America: My Time

Chapter 433 Pressure
Chapter 433 Pressure

"Boss, it seems John has already united his companies. If his plan succeeds, Hurricane Investment will be in even greater danger. With this kind of information as a basis, their big data analysis may become even more powerful. This time, with the depreciation of the dollar, Hurricane Investment has made huge profits!"

"It's obvious. He's really crazy to connect Dreamworld, Nvidia, Bell Labs, and Universal Online through United International. And then there's Hughes, Legendary Entertainment, and Phoenix Entertainment. What a brilliant move. If we had known he had this scheme, those old guys would never have let him get United International. Now it's all too late!"

After a fruitless conversation with John, Morgan couldn't help but have some thoughts. Just from John's arrangements for United Press International, he knew that John wanted to closely link his companies together and create resource sharing.

“Boss, what should we do now? John is clearly focused on expanding in Quantum Mining, Western Energy, and Legendary Entertainment. He has no intention of investing more in the United States. Should we make a change?” Faced with John’s rejection, Jimmy couldn’t help but feel a little worried, fearing that if things continued like this, John and Morgan would part ways.

"No, we don't need to do anything. The ones in a hurry right now are not us, but the White House, those old guys like Rockefeller, and Wall Street. If it weren't for them, things wouldn't be like this. And we don't need to take action. I know what you're worried about. You're afraid that the power of Hurricane Investment will affect Morgan's interests. You're wrong. It won't affect Morgan's interests. On the contrary, it will bring Morgan even greater benefits."

"Boss, I don't quite understand!" Jimmy was somewhat confused by his boss's words. If Hurricane Investment were to become even stronger, Morgan's interests on Wall Street would inevitably be impacted and affected!

"You're right not to understand. You only see the impact of Hurricane Investment on Wall Street, but you don't see that the stronger Hurricane Investment is, the more uneasy many people become, and the faster it will accelerate the listing of John's other companies. Do you think NBC is causing concern now? Do you think Universal Online is trustworthy? John, that little fox, can't be unaware of the huge impact his development has on everyone, and he can't be unaware of the impact of NBC's expansion. Listing is a must; no one wants to accept this outcome! The power of media and communications is in his hands. It's not just us who can't accept it; ordinary people can't accept it either."

"But NBC has changed a lot. John, that little fox, has spun off many things from it, and Universal Online is just a new company. Even if people have objections, it's impossible to force that little fox to go public now."

“Going public now is impossible, but things will be different in a year or two. Even if he has plenty of funds, he will have to go public, especially NBC. It will make those old guys uneasy. The problem with Global Online will be smaller, since it only has a big impact on the financial industry and not on the general public!”

Morgan underestimated Global Online. Its control over television, mobile, and internet communications wouldn't have an impact; it's just that he lacked understanding of technology. In two or three years, Global Online would be a behemoth that would shock everyone.

Of course, the main reason why Morgan Stanley had such thoughts was because the breakup of Bell Labs made them feel that it was not a problem. Therefore, they did not think that Global Online could threaten their interests. Moreover, some old guys were also laying out mobile communication networks. So, although Global Online had the advantage of being a first mover, it could not put as much pressure on them as NBC. In particular, John's attacks on HSBC and Standard Chartered, and the power exerted by Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Group were too terrifying, forcing them to take it seriously. If this power was completely in the hands of John, this little fox, they would also feel uneasy.

"But while NBC has a significant influence, it's only a part of Legendary Entertainment. Legendary Entertainment should be the one listed; that's the real media giant. Just listing NBC won't have a big impact on John's media career. He still has those cable TV stations and other media outlets!"

"No, Legendary Entertainment Media is not going public. That little fox John won't accept it. Besides, other media outlets don't have much influence. The real power lies with NBC. Cable TV doesn't have much influence. Okay, let's leave it at that. Is that little fox still selling his shares in Game World?"

