After giving a risk warning lesson to a group of senior managers, Wang Yaocheng went to Palm Beach for a leisurely vacation. Julia Roberts had a vacation villa here with a very beautiful surrounding environment. He even attended the board meeting held by Netscape.
Didn't attend.
For Wang Yaocheng, Netscape is a thing of the past and not worthy of attention.
On the green lawn, Wang Yaocheng was lying on a leisure chair wearing sunglasses, bathing in the mild winter sunshine.
Julia Roberts, dressed in a light-colored casual outfit, walked out of a Mediterranean-style leisure villa, holding freshly squeezed juice in her hand.
"Honey, this is yours."
"Oh, thank you! That's so sweet of you, Julia."
Julia Roberts showed a sweet smile, leaned over and kissed Wang Yaocheng on the cheek, and quietly lay sideways on the leisure chair next to her, with graceful lines outlined under her clothes.
Wang Yaocheng took a sip of the juice and felt it tasted good. "How do you feel about working with the black movie star Wesley Snipes this time and participating in "Blade" invested and filmed by Marvel?"
"The video is still about that scumbag?"
"Haha, let's talk about it anyway."
Julia Roberts frowned and said, "I have never worked with Wesley Snipes before, but I know that he is a standard scumbag, domestic violence, alcoholism, chaotic relationships between men and women, and gang affiliations."
The elements are ambiguous, but his skills are indeed very good and his acting is up to standard. It should be said that his role in the film is outstanding.
As for the entire film, under the excellent control of veteran director Stephen Norrington, the box office results are worth looking forward to. It should be a qualified popcorn film with a very novel subject matter and the potential to be a box office hit."
"The reviews are quite high, which gives me confidence. At least this A-level production is unlikely to suffer losses." Wang Yaocheng was in a good mood; "Maybe we can make a lot of money and reverse Marvel's current situation.
Dilemma, that's enough."
"Dear, I heard that Wesley Snipes has signed a film contract for Three Steps. Do you think so highly of him?"
"I'm not optimistic about him, I'm optimistic about the script of "Blade Runner". The content of the script is a trilogy. Why not sign it in one go? It's very cheap, isn't it?"
"How much?"
"11 million U.S. dollars, the first part is 3 million, and the next two parts are both 4 million. If the box office of the first part of "Blade Runner" is ideal, the second and third parts will be filmed consecutively and released every other year. This can be done as much as possible
Reduce costs."
"Hollywood has always released the next successful film series every three to five years." Julia Roberts finally marveled; "Oh my God! You are really good at business. I feel like "
"Blade" will not be bad at the box office. If it is a hit at the box office, Wesley Snipes will be paid at least $10 million for one film, and now you can save that money to prepare for the second and third films."
"That's what I mean too. To strike while the iron is hot and launch one movie a year to tap out the potential of the "Blade" trilogy will be very helpful in improving Marvel's current predicament. After all, helping Marvel get on the right track is
It’s urgent.”
"Then why didn't I sign for three movies?"
"Because you are my woman, you must have a salary that matches your worth."
Julia smiled brightly and was very satisfied with Wang Yaocheng's answer, which was clear and unambiguous.
The United States is a completely commercial society, and the spirit of contract is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Americans are not ashamed to talk about profit, even between parents and children or between lovers.
Marvel, owned by Wang Yaocheng, clearly transferred the benefits. The original heroine of "Blade" was planned to be second-tier actress Kiki Lauders. Wang Yaocheng vetoed it and replaced her with his girlfriend Julia Roberts.
According to accurate information;
Chichi Laurtz cried bitterly after losing this important role. Such a large-scale commercial film may be the most important threshold for her to become a first-line actress.
The competition in Hollywood is cruel and fierce. The positions of white actresses and black actresses do not overlap, but between white actresses and white actresses who position themselves as pure and sexy, there must be a competitive relationship between you and me, and no one can take a step back.
If you have one more chance, I will lose all my chances, not one less.
How many A-level major Hollywood productions are there every year?
There will be no more than 40 films in total. Among them, those that do not require a heroine include war films, prison films - such as "The Shawshank Redemption", biopics - such as "Forrest Gump", and films depicting the lives of black people. The remaining films are for competition.
How many videos are there?
How many first-, second- and third-tier female stars are there in Hollywood?
There are thousands of them in total, and there are dozens of first-line female stars alone. Not everyone has the opportunity to star in their favorite film.
