Chapter 846: The Sudden Refusal

[Chapter 846: The Sudden Refusal]

Eric recalled Elisabeth's whispers from yesterday and decided not to elaborate further. He firmly stated, "Next year, Seagate will likely launch a 2GB micro hard drive. At that point, we can adjust the prices of different Fireflyers based on storage capacity. For now and in the future, the bottom line of $299 cannot change."

Victor McNally and others noticed Eric's slight frown, sensing an uncommon air of finality in his demeanor, and they wisely ceased their arguments.

After breakfast, everyone headed to tour the newly established multitouch capacitive screen lab at Firefly Electronics. This lab was set up after Firefly Electronics acquired a small company specializing in capacitive screen development a few months prior. Compared to the mainstream resistive screens, capacitive screens undeniably had more advantages, proving to be the leading technology for handheld mobile devices in the future.

Similar to the 3D and IMAX trends in the film industry, both capacitive screens and multitouch technology had been around for years, but no mainstream electronic products compatible with them had yet emerged, which had led to slow development. Eric believed that once the planned YahooPad tablet was launched, supporting multitouch capacitive screens would quickly become the standard for touchscreen devices, allowing Firefly Electronics to gain a competitive edge in technology patents by getting ahead of the game.

As noon approached, only three hours remained until the afternoon press conference, and more guests began to gather at the Marriott Hotel.

...

Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos had arrived in San Francisco that morning. After three rounds of investment, Firefly Investments owned 30% of Amazon. Under Jeff Bezos' leadership, Amazon had rapidly developed in recent years. Although it hadn't yet attained the dominance in online book sales, Bezos was eagerly steering Amazon toward becoming a comprehensive online retailer, with the Fireflyer being its initial foray into the retail space.

To show his commitment to Amazon, Eric set aside time for lunch with Jeff Bezos to discuss the company's next steps.

After selling the 30% stake to Firefly, Bezos intended to avoid losing control and was preparing for an IPO, not looking to seek further funding from Firefly Investments. Eric also had no immediate plans to acquire more shares in Amazon, understanding that the company's journey had not been without its challenges, and Firefly Investments had numerous opportunities ahead.

While the two were having lunch at the Marriott's restaurant, Bill Olsen, President of Firefly Electronics, rushed in and headed straight for Eric.

...

Bill nodded at Jeff Bezos, not shying away from the topic, and urgently told Eric, "Eric, Celine Dion's manager Renee Angelil just called. He mentioned Celine won't be able to make it to the press conference this afternoon."

Eric's mind raced, and he quickly grasped what had transpired. The launch of the Fireflyer posed a significant threat, particularly to Sony, which produced multiple mainstream portable music players. Celine Dion was, after all, an artist under Sony Records.

Though Celine's voice was often described as heavenly, her personal music style was rather singular. Without the massive hit My Heart Will Go On, it would have been nearly impossible for her to ascend to the ranks of top-tier pop stars. Hence, before Titanic, she had only been regarded as a second-tier artist under Sony Records. The massive success of My Heart Will Go On had certainly elevated her standing, but due to contractual limitations, she had none of the freedom that megastars like Michael Jackson or Madonna enjoyed.

Clearly, this was Sony exerting pressure on Celine, preventing her from attending the Fireflyer product launch.

What Eric didn't expect was for Sony to be so cruel as to apply that pressure just two hours before the event.

Before he could respond, Bill Olsen's phone rang again. Bill didn't answer but instead handed the phone to Eric, saying, "Ms. Dion just wanted to personally express her regrets to you."

Knowing this was orchestrated by Sony, Eric felt angry but didn't channel his frustration towards Celine. He answered the call and chatted for a few moments.

Celine understood the critical role My Heart Will Go On played in her career, so her tone was respectful during the call. She repeatedly expressed her apologies and cautiously hinted at her constraints.

After a brief discussion, Eric hung up, and at that moment, Chris and Victor McNally also entered the restaurant.

Given that the press conference would simultaneously announce the Titanic soundtrack's availability in the Yahoo Music Store, Celine Dion was, without a doubt, the primary performance guest of the afternoon. Bill Olsen had even arranged for her to appear towards the end of the event, representing the Yahoo Music Store to announce the official release of the Titanic soundtrack.

After a flurry of exchanges, the group left the restaurant and headed to a specially prepared meeting room at the Marriott to discuss strategies.

...

Bill Olsen looked at everyone and said, "It's probably too late to negotiate with Madonna, but it wouldn't be too difficult for the Backstreet Boys to praise a song. However, having them go on stage would disrupt the schedule."

Originally, three performers were slated to be the highlighted guests: Madonna, the Backstreet Boys, and Celine Dion. Naturally, Madonna wouldn't face the same restrictions as Celine, and she had openly expressed her willingness to collaborate with the Yahoo Music Store, agreeing to perform as soon as she received the invitation. The Backstreet Boys, being a staple for Firefly Records, would definitely be featured in the event. Celine had also confirmed her presence, but no one had anticipated she would be forced to withdraw due to Sony's pressure at the last moment.

Everyone had seen last night's rehearsals and knew that if someone were replaced at the last minute, the details for announcing the Titanic soundtrack's arrival at the Yahoo Music Store would require many adjustments.

