America: My Time

Chapter 340 John's Counterattack

Chapter 340 John's Counterattack

"Leveraging external forces is the only way for Sony to acquire Columbia Pictures. It's impossible to succeed on its own. There are far too many people in the US who are using Japan as a bargaining chip, and many scoundrels make a living from it. I believe Mr. Morita is well aware of this. Moreover, in my opinion, Mr. Morita has underestimated Columbia Pictures' influence on the US and Hollywood. Without full preparation, failure is inevitable!"

Was John exaggerating? No, Akio Morita didn't think that way, nor would he. That's the truth. It's just that Akio Morita hadn't noticed anything Sony had overlooked—why would John say such a thing?
"John, please point out where Sony went wrong. Sony is now in a hopeless situation!"

"What's the opening sequence for Columbia Pictures? Mr. Morita, don't you have any recollection of it, or has the entire Sony company overlooked this issue? That's the Statue of Liberty. If Japan were to acquire it on its own, what kind of situation do you think it would cause?"

Upon hearing the name of the Statue of Liberty, Akio Morita immediately realized how serious the problem he had been overlooking was. Even under normal circumstances, such an acquisition would cause turmoil, let alone at this dangerous moment, which would inevitably lead to a huge upheaval and be extremely detrimental to Sony's development in the United States!
For a fleeting moment, Akio Morita considered giving up. It wasn't worth dragging Sony into this mess for Columbia Pictures; Columbia Pictures wasn't worth it. But giving up like this also left Morita feeling somewhat unwilling—this was Sony's long-term plan!

"John, is there any other way to solve this problem? I'm not willing to give up on you like this!"

“External forces. Phoenix Media’s acquisition of Paramount relied on external forces, as did Legendary Entertainment’s acquisition of Universal Pictures. Now Sony only has one option: to find external forces. The best choice is Morgan. If you’re willing, I can help you contact Morgan. I believe they won’t refuse. However, the Hollywood issues will need to be addressed by Sony itself, which Morgan cannot do!” As he said this, John’s gaze was fixed on Akio Morita, awaiting his decision.

Asking Morgan to handle the project would inevitably come at a higher price, but the chances of success would be greater. If Morgan accepted, it wouldn't be a problem. Akio Morita thought it was worth a try; Sony wasn't short of money.

"Alright, then I'll trouble John to contact Morgan for me. It'd be best if it happened as soon as possible, because I'm worried something unexpected might happen. You know the current environment in the US is very unfriendly to Japanese companies!"

“No problem, I’ll call Morgan’s manager right now and hear what he has to say.” After getting Akio Morita’s approval, John picked up the phone and called Jimmy.

Not long after, Jimmy's call went through. John then put the call on speakerphone so that Akio Morita could hear his conversation with Jimmy clearly, lest Akio Morita suspect his intentions.

"John, what brings you here so late? Is there something wrong with the previous acquisition?"

“The previous acquisition was fine, you don’t need to worry about it. I have a question I’d like to ask. Sony is interested in acquiring Columbia Pictures. I don’t know if Morgan can complete the deal. You know the current environment in the US is very unfriendly to Japanese companies. If someone objects, it’s easy to fail. If someone plays some tricks, Sony will be in big trouble. You know my relationship with Sony!” At this moment, John didn’t beat around the bush and directly expressed his thoughts.

“John, you’ve really given Morgan a headache. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem, but you know the situation in Hollywood right now. The acquisitions of Paramount and Fox have already attracted a lot of attention. If Sony were to acquire Columbia Pictures at this time, do you know how much pressure we would face? Those old guys won’t stand idly by!”

“I know and understand, which is why I asked you in advance. If Morgan is interested in cooperating, I can arrange for you to meet with Mr. Akio Morita of Sony so you can talk. I believe that with Morgan’s strength, we can do that. As for external pressure, as long as there are no problems with the White House, everything else is a minor matter. This is just a normal business acquisition. As for what Hollywood thinks, we can ignore it.”

