America: My Time

Chapter 1491 Worry
Chapter 1481 Worries

Driven by self-interest, those old fogies compromised in the face of absolute gains. Although they couldn't see through John's current schemes, they knew that confronting him at this point would be pointless and might even harm their own interests, since John wasn't without power. John wielded considerable influence over both Dream World and Nvidia, and their unwillingness to compromise, forcing him back into the semiconductor chip and internet sectors, would pose a significant threat to them.

No one dared to underestimate John, especially if things escalated. They worried that John might target Wall Street again. Despite the large sums John had invested in promoting his community initiatives, the power of Integrity Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, and East West Bank was undeniable. Therefore, these old fogies had no choice but to back down and accept John's terms. They weren't just facing interests in the US; they also had to contend with interests in Japan, South Korea, and even Southeast Asia.

Has the fragmentation of Hollywood and the departure of the three giants affected Hollywood as a whole? It would be a lie to say no. At least the name of Hollywood has been affected, but American films have not been affected. On the contrary, under John's strong stance, things have become more reasonable. The reason is simple: the three giants also have their own studios and companies in Europe, and even in Asia. This has reduced a lot of resistance and ensured that their development is no longer affected!
After this battle, celebrities, screenwriters, and even talent agencies were all suppressed. No one could stand up to the three giants anymore, and the three giants were no longer subject to anyone. After they moved to Oregon, all the hidden dangers were eliminated, since Oregon was John's territory.

John wouldn't care about or pay attention to the thoughts of the other Hollywood giants. Whether Donkey could persuade them depended on their own abilities and whether those guys were willing to accept it. After all, the departure of the three giants had a significant impact on California and Hollywood, and even Los Angeles was greatly affected. The departure of the three giants meant that half of Hollywood had disappeared.

"Don't feel any pressure, don't pay attention to those guys' reactions. We're on the right track now. Staying in Hollywood and Los Angeles is an obstacle for us. Only by breaking free can we develop faster and increase our global influence. Sticking to Hollywood will only hurt us. Now that we've made this move, there's no opposition in Europe, and not in Asia either! As for the personnel issues we're facing now, that's not a problem at all. Before long, Oregon will become the new center. Hollywood will be split in two, creating three major film and television centers in the US: New York's television center, Hollywood in Los Angeles, and Portland, Oregon."

John's words brought a sigh of relief to the CEOs of the three giants. They all knew John was right; Hollywood has no shortage of actors, and with the influence of the three giants, they could inevitably lure half of Hollywood's actors to Oregon. However, they still faced many problems, and this dramatic turn of events had also affected their plans for the year!

John is right, but everything takes time. If it weren't for the fact that the three giants all have media and entertainment backing and the support of television actors in New York, many of their plans would probably have to be put on hold.

"How should we deal with those who breached the contract? They all came up with enough excuses, and many people are waiting for our response. Moreover, there are quite a few who breached the contract this time, and even our special effects center has encountered significant problems, after all, too many people have resigned!"

"Everything is handled according to the contract, and we're completely blacklisting them. I'd like to know how long they can hold out under these circumstances. I also want to know if those guys who stay in Hollywood are willing to give up the theater market we control. If they have that kind of backbone, I'm really looking forward to it."

John's words made everyone present sigh. Sure enough, their boss was still as crazy as ever, controlling the cinema market and completely blocking many people's paths, especially those big stars. Unless they gave up commercial blockbusters and went for art films, they would be blacklisted. Even the art film route was not easy, after all, the influence of the three giants was there, as was the blacklist from the media and entertainment groups, and there was also the cooperation from other industries!

Before the others could speak, John continued, "Actually, there's something I don't understand. What are they thinking? Has fame made them all arrogant and conceited, unable to see themselves clearly? Do they really think that without them, our plans will be affected and we will stagnate? Who gave them such courage?"

John was also a bit confused about the thinking of those Hollywood stars, thinking they were a bit stubborn. Actually, these guys were just stubborn because they lacked education; otherwise, why would they make such foolish choices?

"It's still a matter of their background. The sudden fame and fortune have made them lose their minds, and there's also the influence of outsiders. After all, we've always suppressed their pay, which has caused them a lot of dissatisfaction. Given the chance, they are easily swayed and do these foolish things!" Robert Iger sighed and explained the reason for the problem. In fact, he had known all this for a long time, but that's Hollywood.

"I see, fame and fortune really do drive people crazy!" John nodded in acceptance of this statement. As for whether Hollywood would change because of this upheaval, John didn't consider it, because he knew it was impossible. In time, those guys would still have many crazy ideas.

Just when everyone thought John had stopped everything, another piece of news spread: John was splitting up his farms and seed company in the United States to prepare for an IPO and raise funds, while the overseas farms were being reorganized! This move directly caused the company to fall from its status as a grain trading giant, after all, losing the overseas farms meant losing control of the grain supply.

