Reborn since 1993

Chapter 525 Big Shots and Small Shots

Microsoft has been jointly targeted by the American computer hardware industry in the hardware industry for so many years, not allowing Microsoft the slightest chance to intervene. Now that it finally has hope of escaping the predicament, who dares to let Microsoft give up this opportunity?
And this time, the living room strategy mentioned by Bill Gates is indeed ambitious. Once the cooperation with Dongling Hi-Tech is completed, Microsoft will enter the computer, game console, and TV set-top box industries in one fell swoop. In the future, it will even launch various hardware devices such as TVs. Who dares to say that Microsoft is not strong?

Compared with the potential benefits Microsoft may get, the Intel-Microsoft alliance is not that important. After all, even if Intel chips support other operating systems, it can't shake Microsoft's position in the operating system.

With this wave, Microsoft's stock price is expected to soar significantly, and Wall Street will see Microsoft's determination in new fields and have expectations. Only then can the stock price and market value rise!

Therefore, even Microsoft executives who were flirting with Intel and people who were dissatisfied with Bill Gates, such as Paul Allen's representative on the board of directors, did not dare to directly oppose Bill Gates. They had to support him. Only when the project failed could they give him a beating.

……

"Get me connected to Bill Gates right now!"

Intel President Grove, who was rushing to the airport, angrily shouted at his assistant in a Hungarian accent.

This emperor of Intel was born in Hungary. Compared with Americans who grew up eating beef and drinking milk, he was ugly and short.

But it was he who led Intel to unprecedented glory and made him the true emperor of Intel.

Grove was paranoid, aggressive, and prone to temper tantrums, but he was highly capable, had a keen vision, and was more hardworking than a donkey. He led Intel all the way to its current position where it influences the global computer industry. No matter what brand of computer, everyone wants to have an Intel chip installed. This is Grove's credit. He successfully linked computers with Intel.

But now, the Intel emperor is very unhappy. He feels betrayed. He received news that Microsoft, a staunch ally in the Intel alliance, is going to port Microsoft operating systems to other new brands of chips!
When Grove heard the news, he was furious. He felt deeply betrayed and angry. This was not only a betrayal of Intel, but Grove felt more like a provocation to him, a provocation that he, the emperor, was old and could no longer lift a knife!
The core of the alliance between Microsoft and Intel is the X86 architecture. Over the past years, all of Microsoft's operating systems have been developed based on this architecture. This allows a computer using an Intel chip to run more smoothly and stably, with fewer software problems.

Even the chips developed by Intel's arch-rival AMD are based on the X86 architecture. This alliance has ensured Intel's huge advantage in the chip industry. No rival can easily surpass Intel, and some even have to buy architecture licenses from Intel.

Even if we develop a chip that is more advanced than Intel's, it will not be usable if Microsoft systems do not support it, and it will not be sold even if it is produced.

He asked his assistant to call Bill Gates. Although he was angry, there was a hint of worry in his eyes. The sudden change in Microsoft made Grove wonder if Microsoft had received any news and whether the news of his cancer had leaked out.

This news has not been announced to the public yet. This year is very special. If the news that he has cancer and needs treatment is announced, it would be hard to say whether he can keep his position as the emperor of Intel.

Grove once said that he would retire at the age of 57. After all, how could the head of a technology company still be in office when he is in his sixties or seventies? For a technology company that focuses on innovation, if the head is an old man with rigid thinking, how can he lead the company forward?
But Grove broke his promise. He is sixty years old this year and still has no intention of retiring. However, if the news of his illness gets out, it will be unreasonable for him to continue to sit on the throne. He wants to cure his illness before announcing the news.

"Connected!"

Just when Grove was in a state of confusion, his assistant's words brought him back to reality. After answering the phone, Grove roared angrily, "Bill, you need to give me an explanation. Is Microsoft going to break up the alliance?"

The roar coming from the phone made Bill Gates, who had just finished a meeting, feel his ears buzzing. He couldn't help but move the phone away. He couldn't help but mutter in his heart that it seemed that old man Grove's condition had stabilized. The intensity of his scolding didn't sound like that of a sick person at all.

Just as Microsoft has its own traitors in Intel, Intel also has its own traitors in Microsoft. For Bill Gates, it was extremely easy to find out information about Grove.

"President Grove, I don't know what you mean!" Bill Gates said "aggrievedly", as if he had no idea what was going on at all.

This made Grove even more angry. "Bill, do you know what I'm talking about? What's going on with that company called Dongxin Semiconductor?"

"damn it!"

Grove, a big man, got wind of the news so quickly that Bill Gates cursed angrily and felt like he was going to teach Microsoft's traitor a lesson. The speed at which the news was tipped off was too damn fast.

