America: My Time

Chapter 139 Morgan's Shock

Chapter 139 Morgan's Shock
Legendary Entertainment's expansion began with perfecting itself in the United States. At that time, the only thing Legendary Entertainment lacked was its newspaper business. Acquisitions weren't ideal; small newspapers weren't very useful, and large newspapers were too expensive. Ultimately, John and Robert Iger decided to integrate some small newspapers and create their own newspaper brand. Legendary Entertainment remained focused on entertainment, and thus, the Hollywood Entertainment Daily was born. At the same time, Legendary Entertainment also set its sights on Barnes & Noble. This time, it wasn't John negotiating with Morgan, but Robert Iger, the CEO of Legendary Entertainment, who officially took over full control of the company.

When Robert Iger appeared at Morgan Stanley, the Morgan executives were both surprised and impressed. This recognition wasn't just of Iger, but also of John. A person's energy is limited; only by appropriately delegating can one better manage the company's development. John's ability to do this at such a young age is truly remarkable!

This was just the beginning. Soon after, Andrea Jung, CEO of the Forever Group, also appeared at Morgan Stanley, also for the acquisition! Andrea Jung's appearance shocked the Morgan Stanley executives. No one expected that the Forever Group, which had only been established for a short time, would begin to expand so rapidly, which was far beyond their imagination.

"Boss, what should we do now? The pressure is too great. These acquisition requests one after another are too astonishing. What is John thinking? Why did he suddenly launch so many acquisitions? This is only what we have taken on. There are probably many more that we have not yet acquired. Quantum Mining is one example, and the acquisition of the British car brand is another!"

"Yes, everyone underestimates John's boldness. Those old guys would be even more shocked if they knew all this. Perhaps this is the plan John has been hiding all along. Barnes & Noble, Hollywood Entertainment Times, Clinique, Kenmond, Burlington Stores—his success in media and entertainment has truly given him the opportunity to make a big splash in clothing and cosmetics. Entering the luxury goods market when it's so sluggish shows he has a lot of confidence in this industry. Perhaps it really is a good industry!"

"Boss, given the current economic climate, the luxury goods market shows no signs of improvement. Entering the market now is too risky. Instead of investing in this unpromising industry, why not invest in his area of ​​expertise—technology—and increase investment in Nvidia and Bell Labs? The returns would be much greater!"

"Jimmy, that's just your perspective. You only see the present, while John sees the future. It's true the luxury market is sluggish right now, but that doesn't mean the industry has no potential or business opportunities. Don't forget that John also controls a media giant like Legendary Entertainment. With the support of a media giant, perhaps they can open up the luxury market and compete with other brands for market share. In this most depressed market, the difference between having strong media support and not having it is fundamental. Not to mention Universal Pictures is a Hollywood giant, and NBC has already achieved remarkable growth. If Legendary Entertainment were to fully support the luxury brands John owns, do you think anyone could compete? Can other brands get the same resources?"

"Cooperation? Luxury brands can certainly collaborate with other Hollywood giants, and Hollywood stars have always been a valuable promotional force for luxury brands!"

"That's just the power of an individual, the power of a star. There's no such level of collaboration between a brand and Hollywood giants. Just wait and see, it won't be long before John is able to spearhead a new change, and Hollywood may be about to usher in new opportunities. Whether they can seize them depends on whether those giants can learn from Legendary Entertainment's methods!"

In contrast to Jimmy's concerns, Morgan, as a bigwig, was very optimistic about John's plan. He had already seen John's strategic moves in media, entertainment, and fashion! However, all of this had not yet fully materialized and still required time to unfold!

"Boss, where did Legendary Entertainment and Forever Group get the acquisition funds? Could it be that John has applied for another loan from the Bank of Japan? Continuing to be indebted is too much of a burden for the company, especially for Legendary Entertainment, which is already burdened with huge debts!"

