America: My Time

Chapter 1148 The Old Man's Mission
Chapter 1138 The Old Master's Mission
John's youthful impetuosity is typical of young people. Even with his considerable wealth, old Martin still sees many weaknesses in John, at least in his interactions with high society, where he's prone to making mistakes. Some minor issues may seem insignificant, but when it comes to the family's development and relationships between families, serious problems can easily arise.

“I don’t want to make things difficult for them, but this matter has to come to an end. I can’t keep tolerating this, otherwise they will only take advantage of me. Before, they had their eyes on special steel and the knife company, and I agreed to both. Before that, there was Western Energy’s gas and electricity, and now they’re eyeing Westinghouse Electric. I can’t satisfy every one of their desires. Human greed is endless. I hope those old guys can know when to stop.”

"Don't worry, this time it's enough. They won't have any more ideas. But the relationship shouldn't change too much, otherwise some old guys might really step forward to make sacrifices. Don't underestimate how much those old guys value their families. They can sacrifice everything for their families, including their own lives! If that happens, your reputation in high society will be ruined, and you'll face many times more attacks than before!"

"Alright, since these old guys have brought you out, what can I say? As long as they stop harboring their greedy thoughts and stop eyeing my companies, I won't target them. However, I think those old guys need to change their ways. If they keep clinging to resources like steel and coal, they'll pay a heavy price. The US is no longer suitable for developing these industries. It has long lost its former glory. Look at the state of its workers; expecting them to develop industry is a joke. The simplest example is the shipbuilding industry—look at what it's become, yet those old guys still cling to it and refuse to let go!"

“John, I understand you’re not optimistic about those assets, but for many families, it’s hard to let go. You think no one can see the changes in the US, but if you really let go, how do you expect them to transform? They don’t have as many businesses as you, nor do they have your capabilities. For them, that’s the future of their family, do you understand?”

John sighed, “I don’t understand. Hesitation only leads to trouble. I don’t think there’s any benefit in clinging to these industries. In fact, we think they should learn from Oil Pacific Capital. Look at what Oil Pacific Capital is doing. They’re making a big push into the entertainment and financial industries. If those guys are allowed to continue, I believe they will be able to control most of the assets in the United States. Look at how many investment companies and financial groups Oil Pacific Capital has.”

"It's not as easy as you make it out to be. It's not something you can just give up on. There are many more problems involved!" Old Martin said with a long sigh. If they could, why wouldn't those old guys give up? After all, everyone has to consider many other things. Those old guys naturally saw the harm that the union had brought, but everyone thought they could still control the situation. They just didn't know that the tide had turned and there was no way to develop anything.

"Then I won't say any more. As long as these old guys don't regret it in the future, I believe many companies will gradually decline with the development of the times. The United States is following in the footsteps of the British, and manufacturing is rapidly flowing out. It won't be long before it becomes hollow. Don't think that having cars and steel can stabilize the market. That's wishful thinking. Without manufacturing, the financial and service industries alone cannot support the United States."

As for high technology and agriculture, John didn't elaborate. With the development of the times, American farms have gradually fallen into the hands of grain giants. John wasn't too optimistic about the development of high technology in the United States either. The reason was simple: the labor problem. If they only did research and development instead of manufacturing, how could they stabilize the economy and society? Not to mention that the United States is now drastically cutting its R&D spending on the military industry. The development of the entire American military industry has stagnated, forcing them to band together for survival. Countless R&D projects have been cut, and countless talents have been lost.

If John hadn't been in control of Gulfstream Aerospace, he wouldn't have known how terrifying the madness of the US military could be. These guys cut research and development funding, but then pocketed all that money for themselves. It was precisely because John knew how mad the US military would become in the future that he held no hope.

"John, is your development focus in Asia? Have you considered the consequences of doing so?"

