America: My Time

Chapter 347 The Impact After Listing
Chapter 347 The Impact After Listing

The time for Dreamworld to go public arrived. John and Meg Whitman appeared in New York, and the listing went very smoothly under Morgan's arrangement. As Morgan had said before, he did not give the old guys like Rockefeller a chance to share the profits. They kept most of the shares in their own hands. This result made the old guys like Rockefeller grit their teeth in hatred.

"The IPO is done. John, I don't know if you've considered taking NBC public. You know how difficult it is for a public television network like that to be controlled by an individual!" Jimmy didn't want to be the first to speak out, but he had to do it at this point!

"Going public is a must, but it won't happen too soon. We're far from meeting my requirements for NBC, so let's not think about it too much in the short term. When it's time to go public, I'll discuss it with Morgan!"

John knew perfectly well that NBC couldn't remain under his private control forever; going public was a necessity. However, going public didn't mean he needed to do it now. He had plenty of time to wait. Besides, NBC wasn't yet at the level to be feared by the entire nation; it was only slightly stronger than the other two major public television networks. Now, with Paramount and Fox also building their own networks, NBC wasn't particularly outstanding, at least not to the point of being feared. If John agreed to go public with Morgan at this time, he would be a fool.

"Jimmy, don't get your sights set on media and entertainment. They won't be going public for a long time. Morgan doesn't need to waste its energy on me right now. I'm being ostracized and can't continue developing in the US. I can only expand overseas, so we won't have any deals for a while. Maybe we'll have a chance to cooperate when those old guys finally give up the confrontation! However, as long as my companies need to go public, I'll choose Morgan if there are no problems. After all, we've been cooperating for so long, and we know each other very well, which will save us a lot of unnecessary trouble."

Upon hearing John's words, Jimmy breathed a sigh of relief. He could finally give his boss an explanation. As for John's shift to overseas expansion, it was expected. It would have been a problem if John had continued to fight those old guys on the domestic front.

However, Jimmy quickly thought of something else and said, "John, this time Legendary Entertainment has secured the Olympic Games airtime and a series of advertising deals. Do you think they can help you recoup your investment?"

You know, previous Olympics were all money-losing events, so Jimmy didn't have high hopes for the Los Angeles Olympics at all. But John, that little fox, had already secured a lot of advertising and TV slot rights from Legendary Entertainment, which he couldn't understand. In his opinion, it was just throwing money away.

“Jimmy, we’re old friends. Why would I make this investment if it doesn’t make money? I can tell you clearly that it won’t disappoint me. Moreover, my advertising fees will far exceed your imagination. I’m planning to sell all these ads to Japanese companies. I’ve already arranged to discuss this with Akio Morita.”

"No way, they're really that stupid as to accept your suggestion to run their ads at the Olympics?" John's words shocked Jimmy, leaving him momentarily speechless. He knew many advertisers wouldn't accept advertising at the Olympics. Of course, the main reason was that John's Legendary Entertainment had already taken all the best advertising spots. But even so, no one should be coming to John's door to discuss advertising!
"Nothing is impossible. Those guys just haven't seen the way to make money and don't have enough publicity. Legendary Entertainment doesn't lack such resources. After the Olympics, you'll see how much Legendary Entertainment has gained this time, and you'll understand that hosting the Olympics isn't about not being able to make money, but rather that those guys are too stupid. Legendary Entertainment's advertising resources will definitely sell for an astronomical price, and those Japanese companies will all think it's worth it!"

If anyone else had said these words, Jimmy would never have believed them. But John's words made Jimmy think. If Legendary Entertainment could really achieve this, the Olympics could bring them a lot of profits, and give those old guys a headache.

Many people are now worried about the large sum of money John has. Although they know that John is frantically buying up various properties, such as farms, wineries, and estates, they think that's just small change. Their biggest concern is that John will invest this money in the financial industry and continue to expand his business in the United States.

