America: My Time

Chapter 1353 The Struggle for Interests

Chapter 1343 Struggle for Interests
John knew all too well how capable these American workers were, so given the current situation, he felt it necessary to remind Morgan to be prepared and not let them pay such a high 'price' only to end up with a General Motors riddled with problems.

"John, don't worry, we'll arrange everything!" Although Morgan's words were sincere, John didn't feel any trust, because even Morgan himself didn't believe it, after all, they were just a group of working-class men.

“I hope to see this outcome, but if problems arise during the process, if problems occur when I take over, then the subsequent transaction cannot be blamed on my breach of trust, but rather on the fact that you all failed to do everything properly. What I want is a General Motors that can transition smoothly, a General Motors company that I can control, not a General Motors that is mired in endless trouble. You should know that I do not lack assets in automobile manufacturing. It is only because of you that this transaction would not have taken place.” John said, a faint sense of helplessness appearing on his face, as if he had endless resentment.

When John emphasized this again, Morgan felt a growing unease and tension. He sensed John was having second thoughts, perhaps even no longer wanting to do the deal. After all, Dreamworld and Nvidia's market capitalization was rising too rapidly; offering such high-quality assets for a trade seemed reckless. If things went wrong in this deal, and General Motors encountered problems, the transaction might fall through—a scenario he desperately wanted to avoid!
"Don't worry, anyone who dares to undermine our interests is our enemy, and it's a fight to the death. No one can outmaneuver Morgan, let alone the fact that this deal involves the entire American financial group. If they dare to interfere, they'll be standing against all of us!"

"I hope so. I've said everything I needed to say. Now it's up to you all to act. The deal can begin at any time, and I can trade my shares with you at any time. But are you all ready? So much time has passed, and what I want to see is a balanced General Motors. Of course, this isn't just Morgan's problem now; it requires everyone to face it together. However, I won't interfere. What I want is a result!"

Although John's words displeased Morgan, he understood that getting John to continue the deal was already difficult enough; any further demands would be excessive and would cause the deal to fail. Now it all depended on their abilities and their actions. If things went wrong, they would become a laughingstock. So many financial tycoons working together, only to be outmaneuvered—how could that not be a joke!

Taking a deep breath, Morgan said, "John, let's go. Those old guys are probably getting impatient. We don't need you here. Let's sit down and have a proper talk. After all, this deal will take a long time, and we need to cooperate on many things. We can't cause fluctuations in the stock market, or the impact will be too great!"

"Sure, I have no problem with that, but my requirements will not change. Since General Motors is the counterparty in this transaction, there needs to be a balanced transition. This requires everyone to make commitments, and in writing at that. If any problems arise, you will have to provide compensation or cancel the subsequent transaction! I also want to hear what those people think, because this is not something I can decide alone, nor is it something you can decide. It requires everyone's agreement!"

John didn't place all the blame on Morgan, even though Morgan was in charge of everything. Such a significant matter couldn't be accomplished by Morgan alone. At this point, Morgan's approval alone wouldn't suffice; what he needed was the collective agreement of these old men.

When John appeared before these old men, a faint glint appeared in their eyes. At this moment, they all knew about John's methods and that Allen and Eva each held one percent of Dream World's shares. Such a large sum of money shocked them.

In terms of shares, this is nothing, but in terms of market value, it's an enormous gesture. If they were to make such a choice, it would be very difficult. After all, a sibling relationship is not a father-son relationship. John has no reason or obligation to give them such benefits, but that's exactly what John did!
Are they tempted? It would be a lie to say they weren't tempted, and it would be a lie to say they weren't envious. Although they all knew that John possessed an astonishing amount of wealth, no matter how astonishing it was, it shouldn't have been arranged in this way. After all, John wasn't without sons; in fact, he had quite a few. He could have left this wealth to his sons instead of his younger brothers and sisters.

Of course, the Bayard family also benefited a lot, and they were all aware of that. As for what John's uncle gained, that was something they had no way of knowing. Now that John was making such arrangements, it was clear that he really wanted to let go of Dreamworld and Nvidia, rather than saying one thing and doing another.

"Gentlemen, John has arrived, but he has his own views on this deal and has demands of us all. Although I already know this, I know it's useless. This concerns everyone's interests and requires a collective decision. Moreover, things may really be dangerous. Perhaps we have all been careless lately!"

As he spoke, Morgan turned his gaze to John. He had done all he could, and now it was John's turn to explain everything. After all, nothing he said would make a difference; these old guys wouldn't believe him, and they might even suspect that his words had ulterior motives. After all, Morgan had gotten the biggest benefit in this deal!

"Gentlemen," John said, "I personally have no regrets about this deal. After all, it was a promise I made. Even with the current drastic changes in the situation, the potential of Dreamworld and Nvidia far surpasses that of General Motors, and considering the assets you've all contributed, I still have no regrets. However, I'm not a pushover. I've offered high-quality assets without any hidden risks. Therefore, my requirement is simple: General Motors cannot have any hidden risks or problems. If General Motors encounters problems after the deal begins, don't blame me for abandoning the deal. After all, it's your fault for not fulfilling our previous agreement!" John's words caused a dramatic change in everyone's expressions. They weren't fools; they could naturally understand the hidden warning in John's words, which shocked them. Moreover, Morgan's previous behavior was enough to prove the seriousness of the matter; otherwise, he wouldn't have spoken so solemnly.

