Return to 1958 and build a century-old giant

Chapter 843 Apple's Launch
“Okay, there are indeed some preconditions on our side before the project can begin,” He Guoyuan replied.

The requirements for a project will be different before and after it is finalized. The first step is to establish the foundation for cooperation. Once this is agreed upon and the project is confirmed, then we can discuss various details that will follow.

When Yang Wendong announced his intention to invest in mainland universities, the deal was practically a done deal unless there was opposition from the mainland. However, the mainland side is currently unaware of this, so negotiations are still necessary to safeguard their own interests, both before and after the project.

Zhang Guangdou immediately took out his notebook, ready to write it down, and said, "Please speak, Mr. He."

He Guoyuan said, "We will fund the university investment, but we need to invite people from major universities in mainland China to teach the students. The requirements for educational talent will be no less than those for Fudan University in Shanghai."

“Fudan University? That’s a bit high a requirement, but I’ll make a note of it.” Zhang Guangdou didn’t say much. He couldn’t make the decision on this matter; he could only make a simple judgment based on his experience.
"Haha, this is just what we've said so far; we still need to negotiate the details." He Guoyuan smiled. In fact, they were also willing to make exorbitant demands, so that they could save face later.

He then added, "Within the university, we will fund the purchase of various advanced Western equipment, and we will handle the foreign exchange costs. However, the patents for the research results developed within the university belong to us."

Zhang Guangdou also felt that this requirement was a bit harsh, and said, "I don't think it will be easy to pass this requirement."

“Let’s write this down first,” He Guoyuan continued. “After the school is established, a board of directors will be formed. We require that half of the board members be included, and we also need the right to monitor the school’s finances.”

“Monitoring finances should be possible, but what does the board of directors mean? Can a school be operated like a company?” Zhang Guangdou asked, puzzled.

He Guoyuan countered, "Doesn't Zhang Sheng understand the Western school board model?"

"I'm not quite sure about that," Zhang Guangdou admitted.
He was able to be sent to Hong Kong because he must be one of the mainland's most knowledgeable people about overseas affairs, but he doesn't necessarily know everything. After all, in Hong Kong, he doesn't need to know much about things overseas.

He Guoyuan said, "Your side can look into this matter. It's quite complicated, and I can't explain it clearly. In short, we need to have certain rights in the future management of the school."

"Okay, I'll write it down first," Zhang Guangdou said.

This matter will inevitably affect the entire domestic education system, and he needs to be cautious. He can't make any promises now, not even verbal ones. He just needs to focus on being a communicator. Once the matter is communicated to the domestic community, it will no longer concern him much.

He Guoyuan continued, "Another issue is the site selection. We should also have the right to veto it, and of course, your side should too."

"Of course, the location for building this university naturally requires negotiation," Zhang Guangdou said with a smile.

It takes two to tango; with money on one side and land on the other, both have veto power.

"And another thing," He Guoyuan continued, reiterating his conditions;
Some are normal, while others are more difficult. Regardless of whether it will ultimately succeed, we must bring it up ourselves.

Zhang Guangdou also took notes, occasionally offering his own opinions, but these were just opinions, meant to prepare He Guoyuan's side for what might be agreed upon domestically and what might be contentious, etc.
After He Guoyuan left, Zhang Guangdou immediately summoned his secretary and said, "Buy a plane ticket to Yanjing for the next few days. I need to go back to Yanjing immediately."

"Yes," the secretary replied.
Within a few days, in Yanjing City, the location of the Ministry of Education, more than a dozen people gathered together:
"Gentlemen, what are your opinions on this matter?" asked a man in blue who was in the lead.

“It’s not right for Hong Kong capital to build a university for us. Will the higher-ups agree?” one person asked cautiously. This was a prerequisite; if the higher-ups didn’t agree, then all their months of discussion would be in vain.

The man in blue said, "I have already informed my superiors about this matter. They didn't object; they just wanted us to make contact first. If the conditions are right, then we can consider it."

