America: My Time

Chapter 461 The Emergence of Resistance

Chapter 461 The Emergence of Resistance
"John, even if you want to hide your assets, you shouldn't have made such a mess of it. Western Energy is in negative equity, who would believe that? And Global Online is also in negative equity, even Australian shipping is in negative equity, what's going on?" Because everyone was attracted by the Russian nuclear power plant, they didn't pay much attention to Forbes' situation, but this issue of Forbes' personal wealth is very problematic, especially John's assets, which are even more incomprehensible.

Western Energy is in debt, citing excessive liabilities and lack of development potential. The same applies to Global Online, and even Australian shipping has become a negative asset. This has caused quite a stir, even alarming Morgan Stanley. Currently, many of John's companies are operating with negative assets. Only Dreamworld, Nvidia, Game World, Legendary Entertainment, Phoenix Group, and Hurricane Investment are profitable. All other industries are in debt, all citing the same reason: excessive liabilities.

"I'm not lying, this is the truth. Everyone knows how much debt Western Energy has. Although it has achieved some results, the cost of mining is too high, so there is no need to mine at all. The exploration costs are also staggering. Only the power plants and oil refineries are barely profitable, and even those profits can only cover normal business expenses. So overall, the company is in debt. Global Online is even more so. Behind its crazy expansion is a huge debt that will take time to repay. Australian shipping is another story. It placed such a large order in Japan, which has left it heavily indebted. 7-Eleven is the same. Behind its expansion are huge debts. And so are other companies. If it weren't for such a huge debt, everything would be fine. But with such a huge debt, there's nothing I can do. I'm the richest man in the world, but I'm also the most indebted. We can't just look at the surface assets; we have to look at our debts."

"Okay, I can't argue with you, but you can't make things this ugly. Even if Warner is covering for you, you can't do it like this. You have to save Warner some face. This kind of mess isn't good for you!"

“I didn’t want it to be like this either, but the company’s debt is so huge, what am I supposed to do? Many people see the apparent profits of Gulfstream Aerospace, but who sees the huge expenses behind it? Doesn’t research and development require funding? Also, if it weren’t for the company’s continued survival, I wouldn’t have split up Gulfstream Aerospace and let Pan Am operate on its own. I was just worried that changes in the environment would affect Pan Am’s survival.”

"Alright, I won't waste my breath arguing with you about these useless things. We all know the truth. I'm not here to see you about that, but about the White House. The White House wants you to reduce your imports to Russia, at least not more food. Europe is already very dissatisfied with your actions!"

"Those bastards have the nerve to complain about me? I'm the one who's been screwed over by them. Look at what those bastards have done! They clearly have the ability to help the Russians quickly restore order from the nuclear power plant disaster, but they just do nothing. My investments in Europe have suffered heavy losses. I'm in a terrible situation! If I don't get some benefits from the Russians, I'm afraid I'll go bankrupt soon. The White House doesn't want to see my companies go bankrupt either, right? Without some funds from the Russians, I simply can't support such a large operation! If this continues, all my investments in Europe this year will be losses, and I'll even lose the gains from the depreciation of the dollar. Why don't those bastards give me any subsidies?"

"Alright, the White House is just telling you to be careful not to be too greedy. Australian shipping is doing more and more business in Asia, which is making those guys uneasy. And now that there are problems in Europe, your reaction is also making them very unhappy!"

"Can you blame me? Those guys were too slow to react. The whole of Europe was in chaos, which affected my wineries in Europe. What could I do? Besides, the Russians don't want anything that exceeds the standards. What can I do? Now I can only rely on investments in Asia to make up for the losses in Europe."

"John, you need to be careful about this. Those guys might not be capable of accomplishing anything, but they're certainly good at causing trouble. You should be extra careful and avoid getting into too much trouble with them; that wouldn't be a good thing!"

"I knew these guys couldn't stand seeing others do well or make money. I'll tell them to keep an eye on things and not give them any excuses!" John was also a bit troubled by these guys, but he didn't have any good solutions. He could only compromise for the time being and wait for these bastards to cry later.

