America: My Time

Chapter 1088 Get ready, scam the Japanese again.

Chapter 1078 Get ready, scam the Japanese again

“I think everyone should try to talk to John. After all, this isn’t a good thing. The White House and our President are making too much noise. I don’t believe anyone wants to see any more ‘accidents.’ John’s crazy splitting up is making many people uneasy and stressed. John hasn’t been in the US much lately, which is clearly a sign of his dissatisfaction with the President!”

"This isn't something we need to worry about; it's not really our concern at Morgan. What we need to do is expedite the preparations for John's companies to go public. Don't just focus on what's happening right now. John might have more plans behind the scenes. This guy is no ordinary person. Anyone who underestimates him will pay the price. Bell Labs' power has been growing rapidly in recent years, constantly completing acquisitions. In the communications field, it's already at the forefront. Everyone is currently amazed by John's moves in this area, but the communications field is probably not so simple. This guy has abandoned production in the US; don't you think that's a big problem?"

"Boss, you mean Asia and Europe?" Jimmy immediately understood. Back then, in order to seize more profits from John, those old guys in the US used their assets to make deals with John. But so much time has passed, and John, that little fox, hasn't made a single move. This is not normal!

"Indeed, so much time has passed. ASML has long since returned to normal, and John's investments in Taiwan are also on track. The series of splits and expansions have all been completed. And the investments from China are something we can't ignore. John's cooperation there is now very significant; Westinghouse is fully engaged in cooperation, and they intend to acquire John's home appliance business in Taiwan—this is no secret within Western Energy! Now, Western Energy Asia has officially changed its name to Asia Energy in Hong Kong! There have also been changes in Europe. You could say that the entire Western Energy Group is expanding. But the only exception is communications; there hasn't been much activity. Don't you find that strange?"

Morgan was eager to know about Bell Labs' progress in this area, but unfortunately, he had no chance. Bell Labs' security was too strong, and production had already disappeared from the United States and been sold off, which was the biggest problem.

"It's not that there's no movement at all. Isn't Cisco preparing for an IPO? And isn't it planning to revive its presence in Japan?"

"Mobile phone, I mean mobile phone, mobile communication! And you know he intends to restore Japan's layout, isn't that a problem? What are you thinking? Do you really think John just wants to return to Japan? Do you think his plan is that simple?" Morgan sighed, annoyed by Jimmy. This guy's reaction was still too poor. If it weren't for his loyalty, this guy wouldn't be in this position with his abilities!

John has established a presence in Europe, Asia, North America, and South America, but not in Africa. This demonstrates just how powerful John's telecommunications operations are. With such a large market, it's impossible for John to abandon the profits from mobile phones.

Morgan Stanley was right. John did not give up, but production was transferred to Nokia. Nowadays, the contract manufacturing in Taiwan and China is not only for Nvidia's needs, but also for ARM chips and Qualcomm chips.

Silently, Bell Labs also transformed its patent holdings, with Qualcomm being a prime example of this transformation. Bell Labs had initially secured the patents to accelerate its own development, but now it has transferred them to Qualcomm. Hoarding patents will attract repercussions, which is why Cisco is going public, and Qualcomm is also going public – all to avoid being targeted by rivals.

The yen exchange rate issue had barely subsided when Nokia quickly released its new products: miniaturized mobile phones, flip phones, and slider phones. Most importantly, it added all the features that could be added later, such as ringtones and text messages, and its patents effectively locked down the research and development of most companies.

Motorola was completely dumbfounded. Their 8900 was still under development and far from success, but Nokia had already developed it and locked up their patents, shattering their plans!
The summer launch disrupted many people's plans, but this was just the beginning. Soon, Taiwan and China would begin manufacturing, directly reducing production costs and directly impacting Motorola's products. When they did act, it was a decisive blow; Motorola's products were already facing competition from Nokia before they even hit the market.

This time, many telecommunications operators controlled by Bell Labs will make direct purchases, which is a huge deal and will make Nokia an instant success. After waiting for so long, it has finally burst into the limelight!