Morgan quickly shifted the topic to the gaming world, not wanting to discuss it further with Jimmy. NBC was the real threat, not Legendary Entertainment. It was a pity Phoenix Media wasn't an American company; otherwise, they would have liked to see it listed, given its influence in Asia. "He's been selling shares in the gaming world, even after making such amazing profits from the depreciation of the dollar. If before he was worried about fluctuations in the dollar and needed to increase his margin, his current actions are baffling to many. They don't understand why this little fox would do such a thing."

"It's very simple. He's sharing the profits, gradually releasing the benefits of the game world. He's gained everyone's recognition, so naturally he has to show his appreciation. You should know perfectly well how much profit the game world generates. Releasing these shares is his attitude towards the White House and everyone else, telling them that he's not someone who hogs everything. Of course, it's also a slap in the face to some people. This little fox is still holding a grudge; the failed restaurant acquisition has made him resentful. The dollar is depreciating, and those guys' assets are also depreciating, but the game world's shares haven't depreciated; on the contrary, they're appreciating."

At this time, the White House, other financial groups, and Wall Street guys were all discussing John's gains. Lehman Brothers had successfully escaped danger, but many others were still in danger. Those banks had also come to the White House, but this time the White House could not step in. After all, they could not keep letting John give up the profits they had already gained. Moreover, all of this was their own doing. If they were sincere, they should go to John, this little fox, to discuss it, instead of coming to them.

"Gentlemen, tell me, what should we do now? The White House has clearly rejected our request and is unwilling to negotiate with that little fox John on our behalf. Now we can only rely on ourselves. But what price will we have to pay to end all this? Don't compare it to Lehman Brothers. They had the White House's reputation and Morgan's mediation. Now we can only rely on ourselves. If we drag this out any longer, the losses we will suffer will be even greater. We must reconcile with that little fox John as quickly as possible. Moreover, this little fox did not leave New York directly. I'm afraid he is waiting for us to come to him."

"How about we talk to Morgan and ask him to intervene?"

"What do you take Morgan for? He can stand up for Lehman Brothers because he has the White House's reputation. If we go to Morgan, they won't care at all. We are enemies in the same industry. Those bastards at Morgan want to see us pay a heavy price in this dollar devaluation. That's the result they are hoping for."

"You can't say that. How do you know if it's impossible if you don't try? Besides, we represent the entire Wall Street. Morgan will have to give us some face. As for the price, we can unconditionally help the Mandarin Oriental Group complete the acquisition of the catering business!"

"Enough! At a time like this, you're still telling jokes like this? Do you think this is about acquisitions? If that little fox John really wanted to acquire, Morgan would have acted already. Right now, he's developing media and entertainment, and mining and energy. Look at how fast Western Energy is expanding in the US, look at how fast Quantum Mining is developing. How could he possibly choose to abandon his previous plans at this time and invest in restaurant acquisitions? The Mandarin Oriental Group has already changed direction and is investing heavily in real estate. I don't believe you don't know the situation in Asia."

"Then what do you suggest we do? We can't just sit here and wait to die. If we do nothing, we'll only face an even bigger crisis. Many people are already at their breaking point. Although the major media outlets haven't mentioned it, we all know the dire situation on Wall Street. People are dying every day. If we drag this out any longer, we won't be able to hold on much longer!"

“I have some news that might solve our problem. United Press International is shifting towards financial information and will provide financial information services, similar to Bloomberg. We can use this as an excuse to negotiate with this little fox.”

"Impossible, you're too naive. If United Press International is more powerful than Bloomberg, it won't care about our choices at all, because everyone knows the importance of information in financial investment. We should think carefully about how to compromise."

"If this won't work and that won't work, are we just going to do nothing? Only by taking action can we have any hope. I think no matter what, we should first contact that little fox John and Hurricane Investment, and listen to their demands. Maybe we're just scaring ourselves. Things aren't as dangerous or difficult as we imagine. Even HSBC managed to get out of this mess, so there's no reason why we can't. Compared to that, I'm more willing to pay a price to end this crisis. If you're still hesitating, then I'll take action myself. I don't want to drag this out any longer!"

(End of this chapter)