Hollywood Hunter

Seattle, a villa on Mercer Island in the center of Lake Washington.

Seeing Alice Ferguson almost crumbling downstairs, Zoe Parkes and Isabel Dunn almost both wanted to laugh, with some inexplicable envy in their emotions.

The housekeeper, who was no longer a housekeeper, glared at the two women and walked to the restaurant on her own, and at the same time resented some guy again.

Anyway, I will never give in.

Today is Tuesday, January 12.

Simon came to Seattle as a major shareholder to participate in a high-level meeting of Microsoft, mainly discussing the pre-installation of Windows in Internet Explorer.

The matter with the housekeeper actually started with some disputes.

In the past week, Ypay, Ygreat’s online payment tool, has successively authorized payment interface applications from six online business websites, and many of them have directly or indirectly competed with Amazon.

This was naturally opposed by the housekeeper, who believed that Simon was marrying someone.

Simon didn’t want to talk too much to the housekeeper, so this kind of dispute turned into a direct “physical conflict” last night. Not only that, after waking up early in the morning, the housekeeper was forced into a conflict again, so he appeared. What Yi and Isabel saw.

After a while, Simon followed downstairs, all over his body with the radiance that he had only after some exercise.

Came to the dining room, sat down in the awe-inspiring eyes of the two maids, and started eating breakfast.

It was already nine o'clock. Zoe and Isabel had already eaten breakfast, and after making arrangements for them, they quietly exited the restaurant.

Simon took a sip of milk, picked up the cutlery again and sliced ​​the fried eggs, and finally said to the housekeeper: "The consumption point card can be terminated. You can go back and discuss this with Jeff and the others."

In order to encourage Internet users to try online consumption, Eaglet issued a consumer point card similar to a prepaid phone card.

For the 10 USD point card, Igreat has to bear all aspects of expenses not less than 2 USD.

In the early stage of development of Eaglet, there is nothing. Right now, the outbreak of the Internet is accelerating, and the growth of e-commerce will also accelerate significantly. Moreover, Eaglet has opened up the online payment channels of several major banks in the United States. More and more able to accept online consumption directly through binding a credit card. If you continue to issue point cards, it will be more than a loss for Eaglet.

The housekeeper just hummed softly, indicating that she was still angry.

In fact, she first raised this matter at the end of last year, but she didn't get a response.

What does the man say at this time?

Can you give me a sweet jujube?

He is not so easy to be bought.

Simon didn’t mind the indifference of the housekeeper, and continued: “There is also the ICQ instant messaging tool. This still cannot be used as a customer communication tool for Amazon. I hope it can develop into a pure social software. I have tried it myself. , The page instant messaging you developed is pretty good. It must also use ICQ's patented technology. There is no need to bring ICQ over."

The housekeeper gave another hum.

A thought flashed in my mind: stick?

Simon still didn't care, and continued: "There is also the cooperation between Ypay and other e-commerce sites. I remember that I said more than once that the Internet industry will be very large, and no one company can fully occupy it. Moreover, at this stage, promote the Internet It’s more prosperous and making this platform accepted by more people is more important than your monopoly idea that you can’t wait to wait.”

Even Amazon, at the peak of its timeline, accounted for less than 50% of American online e-commerce.

The housekeeper finally said this time: "I never thought about monopolizing the Internet."

Simon said, "But you are trying to do this."

The housekeeper fell silent again.

Simon continued: "Actually, I also thought about it. This is the ambition that every businessman has. However, things are simply unrealistic. Especially in the early stage of an industry's development, a monopoly was directly formed. For this monopoly company It is not a good thing. Without competition, it will stall, become bloated, and cause various problems. The final result will only be eliminated. Compared with other companies, Amazon already has enough Resources, now there are just a few more people who are catching up far away. If you can't even deal with this competition, come back and be a bed warmer for me."

The housekeeper had already agreed with a certain guy, but when she heard the last sentence, she finally raised her head and gave him a fierce look.

What the **** is the bed warmer?

Simon smiled and said, "I recommend a book to you, "Dream of Red Mansions". Jenny likes to read it. Well, you'd better learn more Chinese."

As a former housekeeper, Alice actually knew this too.

Still not convinced on the surface, but silently remembered it, but changed the subject, saying: "Will you agree to Gates' terms of cooperation regarding browser pre-installation?"

At yesterday’s meeting, Damen students suggested that it is not impossible for IE to pre-install Microsoft. However, Microsoft needs to obtain the permission to adjust the corresponding functions of this browser. Not only that, Damen students also requested that the Web-related technologies be directly commercialized. Authorization.

In fact, there are many restrictions on the previously published World Wide Web patents.

The most important point is that other companies must not directly use the World Wide Web technology to seek benefits. Simply put, they must not use the World Wide Web technology to develop related application software to obtain profits. Web browsers, web design software, etc., are all listed here.

Because this is the private land of Eaglet.

In the past year, Eaglet has sold 23.79 million sets of browser software for only $10 a piece of software, and thus obtained a huge revenue of $230 million.

In addition, with the exponential explosion of World Wide Web sites, 760,000 sets of web design software, whose prices vary between individuals or companies, but reach an average of between US$300 and US$500, were also sold. This part of the income easily exceeds the original most profitable browser software, reaching 280 million US dollars.

For the web design-related software, the operating team of Eaglet had also considered renting out instead of direct one-time sale, which can ensure longer-term sustainable income. However, considering that Oracle directly subverted IBM and other traditional IT vendors' monopoly on database software by selling software at a time, Simon eventually chose to sell directly.

Therefore, whether it is browser software or web design software, it will largely be a one-time benefit.

However, even so, the benefits of these two simple softwares are enough to cover most of its budget in the early stage of development.