"No, this time it can't be a loan, it's cash held by the companies. Don't forget the previous gold futures; part of Hurricane Investment's funds came from these companies. Perhaps John originally intended this money for acquisitions. He might have truly seen through everything in gold futures. He's a monster! We'll fully cooperate with these acquisition requests. If he's going to go crazy, we'll cooperate to complete this crazy acquisition. I'm also curious to see how far he can go, and whether there will be even more insane acquisitions next!" "Boss, does John really have such a huge amount of money? Did he invest all the cash he raised previously into this gold futures? If so, that's terrifying! Everyone has been deceived by him!"

"Yes, that's really scary. I wonder how those old guys will react when they find out all this. Before, they were desperate to compete with John in the Dream World database and get a share of the profits. Now, will they also venture into media and entertainment, the luxury goods market, and the automobile market? Do they have the same abilities as that kid John?"

"I don't know what the future holds for the luxury goods market, but I think the car market is unlikely to recover for a long time. Right now, all the car companies in the United States are stuck in a huge quagmire and can't get out!"

“Jimmy, if you can see through this, those old guys can understand it too. The only reason they can’t see through the situation in Dream World is that they really think that with money, anyone can get a share of the profits in this emerging technology market. They’re too naive. John is not someone to be trifled with, and his methods are extremely shrewd! Just look at his current layout, and you’ll know how astonishing his expansion is this time. Do you think it’s possible to suppress someone like him?”

"It's difficult. Although I don't agree with John's expansion plan, even if his expansion encounters problems this time, at most he'll only lose this portion of funds, which won't affect his fundamentals, much less shake his foundation. Legendary Entertainment has already completed its own adjustments, and the toy market will bring him a continuous stream of funds, as will the record and publishing industries. Not to mention the game world, which almost monopolizes the entire game market. With such a foundation, even if he fails once or twice, it won't have a major impact!"

"Yes, with a steady stream of cash flow, he's not afraid of failure at all, and his expansion isn't necessarily going to fail. We might not be able to see through his plans, but since he dares to do this, he must have some confidence; we just don't understand it. Those old guys are still looking at John and the world with outdated perspectives. It just means they're old and can't keep up with the times. They will inevitably pay the price for their decisions and be abandoned by the times. Geniuses can't be suppressed, especially geniuses like John with great fortune. If they keep trying to suppress John, they'll only end up hurting themselves. Now is the weakest time for the conglomerate; they don't have enough power to suppress everything!"

As a Morgan tycoon, he naturally understood the current predicament of the conglomerate. The conglomerate controlled vital American companies, all of which were operating at a loss, leaving the conglomerate incredibly weak. John's current expansion strategy wasn't targeting the industries the conglomerate controlled, but rather emerging technology and media entertainment. Trying to suppress a genius like John in unfamiliar sectors was futile. The conglomerate might exert temporary pressure on John, but it would never succeed!
Morgan saw through the essence of the problem, and because of his own interests, he wouldn't side with the old guard. Instead, he chose to cooperate with John, extracting the benefits he desired from him. So far, Morgan has indeed made the right bet, navigating the correct path and reaping enormous profits from this eccentric young man, John.

"Boss, do you think John's continuous expansion in retail is intentional to avoid interference from conglomerates? With Legendary Entertainment and other acquisitions, John is consciously perfecting his sales channels. He doesn't want to be strangled or give his enemies a chance to plot against him!"

"It's not out of the question. As long as he controls the sales channels, no matter how much those old guys try to stop him, they won't shake his foundation. With a huge cash flow in hand, he will not fear any enemy. The complete industrial chain also makes him unafraid of any competitor. It can be said that he has embarked on a crazy expansion path, which is also a terrifying path of integrated production and sales. Most importantly, this crazy kid has made arrangements in advance and has chosen to avoid the danger of monopoly from the beginning. Even if someone wants to stop him, it will be very difficult!"

"Boss, the main reason is that John has the support of the Japanese bank, which ensures he doesn't lack funds and his cash flow isn't affected by the conglomerate. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to expand so aggressively!"

(End of this chapter)