America: My Time

Chapter 398 Win-Win
Chapter 398 Win-Win

"There's nothing I can do about it. Those old guys are keeping a close eye on me, and with the White House involved this time, I had no choice but to compromise. Although there will be some losses this time, it's not a big problem. At least I've gained their approval, and they won't dare to act recklessly anymore. That's the biggest gain. Compared to that, the losses are nothing. If the Permian Basin oil fields have too many problems, the price will naturally decrease. Although there won't be much profit from extraction, with its existence, Western Energy won't be held hostage, and the refineries can continue smoothly. The possibility of losing money is very small; at most, we'll make very little profit. I'm prepared for that." As he said this, John shook his head slightly, not too concerned about the many problems behind this transaction. If Akio Morita could see it, how could John not see it? Besides, this request was made by John himself!

Although the Permian Basin oil field may not show immediate profits, it holds astonishing potential underground in the long run. Once shale oil extraction technology advances further, everything will be fine. What was once considered a liability will become an inexhaustible source of wealth. With the opportunity presented to him, John naturally wouldn't let it slip by.

Of course, using these old guys as an excuse is also a good option. At least it lets these guys in Japan know how 'difficult' their current situation is, so that they can give them more support. John is also well aware of the Japanese guys' scheming. Why did these bastards so readily give him the maximum loan amount and the lowest interest rate? Was it just because he was powerful? No, not entirely. More than that, these bastards wanted to use him to tie down the energy of the American financial groups, giving these guys in Japan more time to prepare.

Everyone has their own calculations, and the final outcome depends on their individual abilities. John can see through the calculations of Neon, as well as those of old guys like Rockefeller, and the calculations of his entire oil industry peers. But none of that matters. All he wants is a ticket to the game. With that ticket, he can make his mark in the oil industry.

The old guys like Rockefeller thought the deal was all benefits and no drawbacks, while John thought it was incredibly profitable. He believed that once he got his hands on it, he would soon give those old guys a headache and make them realize how foolish the deal was.

“That’s right, the possibility of losing money is indeed very small. It’s just that a sum of money will be tied up in this circle. With Sanwa’s loan, that’s not a problem!” Akio Morita quickly understood John’s idea. This wasn’t his own money, but a loan from Sanwa Bank. Funds weren’t a problem, so the deal wasn’t a problem either. It was a win-win-win situation. The oil companies got the funds, Sanwa Bank got the loan and could make a considerable profit, and John got ownership of the oil field and a ticket to the game. No one lost out in this deal.

“I can’t say that. I’m still under pressure. Western Energy is under a lot of financial pressure. The profit from this acquisition is too small. If the price of crude oil continues to fall, there will be trouble. I don’t see any possibility of crude oil prices rising right now. The overall global economy is not very good. So this acquisition still carries considerable risks. That’s why I’m accelerating the construction of refineries and the expansion in Asia, to prevent the decline in crude oil prices from putting pressure on the cash flow. Once the refineries are running, everything will no longer be a problem!” John sighed as he said this. Western Energy must accelerate its development, accelerate the expansion of its refineries in Asia, and even accelerate the development of oil fields in Asia.

John needs to make further acquisitions, both in the US and the UK, to gain control of oil and gas exploration companies and prepare for future expansion. This still requires Japanese support and is essential for western energy expansion. Increasing exploration efforts and diversifying operations is the best option. This also presents an opportunity—an opportunity to obtain more loans from Japanese banks. With a reason to enter the oil industry, he can certainly obtain the funding he needs from Japanese banks.

"John, I believe you already have a solution, right?" Akio Morita knew John very well. Every time John made a move, he had thoughts that others couldn't see through, and he always had a backup plan. This time would be no exception.

John smiled calmly and nodded, saying, "That's natural. If that were to happen, Nvidia would be ready to go public. Nvidia's chips are now in the final stages of development, and with just a little time, they can release new products that will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the entire semiconductor chip market. This time, it's a qualitative breakthrough! However, we still need time, a little preparation time. Right now, everyone's attention is focused on the Olympics, so holding a product launch at this time won't attract much attention. Therefore, we need to wait a little while."