In Tokyo, John watched as the old man, Akio Morita, started eyeing Nokia's mobile phone patents the moment Nokia announced its product launch. While Nokia's market share in Japan wasn't large—its presence there was still in its early stages and needed time to develop—its market share in North America, Europe, Taiwan, and Hong Kong was booming. Of course, John wasn't in Tokyo for that; he was there for the copper price. John controlled a massive amount of copper ingots. Quantum Mining, a global mining giant, was under constant scrutiny, and with its plans targeting Sumitomo Corporation already underway, John needed to prepare and proactively inform Sumitomo about his upcoming shipments. This was John's plan.

John wasn't just reminding Sumitomo, but also Yuta Capital. It would be much later that night. Since he wanted to scam Sumitomo, John naturally had to make sure it was foolproof and wouldn't make enemies with those guys in Japan because of this deal. After all, John had even more outrageous plans in Japan, and this was a minor matter. Since he was going to rip off those guys in Japan to the bone, John couldn't afford to ruin his public image.

What John didn't expect was that before the Sumitomo Corporation guys even showed up, that old guy Akio Morita appeared in front of him first, eyeing the mobile phone patent. This was much faster than other manufacturers.

It's impossible to monopolize the market, and collecting patent fees was also part of John's plan; otherwise, Qualcomm wouldn't exist, and Bell Labs would be collecting those fees instead. Bell Labs' current expertise in battery and communication technologies is formidable, far surpassing Motorola's. Most importantly, Motorola is still working on their Iridium satellite project.

“Mr. Morita, you’re already sick and have stopped working. Is it really necessary for you to care about these things so much?” John had great respect for this old man; he was working even while ill, which showed his dedication.

"There's nothing we can do about it. Sony is at a critical juncture right now, and I have no choice. If I could, I would like to give up everything and retire peacefully, but Sony won't allow me to do that. Housing prices in Japan have already halved, and the pressure on Sony is greater than you think. If it weren't for game consoles, internet cafe alliances, and convenience stores, Sony would probably be in even greater danger right now."

Looking at the old man's pale and sickly face, John couldn't help but sigh. After more than a decade of friendship, John naturally couldn't refuse, especially since Akio Morita had come despite his illness. Besides, the old man didn't have much time left; it was best to respect his wishes and improve his own image. He couldn't let the saying "out of sight, out of mind" apply to him; he couldn't refuse Akio Morita just because the old man had stopped working.

“I have no problem with this. You can have Sony’s people discuss it with Qualcomm! Actually, you don’t need to get involved in this kind of thing. You can just make a phone call. After all, we’ve known each other for over ten years. I’ll give you that much face. I’m not a heartless person.”

When he heard John's words, Akio Morita breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the worst had not happened. In Japan, people were saying that John was ruthless and that the reason why housing prices in Japan continued to fall was because John was unwilling to continue investing, which caused panic. However, Akio Morita knew that those guys were just deceiving themselves and that the reason lay with Japan itself.

“John, there are quite a few voices in Japan who have a negative view of you regarding the halving of housing prices. You should be careful, because public opinion can be a powerful force!” With that, the old man Akio Morita sighed. Sony’s current predicament is largely due to the real estate market.

"I don't care. After all, everyone knows the truth. Those who went bankrupt have only themselves to blame, and the blame also lies with the Japanese government. If it weren't for their incompetence and their indecisiveness, things wouldn't be like this. It has nothing to do with me. I've already done my best to influence housing prices around Akihabara. Now you know that the Cultural Oriental Group no longer exists. Due to the pressure from the United States, I have to make the worst-case scenario preparations and split up more groups. My pressure is no less than yours!"

"I understand. Those guys are probably just jealous and eyeing Akihabara. After all, the real estate market is rising against the trend, which is tempting many people!"

"Heh, things are different now. If they still don't know when to stop, then they'll have to take responsibility. I'm not someone to be trifled with. Those guys still want to play dirty tricks? I don't mind teaching them a lesson and letting them know when to back down!"

(End of this chapter)