America's No. 1 financial conglomerate

Chapter 325 Bowing one's head

Bill Gates is really frustrated lately. It's like he's having a run of bad luck, like he's been cursed with something unclean. Otherwise, how could one bad thing after another be so overwhelming?

He used to be a prominent figure in the technology industry, and Microsoft flourished under his leadership.

Even now, he is still a prominent figure, but he seems extremely frustrated.

The first thing that hit Microsoft was two lawsuits that gave it a lot of headaches. With the second hearing of the antitrust case, Microsoft was the first to back down in this case and admitted to infringing Google's patent rights. This completely separated the antitrust case and the patent infringement case into two independent cases, which also drew ridicule from the media.

The patent infringement case is currently stalled and has not yet entered the formal trial stage. Both Microsoft and Google are waiting for further notice from the court.

Antitrust cases are far more complex than patent infringement cases.

Microsoft originally thought that with the emergence of the Google Play Store, its lowered stance in admitting its mistakes, and the cancellation of the previously controversial bundled sales model, the matter would be downgraded.

But as it turns out, Microsoft was too naive.

The Department of Justice and the 2,000 states that sued Microsoft have no intention of letting Microsoft off the hook easily.

For them, the antitrust case itself is not the main point; the real point is the issue of compensation.

In particular, the two thousand states that filed lawsuits were all determined to squeeze a piece of flesh out of Microsoft, relentlessly pressing for the amount of compensation, vowing to make Microsoft pay a heavy economic price for its previous actions.

Besides legal troubles, Microsoft has also suffered setbacks in its business. However, the Windows operating system still holds a dominant position in the market, and no product can replace this core business for the time being.

Windows' competitive advantage is already extremely strong; almost all software on the market is based on compatibility with Windows.

As long as Microsoft doesn't do something foolish that would put it at odds with the world, such as mandating that all software must be specially licensed by Microsoft to run on systems other than Windows, then Windows' core advantage in the operating system field cannot be shaken.

However, Microsoft was not so lucky in other businesses, especially in the Internet business, where it was repeatedly defeated by its competitors and had no power to fight back.

Microsoft previously adopted a bundled sales strategy to promote its MSN, hoping to attract more users. However, the result was the opposite.

This bundled sales approach not only failed to increase MSN's user base significantly, but also fueled user resentment and boosted the growth of Google's related businesses.

Out of rebellious sentiment, many users switched to using Google products extensively, such as Google Messenger and Gmail, which gained a large number of new users due to the bundled sales of MSN.

Microsoft's efforts on MSN were almost entirely in vain, which is tantamount to indirectly admitting that its Internet business has been completely defeated.

What angered him even more was the explosive popularity of his memes across the United States.

At first, it only circulated online, but now it has spread to the streets, where clothes with his memes can be seen everywhere, and people are posting pictures of car accessories with his memes online. In Bill Gates' view, these things are all blatant mockery of him.

It's not just a Google issue anymore; many manufacturers are commercializing this meme, and it's even said that Coca-Cola is considering releasing packaging with his meme on it.

As a tech mogul, he wants to be seen as someone who is respected and admired by many.

Not only is there no more respect or admiration, but now it has become fodder for ridicule. It gets stepped on and slapped every day, and even its younger brother is being fought over and played with.

Whenever Bill Gates sees these things outside, he wishes he could disappear into a crack in the ground, and his anger rises rapidly, but he has to put on a magnanimous smile on his face.

What angered Bill Gates even more was that there were traitors within Microsoft itself.

Someone actually received a package from Google inside Microsoft, which suggests that some Microsoft employees are using Google Messenger instead of the company's preferred ICQ.

This is practically slapping him in the face by forcibly riding on his head, and not only is it not enough to slap him in the face, but it also has to stomp on him a couple more times, or even unbuckle his belt and urinate.

So these days, Microsoft employees at all levels avoid him whenever possible, fearing that they might inadvertently become his punching bag and have their anger vented on them.

Normally at the company, people would greet Bill Gates when they saw him. But now, as soon as they see Bill Gates from afar, they either pretend not to see him and quickly take a detour, or they lower their heads and quicken their pace, afraid of making any eye contact with him.

The atmosphere throughout Microsoft became tense, a stark contrast to the previous work environment.

Just like the high-level meeting currently underway, the atmosphere in the meeting room is extremely oppressive, a stark contrast to the relaxed discussions of the past.

The scene of free and open discussion formed a stark contrast.

Everyone was on edge, not a smile on their face. The huge conference room was so quiet that the only sound was their breathing.

Bill Gates broke the silence, calmly saying, "Let's talk about the case first."

Although his tone sounded calm, it gave the impression that he had a fire burning inside him that could explode at any moment.

Malcolm, as the executive in charge of legal affairs, reluctantly began his report: "The key issue right now is still Google. I think we need to find a mediator to reach a private settlement with Google."

