Hollywood Director 1992.

Chapter 321: Jobs, do you eat apples?

The two of them were accidentally discovered working overtime in the company by Monica and Jennifer.

Everyone is very dissatisfied with Liu Xiaoli's cheating behavior, believing that her behavior seriously affects the income of others and must be strictly prohibited.

After deliberation by the family committee, it was decided to deduct Liu Xiaoli's opportunity to share the main building bedroom resources twice this month as a punishment.

Others should take this as a warning, abide by the rules and not make the same mistake again.

But as the person involved, Link knew that this kind of thing would happen again and again. Even the two core members, Monica and Jennifer, would violate it many times, not to mention others.

The last time Liu Xiaoli was discovered was because her acting skills were so poor.

Whether it was the tone of her voice, the way she walked, her movements, her expressions, or anything else, it all revealed what she had done.

The others had better acting skills and they covered it up afterwards and didn’t wander around the villa, so ordinary people couldn’t notice it.

The next day, Saturday, the weather was nice.

The sun is clear and the white clouds are leisurely in Beverly Hills. The spring breeze turns the trees and jungles on both sides of the boulevard green, turns the azaleas and Diana roses in the botanical garden red, and blows up the hair and skirts of the beauties on the runway. The air is full of spring.

In the morning, Link got up early to exercise, playing tennis, badminton and doing aerobics with a few women.

After training, Link began to measure his weight.

Since last year, every time his physical fitness improved, he would undergo physical tests, including weight, height, endurance, lung capacity, stamina, 100-meter speed, 10,000-meter speed, 100-kilogram lift/clean and jerk, reaction ability, etc.

His current height is 187 cm, which is 92 cm taller than in 0.7, a small change.

My weight is 105 kg, 92 kg more than at the beginning of 32.

Although he weighs more than ten kilograms more than the standard weight, he does not look fat at all, and he does not have as much excess fat as a bodybuilder.

His muscles are still strong and well-proportioned, with noticeable increases in muscle density and hardness, and his actual weight is heavier than what he visually estimates.

Monica and others often said that he didn't look heavy, but he felt very heavy on them.

There are also data such as endurance, lung capacity, and stamina. The current measured changes are not significant. After a period of time, when he has fully adapted to the 25% physical fitness bonus, the data changes will be more obvious.

At his current level, the best athletes in the world are not even one-tenth as good as him.

If the system subsidies were not calculated only in the film industry, he would be able to make a lot of money as an athlete.

At noon, at the urging of several women, Link changed his clothes and went shopping in the commercial district at the foot of the mountain, and met with Jobs to chat.

In the past, I needed him to swipe my card when I went shopping.

Now there is no need for that at all. After more than two years of hard work and his subsidies, almost all the women in the family have achieved financial freedom. Even those who are not completely free are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and have no shortage of money to buy luxury goods.

The purpose of bringing him along is to provide emotional value.

For example, if I buy a beautiful dress, I will ask him which one looks good; if I buy sexy lingerie, I will ask him to choose the color and style; if I buy a ring or a watch, I will buy him one as well to make a couple's set.

When he was shopping with the women, many paparazzi came to watch and take pictures.

Link didn't care about this.

When he first entered Hollywood, he also thought about being a good man, with one official girlfriend on the surface and dozens of others secretly.

But this kind of thing is very difficult to do, and his opponents will not give him the opportunity to disguise themselves, and will use these things to damage his reputation.

Link simply stopped pretending. I am a scumbag, a blatant scumbag. You can report me however you want.

The same goes for the women around him.

At first, I was a little hesitant, worried that this relationship would affect my acting career and public image, so I tried to cover up the relationship in public and said in media interviews that they were just ordinary friends and that I admired his talent more than anything else.

Now they are less and less concerned about the eyes of others. They will boldly kiss him in public, hug his arms tightly, and do not hide the intimacy between them, and sometimes they even fight for him.

When encountering this situation, Link would be very envious of Nezha, who has three heads and six arms.

Link walked around with them for a while, and seeing that the agreed time was approaching, he rode his bike to the next-door Rodel Street, walked into an Italian cafe, and met Steve Jobs on the second-floor terrace area.

Jobs is not very old, just turning 40 this year.

At the age of 21, he founded Apple and engaged in computer research and development.

After seven or eight years of hard work, he built Apple from scratch to a company worth $19 billion, making it one of the most famous computer brands in the s.

By 1985, the internal struggle within the company failed and Jobs was forced to leave Apple.

He used the money from selling his shares to found Pixar Animation and NeXT Computer in an attempt to make a comeback.

In recent years, Jobs has done a good job on Pixar animation, but NeXT computers have performed mediocrely and are not well-known in the computer market.

After Apple left his leadership, its situation became worse and worse. It was left behind by its peers in both software and hardware. Its original market share was taken over by computer technology companies such as HP, IBM, and Microsoft, which now began to develop cameras, printers, etc.

The market value also shrunk from more than 36 billion to 95 billion US dollars. With the release and popularization of the Windows system, Apple's computer market share fell rapidly again, and its market value continued to decline, almost on the verge of collapse.

At this time, Jobs was probably the person who cared most about Apple's survival.

Link knew that his ambition was not in animated films, so he arranged for Joe Fillmore to contact him to discuss the possibility of acquiring Pixar Animation.

Jobs asked to meet with him, probably because his attitude on this matter had softened.

"Hi, Steve, long time no see. You still look so serious."

When "Interstellar" was published in 93, Jobs appeared at his book signing event and, as a book fan, asked him several questions from the book, including the design and application of future computers and mobile phones.

