America: My Time

Chapter 631 The situation reverses

Chapter 621 The Situation Reverses

Yes, those old guys are in big trouble. All their schemes have failed. Not only did they not achieve the results they wanted in the gaming world, but now Intel also doesn't have the time to catch up with Nvidia. Everything is beyond their control. Now, these old guys are all full of worries. They paid such a high price, and this is the result they got.

"Could we deliver a fatal blow to them on anti-monopoly issues?" At this moment, someone had such a sinister idea. Unfortunately, what they could think of, John and Dream World had already thought of. They would not give them any chance. Even if someone reported it, it would take time to collect evidence. Dream World could completely stall for time and wait for Global Online's layout to be completed.

"Impossible. Dream World has already said that they will release their internet patents. Now they are just waiting for Global Online's submarine cable project to unfold and expand. Once they complete the regional alliance, there will be results. And don't forget, this is not just Global Online acting alone!"

"Indeed, it's not just one company acting. Now, those oil tycoons will be even more anxious. This isn't just about superficial network communication. The involvement of Middle Eastern tycoons will make it even more attractive to them, and they'll be even more eager than us to stop it all. Now we should wait and see how they perform!"

"Impossible. Nobody can stop it. This is just a civilian network, and it's not like we haven't connected before. What telephone and telegraph company doesn't have its own submarine fiber optic cable? It just means that Global Online is more powerful. And don't forget that the Middle Eastern tycoons are not our enemies. We have no reason to stop Global Online's plans. Most importantly, they are connected to Europe. Obviously, Global Online doesn't operate their network entirely in the United States; it's globalized."

"No matter what, we should make use of what we can. Even if it doesn't yield any results, it's not a big deal. The more we understand, the more we can prepare. Everyone should take action. We must gain an advantage in the gaming market now. The pressure is no longer on Nvidia; they don't care about chips in the gaming world!"

The situation reversed instantly, which many of the older guys found hard to accept. But they had no choice; the deed was done, and they had no choice but to accept it. If they couldn't gain the upper hand in their confrontation with Japan, disaster would befall them. Fortunately, they still had the advantage of time.

At this moment, these old guys all had something unspeakable in their hearts: they had been careless. They shouldn't have been so hasty in cutting ties with Nvidia and with Japan's manufacturing partners. They should have waited until there were further advancements in the gaming world before taking action. But now it was too late to say any of this, and they could only face the reality.

Japan is now also shocked by John's counterattack. Sony, Hitachi, and Panasonic had initially believed that Nvidia would fully cooperate with their R&D, even handing over some resources to them, allowing them to dominate the gaming world in the console arena. Now they realize they were mistaken. Nvidia has its own development plans and doesn't need to be controlled by them. Furthermore, the emergence of new-generation VCDs and personal computer optical drives, along with the establishment of standards, has put immense pressure on Sony. Their CD patents, along with Philips', are ineffective in restricting the other; on the contrary, they are the ones being restricted. Clearly, the advent of both VCDs and personal computer optical drives shattered their illusions.

Sony only saw the CD market, while John saw the VCD market, the personal computer market, and even the DVD market. Now that he had the patents, he was in control. He could easily replace the first-generation VCD, since technology was constantly evolving, and even if he made less money, it was still worthwhile.

At this time, John was also discussing with ASUS that the VCD manufacturing part would eventually be spun off. ASUS would not focus its energy on this part, but on its own research and development, motherboards, graphics cards and memory, to consolidate its position in the personal computer industry. In the future, many of ASUS's industries will be spun off one by one.

Has the new generation of lithography machines arrived yet? This is one of John's biggest concerns. Without lithography machines, it would be a joke to expect better finished products. The good news is that ASML is working overtime to produce the new generation of lithography machines. As for the previous generation of lithography machines, production has been halted, and they are focusing all their efforts on starting production of the new lithography machines. This time, they want to seize market share and overtake the competition.

The next generation of servers isn't nonexistent, but they won't be released immediately because their own needs must be met. Global Online now needs to complete its global layout, and Hong Kong remains the preferred server location in Asia—this will not waver. However, things have changed in Europe. If the British don't offer sufficient incentives, Global Online's European headquarters will have to be moved to Dublin, Ireland.

