The world is in trouble

Chapter 311 Microsoft's Visit! Huge Achievements!
Lin Xiao has been in this world for eight years now.

For a long time, he felt he would stay in Shanghai, so he bought a house on Huaihai Road early on. Even Li Shuang happily bought a large detached house in Changning and spent a lot of time decorating it. It not only had Lin Xiao's room, but also rooms for other family members.

As a result, after that incident four and a half years ago, Lin Xiao, Xiao Momo, and Lian Yi all left Shanghai.

In recent years, Lin Xiao has returned to Shanghai very rarely, and has basically been living a nomadic life.

It has been almost ten months since Lin Xiao and Xiao Momo got married.

For the past ten months, Xiao Momo and Lin Yiyi have spent most of their time at Lin Xiao's hometown, commuting 100 kilometers to and from get off work three days a week.

But now, those days are almost over.

Because little Lin Yiyi is going to kindergarten, the one in the castle in Linshan County. It not only has a playground and a library, but also a very good kindergarten, and it started enrolling students the year before last. By the time Lin Yiyi goes in, it will be the third cohort.

During this period of time, Lin Yiyi has been completely wild in Daye Village.

She experienced autumn, winter, and summer here.

It even experienced a super snowstorm, the worst in a decade.

She went up mountains, down rivers, and frolicked in the fields.

I learned about countless kinds of wildflowers, ate many kinds of wild fruits, and was even taken by teenage girls to catch small fish and crabs in the river.

Therefore, she was unwilling to return to the city, and even less willing to go to school.

She didn't cry, she just looked at her father and mother pitifully.

Finding that it wasn't working, they looked at their grandparents and great-grandparents with even more pitiful eyes.

Instantly, the hearts of the four elderly people melted.

But... it still didn't work.

School should be attended.

Moreover, Lin Xiao's new house in Linshan County has also been built.

Two days before the start of the school term, the family made a simple move and moved into a new house near the mountain.

To be precise, this is not a house, but a small residential area.

There are about a dozen buildings, with first-class landscaping.

Xia Xi, Li Shuang, Lucas, and even Bai Xiaoping and Li Zhongtian all have houses here.

After the initial reluctance to leave, little Lin Yiyi is now filled with anticipation for her new life in kindergarten.

"Will my teacher like me?"

"Will the kids like me?"

She and her grandmother meticulously packed her little schoolbag, preparing her little dress for school the next day and what snacks to bring to share with the kindergarten children.

Lin Xiao and Xiao Momo were in the study; she was grading homework.

Lin Xiao, on the other hand, was watching TV.

This neighborhood is special in some ways, such as being able to watch TV programs from all over the world. At this moment, Lin Xiao is watching an American program.

"Without a doubt, Google has now begun to gain the upper hand in this war."

"It's not that Google is better or Android is better. On the contrary, I think the Quantum Technology X operating system is better."

"Previously, the X operating system may have lagged slightly behind Android in terms of underlying technology, but after more than a year of updates, quantum technology has completely closed that gap."

"As for the interaction logic, Google's Android has made great progress, but I feel that it has added too many features. To put it bluntly, it is imitating the X operating system in many, many functions."

"On the contrary, the X operating system is very restrained in the development of new features. I can feel that they are thinking deeply about what users really need. Almost every time a feature is added or removed, it is full of trade-offs."

"Therefore, as a professional in this field, I believe that the X operating system is a superior system."

"But I am very pessimistic about the future of quantum technology and this battle of systems. Google is too powerful, its fault tolerance is too high, and it has too many giants supporting it. So as long as it doesn't make strategic mistakes, Android users will increase and Google's advantage will grow. And when this advantage becomes too great, it will completely knock the X operating system out of the market."

"Based on my prediction, under normal business conditions, the global mobile operating system market can only accommodate a maximum of two giants, which, as expected, will be Android and iOS. One is open source, and the other is closed source."

The host asked, "Dr. Roland, Microsoft's management team will be visiting China soon, focusing on quantum technology. Do you think this will bring new variables to the current operating system war?"

Dr. Roland: "If Microsoft can fully support quantum technology, it will indeed change the balance of the whole scale. Because Microsoft has a huge influence on a global scale, once it starts to get involved, at least many of the world's mobile phone manufacturing giants will not go all in to support Google, but will hedge their bets."

"But the key question is whether Microsoft can fully support quantum technology? Can it completely abandon its own Windows Mobile? I think it's very, very difficult."