"Is he insane? What is John thinking? Doesn't he realize the magnitude of the impact and the losses he will suffer?" Even Morgan was shocked upon hearing the news, exclaiming in disbelief. After all, this would halve John's influence among grain merchants! "Nobody knows what John is thinking. However, the think tank's analysis is that John wants to minimize all potential risks. After all, his research overseas is ongoing and has yielded results!"

"That makes some sense, but even if he wanted to reduce the potential risks, there was no need to do it this way. He could have used other methods, after all, he has the ability!" Morgan reluctantly accepted this explanation, but he still had some doubts. However, everything John had done recently had been too crazy for him to understand John's true intentions.

Of course, Morgan couldn't have imagined China's rapid development and its large-scale food imports in the future. Not to mention, John also controlled parts of the Korean and Japanese markets. So his overseas layout was not as simple as it seemed on the surface. Those seemingly scattered companies were all controlled by offshore companies.

Of course, John was also doing this to prevent anyone from settling old scores later. Even though John had seen the presidential pardon, he wouldn't completely trust or rely on it. He still needed to take precautions. Moreover, John wasn't targeting just one industry, but all the assets he controlled. After all, he had offered enough benefits in exchange, so he wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to handle everything properly and leave no hidden dangers for himself!
"There's another piece of news: John's logistics center plan will see increased investment, and even Gulfstream Aerospace will cooperate. It's not just in the US, but also in Europe and Asia. It's already completed in South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. I heard that this time his alliance will undergo a transformation, deepening cooperation, and it will be comprehensive cooperation."

"First ports, now airports and logistics centers. It seems John is playing a big game, expanding in all directions. He wants to control global logistics and become a logistics and transportation giant. I have a question: where does his funding come from? Have you found any of his banks in Europe?"

"No, we didn't find his hidden banks in Europe. Although we identified some banks, we ultimately came up empty-handed. After all, the Europeans didn't want us to investigate."

“Don’t give up. We must continue our search, pinpoint John’s hidden bank, and keep an eye on Bell Labs. I have a feeling that John’s actions are not as simple as they seem. This guy won’t really give up on semiconductor chips completely; he has more backup plans. Bell Labs is the most likely candidate.”

"Boss, why not ASUS? You know, John's business in Taiwan is booming. They have their own production and R&D facilities, and they're capable of developing chips. After all, they've poached a lot of people from Japan!" Jimmy asked his boss with a puzzled look. In fact, he had always had this question: why did his boss never think that John would invest heavily in chip development in Taiwan?

"Because that's not allowed. You've forgotten what the situation is in Japan, and the importance of chips is constantly increasing. The country won't allow John to do that. If he did, he would be standing against everyone. He's a member of a conglomerate, an American conglomerate. Even if he has many ideas, he can't do such a thing! Do you think John gave up Nvidia so readily? It's because the impact was too great, and the consequences of him monopolizing it would be too serious!"

“John has a chip R&D company in Europe, and also in the US and Canada. They’ve all been merged into Bell Labs, but there haven’t been any new achievements. They seem to be dividing up the work! However, they have new achievements in memory chips in Asia, and Bell Labs seems to have made a new breakthrough, but we don’t know what it is. Bell Labs’ secrecy is too strong now, it’s very difficult to find out the specifics!” Jimmy knew John quite well, especially about semiconductor chips!
“Of course. John’s security preparations are far ahead of the curve. Even though he has given up Dreamworld and Nvidia, have you seen the change in security? Just wait and see. Whatever John’s plans are, they will be exposed the moment he fully hands over Dreamworld and Nvidia. Even if we don’t investigate, he will expose himself!”

Morgan Stanley never believed that John would really give up on semiconductor chips, and he didn't even believe that John would give up on software. After all, many of the patents in Dreamworld and Nvidia were not held by the company, but by John's personal patent company. The two companies only had the right to use them.

It was precisely because John's contingency plans were gradually revealed that many people were shocked by his scheme. After all, this had been planned from the very beginning—how could they not be astonished! Because they understood all this, many believed John was playing a grand game. To fully see through John's scheme, they could only wait until he completely relinquished all his shares in Dreamworld and Nvidia. They all felt that John's phased sale of shares wasn't just for profit, but more importantly, to buy time for those companies hiding in the shadows!

The more people learned about John's scheme, the more shocked they became by his methods. It wasn't that no one had approached John, but they had all refused. Moreover, John's patent company was not entirely under his personal name, but was held by a variety of companies, including individuals, family foundations, and offshore companies, which minimized the pressure on John.

If John completes the asset restructuring, it will be even more difficult to understand his investment situation later. After this restructuring, John will truly be behind the scenes, and the amount of assets held by those offshore companies will be unknown. Therefore, not only are Morgan tycoons secretly investigating everything about John, but Rockefeller and other old guys are also conducting the same investigation. Even Donkey and Elephant are involved, not to mention Oilfield Capital! For them, only by truly understanding John's asset situation can they avoid being at a disadvantage in future confrontations, or even being ambushed by John. After all, John's methods are too powerful and too crazy!

(End of this chapter)