This isn't a battle for information or communications; it's a struggle across various other areas. When the British discovered John's vast European footprint and the acquisition of so many of their own companies, they began to have their own concerns, leading to negative voices and the start of the disagreements. Furthermore, Western Energy's attempt to enter the British market also faced obstacles. The British have been adept at playing the "crossing the river and burning the bridge" game. After the stock market crash, they developed inappropriate ideas and became resistant to Western Energy's entry into the British market, especially regarding cooperation on the North Sea oil fields. They were relentless in their obstruction and non-cooperation, even encountering resistance in their power acquisition efforts in the UK.

Ireland is in a much better position. At least they accepted Western Energy's entry and are cooperating with it actively. This is the difference between the two, which is why there are changes on Global Online's European servers!

Negotiations are entirely handled by my subordinates and the British. Whether they can get everything they want depends on their respective abilities, capabilities, and the level of importance they place on the matter. Although it's not yet clear how impressive Global Online's strategy is, not all Europeans are optimistic about the internet, and they are all waiting for Dream World to release its patents. They don't want to hand over such an important thing to the Americans. In short, these guys don't trust the Americans.

While John was making his moves in Taiwan, Akina Nakamori found herself in a predicament. Her greedy husband had once again cornered her, leaving her at a loss for what to do.

"Sister, all I want is to debut, to become an idol. Why won't you help me? If you just asked, neither Ken-On nor Elite Entertainment would be a problem. But why do you have to refuse me? You're so selfish!"

"Yes, Akina, you've changed. You've changed so much that we don't even recognize you anymore. You have so many opportunities, but you refuse to help us. You've even been hindering our development. If you were willing to help, we wouldn't be where we are now. We would be doing much better. Do you know how much real estate in Tokyo has appreciated these days? But you're too selfish. You're unwilling to help your family members. You've made us watch opportunities slip away. Now you're even unwilling to help Akina's future. You've disappointed us so much." As the head of the family, Akio Nakamori directly accused Akina Nakamori, as if all the blame was on Akina and that they were completely innocent, and their reasons were so compelling.

“It’s not that I don’t want to help Akira, but she hasn’t met the company’s requirements. Both Ken-On and Elite Agency have their own set of rules. Akira doesn’t meet their standards, so how can I help her!” Nakamori Akina also stated her reasons. Every agency has its own rules and regulations, so how could Nakamori Akina interfere?

"You just don't want to help me. I've heard that Naoko Kawai got her sister Yukari Kawai into Stanford, and that Seiko Matsuda and Yoshie Kashiwabara were able to stand on the music festival stage only because Naoko Kawai spoke up for them. If you were willing to speak up, how could I possibly be refused when I want to join an elite agency? Who wouldn't give you that kind of face!" At this moment, Akiho Nakamori stood up again to criticize her older sister Akina. In her mind, Akina was deliberately blocking her future.

“Akiho, if you also want to go to school, I can help you speak up, but I can’t help you join Elite Agency. That’s a company, not something I can interfere with. You can’t just join Elite Agency whenever you want. They won’t be recruiting any artists this year, and no one can change that!” Unfortunately, Akina Nakamori’s explanation was just an excuse in the eyes of these family members. These people only thought about their own interests and didn’t care about Akina’s feelings or her future at all!

If Akina Nakamori were to interfere in Elite Agency's affairs at this time, what would others think and how would they perceive her? Furthermore, Akina Nakamori is not an employee of Elite Agency and has no reason to do so. Most importantly, Phoenix Group is currently undergoing consolidation; intervening at this juncture would only create negative perceptions among many.

"Enterprise, you still hold shares in TV Tokyo, so can you arrange for someone in your family to work at TV Tokyo? Even if you can't ask for help with the agency, getting me into TV Tokyo shouldn't be a problem!" Akira looked at Nakamori Akina with a sneer, showing no respect for her older sister.

The shares in TV Tokyo have always been a coveted prize for the Akina family, but unfortunately, they haven't been able to obtain them, and Akina has no right to transfer them; at most, they can only enjoy an annual bonus. If John hadn't even considered this, he would be incredibly foolish; his assets would have long been swallowed up by his enemies.

(End of this chapter)