America: My Time

Chapter 904 The Value of Reputation

Chapter 874 The Value of Reputation

Selfishness is the norm in the business world, and Toyota's actions are understandable. Even if it were Mitsubishi or Nissan, Toyota would make the same decision. What do other people's lives have to do with you? Survival is the only right thing to do. Moreover, even the company's officials dare not speak out, yet its competitors are accusing it of selfishness. What a joke!

"Yes, we were indeed selfish. Now you can all shut up. We owe you nothing, and we have no obligation to consider your survival. In the current environment, our first priority is our own survival, not yours. The market is only so big; if you take a bigger share, we take a smaller one. And the responsibility isn't ours, it's yours. Instead of considering your own problems, you insist on putting our mistakes on us. Isn't that a joke? Don't blame us; you should reflect on your own issues. Toyota has been vigorously developing its cooperation with Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Group. We prioritize their cooperation in every aspect. But how much of this cooperation do you all actually have? Although you have cooperated, you haven't fully trusted them, so this situation is understandable."

Toyota's counterattack silenced Mitsubishi, Nissan, and other automakers. Compared to Toyota's collaborations with Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media, they were far behind. They were involved in multiple ventures, so their failure to obtain navigation systems was their own problem. If they had their own issues, what right did they have to criticize Toyota?

At this moment, Toyota has completely stood on the opposite side of other Japanese automakers. Although they did not want to do this, they had no choice but to do so. Otherwise, they would become the victims. Although the Japanese officials did not speak out, the reason why Mitsubishi and Nissan spoke out was because they had received their tacit approval. At this time, Toyota would naturally not back down or bow down, so it could only stand on the opposite side.

John chose Toyota because Toyota possessed the necessary strength; it was more valuable, more useful, and more likely to shield him from any problems from Japan than other Japanese automakers. Now that Toyota has entered the fray and withstood the pressure from these Japanese companies, John no longer needs to concern himself with them. After all, to take advantage of these smaller nations, a good reputation is essential. As for Toyota's situation, that's none of John's business. If Nissan were to collapse, the blame would fall on Toyota, not John.

These Japanese car companies, speechless and filled with regret, believed that if they had invested a little more and placed a little more trust in him, things wouldn't be like this now—at least that's what they thought. John's reputation was always top-notch, and those who partnered with him always benefited. Toyota, for example, enjoyed the same treatment as GM and received the same entry ticket as Ford.

John naturally wouldn't refuse GM's offer because Morgan made the connection, while John also needed to give face to Ford because the White House made the offer. But Toyota simply sat down and talked, and immediately received benefits. Everyone knew that, so how could everyone not think that John's credibility was too good?

"No, Morita-san, given Mr. John's reputation, Sony must have benefited quite a bit too. I wonder what you've gained, especially since your cooperation has always been quite good?" At this moment, those with ulterior motives thought of Akio Morita and Sony again, after all, they had a good relationship.

"No, we haven't benefited at all, and there's nothing to benefit from now. You all know the current situation; everyone's having a hard time. What benefits could we possibly gain? I'm already suffocating under the weight of the losses from the real estate bubble!"

"Impossible! You're just afraid we'll steal your benefits. We should share good things. With your relationship with Mr. John, how could you possibly not get any benefits? That's impossible!"

"Really, no, we didn't receive any benefits. We just chatted for a bit, and we're not in the mood to talk about benefits right now. There's trouble going on in the US, and Mr. John isn't in the mood either. You may not know that Paramount's CEO resigned, and it's in chaos. Plus, some people are stirring things up, which will affect the whole of Hollywood. I'm having a headache right now, since Columbia Pictures is very vulnerable!" At this point, Akio Morita completely denied receiving any benefits from John, and instead used the Hollywood situation as a shield to get these guys to let him off the hook, since he was also having a tough time!
"No way, those guys are crazy. They dare to do something like this. Aren't they afraid of retaliation?" The people sitting here are all people of status and position, and they also know about the United States. They know the important figures of Phoenix Media and Legendary Entertainment, two world-class media groups. This incident at Paramount will inevitably affect the development of Phoenix Media and may even affect the landscape of Hollywood.

