dognovel Chapter 47 Investors Come to the Door
Chapter 47 Investors Come to the Door
As Thanksgiving turkeys grace the tables of Americans, Hollywood enters its most competitive box office season of the year.
First came Paramount's "Star Trek" and New Line Cinema's "Breaking News," followed closely by Disney's "101 Dalmatians."
With the addition of previous films such as "Ransom Storm," "The English Patient," and "Space Jam," the atmosphere of tension was palpable outside various cinemas.
However, just when all the films were gearing up to compete, things took a sudden turn for the better. No one expected that the most attention-grabbing film would be "The Man from Earth," which had already been released for twenty days.
Genius Writer or Media Mogul? Or Internet Newcomer?
Capital has a keen sense of smell. After nearly a month of development, Google finally attracted the attention of investors, including the notorious Wall Street giant, Lehman Brothers.
Even more dramatically, the Lehman Brothers representative who had just arrived at Google was caught on camera by paparazzi. The nationally renowned genius author who was being greeted in the photos could no longer hide his identity.
Who would have thought that Ernst, who was originally just a Hollywood mogul, would transform into a rising star in the internet industry?
Google is a search engine that most netizens or young people are familiar with. It is surprising that the company was founded by a Hollywood playboy.
It was this revelation that made many people realize that this man was also the owner of MGM, and that the script for "The Man from Earth," which is currently showing in theaters, was written by this young tycoon.
With a production cost of one million US dollars and a profit of more than a hundred times that amount, this has always been the focus of MGM's promotion of the film.
Ernst's sudden trending status has caused the film's box office to surge against the odds.
"The Man from Earth," which had already seen its daily box office drop below $600 million, made a full recovery on the last day of November, with its box office exceeding $11 million again.
If the American public was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle, Wenger was shocked, excited, and somewhat incredulous.
First, he became a nationally renowned author, and then The Hunger Games became a global bestseller, constantly bringing Ernst a steady income.
Then, seizing the opportunity, he boldly acquired MGM, transforming himself into a media mogul.
Now his status has changed again, and he has actually become a rising star in the internet industry.
Wenger knew about Google, after all, his law firm handled the company's initial registration.
At first, Wenger thought Ernst was just dabbling in things and didn't pay much attention to him. Now, he was suddenly told that this company, which had been established for less than four months, was actually seeking financing.
What kind of person was Ernst in the past? As Garrins's friend and Ernst's godfather-like figure, Wenger knew all too well.
If it weren't for the abundance of beautiful women in Hollywood, and Ernst's lack of acting and singing talent, this guy would never have entered the writing industry.
They're all just playing around with women; using your brain is nowhere near as easy as posing.
In other words, Ernst wrote books to pick up girls, rather than out of any ideals or hobbies.
But what about now? Media moguls and internet upstarts are all thriving under this guy's leadership, as if he's suddenly become a completely different person, making Wenger marvel at how quickly someone can grow.
He never doubted Ernst, but attributed the huge change to the shock brought about by Galin's death.
"Are they really going to accept Lehman Brothers' investment?"
Wenger's expression was as if his own child had achieved such a success, a mixture of joy and excitement.
"If the conditions are right, why not? But investing is like dating; it doesn't have to be Lehman Brothers. Who wouldn't want to choose someone who spends more money on them?"
The first round of talks between the two sides broke down due to significant differences.
However, it wasn't without its advantages. Google's detailed information would definitely end up on the desks of major investment institutions, and Lehman Brothers essentially gave Google a free GG (game over).
"To be honest, my original plan was to raise funds a year later, or at least eight months later, but plans can't keep up with changes."
Ernst misjudged Google's growth rate; the increase in users caught him completely off guard.
In just one month, Google's user base surpassed 11 million, a result that Ernst had never anticipated, no matter how optimistic he was.
It's worth noting that in 1995, there were only 4000 million internet users worldwide, and even North America, the largest region in terms of population, had only 2900 million.
The number of internet users in North America continued to grow rapidly this year, and is expected to reach around 35 million. Even so, 11 million users a month is still quite staggering.
Netscape deserves credit for this; before Google search was widely used, the Netscape browser already had over seven million users.
As one of the few paid browsers on the market, this number is enormous, allowing Google to reap this windfall.
However, Netscape did not lose out. In just one month, thanks to word-of-mouth from Google searches, Netscape's membership increased by more than one million, and its stock price surged by 17.6%.
"Google's market share has now reached 30%, and it will most likely exceed 40% by the end of the year, or even reach half of the market share. It's time to consider raising funds."
"So you want to delay?"
Wenger understood Ernst's unspoken meaning: financing was one thing, but not immediate.
"That's right, Google has no experience in this area, so they asked you to come out of retirement."
Whether in his past life or this one, Ernst had never been involved in high-end capital operations such as financing.
He understands the basics, but he's really bad at the details. If he's not careful, he could easily be taken advantage of by those dirty quacks on Wall Street.
Wenger, on the other hand, works at a law firm that ranks among the top five in California and is very experienced in this area.
Moreover, Ernst can trust the other party, and having him represent Google in dealing with them is the best option.
"Then you have to give me the answer, right?"
It doesn't matter if it drags on, but how long it drags on will affect Wenger's negotiations.
"It could take three months at most, but a month should be enough if things go smoothly."
Do you think Wall Street will back down?
Wenger immediately understood that Ernst was trying to whet Wall Street's appetite, making them witness Google's explosive growth every day in order to secure a higher valuation.
"The valuation gap between us for Google is too large right now, and I have to make Wall Street bow down."
Wenger sensed an instant change in Ernst's aura, a power that made Wall Street bow down—what a magnificent presence!
In America, it's always Wall Street that makes others bow down; when has this group of uncrowned kings ever submitted?
And this little guy in front of me, whom I've watched grow up, I don't know if he's just a fearless newborn calf or a born king.
"But the conditions you proposed are a bit too harsh. Wall Street has never made such a compromise before."
Ernst smiled confidently, exuding an air of dominance, "Then I'll make them learn this."