"That's good." The group below began to discuss: "The conditions in Hong Kong are still very demanding. School management also gets involved. In addition, the people we train are given priority to work for them. Doesn't that mean we're training talent for them? And we'll lose our own talent?"

Many people have strong opinions about this, arguing that it's turning into a training ground for Hong Kong capitalists.

The man in blue said, "These conditions are indeed a bit harsh, but I've also done business with overseas companies. They're probably asking for an exorbitant amount, but we can still negotiate. I reckon that after some discussion, a certain percentage will go to Hong Kong companies, and the rest will go to our own domestic companies."

"In that case, who gets priority?" someone else asked.

“That requires discussion,” the man in blue said. “We need to negotiate internally first, and determine our bottom line based on Hong Kong’s demands. Once we’ve determined our bottom line, we can then talk to Hong Kong.”

This is the first time since China's reform and opening up that overseas capital has been used to build a university, especially one in Hong Kong. Therefore, the higher authorities are taking it very seriously, and we must be even more cautious.

"Yes, Director Wang," many people replied.
Director Wang continued, "In addition, this matter has not yet been made public in Hong Kong; it is top secret and only a few people know about it. Therefore, it also needs to be kept secret here as well."
Once overseas media find out first, we'll be under scrutiny. If negotiations fail, it could potentially impact the achievements of reform and opening up. So, I don't need to elaborate on what to do. Even family members can't be mentioned yet; we'll announce it after the higher-ups have reached an agreement with Hong Kong.

"Yes," everyone agreed.

At this moment, someone asked, "Director Wang, I think the most important thing now is to determine where to build this school."

"Of course it's Beijing! The strongest electronics industry in the country is in Beijing." "Yes, it's best to be in Beijing. It can boost employment in Beijing. Recently, there have been many young people returning to their hometowns. The construction of the school can create a lot of jobs, and it can also boost the economy after it's built."

I agree.

“I think Shanghai is also a good option; Yenching University already has quite a few universities.”

"That won't do. There are many universities in Yenching, but this university will have all kinds of advanced Western equipment and won't lack foreign exchange. Other schools can learn from it and maybe even get some equipment."

"Actually, I think it would be better to not have a university at all, but instead have Hong Kong capitalists give us foreign exchange so we can buy various equipment and distribute it to different schools, wouldn't that be better?"

This suggestion immediately garnered widespread praise, as many universities in China also lack foreign exchange.
Seeing the group of people below having some wild ideas, Director Wang quickly said, "The university matter has been settled. Don't think of any other crooked ideas. You just found out about the situation today, so go back and think it over carefully before you speak."

"Director Wang, please consider my opinion. Dozens of universities in the country are currently lacking foreign exchange and equipment. Instead of building a university, why not use that foreign exchange more effectively?" the person who made the suggestion said cautiously.

“Your idea is indeed good, but Hong Kong will never agree to it, so forget about it.” Director Wang shook his head and said, “Hong Kong capital also has its own agenda. The university will definitely be built. If other schools want foreign exchange sponsorship, they can go and talk to them themselves. Maybe they can get some. But what you said is absolutely impossible.”

As a seasoned politician, he also knew that Hong Kong capitalists who donated to universities were doing so for prestige, or at least that was one of their purposes; similar practices existed in Europe and America as well.
Seeing this, everyone quieted down, their minds also focused on these requirements. With such an important matter added, they would be busy for a while in the future.

Yang Wendong was unaware of what was happening on the mainland and didn't care much about it. Donating to a university was something that several Hong Kong capitalists had done in the past. He was now much wealthier than those people, so building a university was no big deal for him, and it would also help his group.

Most importantly, like museums, universities can be passed down forever. Even if the buildings are old and rebuilt a hundred years later, the university still exists, and so does its history. Hundreds of years later, the names of the founders will still be remembered at prestigious universities.

Many wealthy Western figures of the past, such as Rockefeller and Morgan, were happy to donate to universities, top hospitals, large libraries, museums, and so on. This was partly to avoid taxes, and partly because these projects ensured their names would be remembered for generations to come.
Yang Wendong also values ​​this. Being able to leave a mark on history is more meaningful than making more money now. After all, money is just a number to him.