In the past 1992, Eaglet’s financial information is still being counted, but due to another outbreak of software sales, Eaglet’s loss this year has also been significantly reduced, and it may end up being only tens of millions of dollars.

Moreover, this loss was caused deliberately by the Eaglet operation team.

Simon is not like Eaglet’s profitability prematurely, and Jeff Bezos and Carol Bartz do not lack this vision.

Not only that, according to the loss deduction clause in the US tax law, current losses can be converted into income tax deductions in the next 15 years.

Amazon on the original timeline used this method to make net profits of tens of billions of dollars a year, not only does not need to pay taxes, but can get a part of the tax rebate from the federal government, and finally formed a rare phenomenon of "negative tax rate" for federal enterprises. .

If inflation and other factors are taken into account, it is not worthwhile to use current losses to offset future profits.

But from other considerations, the current investment will actually be transformed into Eaglet’s strength and advantages in the Internet industry. In the long run, this is very cost-effective.

Inside the restaurant at this time.

Hearing the question from the housekeeper, Simon quickly shook his head and said: "I plan to let Jeff and the OEM directly discuss the pre-installation, and Gates will forget it."

Alice paused, teasing a little bit in her tone: "You just said you didn't want to monopolize the Internet?"

It is indeed a contradiction to deliberately cultivate Amazon's competitors in e-commerce, and restrict the emergence of other competitors in World Wide Web technology.

Simon said: "These are two different things. I don't want to license to Microsoft. I am not worried about competition. You have to understand that I am also a major shareholder of Microsoft. Well, now, I should be the second largest shareholder. Microsoft's development can also give me brings advantages."

Bill Gates and Paul Allen were originally Microsoft's first and second largest shareholders.

However, after the equity transactions in the first two years, and Paul Allen subsequently sold part of the equity, his shareholding in Microsoft has now dropped to 18.6%, and Westeros' shareholding in Microsoft is still the same. 21.3%. Therefore, Westeros is now the second largest shareholder of Microsoft after Bill Gates.

Alice naturally knew this, and asked, "Why then?"

"I just don't want the Internet standards to split," Simon said: "If more World Wide Web technologies are licensed to Gates, in order to compete with Igreat, Bill may use the market advantage of the Windows system to create other different technologies. Standard, and it is likely to be incompatible with Igreat. You can imagine that if the original power system did not have a unified standard, some power grids were 110 volts, some power grids were 220 volts, and some power grids were 240 volts. How much inconvenience will it cause users, and to what extent will it hinder the development of the power revolution?"

The housekeeper nodded subconsciously, but immediately retorted: "Then, you are not worried that this will happen to e-commerce?"

Simon smiled and said: "Of course not, e-commerce sites, with a little more image, are more in the position of'household appliances', no matter what kind of electrical appliances, they need to adapt to the federal 110-volt voltage standard."

"But," the housekeeper hesitated this time, and said: "You allow so many'electrical appliances' to compete with Amazon. If, if I mess up, you have to take responsibility."

"If there is a lack of competitors, I think you are more likely to screw up," Simon said, and added: "Frankly speaking, the Westeros system is now very large, I have enough chips, and I am not afraid that one or two of them will fail. For example, most of the e-commerce websites that have been authorized this time have venture capital investment in the Westeros system."

The housekeeper was suddenly depressed again.

In fact, she has understood this since he allowed Amazon and Blockbuster to sell video tapes and movies around.

However, she was still a bit disappointed that he didn't have that strong confidence in her.

Damn it.

How many times has it been.

Always talk about what to do if you fail.

As if she was destined not to succeed.

Simon didn't care about the stewardess's careful thoughts, and explained everything that should be explained. After lunch, the two left Seattle and flew to San Francisco together.

In the afternoon, I discussed with the senior executives of Igreat about changing the pre-installation thinking. After another night in San Francisco, Simon returned to Los Angeles.

At the beginning of the year, Daenerys Entertainment’s key movies for the next year or two have been determined, but there are still many first-level projects that are gradually established.

On Wednesday morning, Simon had an appointment with Roland Emmerich and Michael Bay to discuss a movie written by Roland Emmerich called "Space Shock."

Roland Emmerich is still busy in the latter stages of "Superman". Although it has begun to close, but after finishing the first "Superman", he will almost immediately start preparing for the sequel, and has no time to take care of other projects.

Therefore, Simon intends to hand it over to Michael Bay, who just completed the Victoria's Secret show at the end of last year, for "Shock of the Universe" written by the director himself.

"Shock of the Universe" was Roland Emmerich’s famous Hollywood work on the original timeline. It was the success of "Shock of the Universe" that allowed Roland Emmerich to film his masterpiece in Hollywood. Alone Day.

This time, if nothing goes wrong, Simon intends to give these two opportunities to Michael Bay.

The two films, especially "Lone Day", are also very suitable for Michael Bay's personal style.

As for Emmerich, as long as the "Superman" series can be successful, the director's reputation will not be much worse than the original timeline. Simon's plan this time is to let the other party be the producer of "Universe" , Next, may also be the producer of "Independence Day".

"Shock of the Universe" tells the story of a human archaeologist who discovered that the pyramids were actually the "interstellar gates" to another world, and led a team of soldiers to explore through the "interstellar gates" and lead the humans in the other world to resist alien race The story of ruling and returning to the earth.

Overall, this is a sci-fi action movie with a big brain.

Science fiction action movies happen to be the type that Michael Bay is good at on the original timeline.

After preliminary estimates, the budget of "Stargate" is 30 million US dollars, which is slightly higher than Simon's expectations. However, for science fiction movies, such a production budget is not too high. Simon also believes in Michael Bay's ability. , Fully capable of completing this film within a budget of 30 million US dollars.