Chapter 53: Acquisition?

"Did you know that making a sequel to Police Academy can make money? Doesn't make sense for them not to know, right?"

"With funds of millions of dollars, do you really think they don't have the money?"

"Don't be fooled by White Films' small size, in Hollywood, they definitely don't lack money. According to their filming schedule, it looks like next year's movies will also be small productions."

"It seems they're planning to stick with small productions and comedies. Even if Home Alone wasn't a success, their risk is low. If worse comes to worst, they can just make a sequel to Police Academy."

"That's how MGM played it back in the day. When the company couldn't survive anymore, they'd borrow money to make a James Bond movie. It was a lifeline that always revived the half-dead MGM."

...

While people were marveling at White Films, word got out in the IT world that Big Blue planned to invest 40 million, seeking a 40% stake in White Software. Valuation and proof are two separate things. If Big Blue successfully invests, this so-called valuation would definitely go up.

The external buzz didn't affect White Software's plans. Some people thought the valuation was too high, while others believed there was room for more growth. What they didn't expect was that White Software rejected the offer.

The explanation given was amusing; the limit for strategic investors is 5% of the shares, and more than that won't be accepted.

Okay, they don't even bother talking about valuation; clearly, a hundred million dollars means little to them. Whether you invest or not is not important at all.

In fact, William White was also conflicted. He didn't mind collaborating with the giant but didn't want to be ousted. The current shares just can't be distributed this way, at least not now.

He was also quite aware that the other party might just be testing the waters; otherwise, it wouldn't be such a public affair. There's likely debate within their board of directors.

If they really wanted to buy, they'd do it quietly. This brazen approach wouldn't scare the founders unless something strange was going on.

For William White, being eyed by Big Blue wasn't necessarily a good thing. He definitely wouldn't agree to this veiled acquisition, so cooperation was out of the question.

Should they develop an operating system or not?

Current operating systems were basically DOS. Graphical interfaces were first tinkered with by Macintosh.

Steve Jobs was undoubtedly a tragic figure. Even after his hardware flopped, there was a chance for a comeback, but Bill Gates ran off with the graphical operating system, leading to Apple's inevitable disaster.

Company traditions are really peculiar. As an internally-circulating company, Apple's only option was to be domineering. Apart from a few pieces of software provided by White Software, they even started charging tolls.

White had paid these tolls, too, and 30% of the sale price isn't cheap. But greed is inevitable; they wanted 50%.

William White didn't have to think twice to refuse. Without a fair environment, White Software could completely pull out of the Apple system.

Apple didn't see it coming. The other side was even more straightforward, simply walking away from the game.

Though they knew it was just a bluff, they didn't dare gamble. William White was a madman; don't push his limits. Can you really ban him from accessing Apple's system?

Don't be ridiculous. The antitrust laws are there for a reason. At most, you can only advise clients not to use or recommend other brands to them. Anything beyond that is absolutely impossible.

William White knew that Apple might also want to invest. The industry's insiders clearly have more persuasion in terms of the company's development trend.

...

Now, the bystanders were getting dizzy. "Darn it, a software company valued at 100 million, a film company earning at least 100 million, and talking about valuation seems absurdly pointless."

Among the seven major studios, the weakest, United Artists, was just shy of 300 million. If White Films were valued at 200 million, probably no one would disagree. But when you compare it with United Artists, it feels kind of absurd. They have James Bond and a whole lot of other films.

Considerably stronger, but the valuation only increased by less than double. What an exasperating comparison!

United Artists' frustration did not need to be mentioned. If it weren't for their greed, they obviously would have had decent returns.

Distribution channels aren't easy to set up. Haven't everyone seen White Films throwing money around?

United Artists not only can't make money now but also face heavy penalties, the most important being the fiery relationship with White Films that might have long-term effects that are hard to predict.

...

William White did not continue to pick up girls at school, which made many people feel better. If he really messed around at school, he would probably be criticized.

This is not because he is a saint. It is okay to pretend to be young occasionally, but doing so for a long time can easily lead to schizophrenia. Besides, he is not a stamp collector, so there is really no need for him to have these halos.

Society is still very tolerant towards students. He is now considered a successful person, and his own image is very important. If something really did happen, it would be truly troublesome.

This isn't news in the U.S. Steve Jobs once even denied he had any responsibility, claiming he didn't have any capability in that department.

Even great men had their youthful days. Once successful, nobody talks about those unseemly things, and the great man appears almost without moral blemish.

Having an illegitimate child isn't out of the question, but you better find a reliable girl for that. If one turns out to be your neighbor's kid, that'd be a real scandal.

Unless you're in a relationship, don't expect any results in college. It's too chaotic. If you mapped out everyone's relationships, you'd be shocked to find you're connected to nearly everyone. If anything unexpected happens, you'd be crying in vain.

Then there's the issue of driving skills. As a professional driver, you need a supercar. Family cars just aren't suitable; they're prone to technical faults, whether it be piston issues or blowouts, always leaving him dissatisfied.

Of course, super cars are definitely all in Hollywood. Those famous goddesses from the past had their special talents; otherwise, how could they be goddesses?

Just a pretty face?

Ha! There are plenty of pretty girls in Hollywood, too many, actually. Most handsome guys and pretty girls end up in *action* movies. For a few thousand bucks, you can settle it, and even this trash is hotly contested.

Can you get famous just by being pretty?

Haha!

Having the right look is hard to say. Some lucky ones do have it easy in stepping out, but that's just the first step. From there on, it's all up to you.

...

Leisurely days always pass quickly. Despite skipping a lot, he still managed his academics quite well.

The professors had no complaints; as long as he could earn credits, they wouldn't make things difficult.

*****

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