This is just an excuse, at least in Akio Morita's view. What does semiconductor chips have to do with the Olympics? It simply means that Nvidia, Dream World, and even the gaming world need time to prepare. With new chips, software naturally needs to keep up to perfectly leverage the chip's advantages. Similarly, the gaming world needs to update new arcade machines, home consoles, and handheld devices—all of which require time. Meanwhile, ASUS, as Nvidia's foundry, also needs time to adjust its production schedule. All of this dictates that the product launch must be postponed.

Of course, Akio Morita understood why John had revealed such an important secret to him at this time. As the arcade machine manufacturer, Sony needed to adjust its production schedule in a timely manner, and he understood this good intention. However, Akio Morita didn't think Sony would have any major problems.

However, Nvidia's rapid development was giving Akio Morita a headache. Sony's desire to independently develop its own arcade machine was a major problem, because Nvidia's pace was too fast. Developing its own machine could easily lead to a crisis; by the time Sony's arcade machine was released, the gaming world would have already advanced significantly, which was the biggest issue. "John, isn't your chip release schedule a bit too early? The previous chip market isn't saturated yet, and you're rushing to release new products. This will negatively impact your own interests!" Morita also didn't understand Nvidia's actions. The previous products still had great potential; releasing new products now was clearly a big mistake in business management.

“Mr. Morita, you make it sound difficult, but we dare not slow down, much less try to earn that last penny. It’s not that we don’t have competitors. IBM, Intel, AMD, and a whole host of other semiconductor manufacturers are threats to us. If we slow down, they will catch up. Isn’t that what happened before? Seizing the market first is the most important thing. We have many competitors, and if we linger even a little, we will fall into crisis.”

With the launch of Nvidia's 386 chip, John is eager to join the battle for the personal computer market, and ASUS must shoulder this responsibility. This will take time, and ASUS's expansion speed is still somewhat slow. A step ahead is crucial; once ASUS seizes the personal computer market, the entire semiconductor chip market will soon undergo a transformation.

Dream World is also frantically developing various software for Nvidia chips, and the game world is no exception. ASUS is under the most pressure right now, but fortunately, time is on their side, and they still have plenty of time to prepare.

"John, rest assured, Sony will fully cooperate with Nvidia and the gaming world. As soon as the new arcade machine is developed, we will immediately begin production. You won't be disappointed!"

"I'm relieved to hear Mr. Morita's words. The gaming world will release new products with Nvidia after the Olympics, which requires Sony's support, otherwise it will definitely affect the upcoming Christmas season sales."

At this time, Akio Morita was unaware that ASUS was also making preparations for personal computers. Once the operating system for Dream World was completed, they would enter the personal computer manufacturing industry and compete with American computer companies for the market. They were currently working overtime to complete all aspects of preparations.

"It seems you've made all the preparations. With so many high-tech companies under your control, even if there are some problems with Western Energy, it won't affect your development. Funding isn't an issue for you; you can get the funding you need anytime you want. But is Nvidia's IPO the same as Dream World's?"

"I have an agreement with Morgan in this regard. As long as they do not make any mistakes, Morgan will handle all the work related to Nvidia's listing. And Morgan has not let me down. The success of Dreamworld is the best proof of that. So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Morgan will still be in charge of Nvidia's listing."

Akio Morita nodded slightly at John's answer. Although it was expected, it still pleased him greatly. It proved that John was trustworthy, so Sony didn't need to worry about any impact on them in the short term. However, after learning about Columbia Pictures' situation once again, Morita felt very heavy-hearted. These guys were truly foolish; they hadn't turned the situation around yet, and Sony's investment hadn't yielded the desired results.

Compared to Paramount's development, Columbia Pictures lagged far behind, which made Akio Morita consider cleaning up Columbia Pictures. However, when he thought about the current situation in the United States and Japan, he had to give up. One wrong move could trigger an uncontrollable storm and plunge Columbia Pictures into an even greater disaster!
(End of this chapter)