Rebirth as an American Tycoon Chapter 662: The Awkward Sign

[Chapter 755: The Awkward Sign]

The White Venture Park, nestled in the heart of Silicon Valley, had been inaugurated for a while. As one IT company after another erged, this startup hub had practically beco a holy site in the Valley.

When it ca to discussing tech companies, Silicon Valley was unavoidable. And when discussing Silicon Valley, the White Venture Park was equally inescapable.

Determined to boost the economy, Bill Clinton realized he truly needed to nd fences with William White. Otherwise, that big peach known as Silicon Valley might really be picked by soone else.

On the issue of Legendary World, he had indeed dropped the ball. Even if the Justice Departnt got a new chief, it wouldn't change much.

The public's sentints were straightforward. Monopolies were indeed a bad thing. Helping that Japanese company was no longer a matter of good or bad; it was about who was paying your salary. If you didn't grasp that, politics would have little to do with you.

"Al, are you sure that kid won't embarrass ?"

"Bill, if you lack confidence, you might as well bring your wife along," Al shot back. Bill's face darkened. "Co on, if you can't speak properly, maybe it's best to keep quiet."

"Bill, he's from a prominent family. Haven't you noticed? His public persona is quite positive."

Bill's frown deepened; if that kid was a positive figure, then what did that make him -- a major villain? That wasn't reasonable.

"Alright, Al, he is indeed very cunning. Even my wife ntioned he was quite polite."

"Ha, Bill, you're a politician; he's a businessman. They're simply not on the sa level. Let's be real; he's just as out of place as an elephant in a china shop. In the world of interests, only interests endure. William White was far more anxious than anyone to promote the rapid developnt of the IT industry."

Bill froze, realizing he didn't know nearly enough about William White.

"Why?"

"Why? Don't you know? He's the biggest venture capitalist in the country. He directly or indirectly invested in hundreds of companies; even with a re 10% success rate, his investnts won't go to waste."

"So many?"

"Do you think those old-tirs dislike him for no reason? It's all about the profits, my friend."

"Oh my God, if that's the case, Legendary World and Viking Comics are nothing, even if you throw in Tesla. Damn, that new energy project was labeled garbage by NBC."

Al chuckled bitterly; they were now a European company. Your subsidies were useless; if they didn't leave you in dire straits, it would be a miracle.

"Bill, he's still an oil tycoon. Europe is limiting oil use, which ans big losses for him. Also, it was Bush Sr. who first proposed that project. You see? As long as it doesn't benefit him..."

Alright, Bill now understood. William White was utterly devoid of principles; the mont you hard his interests, he wouldn't pull any punches.

Of course, provided you didn't provoke him, the amiable neighborly kid would be back.

"Okay, Al, issue the formal notice. We're off to San Francisco the day after tomorrow."

"Alright, you should notify the Secret Service first. William White's security company isn't your average Joe. When we exchanged pilots, they weren't afraid to shoot on the spot."

"Is that so? I haven't seen the brief yet. Were there casualties?"

"Three from their side. If Aidid doesn't give an explanation, they'll retaliate."

"Yeah, this script seems off. Those CIA clowns. If Executive Outcos Security was that tough, they should have cooperated beforehand."

"Ha, I asked, they refused. Somalia's a ss; there's no point." Al rubbed his temples, visibly troubled. If the relationship wasn't so awkward, he would've been better off with a more competent aide.

"Al, given Aidid's ruthless reputation, doesn't Executive Outcos Security worry about making a move?"

"Worry? Not at all. Aidid is indeed powerful, but he has rivals. According to their claims, give his enemies five thousand AK-47s, and Aidid might just burst into tears."

Whether Aidid would actually cry was beyond Al; he himself felt like crying at the mont. If he had known it would co to this, why would he have gone to deliver the food?

What's the price of an AK-47 in Africa? It barely amounted to anything. He'd just sent eighteen lives into the fray, all elite.

In truth, they had overthought it. Executive Outcos Security wasn't scared because this was business. Since everyone had settled on the terms, they shouldn't stir any trouble. Hiding a couple of sniper rifles? Did they take him for a fool?

After regaining control of the situation, they proceeded as planned with the exchange. Of course, since the shooting happened, they demanded five hundred thousand. If not, they'd send half a million dollars' worth of weapons to your opponents.

It was a comical scene, with the CIA guys powerless to complain. Executive Outcos Security had a solid reputation in Africa; they didn't like inviting trouble, but it was best not to provoke them.

...

"Clinton wants to visit the Venture Park? Filson, has this guy finally co around?"

"Cough, cough, sir, that high-performance computing bill is pretty much useless now. If they don't do sothing soon, it'll be a true joke."

"Good eye, too bad Bush Sr. doesn't share that insight, and his aides are equally incompetent. When's he coming?" William White didn't say whether he would attend or not, and Filson didn't ask. This wasn't necessary; as a businessman, he naturally needed to maintain cordial relations.

"The day after tomorrow; the Secret Service folks will be here tomorrow."

"Let's go see him tomorrow then. We can't leave him waiting for ."

"Alright, I'll arrange the hospitality."

Despite his grievances with Clinton, William White would still show him respect. Clinton was Clinton; the president was the president. Those were two entirely different matters. His respect was solely for the position.

In truth, many Aricans felt the sa way. When the president ca, everyone stood to applaud.

But that didn't matter; they would still criticize afterward. They welcod the president but cursed Clinton himself.

Was there a difference?

There certainly was. In fact, when in that position, a lot of things were beyond one's control. Once that guy reverted to Clinton, the conflict would cease to exist.

William White was pleased; after a year of struggles, this guy had finally gotten back on track.

He and Clinton were different. Clinton worried he would cause chaos, but William White had never thought that way. The tricks in the Venture Park were nurous; frankly, many things should be left to the governnt. Coming in now to pick up the scraps was just pure luck.

Visiting ten companies yielded far less than a single venture park; that wasn't re talk. If they told you about software, you needed to understand it. If you didn't and pretended to, that would be truly embarrassing.

The venture park was different; understanding the flow was crucial. Once you grasped the rules of the ga, you knew how to assist small to dium enterprises in their startups.

It seed abstract, but the opposite was true. Even as president, you couldn't really help specific businesses. Venture parks were a different story. Many companies genuinely needed help. If you could lend a hand, these folks would suffer less exploitation.

Clinton clearly understood this logic. If this park weren't nad White Venture Park, he would have visited long ago. A high-tech incubation park of such repute, why should it be led by that jerk?

Even if he felt so resentnt, Clinton had no choice. The sign of William White was one to be upheld, whether he liked it or not.

*****

spatreon/Sayonara816.