This disproportionate relationship has resulted in fierce competition for every large-scale commercial film. A-list actresses are flocking to it, and an A-level production with big commercial potential is even more popular.
Because this means more exposure, promotion of celebrity status, substantial increase in film festival awards and remuneration, and endorsements. It can even determine a woman's highest artistic achievement and acting career, and there are too many interests at stake.
It’s no wonder that Chichi Laurtz burst into tears after losing the role. It was really difficult for her to face such a heavy blow.
Covered by vegetation.
Recently, Shanmao, who was promoted to vice-captain, walked along the lawn and reported in a low voice: "Boss, President Qi Yafei asked for a meeting, and he is right outside the door now."
Wang Yaocheng sat up with a slight surprise; "Uh... Brother Yafei always comes to the Three Treasures Hall for nothing. It seems that the board meeting is over. Please invite him in. Julia, we have guests tonight, please ask the kitchen to prepare more dishes."
"
"Okay, you can talk alone."
Julia Roberts was a smart woman and knew that it was not appropriate to participate in company affairs. She smiled and said hello to President Qi Yafei who came in a hurry, and turned around to return to the holiday villa.
"Hey! My little uncle Wang, you are still here for a leisurely vacation. I just had a big fight with Stephen Ballmer at the Netscape board meeting and left the meeting angrily. Our Netscape Navigator browses
The browser core patent pool was licensed to Microsoft for US$16 million. They want to develop their own Internet Explorer browser and deprive us of our core competitiveness. Damn... I'm so angry with them that I'm so blatant.
robbery."
Qi Yafei was very excited and her face turned red. She angrily threw her briefcase next to the leisure chair and sat down.
Wang Yaocheng; "Peace and don't be impatient, Brother Yafei."
"How can I keep my composure? Microsoft is going to build its own Internet Explorer browser to compete with us! Once it uses its dominance in the software industry to bundle sales, Netscape will be in danger."
Wang Yaocheng smiled when he saw this and nodded Qi Yafei with his hand: "This day will happen sooner or later. I don't believe you don't know it."
"Watching others take away my beloved things, I feel furious in my heart, Niang Xipi, this is simply too arrogant."
"They paid a huge price, investing more than 4 billion US dollars, just to copy the Navigator browser. This is Sima Zhao's intention, which is known to the world. The price is not small, otherwise, I would not give it away.
Give it to him."
"Give it to him?" Qi Yafei looked at Wang Yaocheng in surprise. He had never said this before.
"right."
Wang Yaocheng nodded affirmatively; "I hollowed out Netscape and left them with a mess full of holes. The only valuable core patent pool of the entire Netscape company was the Navigator browser. In comparison, IE browser
He is their biological son, and he must be supported by the superior no matter what."
Qi Yafei thought about it and immediately understood the connection; "In other words, Netscape's decline is inevitable."
"Yes, the Navigator browser patent pool is not an insurmountable obstacle. There are now dozens of companies in Silicon Valley developing it. Those who act quickly may have already seen the results. It is a good strategy to take advantage of the high price and take advantage of the high price.
Comparatively speaking, I am more optimistic about Yahoo."
Qi Yafei nodded and said thoughtfully, "If this is the case, then we need to take action as soon as possible. Microsoft's IE browser is probably ready for a long time and may be launched in the near future."
"So, your angry display today will be widely publicized through media reports, giving me the best excuse to leave."
"ah"
Qi Yafei opened his mouth in surprise, quickly reacted and shook his head with a wry smile, "You guy, you really kept it a secret."
"So, I want to treat you to a nice drink tonight, and I will act as my little brother to apologize to Brother Yafei. Only true performance will be more realistic!" Wang Yaocheng stood up and bowed sincerely.
The two looked at each other and laughed, saying nothing.
In shopping mall competitions, good babies are eaten up to the point where nothing is left, while the ruthless characters are left behind in the end.
The man at the helm of Microsoft seems to be a gentle man, and he preaches charity all over the world, but he has never been soft on his competitors, making other high-tech software companies hate him.
If you look through Microsoft's litigation cases over the years, you can see that it has attracted a lot of hate. It uses its market dominance to bundle sales and spares no effort to suppress competitors. It wears down its opponents through patent litigation, and when it doesn't work, it resorts to mergers and acquisitions. It uses all kinds of competition methods.
