America: My Time

Chapter 1406 Opportunity
Chapter 1396 Opportunity

With the transformation of Bell Labs, and the changes at Dreamworld and Nvidia, many are worried about potential changes to John's investments in China, particularly in the electronics and semiconductor chip sector. John has made substantial investments in China, and there are concerns that these investments may not yield the expected returns. After all, changes have occurred in the US, and if semiconductor chip sales are affected, the factories here will inevitably be impacted.

Although Bell Labs has taken action, it has not put their worries at ease. After all, the United States is the world's largest market, and if an accident were to occur at this time, it would affect the entire semiconductor chip industry and even the electronics industry. High-end products would be fine, but mid-to-low-end products would inevitably be impacted.

John was aware of everyone's concerns. Although he hadn't gone to Taiwan to investigate, the semiconductor chip and electronics industries were affected by the Asian financial crisis. John had received suggestions to adjust production, but he hadn't accepted them. Adjusting at this time could easily lead to a collapse. Don't be fooled by the current dot-com bubble, which seems to have made the market prosperous; there are endless undercurrents surging behind it.

If I make the wrong decision at this time, it will easily give those old guys an opportunity, and give the oil giants an opportunity to target me. The more this is the case, the more cautious I need to be, and the less I should make any rash changes. Especially since the situation has not yet reached that point, and everything can still be mitigated.

As July arrived, the weather in China became increasingly turbulent, and as time went on, major floods occurred. At this time, John's investments in China also began to change, especially in the Jiangnan region, where many people were uneasy. Some even suggested abandoning their previous investment plans to avoid unnecessary losses.

This wasn't just due to the changing weather; it was also largely due to internal issues. As John targeted the electronics industries of South Korea and Japan, some companies were also secretly targeting John. If John hadn't had a complete sales network, he would likely have been significantly affected. Even so, it still caused concern among management. Especially at this time, the Asian financial crisis was escalating, making them uneasy.

The change in weather did cause some losses to John's investments in China, but in John's eyes, these were minor and temporary issues that he didn't need to worry about. However, not everyone could think that way. Moreover, the voices against him from the United States had not disappeared. Rockefeller and the other old guys had stopped their underhanded tactics, but Oil Capital had not stopped. These guys were still targeting him, and they were even inciting the workers.

“Meg, have you ever thought about changing jobs? You should already know about the situation at Dreamworld!” At this moment, John was talking to Meg Whitman, the CEO of Dreamworld. John no longer held enough shares to control Dreamworld, and he no longer wanted to. Although Meg Whitman wasn't entirely on his side on some matters, John still admired her abilities.

“Boss, I’ve also been thinking about changing jobs, but it’s hard to leave right now. There are a lot of things to deal with over there, and even if I wanted to leave, it wouldn’t be easy.” Meg Whitman said with a bitter smile. She was well aware of how awkward her situation was. As John’s control over Dreamworld weakened, she, as CEO, was being sidelined, and those old guys like Rockefeller were constantly eroding her power and influence.

John smiled calmly and said, "This is not a difficult matter. If you are willing, I can handle everything. Besides, do you think those guys are still willing to let you control Dream World? Judging from their current reaction, Dream World probably won't exist anymore. Once my shares are all in their hands, how could those guys possibly dismantle it? It's just that the timing is uncertain!"

"Boss, where do you want me to work? I need to be prepared!"

“Bell Labs has become too large, and it has started to acquire computer companies. It’s difficult for Anne Malcolm alone to get it back to normal and running at high speed. I need someone to help her. Well, it’s not quite right to say help her. I need to divide Bell Labs into two parts. Someone needs to manage the communications operations. Although they will still be a member of Bell Labs, they will not be under Anne Malcolm’s management. I hope you can consider this.”

Tempted? Of course! Meg Whitman knows all too well how powerful Bell Labs is. Even Dream World can't compare. It's a true behemoth. Even its communications operations are multinational behemoths. Its real assets are no smaller than Dream World's.

Had Meg Whitman not received any other invitations? Yes, but not many. Although she was the CEO of Dreamworld, as a woman, she wasn't highly regarded. While some had tried to recruit her, their sincerity wasn't great, and their offers were far from comparable to her current status. Taking a deep breath, Meg Whitman nodded and said, "Boss, when do we start?"

"You can start anytime you're willing. Annie is under a lot of pressure and doesn't have the energy to manage communications operations anymore, so you can take over anytime. But I have to remind you that the communications sector isn't easy to manage these days. Global Online and several other internet companies will be integrated into the communications company, and some companies here will also be merged into the communications company. The challenges you'll face are considerable, so think it through carefully. Once you accept, you'll become even busier than you are now!"

To allay the concerns of those old fogies, John didn't intend to operate those internet companies independently, but rather to integrate them into Bell Labs' communications operations division. This consolidation would transform it into an industry giant. Moreover, this consolidation wasn't as simple as it seemed on the surface; it was preparation for a future breakup.

Meg Whitman, with her intelligence, naturally thought of this. Looking at John's current layout, the size of Bell Labs, and the initial plans, one can understand that this is preparing for the future split, but it cannot be done now. Anne Malcasi probably already had this in mind.

For intelligent people, some things don't need to be said too explicitly; they will understand on their own. If they can't even see this, then Meg Whitman isn't worth John's attention. After all, this isn't a simple invitation; it involves huge assets and interests!

John also plans to directly merge some companies in China into the telecommunications company, making some kind of split, after all, one brand cannot control the market, and customers need to have the opportunity to choose.

“No need to think about it anymore, I agree. It’s better to be busy than to be unable to do anything right now!” Meg Whitman answered directly. Being busy was nothing; status and position were what she was pursuing. There was no place for her in the current dream world, so taking this opportunity to escape was a good thing.

“Okay, now you’ll be taking over everything at Bell Labs Communications. First, you should familiarize yourself with the companies that need to be merged so you can be prepared and quickly integrate them into the entire communications company after taking over!” For John, if Meg Whitman were to take over everything at the communications company, his pressure would be greatly reduced, and he could confidently entrust some projects to her.

The old guard in the US were well aware of Meg Whitman's whereabouts. As the CEO of Dreamworld, her every move was closely watched by them. When she arrived in China, they were all on edge, especially Rockefeller, who was particularly worried. But it wasn't just Meg Whitman who worried him; Ginny Romanti was also there. Both she and Meg Whitman had received invitations from John. Of course, her situation was similar to Meg Whitman's; both were beginning to be sidelined. And at this time, they both once again experienced the coldness of human relationships and the presence of rejection.

When John wanted to let go, they lost control of the company. Without John's support, their position was challenged. That's why Meg Whitman so easily accepted John's invitation. After all, not everyone can do what John did and truly let go of them.

Morgan wasn't worried. Knowing John as he did, he didn't think John would want to take back Dreamworld and Nvidia at this time. But while he wasn't worried, the old guys like Rockefeller were. He could ignore them, but they couldn't. So, led by Rockefeller, these old guys all urged Morgan to go to China quickly to talk to John and stop him from taking back Dreamworld and Nvidia.

Although somewhat reluctant—after all, Morgan wasn't without other commitments—he had no choice but to travel to China with Jimmy under the strong insistence of these old men. Rockefeller's men also accompanied him. These men had repeatedly claimed to trust Morgan, yet at this crucial moment, they displayed such defensiveness. Trust simply didn't exist between them; these old men wouldn't trust any competitor. Morgan remained silent about all this. If he were Rockefeller, he would have made the same decision!

(End of this chapter)