"How's it going? Talking to those guys is exhausting, isn't it? These old geezers all want your shares!" John said with a nonchalant smile when he saw Meg Whitman's tired expression. This wasn't the first time John had encountered this situation; he'd seen it before during the last game world IPO, only now it was Meg Whitman.

“Boss, I really didn’t expect Dream World to drive them so crazy. I’m so glad I accepted your invitation, otherwise I would have missed this incredible opportunity!” Upon hearing Meg Whitman’s words, John gently shook his head and said, “No, it’s not that you’re glad you accepted my invitation, but that we complement each other. If you didn’t have that ability, there wouldn’t be Dream World today. Hold onto your shares and don’t rush to sell. Their value will be even higher in the future. You’ll definitely regret it if you sell them. You don’t lack money now, so there’s no need to rush to sell.”

Although Meg Whitman is the CEO of Dreamworld and has considerable knowledge of the semiconductor industry, she still can't see the industry's future prospects clearly. However, she has faith in John, the boss, as both companies have seen rapid growth in market value since the IPOs of Game World and Dreamworld.

"Boss, should we remind the employees?" At this moment, Meg Whitman thought of the employees in Dream World. If they rushed into action, they might suffer a great loss.

John shook his head slightly and said, "There's no need for that. They know about the game world's listing. If they still choose to sell under these circumstances, it only shows that they lack confidence in Dream World, or that they're not truly on Dream World's side. No matter how much you try to persuade them, it's useless. The semiconductor industry is developing rapidly these days. Those who haven't signed non-compete agreements with the company are probably already looking for other jobs and have bigger goals. Trying to persuade them will only be a waste of your time."

John was well aware of the situation inside Dreamworld. He knew countless Silicon Valley companies were eyeing Dreamworld, and those who hadn't signed non-compete agreements were probably just waiting for this day to come, hoping to get Dreamworld stock and leave. However, the stock they received from Dreamworld was pitifully small. More importantly, these guys thought their actions were clever, but in reality, they were incredibly foolish. They hadn't participated in the company's core research and didn't know the company's development direction. Even if they found another job, how much benefit would they get?

When Dream World required its employees to sign non-compete agreements, it had already abandoned those who were unwilling to accept them. They could only conduct research on the periphery and knew nothing about the company's core secrets. Moreover, inquiring about information within Dream World was also prohibited, with violators being dismissed and, in serious cases, treated as corporate spies.

"No way, they wouldn't be so stupid as to give up their current jobs and join another company!" Meg Whitman was shocked by her boss's words. If her boss knew all this, why didn't she tell her in advance so that she could be prepared?

“There’s nothing they wouldn’t do. Faced with profit, those guys will definitely do it. For them, the impact of voluntary resignation isn’t significant. However, this is also an opportunity for Dream World to strengthen company management and enforce non-compete agreements. Anyone who joins Dream World again in the future will have to sign a non-compete agreement!” John didn’t think this situation would have any impact on Dream World; on the contrary, it could be an opportunity to strengthen employee management and eliminate any potential problems. In a society like the United States, everyone values ​​profit; loyalty is nonexistent!

“But letting them leave like this will affect the company’s development. It’s okay, aren’t there graduates to fill in? They are easier to manage than those ambitious guys!” In John’s view, this was not a big deal. With Dream World’s current reputation, recruiting a group of graduates would not be difficult, and replacing those who wanted to leave would be a piece of cake. It would not have a big impact on the company.

As the CEO of Dreamworld, Meg Whitman was well aware that the company's core personnel had all signed non-compete agreements and were not allowed to leave. The departure of peripheral personnel would not have a significant impact, and not everyone would leave. Under these circumstances, the impact on Dreamworld was not a problem!

"Perhaps this is why the boss scheduled Dream World's IPO for this time. Even if some people leave, it won't affect the company's development. There are plenty of graduates to fill the gaps. I just wonder how many fools will make such a choice!" Thinking of this, Meg Whitman couldn't help but sigh. As the company's CEO, she knew how many researchers hadn't signed non-compete agreements, so she still felt some pressure. If these guys all left, Dream World would still face pressure, and she needed to prepare in advance.

(End of this chapter)