“Alright, I’ll talk to the boss. As for whether he can agree, I can’t make the decision. If it were you acquiring it, there wouldn’t be a big problem. Even if Legendary Entertainment were to acquire it now, it wouldn’t be a problem. But Sony is a different story. Given the current environment, we need to be cautious. Morgan’s situation isn’t great either; they’re facing considerable pressure. Those bastards on Wall Street are dragging us down. You should know that.” “I know, the one jumping the gun the most is Lehman Brothers. Not only Morgan is affected, but I’m no exception. Those bastards forced Hurricane Investment to change its investment strategy and turn to venture capital, targeting Silicon Valley. If we had known Lehman Brothers would be so arrogant and crazy, we shouldn’t have given them a chance to reconcile in that previous confrontation. We should have dealt them a fatal blow directly. Now, Hurricane Investment doesn’t have that much capital prepared and dares not act rashly!”

Jimmy didn't believe John's words at all. John, that little fox, seemed to be avoiding Lehman Brothers, but no one knew what he was really thinking. Jimmy didn't believe that Hurricane Investment had insufficient funds.

“John, I’m glad you understand. I’ll inform the boss about this tomorrow. The outcome is beyond my control, but I’ll let you know as soon as I have any news. However, you should also prepare for the listing of Dream World. I’m afraid Morgan won’t release too many shares. This time, Morgan intends to hold more shares!”

John was taken aback by Jimmy's words. However, he quickly realized that Jimmy was telling him this to show Morgan's position, indicating that there seemed to be a conflict between Morgan and the old guys like Rockefeller.

“I will keep an eye on it. This time, the listing of Dream World will be handled by Morgan, just like the previous listing of Game World. If you need Dream World’s cooperation, you can contact Ms. Meg Whitman. I have already spoken to her, and she will handle the listing of Dream World entirely. I don’t have time to pay attention to it. Many companies need to be reorganized, especially Phoenix Group, which will take up a lot of my energy. I also need time to prepare my graduation thesis, so I’ll leave everything to Morgan!”

“Okay, I’ll keep an eye on it. However, we’ve got a lead on the Quantum Mining leak that’s connected to Freeport-McMoRan. They’ve obtained some of Quantum Mining’s data. After all, many mining giants are worried about Quantum Mining’s expansion. If you need any help, Morgan will always be on your side.”

"Thank you for your kindness, Morgan. I will ask if you need help. It seems I was too kind, making many people think I'm easy to bully. Since Lehman Brothers failed to establish its authority, this time I'll target Freeport McMurland. I hope he doesn't give up too quickly. If he doesn't give me a satisfactory explanation, I won't stop this time, and no amount of pleading will help."

"John, the White House has the power behind them. You need to be careful, otherwise they won't be so arrogant!"

"So what? Do you really think I can't do anything to them? Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Group are not just for show, nor is Hurricane Investment. Anyone who dares to break the rules will have to bear my wrath. Since Freeport has jumped out to cause trouble, they should be prepared to be beaten. I don't want to have a head-on confrontation with them!"

When Jimmy heard John's words, he couldn't help but sigh. This really couldn't be blamed on John. It was Freeport-McMoRan who started the trouble first. If there was no evidence, no one could say anything. But now Morgan had found a trace of evidence. How could John, that little fox, not find it? He just kept quiet and waited for the right opportunity.

“John, things won’t escalate that much. The White House won’t go too far. Besides, you’re working with Donkey, right? You can definitely use Donkey’s influence. I’m sure those guys will be on your side!”

"There's no need. Those guys from Donkey aren't any good either. If you expect them to step in, they'll make all sorts of demands. Do you think Western Energy is expanding because of their deal with Donkey? I don't want to continue working with these guys. Their appetites are too big. This time, I'm just doing normal business. If Morgan is interested, we can cooperate with Hurricane Investment. I want to see how long they can hold out."

"Don't worry, I know what to do. I believe that once Hurricane Investment makes its move, Wall Street will be shaken. I also hope that those guys can hold on for a while, at least to the level of Lehman Brothers!" Jimmy instantly understood John's intention. He was using Morgan to tell the entire Wall Street that the war between Hurricane Investment and Freeport had begun!

Under these circumstances, would anyone stand with Freeport? Probably no one. Even Lehman Brothers might not side with Freeport. If John resorts to his previous methods, no one on Wall Street can break the deadlock; at least, many can't think of a way out right now. As for a battle of capital, Hurricane Investment isn't afraid. John, that little fox, has a lot of liquid funds. Anyone who dares to compete with John in terms of liquidity will suffer unimaginable consequences. In this impending battle, Jimmy doesn't think Freeport can hold out for long; they don't have enough funds to deal with this crisis.

(End of this chapter)