"It's not that my development focus is Asia, but rather that my manufacturing center is primarily in Asia. As for the consequences, I don't see any problems. Those old guys are all shifting their manufacturing, so why can't I? Besides, I've never invested in manufacturing in the US; my manufacturing has always been in Asia. Look around the world, where are the best places to develop manufacturing? Asia is the best choice. Before, it was Japan because its workers were hardworking and labor costs were low, but now Japan's labor costs are rising sharply, and even they themselves are shifting their manufacturing. South Korea is good, but they're a bit arrogant, so we need to be cautious. In comparison, China is suitable. As for other Southeast Asian countries, although they also have cheap labor, those guys are too lazy, and I'm not too optimistic about them! If you're here representing the White House, then I'll refuse." "I am indeed here representing the White House, but not for manufacturing, but for energy, specifically for the Asian energy issue. Many people are worried that your plans will affect the overall interests!"

"I understand, but those guys are overthinking it. In comparison, I think Oil Tai Capital understands my intentions. I just want to avoid being strangled by Middle Eastern tycoons. After all, I have such a large petrochemical footprint in Asia. If I'm strangled by Middle Eastern tycoons on oil issues, I'll be in a very passive position, and Asian energy will be in a very passive position. Those old guys don't need to worry too much. Their plans are also in my favor, so why should I stop them? However, I can't just give up all the benefits. I want the R&D team for deep-sea and shale oil extraction technologies. I won't interfere with how they want to sell them!"

"Alright, I'll tell them your conditions. I believe it won't be a problem. Besides, your current development focus is on the sea, so I'm sure they'll be able to accept it!" Old Martin breathed a sigh of relief after hearing John's request. He wasn't afraid of John making demands; he was afraid of John being unambitious, which would worry those old guys and the White House!

In fact, everyone knows that Western Energy has invested in deep-sea and shale oil extraction technology. Moreover, those old guys know that John has always wanted to turn around the Permian oil field that he acquired from them. After all, that oil field has always been a money-losing business and has always been under John's personal name. Now, John has placed it in his family trust.

"I'm relieved to hear that. I don't want to be on the opposite side of those old guys, but they can't keep targeting me indefinitely. To be honest, I'm speechless with them. They're all keeping a close eye on me. If they had that time and energy, they could have made a good profit by investing in entertainment and media."

Soon the whole world will enter a frenzy of entertainment to the point of death, all driven by those old guys. What John can't understand is why the American conglomerates don't step in and instead let oil capital push it. Even if they don't want to be infamous, they can't just sit idly by while they have huge profits to make.
John was overthinking things. It wasn't that those old guys weren't interested; rather, they wanted to use Wall Street to share in the profits. Unfortunately, Wall Street's methods were completely useless in Hollywood, and their investments all resulted in huge losses.

Seeing the amicable conversation between John and old Martin, Jimmy and the representatives the old men had sent to discuss the acquisition of Westinghouse Electric breathed a sigh of relief. They had been genuinely worried that John might adopt an uncooperative attitude, which would not be good for them. However, Jimmy remained concerned because John's proposal that Asia would be the center of his manufacturing industry was not very friendly to Morgan, meaning that Morgan would not be able to obtain the benefits it wanted from these companies.

From the very beginning of John's development, almost all of his overseas assets were never publicly listed or raised funds, and he never even shared profits with others. This greatly dissatisfied many American tycoons. Whether it was assets in Japan, South Korea, or China, they hadn't benefited from them. If possible, these old guys would like to see John list these assets publicly and raise funds so that they could share in the profits.

Unfortunately, John wouldn't give them that opportunity. Going public and raising funds for these companies would be like inviting wolves into the house. Just look at the changes in Dreamworld and Nvidia to see how cunning and treacherous these old guys are. While John could intervene and suppress everything, the cost would be too high. Even John has to be cautious, otherwise his assets could shrink significantly.

Under such circumstances, how could John dare to continue giving those old guys a chance? No amount of caution is too much when it comes to these greedy fellows. So even if Morgan intervenes, John will not agree to their request to list these assets in Asia for financing, allowing those old guys to take advantage of him and create profits for them!
(End of this chapter)