Extremely.
Follow other people's paths and leave others with nowhere to go.
Only such ruthless characters can stand out in the cruel market competition. This is the law of the jungle where the jungle prevails.
In early December 1993,
With the fierce quarrel on Netscape's board of directors, the profound contradiction between the largest shareholder Microsoft and the second largest shareholder Red Hat was exposed to the world for the first time, causing an uproar in the media.
However, both parties have tacitly remained silent as to the cause of the dispute, and have not publicly disclosed the transfer of the Navigator browser patent pool.
This kind of news is undoubtedly a heavy blow to Netscape's stock price. Out of common interests, both parties are unwilling to face the fact.
After the board of directors passed the resolution, the date of the patent transaction was artificially pushed back to early 1994. The benefits could not be reflected in the 1993 annual report, but were only mentioned in Netscape's annual report;
Netscape intends to expand cooperation with its major shareholder Microsoft, including marketing, corporate governance, patent licensing, technology research and development and corporate culture, to further rationalize the company's structure.
one day later
Red Hat officially announced the reduction of its holdings in Netscape stock. In the following two weeks, it issued three announcements, reducing its holdings to 14.3% through the market, cashing out US$2.57 billion, with the average trading price reaching US$182 per share.
, not decreasing but increasing compared to before.
The market is unanimously optimistic about the combination of the two giants in the software industry. Near the end of the year, Netscape's stock price has been rising steadily, reaching a maximum of 207.3 US dollars per share, showing the market's enthusiasm for bullishness.
Although the second largest shareholder, Red Hat, experienced three large-scale shareholding reductions, the stock price rebounded rapidly after a brief decline and still remained at a high of 185 to 190 US dollars, once again showing the market's strong confidence.
On December 24, Microsoft issued a shareholding reduction announcement, reducing its shareholding ratio to 33% twice, cashing out 1.66 billion US dollars in the market, successfully reducing its own losses, and handing over chips to those who thought they had found a big bargain.
investor.
Affected by this news, Netscape's stock price once again dropped to 158 US dollars per share and stabilized, indicating that market confidence is unstable.
after christmas
With the release of Netscape's fourth quarter report and gorgeous 1993 annual report, investors' confidence was once again stimulated, and Netscape's stock price soared to $211 per share, setting another record high.
At this time, Red Hat issued another announcement saying;
After friendly negotiation, both parties reached an equity swap agreement with HSBC, using 10% of Netscape's equity in exchange for HSBC's 30% Cathay Pacific shares, 17% HAECO shares, and 13% Hong Kong Swire shares.
The property rights of a 36-storey Haitian Building and a 110,000-square-meter piece of land to be developed near Yuen Long New Town, with a total transaction value of US$1.92 billion.
Through this share exchange transaction, Red Hat's shareholding ratio quickly dropped to less than 3%, and it dropped out of the top ten shareholders.
After that, Red Hat short-sold its holdings and successfully cashed out US$554 million again, cashing out a total of US$3.124 billion. In addition, the stock exchange transaction was worth US$1.92 billion, and it held 31.6% of Netscape's shares.
A total of US$5.044 billion worth of equity was obtained, becoming a ruthless character who made a fortune silently.
Previously, a total cash income of 3.124 billion was obtained from selling on the Nasdaq market. After paying 20% profit tax, corporate income tax, turnover tax and other taxes, plus the corresponding legal fees, it was just enough to earn 2.4 billion US dollars.
Income and tax paid amounted to US$724 million.
This huge amount of income was transferred into the Hong Kong royal family fund account in batches and became an investment fund that can be used freely.
As for the equity swap agreement reached with HSBC, the profit or loss cannot be reflected in the books. The transaction with a total value of 1.92 billion US dollars only needs to pay a turnover tax of one ten thousandth, and there is basically no loss.
At the same time, the Yahoo news website and cooperative print media widely publicized Red Hat's defeat. On the surface, it seemed that it had become an out-and-out loser in Silicon Valley. As for the huge profits gained, it was silent.
For some unknown reason, the local mainstream media in the United States followed this reporting approach, interpreting Red Hat more from the perspective of failure and turning a blind eye to its triumphant escape.
I'm afraid this is also a kind of sour grapes mentality that cannot be tolerated by others. The more unlucky you are, the happier you are. It can also be regarded as a strange phenomenon.