However, although it is just a number, the more numbers we have, the more things we can accomplish.

May arrived quickly, and Yang Wendong once again boarded his own plane and headed to the United States. The most important thing for him was that Apple was about to go public.
Originally, Apple was scheduled to go public in December of this year, but perhaps due to its own butterfly effect, early investors in Apple, as well as various channels and supply and production assistance in the mid-term, enabled Apple to develop faster and meet the Nasdaq listing requirements earlier, thus going public ahead of schedule.

As Apple's largest early shareholder, Yang Wendong still holds 31.3% of Apple's shares. This includes not only the initial shares but also those acquired at high prices from other shareholders.
Upon arriving in Los Angeles, Yang Wendong went straight to Apple's headquarters, where he quickly met with Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and others.

"Congratulations, Jobs and Wozniak! Apple is about to go public, and I heard the market value is expected to exceed $15 billion. You two will become billionaires," Yang Wendong said, offering his congratulations directly.

Historically, Apple's market capitalization on its first day of trading was $17.78 billion. While it may have changed somewhat, it should be roughly the same, or even better, because the existence of Best Buy has made Apple's sales performance stronger than ever before.
This was also one of Yang Wendong's goals. On the one hand, Apple computers were already selling well, which was a big business for Best Buy. On the other hand, it was to make Apple's pre-IPO data look better, so as to earn more profits in the financial market. Finance is much more profitable than Apple itself.

Jobs laughed and said, "Congratulations! You're now a major shareholder of Apple. I also recently learned that Best Buy's valuation is already $18 billion. That was its first valuation, so its future potential is immeasurable."

“Haha, Best Buy is based on huge real estate assets. In essence, it belongs to the traditional industry and is the result of my more than ten years of hard work.” Yang Wendong smiled and said, “Perhaps it has a higher market value than Apple at present, but in terms of potential, it still can’t compare to Apple.”

Best Buy's financing was a secret in the United States, known only to a few people on Wall Street. Yang Wendong also deliberately kept it a secret. However, with the explosive growth of the electronics industry, Best Buy became a channel giant and was favored by other capital. Even competitors emerged. After all, the previous financing was not a state secret, and over time, people with some ability found out.

No one in Hong Kong knows about this yet, otherwise it would definitely be top headline news. However, it can't be kept secret forever; sooner or later, people will find out. Yang Wendong is just letting things take their course. Now that things have come to this point, it's time for him to showcase his strength in the global market so that he can more easily cooperate with many giants.

"Haha, Eric, you have amazing foresight! You were preparing for this more than a decade ago. I admire you," Jobs remarked.

In terms of potential, Apple is definitely stronger than Best Buy, but Apple is now facing a lot of competition and pressure, especially with IBM entering the market.

Best Buy's business has been successful and is basically risk-free. Regardless of whose computer it is, everyone has to use this terminal for sales and after-sales service. It is a type of business that is not extremely profitable but very stable.

At this point, Wozniak said, "Eric, your Honor's newly launched split-type computer is very good, and I am very interested in it. In addition, there are some patents that I think Apple should purchase the rights to use from you."

“That’s easy to discuss. We can talk about it after Apple goes public,” Yang Wendong nodded and said.

Jobs said, "Okay, many of Apple's investors are here too. Remember, let's go to Nasdaq together to ring the bell the day after tomorrow."

“Okay, no problem,” Yang Wendong readily agreed.
Because of his existence, it's hard to say what the future holds for Apple, but given Jobs' inventive abilities, even if he had first created the smartphone, he might have still been able to develop other products.
This guy's inventions are truly amazing; I have to admire them.
Two days later, at the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, witnessed by countless reporters, Jobs, Wozniak, and a group of investment institutions rang the bell to mark Apple's IPO.

A future electronics giant has successfully gone public.

PS: Please give me a monthly ticket
(End of this chapter)