Reborn since 1993

Chapter 1431 The Sickles Are Hung at the Leeks

"I remember when I interviewed Mr. Li, he had just become one of Asia's top ten richest people, and he was the only one on the list as the founder of a technology company."

This year, Mr. Li has also seen the fastest growth in net worth in Asia, and I believe his net worth may continue to increase.

Once a tech company enters its growth phase, its growth is extremely rapid, potentially multiplying several times over in just a few years!

Upon hearing Tong Lan's words, the host followed up with another question, "So, Editor-in-Chief Tong, do you think it's possible for Li Dongling to... catch up with Bill Gates in the future?"

In the past, even in Hong Kong, where people were extremely concerned about their net worth, no one dared to mention the idea of ​​catching up with Bill Gates.

But now, some Hong Kong media outlets, which like to stir up trouble, have started asking questions about comparing Li Dashan to Bill Gates.

Tong Lan was also somewhat troubled by this problem. Li Dongling's net worth had soared rapidly in recent years, but she didn't have a clear understanding of it because Dongke was not listed on the stock exchange.

Moreover, since the Southeast Asian financial crisis, Dongke has paid off all its loans and no longer borrows money from banks using its equity. This makes it even more unclear what Dongke's current strength is, and it is impossible to give a valuation.

"Anything is possible in the tech industry!"

Tong Lan finally gave her own answer: "Back then, no one could have imagined that Bill Gates would become the world's richest man after Microsoft went public."

In the future, after Dongke goes public, perhaps…

Tong Lan didn't finish her sentence, but her answer was clear: the day Dongke goes public, Li Dongling's net worth will probably surpass that of Bill Gates.

"As for Mr. Li's net worth, Asia Weekly believes that with the explosive growth of the internet industry, Mr. Li has a good chance of entering the top three of the world's richest people this year!"

Despite facing numerous troubles this year, Microsoft's market value has soared, and Bill Gates's net worth has also skyrocketed, potentially pushing him past the $100 billion mark and making him the first person in history to reach that milestone.

Therefore, Bill Gates remains the world's richest person this year, and no one can challenge his position.

Of course, Tong Lan's assumption is also possible: that Dongke could take its subsidiaries and go public as a whole, which might really boost Li Dashan's net worth even more.

However, Li Dongling has no plans to list Dongke at present. The future is uncertain, but during Li Dongling's tenure at Dongke, it will not be listed.

Going public has its advantages and disadvantages, but given Dongke's current situation, if it goes public, everything will be geared towards the stock price. Whether businesses like lithography machines, chips, and panels, which burn through money and don't necessarily yield returns, can continue becomes a question mark.

Following Tong Lan, another expert in the financial industry expressed a different view.

"I believe that even if Dongke doesn't go public, Li Dongling's net worth could still catch up with Bill Gates."

Since 3721 went public, Cyberport's market value has soared to over HK$420 billion. In addition, there are already listed companies such as Feiyan Technology, as well as companies such as China.com and Ruyan e-cigarettes that are about to go public.

If the internet and technology industries continue their current trend, I believe that next year, Li Dongling's net worth has a chance to catch up with Bill Gates!

The financial expert's words sparked another round of debate on the program.

Watching the program being discussed so enthusiastically, Ning Wen couldn't help but feel a bit curious. She cast a probing look at Li Dongling and asked, "Will your net worth exceed that of Bill Gates?"

Li Dongling shook his head. "It's all just empty fame, and... the internet can't keep growing forever!"

Li Dongling has no interest in comparing his net worth with Bill Gates. The so-called net worth is just a gimmick fabricated by busybodies.

They're just a string of numbers calculated based on market capitalization and valuation. If you can't turn a bunch of numbers into real money, they're just a pile of waste paper, not even good enough to wipe your butt with!

Bill Gates is indeed worth hundreds of billions of dollars, but would he dare to actually cash out that money directly from the stock market? It's likely that before he even cashes it out, Microsoft's stock price will collapse as soon as the news breaks.

Similarly, for Dongke, it doesn't need to go public to raise money now. The money raised by sending Dongke-affiliated companies to go public, as well as the cash out from the Internet industry by Zhixing Foundation, is enough to support Dongke's big projects for several years.

This year alone, the Zhixing Foundation has raised over $17.7 billion in cash by selling its internet equity stakes, both openly and covertly.

This cash flow is enough to keep Dongke's major projects running for several years. When it comes to profiting from investors, the key is long-term sustainability. Once the market recovers, they can continue profiting...

Hearing Li Dongling's words, Ning Wen frowned. She sensed a deeper meaning in his tone; Li Dongling didn't seem so optimistic about the seemingly booming internet industry. "In the future, if one day I surpass Bill Gates on the rich list compiled by American media, that day might not be a good thing for Dongke..."

Li Dongling sighed softly. He had a premonition that when that day really came, after America had dealt with its strategic rivals such as Japan and Bengal, and looked around with its sword drawn, it would probably point its sword at Dongke and prepare to take care of it as well!

Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise, and a blessing may be a misfortune in disguise. Throughout history, many wealthy people, both domestic and foreign, have encountered great trouble after reaching the top of the rich list, and some have even gone from being the richest man to being a prisoner.

Even Bill Gates is not excited about retaining his title as the richest man in the world; instead, he is overwhelmed by the mess Microsoft has left behind.

In his past life, to save Microsoft, Bill Gates, at the height of his power, had to resign as CEO to quell public discontent. In plain terms, Bill Gates' reputation in America was so terrible he was universally disliked; his departure actually improved Microsoft's image...

If Li Dongling were to become the world's richest man one day, we shouldn't be happy, but rather prepare for the troubles that might follow!
Although Li Dongling didn't care about those net worth rankings, the Hong Kong media were discussing it enthusiastically.

However, since Dongke is not listed, there are naturally differing opinions on Li Dongling's net worth. The biggest controversy is what Dongke's current valuation is. If the valuation is high, then Li Dongling's net worth will soar.

Asia Weekly gave Li Dashan the highest estimated net worth, reaching $68.4 billion, directly surpassing Buffett to become one of the world's top three richest people.

However, some media outlets believe that this valuation is too high, claiming that Li Dongling's net worth has indeed surged this year due to the tech stock boom, but it is far from reaching this level.

However, some tabloids in Hong Kong are rampant with sensationalist headlines, claiming that Li Dashan's net worth has caught up with Bill Gates, and so on.

The media in the port city were abuzz with excitement, arguing fiercely about Li Dongling's worth.

These rumors and reports, while not significantly impacting Li Dongling's net worth, have actually deepened Cyberport's status and influence in Hong Kong.

People are most afraid of making assumptions. When they hear that the big spender of Cyberport has reached such a level of wealth, in a place like Hong Kong where people attach great importance to wealth and status, Cyberport's status naturally becomes much higher.

……

The day after the celebration banquet, Zhou Hongyi, Wang Jiangmin, Qiu Bojun, Lei Jun, and others boarded the Dongke private plane and returned to the mainland.

Li Dongling, on the other hand, had to stay in Hong Kong to continue handling some matters.

While the Hong Kong media were still speculating about Li Dashan's net worth, the internet winds continued to blow fiercely, and 3721's stock price continued to rise, driving up Cyberport's market value as well.

The current internet frenzy hasn't reached its peak yet, and Cyberport's market capitalization is already sprinting towards the HK$500 billion mark.

Li Dongling didn't know how high Cyberport's stock price would rise when the internet frenzy reached its peak early next year. It wouldn't be a problem if it surpassed the HK$600 billion market capitalization of PCCW, which had acquired Hong Kong Telecom in his previous life!
However, Cyberport's continued surge in share issuance is actually a good thing for the upcoming massive share and bond offerings.

"Let's proceed according to this plan!"

Inside the East Tech Building in Hong Kong, Li Dongling signed his name on an acquisition plan and pushed the document to Lin Xianhui and Zhang Yonglin, the president of Hong Kong Telecom.

Zhang Yonglin took a deep breath and carefully picked up the document. The document looked like it was only a few pages long, but if it were to be cashed out, it would be worth more than 2.5 billion US dollars!
This is the first step in Hong Kong City Telecom's overseas expansion, with its target being Malaysia's second-ranked Maxis Telecom and third-ranked Digi Telecom!

Zhang Yonglin did not target Celcom Telecom, the number one telecommunications company in Malaysia, for acquisition. Instead, he planned to acquire the second and third largest companies in a package deal and then compete with Celcom Telecom for the top spot!
Celcom's parent company is Telekom Malaysia, a Malaysian state-owned enterprise. Acquiring such a company naturally presents obstacles, as is the case worldwide. Even after painstakingly acquiring it, one still has to contend with the deeply entrenched power dynamics within Celcom, especially its rigid internal systems, which require radical changes. One wrong move and it could be destroyed...

Maxis and Digi Telecom are private telecommunications companies in Malaysia. After the acquisition, no matter what happens, they will not face those problems.

What Hong Kong City Telecom needs to do is acquire and integrate the two companies: Maxis Telecom will focus on city telecom and high-end users, while Digi Telecom will focus on cost-effectiveness and young users.

The entire acquisition was planned to be completed by Hong Kong City Telecom for US$2.5 billion, but Hong Kong City Telecom did not intend to pay much cash, but instead used Cyberport shares to complete the acquisition!

This is similar to overseas telecom giants, embarking on a path of expansion and using Cyberport shares as cash.

If the acquisition of Telekom Malaysia is completed, City Telecom will then use Cyberport shares to expand southward into the telecommunications markets of Siam, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and even Cochinchina.

Over the next year and a half, Cyberport will enter a period of frenzied mergers and acquisitions. As long as Cyberport shares don't become worthless, they'll spend them like crazy!
Zhang Yonglin had just stepped out of the office with the acquisition plan when Li Dongling's phone rang, and Andrew's voice came from the other end.

"The Reynolds board of directors agrees to Ruyan Company's proposal!"

(End of this chapter)