John was quite annoyed lately; nothing was going right. His humanitarian aid to the Russians had drawn the ire of many. These guys couldn't stand to see others doing well; even though the Russians were suffering so much, they were still unsatisfied and wanted to kick them while they were down. Faced with pressure from these scoundrels, John had no choice but to compromise. John didn't have any good feelings towards the Russians; he just wanted to exploit them, to get their technology and wealth. But now, some scoundrels were preventing him, which infuriated him greatly.

After his conversation with Morgan, John didn't pay much attention. After all, no matter how arrogant those Europeans were, they wouldn't target him. He was also a member of an American financial group and was protected by the United States. At most, those guys would just express their dissatisfaction. Besides, the White House's current target wasn't the Russians, but Japan.

The situation in Japan is not very optimistic right now. The Americans have their eyes on Japan, especially in the semiconductor industry. Intel has joined forces with many semiconductor companies in Silicon Valley to form SIA, aiming to counter the competition from Japanese semiconductors. At the same time, they are also putting pressure on Nvidia, Dream World, and even the gaming world. Unfortunately, their actions have not received a response from Nvidia, nor have they gained the approval of Dream World. Even AMD has not paid any attention to them.

Intel's willingness to step forward and unite with US semiconductor companies to challenge Japan is a result everyone wants to see. However, it's impossible to make Nvidia, Dream World, and the gaming world pay the price, and it's impossible to accept their memory chips, which are of inferior quality to those of Japan.

Faced with pressure from the United States, Japan's situation is extremely dangerous. Japanese semiconductor companies have sensed the danger, but it's too late for them to change course. These companies are too greedy, holding too large a market share, making change impossible. Japan is now incredibly aggressive, controlling a quarter of the US automotive market and 80% of the memory chip market. How could the Americans not be anxious? In contrast, the Russian situation can be temporarily set aside. Even if there are problems, they are European issues, not the US's. The only ones who will suffer are the Europeans, given their proximity to Russia.

At this point, these Japanese guys thought of John, their "friend" in Japan, and the power of Phoenix Media and Legendary Entertainment, hoping to use the media to reverse Japan's image. John accepted the invitation. He had considerable investments in Japan and couldn't afford to be on the opposite side of these Japanese guys. Besides, he didn't need to confront them; at least his interests were minimal.

John's departure from the US at this time has puzzled many. Everyone initially thought his increased investment in sports indicated a major move, but after the acquisitions, he simply established a sports conglomerate and then remained silent. Many found this unbelievable, believing it to be a complete waste of money. As for hobbies, no one seemed to have any inclination towards sports, at least not in his background. Many considered his interests to be music and writing, with virtually no involvement in sports. Yet, he paid such a high price to acquire teams in the four major leagues, which baffled many. If this was an investment, why hasn't anything changed?
John has a bit of a hobby, at least he has some interest in basketball, but making money is also an option. John knows how high the market value of the four major league teams will be in the future. The 1980s were the low point for team value, so this was the perfect time to acquire them. As for the subsequent development, there are some things to consider. Since the Forever Group has not yet completed the acquisition of the sports brand, there is naturally no need to rush into action.

Most importantly, John will not take any expansion actions for a long time, as that would only make those old guys uneasy and affect his plans. At this time, it is crucial not to alert them or give them any more ideas!

Next, he only had one word: "play." He would no longer interfere with the company's development. During this year, all companies would focus on self-improvement, digesting the gains from past expansions, and consolidating their foundations. If he had to name a plan, it would be to search for treasure at sea. This was also John's true intention in ordering the salvage ship from Japan.

Searching for treasure at sea is also a good way to confuse the enemy. Those old guys are now watching him closely, making it difficult for John to carry out many things and plans. He is afraid that if he is not careful, the enemy will discover his thoughts and it will affect his next actions.

(End of this chapter)