America: My Time

Chapter 128 Investment
Chapter 128 Investment

Although it was only a brief exchange, John had prepared for this moment for a long time. It was precisely because he had made so many preparations that he was able to catch those old guys off guard and force them to admit defeat in one fell swoop.

This incident also had a significant impact on John; his swift and decisive counterattack served as a warning to everyone. From that moment on, no one dared to underestimate him, nor would anyone ever look down on him again. John got what he wanted, but he also paid a considerable price; only he himself knew the true balance.

Despite the efforts of conglomerates and Wall Street to suppress the media, John's news was still astonishing the next morning, immediately dominating newspaper headlines. Both Motorola and Bell Labs attracted considerable attention, with everyone wanting to know if John would really acquire Bell Labs and how staggering Bell Labs' annual expenses were.

After once again becoming the focus of the media, John disappeared again, this time returning to school to continue his studies. Just as he returned to campus, the gold futures market opened. At this time, no one paid attention to John's investment company; everyone was focused on Motorola and Bell!
Because of the previous upheaval, neither the old guys nor Morgan wanted to delay any longer. They didn't know if anyone would continue to provoke John, that little rascal, and if the already agreed-upon acquisition agreement would be disrupted again. Morgan couldn't accept another round of this either, so they quickly reached an agreement to complete the acquisition as quickly as possible.

The deal, which originally required time to negotiate, was expedited under pressure from the consortium. Although the split of Bell Corporation was not yet finalized, the sale of Bell Labs was agreed upon. Everyone wanted to get rid of John as soon as possible to prevent him from further affecting the subsequent split of Bell Corporation and to return everything to normal!
In order to speed things up, the conglomerate paid a considerable price, but in their view, it was worth it. As long as John could be eliminated first, the subsequent negotiations would be much easier, and at least they wouldn't have to worry about one shock after another or endure one fright after another.

Negotiations for the sale of Bell Labs went smoothly. Even the government was unwilling to intervene, fearing John's utterly despicable suggestion and the prospect of being blamed for the enormous sums paid annually. It's fair to say that both the government and the conglomerates were fully cooperating in this acquisition, clearing away all obstacles for John.

Through a series of astonishing maneuvers, John acquired both companies at minimal cost, and Motorola also took the opportunity to directly shut down its semiconductor factory and proceed with the next transaction with John. This time, it wasn't Nvidia that stepped in, but ASUS, a Taiwanese contract manufacturer, which packaged and sold Motorola's machines to them.

This astonishing acquisition still required the assistance of the Bank of Japan. Using his assets, John once again borrowed a huge sum of money from the Bank of Japan for the acquisition of Motorola.

Neon Bank never doubted John's ability to repay the loans and immediately disbursed all of them. This speed and generosity shocked those who had been observing John. Although they knew that John had a good relationship with Neon Bank, they hadn't expected it to be this good, that the bank would trust him so much that loans could be disbursed in such a short time.

Before the transaction even began, John's funds were already in place. This astonishing speed demonstrated the execution capabilities of the Japanese bank to everyone, and it also attracted the attention of some companies. However, their plans were destined to be difficult to realize, as not everyone had John's repayment ability and could gain the approval of the Japanese bank.

Although Motorola's layoffs at its semiconductor plant displeased the union, they had no choice. Motorola's reasons were valid: the US semiconductor market was in trouble, and they had to make this decision. Otherwise, the entire Motorola would go bankrupt and be dragged down by the semiconductor plant, and no one could bear such serious consequences.

Motorola's labs quickly began relocation, merging with Nvidia and becoming part of Nvidia. As for the machines in the semiconductor factory, that took time; relocating machines was far more difficult than relocating labs.

In contrast, what troubled John the most was Bell Labs. He had to think long and hard about how to make arrangements for it, and those researches that could not be commercialized had to be cut.

John suggested that research directions at Bell Labs include communications, flash memory, batteries, as well as photovoltaic and wind power generation. All of these could only begin after John took over the project; it couldn't be done yet.

The wolf is coming—that's Silicon Valley's reaction to John. The acquisition of Bell Labs and Motorola Semiconductor's research institutes made everyone see John as a wolf, threatening their survival. Even IBM had to take Nvidia and Dreamworld seriously; they would gain enormous benefits from Bell Labs—patents, researchers, and significantly accelerated R&D. Unfortunately, Silicon Valley's competitors were powerless to stop it. Even IBM couldn't withstand the immense pressure from Bell Labs, so no one could stop the deal.

After the storm subsided slightly, John once again visited the San Francisco consulate. If John had previously generated anticipation, the presence of Bell Labs and Motorola Semiconductor now made him even more anticipated and valued.

The importance of semiconductor chips is self-evident. Now John has the strongest R&D force outside of Intel, and is closing in on Intel in the chip field. Perhaps given enough time, he could even surpass Intel. He has taken over the R&D forces of two major companies, especially Bell Labs, which is a world-class laboratory with countless patents.

"Mr. John, your request is perfectly fine. As long as you register in advance, returning home from anywhere is not a problem. The country welcomes you!"

"That's good. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, I will definitely go back to China during the summer vacation to take a look. If there are any suitable projects, I will also invest."

"Mr. John, have you ever considered building a semiconductor factory in mainland China?"

"I did have the idea, but you should understand that all of this is not up to my will. It's not something I can do just because I want to. There are many problems to solve, such as technology and talent!"

John believes that personnel are a major obstacle to investment, something he cannot change. However, for other investments, such as petrochemicals, clothing, or auto parts, there is still hope of reaching an agreement!
“These are not problems. As long as Mr. John is willing to invest, we can sit down and discuss it!”

"Sure, no problem. I'll make the necessary communications with the US side. But as I said before, I can't make the final decision on this matter; I can only do my best!"

The Consul General naturally understood that technological blockades have always existed, and it is extremely difficult to obtain advanced technology from abroad. He also understood the immense pressure and difficulties John had to endure to achieve this.

"We understand and empathize with the difficulties you are facing."

"It's good that you understand, but it will take time."

(End of this chapter)