After discussing for a bit, Chris suddenly looked at Eric and said, "Eric, since Celine can't go on, why don't you step up? You're the lyricist and composer of My Heart Will Go On, and you've seen the rehearsal, so it should all fall into place."

Before Eric could shake his head in response, the others enthusiastically urged, "Yes, Eric, you should! Your stature is far above Celine Dion's."

Actually, during the initial stages of planning the launch event, Bill Olsen had hoped Eric would deliver a speech but he had declined. Now that Chris suggested it, excitement bubbled up in the room. As the soul of the Firefly team, Eric's aura promised that his appearance would create an impact in the media far surpassing Celine's performance.

Eric raised his hand to quiet the chatter and chuckled helplessly. "You can't be serious about having me sing My Heart Will Go On, can you? That's ridiculous!"

Bill Olsen replied, "Not at all, Eric. Just say what you want to say and do what you want to do, then help announce the digital release of My Heart Will Go On."

Usually a man of few words, Victor McNally surprisingly chimed in with excitement, "Yes, yes, just like that."

Ian Gurney smiled and played the emotions card. "Eric, I don't think you want this press conference to be a disaster, right? I mean, it's really your responsibility -- the whole Firefly is yours."

Faced with eager gazes, Eric hesitated for a moment before nodding slightly. "Alright then, let's discuss what I should say when the time comes."

Bill Olsen shook his head and smiled, "Oh, Eric, this is your area. We won't interfere. I need to go greet the guests."

Victor McNally stood up. "By the way, the VP from Best Buy is waiting for me downstairs."

"Haha, Jeff just mentioned he wanted to discuss Amazon's advertising on Yahoo, so I'll head down now."

Watching Bill Olsen, Victor McNally, and Ian Gurney leave the meeting room, Eric turned to Chris.

Chris shrugged with a smile, "As for me, I still haven't thought of an excuse."

"Forget it, I'll just wing it. Even if I mess it up, no one would dare say anything to me, the boss," Eric said, rolling his shoulders. He then shifted the conversation, asking, "How is the wedding planning with Emily coming along?"

Hearing Eric's question, Chris looked genuinely pained. "It's still the same. My dad and her parents are far more enthusiastic than we are."

Eric, imagining Chris being chased around by three eager parents discussing wedding details, couldn't help but joke, "I'll be in New York for a week or two. Perhaps I could help you brainstorm."

"You'd better not complicate things," Chris replied, shaking his head. He then asked with curiosity, "Two weeks? Aside from Kevin and Elia's birthdays, do you have anything else going on?"

Eric nodded. "Regarding the establishment of Marvel Studios, Avi Arad and the team have drafted a preliminary proposal that I need to confirm personally."

Chris occasionally heard Eric mention the massive Marvel Cinematic Universe plans and had far too many of his own matters to focus on, so he didn't show much interest in that topic. They chatted casually before leaving the meeting room together.

...

After noon, the banquet hall at the Marriott was already filled with over half of the invited guests, with more continuing to arrive.

As the event drew nearer, Eric went over the press conference details and began engaging with the attending guests.

Media reporters from various backgrounds didn't require Eric to personally greet them, but he still needed to connect with tech industry giants directly.

As time ticked away, Bill Gates from Microsoft, John Chambers from Cisco, Larry Ellison from Oracle, the newly appointed CEO of Apple Gill Amelio, and executives from Seagate and Best Buy all made their appearances. Even Warren Buffett had come all the way from Omaha. Besides these tech and investment giants, stars from the entertainment industry were also in attendance. Jeffrey Katzenberg arrived at the Marriott an hour before the conference began.

...

At 2 PM, all the guests had gathered in the banquet hall. The lights dimmed in the other parts of the room, leaving only a few beams focused on the stage.

Victor McNally, as the CEO of Firefly Electronics, was the first to take the stage, announcing the commencement of the press conference and delivering a brief welcome address to all the attendees.

Eric had initially suggested keeping this event succinct, so with a couple of interactive performances included, the press conference was expected to last an hour and a half. It primarily featured demonstrations of the Fireflyer's configuration and functions, an introduction to the Yahoo Music Store, and a discussion of sales methods and channels.

Bill Olsen had prepared for this product launch for two whole months, so everything proceeded in an orderly fashion. As Bill and others began unveiling details about the Fireflyer and the Yahoo Music Store, the audience frequently applauded and cheered. The cameras of media reporters flashed continuously. Throughout this time, countless media outlets had already exposed a plethora of information about the Fireflyer, but the official announcements held the most newsworthy value.

When Amazon's Jeff Bezos took the stage to introduce the formation of Amazon Fireflyer, amidst the applause, Bill Olsen, who personally served as the host, returned to the stage carrying a chair.

The atmosphere at the press conference remained lively, and Bill Olsen's peculiar action easily drew laughter from the guests.

Setting the chair down and dramatically patting its back, he did not sit down as everyone expected. Instead, he raised the microphone and said with a smile, "This chair isn't for me! Guess who's going to sit here!"

There were not many capable of warranting such an honor from the president of Firefly Electronics in the hall.

Someone quickly shouted from the audience.

"Eric Williams!"

"Eric Williams!"

"Eric Williams!"

As the roar intensified, Bill Olsen decided to stop teasing. He raised the microphone and called out, "So, let's all welcome Mr. Eric Williams!"

Amidst the enthusiastic applause and cheers, Eric walked up the stage from the side steps.

*****

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