Link answered patiently.

Jobs was very satisfied with his answer and accepted the book editor's invitation to write a preface for the novel, in which he wrote many words praising him. The two of them were also acquaintances who had dealt with each other.

"Hey, Link, did I bother you guys while you were shopping?"

Jobs asked, pinching his chin beard.

"You saw it? Well, I was just walking with them. My main purpose was to see you."

Link sat down and ordered an iced coffee. The weather in Los Angeles was getting hotter in April, so a cold drink was enough to drive away the heat.

"Link, your lifestyle is enviable."

"envious?"

Hearing Jobs' words, Link was quite surprised and said with a smile, "Steve, don't you think that what I'm doing is depraved and vulgar, and that I'm wasting my time?"

"Link, I know you. You have plenty of energy and strong self-control. You take your work seriously and are very hardworking. You are also very capable in starting a business and managing a company, which has continuously improved the company's performance. Outside of work, you also have a colorful private life.

You're the only entrepreneur I know who can juggle work and home life without mixing them up."

Jobs pointed at Link.

Link smiled slightly. Jobs was also a romantic person when he was young.

In the early 1980s, when he was successful in his career, he met folk singer Joan Baez, who was originally the lover of the famous singer Bob Dylan. At that time, Jobs also had a girlfriend, Barbara Jasinski.

Jobs was a die-hard fan of Bob Dylan, and loved his songs and his women.

After meeting Joan Baez, Jobs broke up with his ex-girlfriend and immediately fell in love with her.

He fell in love several more times and finally got married in 91 when he was 36 years old.

Jobs also had an illegitimate daughter outside.

This was probably why he envied Link's ability to handle both work and family.

After a few words of casual chat, the two went from being strangers to becoming familiar with each other again.

Link was ready to get down to business. "Steve, have you paid attention to Apple's stock recently?"

Jobs frowned, rather surprised by his question, "No, why are you asking about Apple's stock?"

"I own more than 60 shares of Apple. Recently, Apple's situation is very bad, and its stock price has fallen rapidly. The Wall Street Journal reported that after Microsoft released Windows 95, Apple's market share has shrunk sharply, its stock price will continue to fall, and it will go bankrupt in the next three years. My investment manager also suggested that I sell my Apple stock as soon as possible.

You are also an expert in the computer industry. I would like to hear your opinion on the continued decline in Apple’s stock price. How big is the risk of continuing to hold Apple stock?

Link said slowly.

Jobs frowned, stroking his stubble and said,
"In recent years, Microsoft and IBM have expanded very quickly and have almost become the dominant players in the computer software and hardware industries. Apple has been retreating significantly in the past decade and cannot compete with Microsoft and other companies in terms of market and technology. If Apple does not make adjustments in the next few years, it will definitely go bankrupt."

"So, there is no hope for Apple?"

Link looked at Jobs.

Jobs seemed reluctant to answer this question and said in a deep voice, "Of course there is. I said that we must make timely industrial adjustments. Apple still has a lot of cutting-edge technologies, but the company's development has gone in the wrong direction. It is extremely stupid to study cameras instead of computers."

"Indeed, if you were asked to return to Apple, would you be able to save Apple?"

Link laughed.

Jobs was about to open his mouth to answer, but suddenly stopped talking and looked at him in confusion. "Link, we are here to discuss the acquisition of Pixar Animation, not Apple."

Link smiled gently, "I like the Apple computer you designed and your design ideas. It fits my vision of the world's computers in the future. I think you are an entrepreneur who can lead the technological trend of the times.

So I want to work with you and support you in returning to Apple, use your abilities to make Apple great again, let Apple technology lead the world's technological trends, and at the same time use Apple to turn my vision in Interstellar into reality."

Jobs stroked his stubble and fell into deep thought.

If someone offered to help him return to Apple, he would have ignored them, but that's what Link said.

Link is worth more than 3 billion and is a giant in the entertainment industry.

Apple’s current market value is 36 billion US dollars, and it will probably fall below 30 billion in another six months.

With Link's ability, he is fully capable of taking control of Apple's board of directors and helping him return to Apple.

But there is no free lunch in the world, and Link can't help him unconditionally.

Jobs opened his mouth to ask about the conditions, but suddenly realized that Link had been controlling the topic from the beginning to the end since they met, so he could only answer passively.

He has been in the business world for more than ten years, has managed large companies with a market value of billions of dollars, and has fought against many powerful people. He can be considered an elite in the industry. But now he has become so passive when facing Link, a young man in his early twenties.

Jobs secretly admired that Link was worthy of being a Hollywood celebrity, with ability and skill, and could become a powerful figure even in other industries.

“Link, I haven’t considered returning to Apple yet, but if I do, I will consider your proposal.

Now let's talk about Pixar Animation, guess what, Pixar is a live-action film production company with no experience in making animated films.

I want to know how you can ensure that Pixar stays on the right track and continues to research computer animation technology after merging with Pixar Animation, rather than becoming a failed investment due to poor management. "

Jobs said with a serious expression.

Link smiled lightly. As a director, he had a sharper eye than ordinary people and knew how to read people's expressions. Judging from his performance just now, Jobs must have been moved by his suggestion of "returning to Apple".

Seeing that Jobs didn't want to continue discussing the matter, Link didn't force him.

He began to get back to the point and explained to Jobs the layout of Guess Pictures in the computer animation industry and how Guess Pictures started from scratch and took a different path in film animation from Disney.

(End of this chapter)