"Is something really wrong in the US? Morita-san, you can't lie about this. If something really happened, why is Phoenix Media still unaffected and continuing to expand? Is this fake news?" "How could it be fake? It's true. I also received a call from Columbia Pictures. Something really serious has happened. Those guys have directly undermined Paramount. Phoenix Media in the US is indeed in chaos. Although it's just Paramount, the impact is very bad. Many people are targeting Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media, trying to break their rules. If this continues, Columbia Pictures will also be affected."

"Damn it, won't Disney be affected too? We just acquired it not long ago!" Soon, some people became anxious. If Hollywood falls into chaos, these Japanese companies will naturally be affected as well. Even an American bigwig like John couldn't avoid it, so how could they, as outsiders, not be affected?

"I don't know, but the fact that you haven't received any news can only mean that Panasonic has problems managing Disney. They didn't even inform you about something so important. Although Disney mainly focuses on animation, it is still a member of Hollywood. Doing this clearly shows that they don't take you seriously." At this moment, the old guy Akio Morita also had ill intentions and said these words directly, which directly hit Panasonic's heart.

"Mr. Morita, given such a major incident in the United States, why is Mr. John still completely silent and staying in Tokyo? Moreover, the Phoenix Group's expansion in Japan hasn't been affected at all. This is abnormal!"

"It's normal for things to be abnormal; only when they're normal would there be problems. Phoenix Group in Japan is naturally unaffected because they don't have much connection with the US and are essentially self-contained, so they don't need to concern themselves with the US issues. As for Mr. John's indifference, perhaps he has his own ideas, wanting those guys to come out, or perhaps it's a temporary compromise. After all, the emergence of the global navigation company has affected the entire automotive industry. How much trouble do you think he'll cause if he goes back to the US at this time? There are a lot of heavy trucks in the US; do you think Mr. John is willing to let them share the benefits?"

In short, it's all about profit! Everything is about profit! This made many people sigh, as they all understood John's predicament and the pressure he had to bear under such circumstances.

"Doesn't he care that Paramount is out of control, or that Legendary Entertainment will also be impacted and affected?"

"What's the use of worrying? Do you think this kind of thing can be stopped? When those guys decided to scheme against Paramount, they thought about how serious the consequences would be. And in their hearts, they probably thought that this was John's weakest moment and the best time to launch a sneak attack. Otherwise, do you think Hollywood would be in chaos? Why do you think I'm worried that Columbia Pictures will also be affected? Don't forget that we are also part of the media!"

"These bastards are too arrogant! Aren't they trying to force us to take sides? Morita-san, how do you plan to deal with this crisis?" At this moment, the Matsushita people's expressions changed drastically. After all, if the entire Hollywood were to be in turmoil, the consequences would be severe, and they would also be greatly impacted. Now, they could only place their hopes on Akio Morita.

"I don't know. I can't do anything about it right now. I can only wait and see what happens in Hollywood. If Legendary Entertainment really has a problem, the consequences will be serious. It's not just a provocation, it's a declaration of war. Not to mention Hollywood, the entire media industry will face a crazy war. At that time, it will be impossible for us to stay out of it. And do you think that if even a media giant like John dares to provoke that chaos, what are we?"

Akio Morita's words stunned Matsushita. If things escalated into a media war, the consequences would be severe. The Americans had been targeting them all along. If the GPS issue was orchestrated by the Americans, then could this upheaval in Hollywood also be part of their conspiracy? Was it also aimed at Japan, or perhaps to force them out of the US and relinquish their acquisitions there? Matsushita's suspicions weren't entirely unfounded; the Americans' lack of integrity made them untrustworthy and impossible to believe!

(End of this chapter)