America: My Time

Chapter 694 Taiwan's Layout
Chapter 684 Taiwan's Layout
"Wow, that's insane. I find it hard to believe that John had such a plan years ago. He was saying years ago that the real estate market in Japan was crazy, and he started selling last year. That's insane. It's something that many people can't do."

"Perhaps this is one of John's secrets to success: not being greedy, not trying to squeeze out the last penny, and acting decisively once he has determined his profit bottom line. Once he reaches it, he lets go without hesitation, just like how he easily gave up those Tsutaya properties before. I believe this guy will also give up the 7-Eleven convenience stores in Japan this time! He'll prepare for a new IPO, focusing on North America, and stop paying attention to the situation in Japan. I even think that John, this little fox, is preparing to leave the United States at this time to go to China to investigate the market, which is also part of his plan."

As he spoke, a subtle change flashed in Morgan's eyes. The longer he cooperated with John, this little fox, the more shocked he became by the fox's methods. If everything was as he suspected, this guy's plans for Japan had been going on for a long time, perhaps even since he chose to invest in Japanese real estate.

“Jimmy, let’s also give up the yen we have and make careful arrangements so as not to alert anyone. John’s financial acumen is still sound. The fact that he’s done this proves that the yen will fluctuate, or that he is not optimistic about the yen in the short term. This guy is not simple. Anyone who dares to underestimate him in finance will pay a heavy price. I believe no one on Wall Street thinks they are better than John.”

Although it's just a small piece of news, and Morgan Stanley hasn't done much investigation yet, the fact that John has already gone long on the yen, and even sold off all the yen he holds in his bank, proves that John is no longer optimistic about the yen's development, or rather, he's no longer optimistic about the Japanese economy.

For a long time, John will no longer target the yen, but instead focus on Japanese stocks. The bubble era is about to burst, so how could John be unprepared? Moreover, John is also keeping an eye on the situation in Taiwan, since the situation is changing too fast and it is impossible not to prepare in advance.

"No one thinks they are better than John. There are many crazy people on Wall Street, but no one dares to say that. Even Buffett and Soros wouldn't dare to say that. After all, John's reputation is earned through hard work!"

"Yes, that's a reputation earned through battle. Who can disagree? Who dares to disagree? So we need to be prepared, at least to avoid putting ourselves in a crisis and harming our own interests. However, recently some people have been jumping around, continuing to criticize John, that little fox. It seems that those guys from Donkey haven't learned their lesson, and those guys from California still have ridiculous ideas. Make arrangements so that we can also stand on John's side and help him bear some of the pressure."

“Boss, those guys are just targeting John’s requirements for the building. They think they’re a bit too crazy and there’s no need for them at all. Besides, the White House is also reluctant to accept John’s ideas, not to mention those guys in California!”

"Unwilling? That's ridiculous. They blame John, that little fox, for just one complaint. Besides, I think his initial argument made a lot of sense. California is in an earthquake zone, so more preparation means more safety. It's about being responsible to our employees and our guests. If something goes wrong, do you think the White House and those guys in California will take responsibility? That's laughable. For us, being cautious about safety is always the right thing to do. Life is only once."

John had known about the situation of 7-Eleven Japan for a long time, even before the sale of Tsutaya. However, John wasn't concerned. He knew that selling 7-Eleven Japan wasn't impossible when the time was right, but the 7-Eleven brand itself wouldn't be sold; only the entire business would be. This was something Morgan hadn't anticipated. John didn't care about selling the existing 7-Eleven Japan business, but the brand itself wouldn't be sold. After all, he had finally managed to integrate the 7-Eleven brand; how could he possibly sell it again?

Amidst much misunderstanding, John left the United States, but instead of going directly to China, he flew straight to Taiwan. With the skyrocketing sales of personal computers, John needed to understand the situation there and whether ASUS's secret plans would be affected by personal computers, and whether they could complete the original plan on time.