“John, we’re already acquaintances, and in this situation, we don’t need to hold back. Just say what you want to say. What’s wrong with General Motors that makes you so serious about making this request of us?”

Hearing DuPont's words, John's face showed a faint bitterness. He shook his head and said, "I haven't found any problems, but from my personal perspective, there must be a big problem behind this, we just haven't noticed it yet. Putting aside everything else, just take my grudge with those guys in Israel. Do you think they might try to sabotage this deal? After all, if our deal fails, our relationship will immediately deteriorate, which would be very advantageous to them. Also, GM is in Detroit. Although you have made many arrangements, do you think they will just sit idly by? And those guys from the United Auto Workers are not good people. I don't think they will do nothing. As soon as they make a move, it will inevitably cause a lot of trouble. So I hope you can all be vigilant and be prepared."

“John, aren’t you going a bit too far with what you’re saying? And you can’t put all the blame on us because of this. We’ve done everything we could. You’re making things difficult for us!” At this moment, Rockefeller’s expression turned somewhat gloomy. He felt that John was just making trouble for no reason and was deliberately trying to make things difficult for them.

"Heh, if that's what Mr. Rockefeller thinks, then I think our deal can end here, we can abandon it. I'm offering high-quality assets, but what are you all offering? Putting aside everything else, just take General Motors. I never wanted to take it over in the first place. After all, I don't lack car manufacturing. It's just a nuisance to me. If it weren't for Mr. Morgan's sake, this deal would never have happened. Since you think I'm being a bit unreasonable, then let's just abandon this deal. You can keep your assets, and I'll continue to control Dreamworld and Nvidia."

At this point, John showed Rockefeller no mercy. After all, things had come to this point, and he had no reason to spare him any face. Since this guy had taken the initiative to target him, he shouldn't be surprised if he retaliated. This was an exchange of interests, and John was already at a disadvantage in this deal. Now that Rockefeller had uttered such ridiculous words, how could John allow this guy to be so arrogant!
“John, that won’t do. That’s just Rockefeller’s idea, not ours. Of course, if Rockefeller thinks there’s a problem, he can back out, but we won’t. If he chooses to back out, we can bear his share of the cost. That’s absolutely no problem for us!” At this moment, Morgan stood up to object and directly wanted to kick Rockefeller out of the game, without any intention of hiding anything.

"That's right, this is just Rockefeller's idea, it has nothing to do with us. You're right, we were indeed too careless, perhaps their cooperation made us lower our guard. Don't worry, we can guarantee the safety and order of General Motors, there will be absolutely no problems. You can offer Dreamworld in a deal with Nvidia, and we will naturally do everything we can to make sure you don't suffer too much loss."

"Yes, we all oppose this. Rockefeller is unwilling, but that's their business. We can take over and agree to your conditions. After all, only a deal like this can satisfy both of us!"

Soon, those old guys stood up one by one to oppose it, all wanting to kick Rockefeller out of the game. After all, this guy had always wanted to take more than his share, which had aroused public anger. Now that they had such an opportunity, they naturally couldn't let it go. Even if they couldn't completely kick Rockefeller out of the game, they wanted to take this opportunity to put some pressure on Rockefeller and to seize more benefits from him!

"I'm glad you all think this way, but promises are useless. We need everything in black and white, a complete contract, everything must be clearly written down. If problems arise, someone must take responsibility, and the next transaction must be suspended. You all need to deal with this unspoken issue properly, otherwise don't blame me for going back on my word. To be honest, I'm not very satisfied with the situation at General Motors right now. Beneath the seemingly calm surface, there are undercurrents, and a crisis could erupt at any moment."

“John, we can accept your terms, after all, they are the most reasonable. However, we need to start the transaction as soon as possible. The deal needs to start early, and you need to speed up the transfer of General Motors' production lines. After all, you have already made preparations in Oregon. Even if we transfer the other factories to General Motors first, the transaction and the transfer of production lines must start early. We can't give those guys time to prepare. Only in this way can we better fulfill all our promises!”

"I personally have no problem with it. Now it's up to you all to decide. As for how you distribute the shares, I will not participate. I will only hand over my shares. How you distribute them is your own business. What I offer is a stable company, and what you take over must also be a stable General Motors company. That's my requirement, and I believe it's not excessive."

Upon hearing that John didn't seem to be targeting him, Rockefeller breathed a sigh of relief. He realized he'd been too careless in his probing, forgetting how incredibly greedy these men were, showing no restraint when it came to profit. Thankfully, John wasn't hostile; otherwise, things would have been much more complicated. When had he become so negligent and arrogant, making such a basic mistake?

At this moment, Rockefeller was reflecting on his own problems. This was no small matter. He had learned his lesson well and did not want to make the same mistake again. John might not have targeted him this time, but he might not be able to next time. Therefore, Rockefeller needed to do more self-reflection and recognize his own problems!
(End of this chapter)