife. "Let's go welcome the boss home together."
...
Once they stepped out of the kitchen, they saw Eric walking in, laughing with Christina, who was adorably linked to his arm. Upon noticing Melanie and Caroline, she politely greeted, "Hey, Mel, Carly!"
Melanie felt disheartened; it clearly looked like there would be no chance tonight.
Caroline's eyes initially exhibited disappointment but soon relaxed as she courteously replied, "Hi, Christina."
Eric nodded at the two women, observing them exit the kitchen. "You two keep doing what you were. I'm going to take a shower first."
As he said that, noting Christina was about to let go of him, he leaned in to whisper something in her ear. Christina shyly recoiled while glancing at Melanie and Caroline, then followed Eric upstairs.
Just as they reached the staircase, Eric suddenly recalled something and turned back to Melanie. "Mel, could you prepare a casual outfit for me? I'd like to change clothes after my shower."
"Sure thing, Eric," Melanie smiled and nodded. Once Eric's figure disappeared, she sighed, complaining, "Okay, okay, I guess that's just the life of a maid."
Caroline immediately offered, "How about I do it?"
"Forget it; I don't want to run the risk of upsetting him," Melanie sighed, glancing at Caroline beside her. "Looks like no luck again tonight. But hasn't he thought about Christina's age at all?"
Caroline peered at the staircase and paused before replying, "Eric, well, after all, she's a willing participant."
Melanie pouted, saying, "I feel like no matter what, if he committed murder, you'd excuse him somehow."
Caroline retorted seriously, "Eric would never kill anyone."
"I meant -- what if?"
Caroline scrunched her small nose, stammering, "Then, there would definitely be a reason."
Melanie instantly feigned an expression of knowing it would be just that and slapped her forehead. "Fine, I'll prepare the clothes for him. However, we might be stuck in Lone Pine for over half a month. Hmm, I refuse to believe there won't be a chance to shove you into his bed by then."
*****
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