America's No. 1 financial conglomerate

Chapter 37 Google's Next Step

There are many parties in America, ranging from the private estates of Wall Street tycoons to dorm festivities for college students, from team-building parties at tech companies to the retirement celebration of Grandpa Kenny next door, and even the fact that the mice in your house haven't had babies can be used as an excuse to celebrate.

If there are only a few people, it's fine; you can just grab some food from the fridge, or some snacks and drinks.

But once the number of people increases, the people in a single family are instantly overwhelmed, like smelly socks thrown into a washing machine, completely disoriented and unable to keep up.

Where there's demand, there's money! This has led to the emergence of a bunch of party planning companies, making them the real-life Doraemon of parties.

Just make a phone call, and within two hours, they'll take care of everything for you, from setting up the venue and providing everything from the finest delicacies to the best liquors, and even cleaning up after the party.

If you need, a large number of beautiful women can help liven up the atmosphere.

All you have to do is sign the check with a flourish, and then you can be a hands-off manager.

In the evening, the setting sun, like spilled orange juice, lazily spilled through the gaps in the colorful balloons into the courtyard of Google headquarters.

The entire venue instantly transformed into a giant happiness factory, with restless molecules floating in the air.

The food stalls were scattered throughout the venue. The dessert area was filled with sweet pastries that were so sweet they made your throat ache, the cold dish area had a variety of exquisite side dishes that were hard to look away from, and the fruit area was so fresh that you could almost smell the fragrance of the orchard.

However, the most popular area has to be the barbecue area.

Three chefs were busy tending to nine ovens, their feet barely touching the ground. Sausages sizzled on the grills, steaks and lamb chops were seared with an irresistible aroma, and the seafood section was filled with the scent of the ocean, making everyone's mouths water.

Of course, the drinks are the constant. Bartenders pour various fruit juices and spirits around, and in the blink of an eye, they create colorful cocktails.

Their cool moves of shaking their glasses and tossing bottles drew screams from the onlookers.

Ernst's party, which he funded himself, was anything but stingy. In addition to fine wine and food, he also hired a band to rock the party.

On the mini stage that had been set up, music started playing, and an unknown band was performing passionately, each member exuding the aura of a rock star.

In the United States, group activities don't involve leaders giving speeches on stage. Work is work, and rest is rest; the main focus is on having fun.

The crowd cheered, but Sergei, Brin, and Ernst sat in an inconspicuous corner, looking out of place.

Brin's behavior stemmed from her personality, while Sergei's was driven by a fear of being neglected by his friend; he had grown accustomed to such situations.

Ernst, however, was puzzled and thought something had gone wrong.

He raised his glass, clinked it with the two men's, and gestured towards the stage with his lip, "Aren't you going up there and show off your skills?"

The singers they had invited had been sent away somewhere, and on stage, a fat man was singing and dancing nimbly, swaying his barrel-shaped waist; he looked like a penguin come to life.

To be honest, Jason's singing is pretty good; at least Ernst thought it sounded quite nice.

"Forget it, we prefer to watch from the sidelines rather than get involved."

Brin picked up where Sergei left off, saying, "My reason is that I really can't get involved."

Okay, definitely a socially awkward engineering student, confirmed.

Such people are best off becoming extremely wealthy, or they're the perfect choice to be taken advantage of.

Seeing that the atmosphere had cooled down a bit, Brin changed the subject, "Seriously, what's our plan next?"

At Google, Ernst was responsible for guiding the company's overall direction, and his team members trusted his strategic vision.

"Optimization technology," Ernst said without hesitation.

"This is our strength, and it is also our core value."

"We are not Yahoo. Yahoo plays the marketing game, which I believe has no core value. Right now, there are too many monks and not enough porridge. Investors are everywhere, but Internet companies are a rare commodity."

"Therefore, Nasdaq has been unable to comprehend how internet companies that have only been established for a few months can go public, and how internet companies with no profit model can create an exaggeratedly high valuation."

"And what's the result? Everyone will see that the internet industry is too lucrative, and a constant stream of entrepreneurs will join in."

