[Chapter 783: A Stunning Debut]
A few crafty old-tirs knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. Free stuff often turned out to be the most expensive.
Free? Was this guy out of his mind? Or was it just an April Fool's joke?
Co on, offering free things while plastering ads everywhere? This guy must be loaded and just looking to waste money. Hmph, I'm definitely not downloading any of that.
Onlookers might have gathered, thinking it a joke. However, the big shots in the IT industry didn't share that sentint. Even if there were so tricks up his sleeve, they wanted to figure it out.
So they decided to wait. Damn it, the premiere of your movie is in Europe, so why isn't the software launched there too? At least I wouldn't have to stay up all night.
...
"Sir, we need to activate the backup servers; we're running completely out of capacity."
"Seriously? This is crazy! What happened to the fiber optic backbone they were talking about? Forget it, turn on two backup servers simultaneously. Get ready for load balancing."
At midnight, it wasn't that William White was being overly dramatic; he just didn't like pulling all-nighters.
In those days, computer penetration wasn't very high. By midnight, all companies were supposed to shut down.
"Tom, we're short on servers. We need to buy more tomorrow. See who has stock or a quick delivery."
"Sure thing, sir. I'll ask first thing in the morning."
"Actually, you can ask now via ICQ. Those bastards are definitely awake right now. If they're asleep, wake them up to take a leak."
Tom was powerless to criticize his boss's crude humor. But if the boss wanted to try, then they'd try.
Of course, he was bound to be t with a barrage of complaints. It was one thing if soone hadn't slept; it was another to disturb others.
"Tom, look, now that I have ICQ, I can tell how convenient you really are. If you're online, we can chat. If not, then we might have to wait."
"Cough, cough, sir, is that what you an?"
"Of course! That avatar going dark feature isn't just for fun, is it?"
Tom found himself speechless; he always felt a bit dimwitted when with his boss. He had no idea how conflicted he felt at that mont. anwhile, a group of IT elites were becoming numb with shock.
...
In those days, a good idea in Silicon Valley could attract investnt. You didn't even need a garage; if soone showed interest in your product, angels would be lining up to kiss your forehead.
William White secured a round of angel investnt on top of his venture capital. This was far riskier than regular venture capital.
Venture capital could at least see tangible items, while angel investnt was often just a concept. Sotis, the concept wasn't even well-ford.
William White had the courage to invest, but those guys on Wall Street didn't. It seed all too much like a governnt support fund.
Honestly, they made a mistake in their thinking. William White wasn't a bleeding-heart liberal; he wouldn't indulge in aningless endeavors. Rather than investing in projects, he was investing in people.
Professors were easier to find investnts than PhDs, and PhDs were easier to find investnts than Master's degrees. Of course, projects also needed vetting; you couldn't just float any harebrained sche. You needed so semblance of credibility.
Nonetheless, once these projects succeeded, you wouldn't think of them as angels anymore. William White told his team that once one succeeded, he could invest in at least a hundred more.
Despite the tough conditions, many remained willing to accept it. This wasn't just about money; White Fund offered a range of support.
...
"What? You say your na is Anthony? No way; that guy went to Australia to herd sheep!"
"Jesse, you bastard, I'm running a farm! By the way, why aren't you in the group? A lot of our classmates are in there."
"Group? What's that?"
"Hahaha, you're still a software engineer? My gosh, you really are out of touch. Just click confirm, and you're in."
Jesse felt miserable. So what if he was a software engineer? He just didn't have the ti! To think he'd been looked down on by so shepherd kid.
"Whoa, so many people?"
"Everyone, everyone, please welco our buddy Jesse!"
...
Bill Gates twisted his sore neck in annoyance. Although William White hadn't fooled him, he also didn't plan on bringing him along in this venture.
Damn, this system should've been added to my new project. Wait, why was it free? Was it so April Fool's prank? Had this guy lost his mind?
In just one night, this newly launched software blew up across the globe.
...
"Steve, what's the deal? I'm super busy right now!"
"Michael, are your computers selling well?"
"Steve, is that a question? Compaq is selling even better. For heaven's sake, couldn't that jerk have told on the down low?"
Steve Jobs was a bit speechless. He was a shareholder of Compaq, so why would he tell you? Plus, if they sold out, wouldn't William White's short-term gains be maximized?
Steve Jobs had just checked in on Apple's situation. He only sought to confirm things.
The ICQ that supported Apple didn't exist at all, which irked him a bit. They didn't say they wouldn't develop it; they just said they didn't have ti.
Cough, cough, these bastards couldn't bother to support Apple despite having ti to develop a multi-language version. How skeptical did they have to be?
Sure enough, as the stock market opened, the semiconductor industry surged, and the only company to dip was Apple.
Okay, he couldn't start criticizing William White right now. He wasn't even the CEO of Apple, so who was he to complain?
...
"Sir, we might need to revise our targets. There are too many companies benefitting from this wave."
Just then, William White placed another massive order.
"By the way, Andy, what's the deal with that software? Is it really that incredible?"
"Sir, it really is useful. Whatever files I need, the secretary can send them to imdiately, even if I'm abroad. And it's free. Did he really spend that much just to give it away?"
Let alone Andy feeling dizzy, even the old-tirs at Morgan Stanley felt the sa way. This world was becoming increasingly incomprehensible.
So software sold for hundreds or even thousands, while so small things only cost a few bucks. Cough, and then there were the giants that were free.
"Free? Andy, his search engine is free too, right? Have they developed a profit model yet?"
"Just a tiny bit of ad revenue, which compared to their expenditures, is entirely negligible." Andy shrugged dismissively; sure, these things might make money soday, but for now, it seed impossible.
"He must have a way to make money. Go ask when their Series A funding will be."
"Got it, sir. I'll find out right away. They've ordered a bunch of servers; this thing is burning through cash."
...
Burning through cash? William White knew all about that. But he didn't care. Even if he didn't know how they'd profit, investnt banks were still throwing money at him.
...
"Cough, cough, wait, what? A valuation of at least five hundred million? Are you sure you didn't mishear that?"
"Well, sir, Tom indeed said so, and both Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are interested in investing."
Bill Gates felt exasperated. How could a company that hadn't even been online for twenty-four hours dare to demand five hundred million? This was ridiculous.
"Ahem, how much equity will they offer?"
"Not more than fifteen percent. The way I heard it, they're not too eager to sell."
William White, of course, didn't want to sell. If it weren't for future considerations, he preferred it as a private company. Once it beca a public company, so many things would have to be disclosed.
*****
spatreon/Sayonara816.
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