"Based on my understanding of Microsoft, even if it supports quantum technology, it will be to a limited extent, treating it merely as a buffer. The global wave of smartphone intelligence is inevitable, but Microsoft is already slightly behind in this game. Its new operating system has not yet been released and may not be available until next year or even later."

"Therefore, it cannot allow quantum technology to lose out too quickly, nor can it allow Android and iOS to dominate the global market too quickly. So its support for quantum technology is merely an attempt to stop Google's rapid expansion; its core objective is still to promote its own Windows Mobile 7."

The host asked, "Based on your judgment, Google was bound to win in the end, but you also felt that the X operating system was superior. Why did it lose the whole battle? Was it because it manufactured phones, while Google didn't?"

Dr. Roland: "That may be one of the reasons, but the most crucial reason is that Quantum Technology is not a global company. Or rather, its global influence is too low. On the contrary, Google has a strong presence in the global technology industry, which made it clear to everyone last year that the X operating system was more advanced, but almost all the major mobile phone manufacturers still chose Android instead of Quantum Technology."

"And what's really sad is that quantum technology has produced some of the best products and caused a huge sensation. But it is precisely because of this sensation and success that it has triggered a revolution in smartphones ahead of schedule and expanded the entire market even further. However, because quantum technology is not powerful enough, it cannot enjoy the market it has created, and instead it benefits Google."

"The sales figures of the Samsung I7500 show that despite being a product with mixed reviews, it still sold extremely well. The astonishing sales of the Motorola Droid further prove that brand value is even more important for mobile phones."

Host: "As an expert in this field, how do you think Mr. Lin Xiao should solve this problem?"

Dr. Roland: "It's very difficult, almost impossible. In fact, Mr. Lin Xiao has not made any mistakes from the beginning until now. Every step he has taken has been precise and successful. But often, weakness is the original sin. He saw the core of the problem very early on, so he has been making powerful allies all along. Whether it's Texas Instruments or Sony, he has given up huge profits. Moreover, he has been lobbying major mobile phone manufacturers to support the X operating system, and is even willing to give up XSOFT shares. He has done everything he can, but he can only watch helplessly as Google's Android conquers territory."

"He is undoubtedly a hero, but in this world, it is often not the heroes who ultimately win, but the villains."

"We can see this from a simple fact: the alliance between Quantum Technology and Texas Instruments is almost unbreakable, and the relationship between Lin Xiao and the chairman of Texas Instruments is also very close. However, this did not stop Texas Instruments from providing Motorola with advanced SOCs, because every company has its own survival philosophy. The friendship between Sony and Lin Xiao is even considered a legend in the industry. More than 50% of the success of Sony Pictures is attributed to Lin Xiao, and he played a crucial role in Sony Electronic Entertainment's victory over the Microsoft Xbox platform. But even now, Sony Ericsson has not stood with Quantum Technology, leaving Quantum Technology to fight alone, being ganged up on by Google and other global mobile phone giants."

"Do you know? Because of Mr. Lin Xiao, I even went to study Chinese history. As a result, I discovered a very interesting and tragic fact: in the later period of every dynasty in China, the hero who first rose up against tyranny often became cannon fodder and was not the real victor."

"It's very sad, but that's the reality."

Lin Xiao watched the program very attentively, and then switched to another channel.

His popularity on American television at that time was exceptionally high.

The new channel is broadcasting news related to "2012".

"To date, '2012' has grossed over one billion US dollars worldwide."

"This achievement already puts us first in the world in 2009."

"Of that, $2.5 million came from North American box office and $7.5 million from other markets!"

"This is very, very special. North American box office only accounts for a quarter of the global market, and what surprises us even more is that the Chinese market box office has reached an astonishing two hundred million US dollars!"

"This may be the highest box office record in a single market outside of North America."

"Two hundred million US dollars is an unattainable sum for any market outside of North America, yet the Chinese market has broken through it so easily."

"This is not only of extraordinary significance to Chinese films, but also a huge boost to the global film market. Undoubtedly, it will make other Hollywood giants pay more attention to the Chinese market."

On television, Sony Columbia and Dreamworld are hosting a grand celebration dinner to celebrate "2012" surpassing one billion US dollars in global box office revenue.

This banquet was truly star-studded.

It's still about the leader of the "Two Dogs" cult; the entire network is previewing the fourth season of "Breaking Bad."

Before we knew it, this show had reached its fourth season.