"In the end, there will only be two outcomes: either investors will gradually become more rational, and good money will drive out bad money in the market, resulting in the elimination of some internet companies."

"Another one is blowing bubbles. Everyone is driven crazy by the high net worth of the Internet. Money keeps flowing into this game of musical chairs, with the left foot stepping on the right foot and flying into the sky."

Ultimately, no one knows better than Ernst what the final outcome will be; it will be an unprecedented bubble.

"When the bubble bursts, only companies with core technologies will survive."

"Ultimately, it's all about the user. We're just a retailer, but we don't sell products. If you want to win over users, you can't just rely on marketing and empty talk; without technology, you'll be eliminated sooner or later."

Sergei and Page nodded repeatedly, agreeing wholeheartedly.

"So, what about the browser? When will we release it?"

Sergei's initial idea was to create Google's own browser, but Ernst stopped him.

By suddenly entering the browser market, they had to face two browser giants, Netscape and Microsoft.

This is the first browser war in history, and Google doesn't have the resources to fight a war of attrition with the two giants.

Being high-profile requires absolute strength; before you have the strength, it's best to keep a low profile and make a fortune.

Therefore, Google only has hyperlinks, which are websites, and has not developed its own browser.

"Let's wait and see. The key is to build a loyal user base while Netscape is riding the wave of success. Netscape can't be the ultimate winner. When Netscape shows signs of decline, that's when we'll rise up and take its place."

"So we can only optimize and improve Google Search technology and not develop other businesses?" Sergei asked anxiously.

"No," Ernst shook his head. "I think email is a good direction. We can develop our own Gmail."

In Western corporate culture, email is an indispensable element. It's like a passport to the workplace; without it, you can't get anywhere.

Do you know what the first thing new employees do when they join those major internet companies? It's training on how to write a proper email.

How to start, how to choose the handwriting, how to end, how to use words to capture subtle emotions, etc.

We're no longer in the mobile internet era. For internal communication within large companies, email is the most convenient method. Without internal information systems like corporate email, how do you know who sent you a file? Do you write it down in a notebook?

Another issue is the selection of the best talent. Once email becomes the primary communication tool for humans, the tool will, in turn, select people in reverse.

Whether you can create a title, understand structured expression, know when to use a reply, when it's more appropriate to use a full reply, who to put in the CC column to conform to the rules, when to use BCC, etc., these are all workplace rules.

It's no secret that people who can't write emails will face obstacles to promotion; it's an unspoken rule in Western companies. Many companies start their employee selection process by screening a resume and an email.

Therefore, email is not a nobody in the West; it's a very profitable business.

The two didn't see any problem with Google entering the email field; on the contrary, they were quite satisfied and considered it a major project.

"Alright, we'll talk about these things in detail later. Tonight's theme is happiness."

Even when he's happy, Ernst doesn't want to be disturbed by work.

"Aren't you going up and sing a song to liven things up?"

The two only recently learned that Ernst was actually a Hollywood playboy who not only acquired MGM but was also a renowned genius author across the United States.

"Me? I think I'll pass."

Ernst knew his singing voice was not good enough, so he decided not to go up and embarrass himself.

On stage, the person singing now is Marketing Director Marissa.

Unlike in the East, where employees perform to please their superiors, in the West, it is usually senior executives who entertain the employees.

Of course, Westerners are willing to express themselves, and some employees like to showcase themselves.

Marissa danced and sang Queen songs, and the crowd below swayed to the rhythm, with cheers and applause rising and falling.

"So you have a date with a beautiful woman tonight?"

Paige pointed to the several large oysters on Ernst's plate, as if she had discovered the secret to his playboy ways.

"You want to learn from me how to pick up girls?"

Seeing the other person blush, Ernst burst into laughter, as if he had discovered a tremendous secret. Even Sergei, who was standing to the side, widened his eyes and turned to look at Paige, his surprise mixed with a hint of resentment.

"You can't learn from my experience, but I can teach you a secret."

"In my experience, every part of your body is your own, except for your face. Once you learn this, you're not far from your muse."