Although ASUS had been reporting back and the think tank was following up, John was still uneasy without seeing it for himself and understanding it firsthand. After all, it concerned his grand plan and future development. If he didn't prepare now, it would be too late when the opportunity came. All the necessary preparations had to be made.

John's appearance this time didn't attract much attention, and there weren't many social obligations. With the full-scale plan underway, ASUS's development was incredibly fast, completely dominating the entire industry chain. Although there were external collaborations, the scope of these collaborations wasn't large, after all, John had made too many preparations.

Although he had a beautiful woman by his side, John didn't forget the purpose of his trip. After a short rest, he immediately went to ASUS to find out the situation there in order to avoid any problems. After all, he didn't have much time left, and those guys in Japan were already getting restless. He couldn't be unprepared! "How is the situation now? Can you complete all the tasks according to the original plan? Will the surge in personal computer sales put pressure on you? How is the after-sales guarantee?" This series of questions didn't surprise ASUS, because it was all part of the plan, and they were prepared.

"Although the surge in personal computer prices has had some impact on us, we can overcome it with a little effort. After-sales service is not a problem; we have made comprehensive preparations and established our own after-sales service centers in Europe and America, so there will be no issues. There are just a few minor issues with the production of game consoles that need improvement, since this is something we have never mastered before, and we need some time to work on it."

"That's not a problem. As long as it can be released by Christmas, it's not a problem. You still have plenty of time. For us, once we make a move, we must capture a large share of the market. Moreover, research and development cannot stop. This time, we want to directly seize the market and take the absolute advantage of home game consoles from the gaming world. As for the game itself, the issue has been resolved, and it will be released this summer, but that's a release for personal computers!"

John has already looked into the gaming aspect and there are no problems at all. Moreover, John's main focus this time is on online games; single-player games are not the priority. This is just preparation for home game consoles.

"I understand, but other aspects of research and development have encountered obstacles, especially the development of LCD screens, which requires more time and effort. Although we have obtained patent authorization, the speed of research and development is still limited, and we are completely unable to compare with Japan. I'm afraid we won't be able to enter the market competition for a long time!"

"There's no rush in developing LCD screens. We have time to wait, and when the time is right, we can poach talent from Japan. I believe that won't be a problem. We can even acquire patents from Japan if we lack them. We can't let anyone hold us back. We need our own technology, our own patents, and our own R&D. We can develop step by step. There's no need to rush. We have plenty of time. How is the production of televisions going? There can't be any problems with that."

At this point, John had already begun preparing to part ways with Sony and the like, cutting off his dependence on their monitors and increasing his own research and development. After all, this was not only necessary for personal computers, but also for the production of medical equipment. If he were to be held hostage by those Japanese guys, the consequences would be severe. John did not trust those guys!
"The production of color televisions has entered mass production without any problems, and the research and development of color displays has also been completed. It's just that there isn't much demand due to the price!"

"That's not a problem. Everything will change once our game is released. Besides, universities don't care about this small difference; they prioritize quality." John didn't see any problem with color monitors. The demand wasn't high now because businesses didn't need them, but that didn't mean they wouldn't be needed in the future.

After a thorough understanding, John breathed a sigh of relief. ASUS's R&D is now on track, and OEM manufacturing has begun to be divested. The company is gradually transforming itself from a mere OEM manufacturer into a group company with its own products and R&D team. However, its current R&D capabilities are still slightly insufficient.

John was very satisfied with ASUS's overall progress. He believed that when the opportunity arose, those guys in Japan would know what pressure was, and understand that home game consoles were not their domain in the gaming world. Soon, an era of three-way competition would arrive, or even the era of ASUS home game consoles would arrive, and all the efforts those guys had made would be impacted.

That's right. John asked ASUS to develop a disc-based game console, skipping cartridges and choosing discs instead. This further reduced the production costs of VCDs and optical drives, and accelerated ASUS's own development. After all, as time goes on, ASUS will have to do everything itself, instead of relying on John's financial support. Only by having its own R&D capabilities can it take the initiative.

(End of this chapter)