Switch to another channel, and the news is reporting on the patent infringement lawsuit between Google and Quantum Technology.

Unwittingly, Lian Yi's beautiful face appeared on the television screen.

At this moment, Xiao Momo, who was grading homework, looked up and started watching TV.

The lawsuit between Google and Quantum Technology has been going on for almost a year and a half, and it will continue.

Quantum Technology has already spent tens of millions of dollars on legal fees alone.

However, things might be a bit more economical going forward, as Lian Yi, a Yale Law School PhD, is gaining increasing weight in this lawsuit.

Although her status and qualifications were far inferior to Ms. Gerken's, Lian Yi had the strongest desire to win, and she devoted the most effort to this lawsuit.

Ms. Gerken has many businesses and is seeking more political resources and a higher position.

Only Lian Yi regarded this lawsuit as the most important battle of her life.

Xiao Momo left her seat, came to Lin Xiao's lap, hugged his neck, and puckered her lips to kiss him.

At this moment, little Lin Yiyi, dressed in a new dress, skipped and hopped into the study.

"Mom, Dad, will this dress look good on me when I go to kindergarten tomorrow?" But when she came in, she found her mother sitting on her father's lap and kissing him.

Immediately, Lin Yiyi covered her eyes, but did not leave.

However, with her sharp eyes, she spotted Lian Yi on TV and pointed at her with her little finger, saying, "Auntie, Auntie..."

Mr. Bill Gates ultimately did not come.

Because of his high rank, his visit would inevitably require significant collaborative results. However, after extensive evaluation, the Microsoft team concluded that this visit to quantum technology was unlikely to yield the expected substantial achievements.

So, it was Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer who came as usual.

But to show how much importance he attached to the visit, he brought a large team of dozens of people.

If it were Bill Gates coming, the reception would be very high-level, and Lin Xiao would probably have to go directly to Beijing.

Steve Ballmer didn't receive the same level of support, but Quantum Technology, Lightning Entertainment, and high-ranking officials from Zhejiang Province all went to the airport to greet him.

The first to negotiate were relevant leaders from national departments and senior executives from Zhijiang.

Ballmer first visited Shanghai, and then Hangzhou.

It wasn't until the third day that they went to Ning City for a formal visit to Quantum Technology.

When he arrived at the quantum technology industrial park, he was slightly taken aback because the entire industrial park was so huge.

“If I’m not mistaken, the entire industrial park is less than four years old,” Ballmer asked.

Lin Xiao: "Yes."

Today, the entire industrial park includes X Semiconductor, Xsoft, X Research Institute, X Innovation Lab, Quantum Technology Factory, Linxia Optoelectronics, and many others.

It covers an area of ​​over 2,000 mu.

The entire industrial park now has more than tens of thousands of employees.

It really only took four years, and most of the credit for that belongs to Lien Cheng.

Quantum Technology and Ningbo City hosted the Microsoft team with extremely high protocol.

Previously, when he was at Facebook in the US, he received a very high level of hospitality, and this time it was even higher.

………………

After all the ceremonies were completed, the two sides entered into private talks.

"Lin, let me first tell you what Microsoft can offer you."

"First of all, it's money, lots and lots of money, in the billions of dollars."

"Moreover, in this lawsuit between you and Google, if Microsoft gets involved, it will cause Google a lot of trouble."

"Because we all know that it infringes on more of your patents than you infringe on its patents."

"In addition, I can get at least three hardware manufacturers—Motorola, Samsung, and Lianxiang—to produce phones running the X operating system."

Lin Xiao: "It's about parallel development, not excluding the Android system, right?"

Ballmer: "Of course, no one can make them abandon Android and completely switch to the X operating system right now, not even Microsoft."

"But even developing in parallel is very important to you, right?"

"If this trend continues, Android's market share will far exceed that of the X operating system. Once this gap reaches a certain point, no amount of effort will be of any use."

"Lin, now please tell me, what are you giving us?"

Lin Xiao thought for a moment: "What do you want?"

Ballmer: "Xsoft owns more than 45% of the shares, and Quantum Technologies owns more than 30% of the shares."

Lin Xiao: "30% of Xsoft's shares and 25% of Quantum Technology's shares."

Upon hearing this, Ballmer was slightly taken aback.

He had been dealing with Lin Xiao for four years, and although the process was not pleasant, he still had some understanding of Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao is a very determined person, and also very difficult to deal with.