Knowing that he couldn't hide it anymore, Bill Gates was too lazy to pretend, "Grove, calm down!"

“Since you know about this, you should have heard more news. Microsoft and Dongxin’s parent company Dongling Hi-Tech have reached a comprehensive cooperation agreement!
Transplanting the operating system for Dongxin's chips is just a "small" cooperation, which will not affect Intel! "

But Grove didn't care about that. "But that's a MIPS architecture chip. This has never happened before. Microsoft's support for the MIPS architecture will give Intel many more competitors!" "I know!"

Hearing Grove's continuous angry remarks and scolding him as if he were an Intel employee, Bill Gates also became a little angry.

"I told you, Intel doesn't need to worry!"

“I remember the Microsoft-Intel alliance better than anyone!
In the agreement signed between Microsoft and Dongling Hi-Tech, the system update time for the transplantation of Dongxin's chip system is stipulated to be one to three months later than that of Intel chips. The latest generation of Microsoft system will be launched on Dongxin three months later than Intel!

In addition, Microsoft's system transplantation of the MIPS architecture is limited to Dongxin. Dongxin is not allowed to authorize, transfer, or sell the operating system to other MIPS chip manufacturers. Otherwise, Microsoft will stop cooperating! "

Bill Gates said to Grove in a cold voice that Microsoft was afraid of Intel after all and did not want to over-provoke it, so Bill Gates also decided during the negotiation with Li Dongling that even if the Microsoft system transplanted MIPS architecture chips, it would only support chips from Dongxin Semiconductor, and would not support products from other chip companies with the same architecture. There were also some other harsh terms.

After hearing about Microsoft's terms for Dongxin, Grove felt a little relieved. There are many powerful chip manufacturers for the MIPS architecture, especially MIPS, the developer of the MIPS architecture, whose chip research and development capabilities are still very strong.

Workstations and game consoles from companies such as DEC, Epson, Nippon Electric, and Nintendo are all equipped with MIPS architecture chips. However, they cannot compete with Intel in the computer industry, not because MIPS is incompetent.

"But Microsoft still betrayed the Intel alliance, leaving Intel with a future rival..."

"Come on, Grover!"

Bill Gates couldn't help but sneer, "How could a small, second-rate chip company in Asia make Intel nervous?"

"Grove, as long as you say in person that Intel is afraid of Dongxin, I will immediately tear up the cooperation agreement between Microsoft and Dongling Hi-Tech, and give Intel another three, five, or ten years. When Intel is no longer afraid of Dongxin, Microsoft will start cooperating with Dongling Hi-Tech in the hardware business. What do you think?"

Hearing this wave of taunting, Grove was so angry that his liver hurt. "That's different, Bill!"

But when he said this, Grove seemed a little lacking in confidence. It was true that he was going to blame Microsoft, but... he couldn't admit that he was afraid of a small, second-rate chip company that he had never met before. If that happened, where would he, the emperor of Intel, put his face?

"Bill, I don't want this to happen again next time!"

Hearing the busy tone on the phone, Grove angrily dropped the phone. He knew that the cooperation between Microsoft and Dongxin could not be stopped.

In fact, Grove is not worried about the cooperation between Microsoft and Dongxin. Even if a small chip company has the support of Microsoft system, can it really make a big splash?

However, Grove is afraid of accidents. This time Microsoft supports Dongxin, which chip manufacturer will it support next time?
In order to avoid it happening again, Grove must show his attitude, lest someone really emerges to threaten Intel's existence in the future. As for Doxin Semiconductor, Grove snorted coldly and said, "Just crush it to death!"
"Should we still go to Seattle?" Seeing that they had arrived at the airport and Grove and Bill Gates seemed to have reached an agreement, the assistant asked Grove in a low voice.

"Go, why not go!"

Grove glared and said that his going to Seattle had nothing to do with reaching an agreement with Bill Gates.

Grove went there purely to show off his acting skills. After all, Microsoft licensing its system to chips of other architectures was a huge negative for Intel. He had to go to Seattle to "protest", sign an agreement, make a statement, stabilize morale and increase the stock price. Otherwise, what was the point of having him as the emperor of Intel?

……

As soon as Nasdaq opened the next day, Microsoft, with a market value of 3 billion US dollars, staged a scene of an elephant dancing, with its stock price soaring by %, a straight-line rise!
This scene surprised countless investors and even Wall Street institutions. They didn't know what happened, but Microsoft's stock price suddenly skyrocketed.

It wasn't until a report in the Seattle Times was quickly reported by media in Washington State and other states in the United States that Microsoft's living room strategy suddenly emerged, and the outside world knew what had happened.

(End of this chapter)