Moreover, he would offer the highest price he could, but it was also his bottom line. Therefore, Ballmer was genuinely surprised by Lin Xiao's generosity—why was he willing to give up so many shares?

"But there is one condition," Lin Xiao emphasized.

Ballmer: "Go ahead."

Lin Xiao: "Microsoft has completely abandoned the development of mobile operating systems and fully supports the X operating system globally."

Ballmer sighed inwardly; it was indeed this condition.

In the past, he would have definitely scoffed at it, or even turned away and laughed out loud.

But now, he doesn't do that.

Although quantum technology is currently facing fierce competition from Google and numerous mobile phone giants, and its momentum is somewhat precarious, Lin Xiao's other businesses remain very strong, although their market capitalization is not publicly disclosed due to their lack of listing.

However, after repeated estimates by Microsoft, the combined market value of all of Lin Xiao's businesses has reached an astonishing figure.

Without anyone noticing, he had become very powerful, at least to the point of earning Microsoft's respect.

After a long pause, Ballmer said, "Lin, you know this is impossible."

Lin Xiao: "Yes, I know."

They won't give up until they hit rock bottom. Although Microsoft has already sensed the danger in the mobile operating system market, they still believe they are very powerful and have a great chance of making a comeback.

These giants will never give up until the very last moment.

Historically, in order to promote its own mobile operating system, Microsoft eventually spent a huge sum of money to acquire Nokia's mobile phone division.

Lin Xiao: "But, this is a good start, isn't it?"

Ballmer: "Of course."

Lin Xiao: "However, I also want to tell you that these are just my current conditions. If we talk again next year or the year after, the conditions will change."

Ballmer: "The same is true for us. But Lin, you rejected Microsoft's offer this time, and I'm worried about whether your quantum technology can survive until next year, or even the year after."

"Of course, China's support for you is strong enough that quantum technology can survive even relying solely on the Chinese market. But without the global market, the X operating system will completely lose the opportunity to compete on equal footing with Google, and it will also completely lose the opportunity to become a global operating system."

"And we, Microsoft, are the most powerful ally you can find right now."

Lin Xiao: "Yes, but unfortunately Microsoft's support for us is not strong enough."

Ballmer: "If Texas Instruments wasn't supportive enough for you, how could they be for us?"

Lin Xiao: "Actually, we have never been demanding of Texas Instruments in this regard."

Moreover, the joint venture between Texas Instruments and Quantum Technology is becoming increasingly independent and may even become a competitor of Texas Instruments in the future.

All relationships are in a state of dynamic change.

Ballmer was about to say, "Then why are you making such a demanding request of Microsoft?"

But in the end, he didn't say it.

Then, Ballmer shrugged and said, "Lin, are you just going to let me go back to America empty-handed?"

Lin Xiao: "All the games in my entire system can be released on the Xbox platform. Of course, I'm very sorry, but in order to fulfill the gentleman's agreement with Sony, Fallout: New Vegas will not be released on the Xbox platform for another six months. Even future games like The Last of Us, Fallout, and The Witcher series will also be released on the Xbox platform at least six months later, in accordance with the agreement. But apart from these series, all the related game IPs controlled by me can be released on both PS and Xbox platforms simultaneously."

Ballmer breathed a sigh of relief!

Lin Xiao finally relented, even though he still didn't get anything from Microsoft, he still extended an olive branch.

Lin Xiao: "In addition, the X operating system is willing to exchange a large number of patents with Microsoft's mobile operating system to achieve mutual patent licensing."

"Of course, Facebook is also willing to give up a certain number of shares to Microsoft, but it's a very, very small amount."

Ballmer picked up the coffee in front of him and drank it almost in one gulp.

He gained more from this visit than he had imagined, and his understanding of Lin Xiao has deepened.

This person is indeed very generous; he is willing to pay a huge price to form an alliance.

Of course, this is also based on a very important judgment by Lin Xiao.

That would be a complete defeat for Microsoft in the mobile operating system market. After its complete failure, it will eventually return to Lin Xiao's camp.

Lin Xiao's generosity now is for the sake of what will happen in a few years.

The profits from mobile operating systems are enormous. Even if Android is eventually surpassed, quantum technology will be difficult to master. This is where Microsoft's support becomes crucial.

He has always been generous with benefits and advantages to bind powerful allies.

........................

Note: I'm done writing, I'm going to eat now! If you have any monthly votes, please continue to bestow them upon me, okay?
(End of this chapter)