He glanced cautiously at Bill Gates's expression, swallowed hard, and said, "It's not just about patent cases, but also antitrust cases. As long as Google withdraws its lawsuits in these two cases, the others are not a threat. Even if the Department of Justice keeps pressing the issue, it will only result in fines; it will never amount to breaking up Microsoft."

"But this fine is now proving to be a bit tricky."

Malcolm's words actually expressed everyone's thoughts. As the saying goes, the one who tied the knot must untie it. Google is a key player in both of these lawsuits. As long as Google can withdraw its lawsuits, the remaining problems will be easy to solve.

As for breaking up Microsoft, that's simply a pipe dream and impossible.

Microsoft has been in the industry for so many years, and the relationships and connections it has accumulated are unmatched by most companies. The antitrust investigation didn't just start today. If Microsoft could really be broken up, it would have been done long ago, and wouldn't have waited until now.

The core issue now is Google, because Google is the leader of this anti-Microsoft alliance.

In Microsoft's view, Netscape and AOL are not threats at all; they are just small fry who can't cause any big waves. What Microsoft really needs to deal with are two forces.

On a smaller scale, it's Google and IBM.

To put it more broadly, it's like the two major political parties in the United States: the elephant and the donkey.

The Watson family, the founders of IBM, have always had close ties with elephants, and also have a very close relationship with the Rockefeller family.

The antitrust investigations previously launched against Microsoft were always led and initiated by the giant.

Google clearly favors Donkey, so the competition between Microsoft and Google can be seen to some extent as an internal conflict within Donkey.

If Google relentlessly suppresses Microsoft, while Google itself is divided and wavering in its stance due to the competition between Microsoft and Google, failing to unite in support of Microsoft, then that would be the most dangerous situation for Microsoft.

Splitting it up is impossible, but Microsoft can't afford to lose hundreds of billions of dollars.

So as long as Google can drop the lawsuit, Donkey can reach a consensus and then do its best to help Microsoft resist the pressure from the giant. Only then can Microsoft feel at ease and settle the matter by paying a fine.

"However, the price..." Malcolm didn't continue, but everyone in the conference room understood that if Microsoft wanted Google to drop the lawsuit, the compensation it would have to pay Google would be enormous, potentially involving huge sums of money, patent licensing, market share concessions, and many other aspects.

It's fair to say there are no real winners in this dispute. While Microsoft is in a passive position in the lawsuit and may have to pay huge sums in compensation, Google isn't guaranteed to win either.

Google has indeed reaped significant benefits in terms of user numbers and business development. Through this lawsuit with Microsoft, it has further enhanced its brand awareness and market influence, attracting more users to its products and services.

However, in terms of equity, Ernst is not a winner.

In this lawsuit against Microsoft, Wall Street giants played a significant role, while many factions within Google chose to remain silent and did not stand up to support Microsoft, all because of favors owed.

Microsoft has always represented the financial forces within the Democratic Party, but not the well-known giants on Wall Street; rather, it represents some small and medium-sized financial companies whose names are unknown to many.

Although these companies are not well-known, their relationships are complex, and by holding Microsoft stock, they bring Microsoft various policy support and tangible benefits.

However, in this case of Google suing Microsoft, the forces behind these financial companies did not actively support Microsoft. In fact, they were doing Google a favor and laying the groundwork for future cooperation or exchanges of benefits.

Several major Wall Street financial giants have openly supported Google, which is also a matter of personal favor.

These favors are not just empty words; they must be repaid in a real way.

When Google goes public and raises further funds, it must give some benefits to the institutions that have supported it in the past; this has become an unwritten rule in the American financial world.

Make as many friends as possible and as few enemies as possible; only in this way can one gain a foothold and thrive in a complex capitalist environment.

This is no longer a question of whether Google needs funding or not; it's an inevitable choice for expanding its network.

For a company to stand strong in the market in the long run, it must be like a big tree, making its roots flourish and establishing good relationships with key institutions and people in various fields. This way, it can get help when it encounters difficulties and gain more opportunities when it develops.

The reason Bill Gates acted so recklessly was because he knew that Microsoft had someone to protect it.

The small shareholders of various institutions that hold Microsoft shares have countless corrupt officials behind them, and their interests are closely tied to Microsoft's.

If Microsoft is really broken up, these people will suffer huge losses, so they will definitely not sit idly by.

What he never expected was that Google was such a cunning company. Not only did it perfectly break the deadlock and successfully drag Microsoft into a legal quagmire, it also developed new businesses in the process, further expanding its market share.

There's already a lot of discussion going around about whether Google has more growth potential than Microsoft.

Previously, Microsoft was almost the only company in the tech industry that could compete with it, because in the fields of operating systems and related software, almost no other company could rival Microsoft. Therefore, many investors and partners had no choice but to choose Microsoft and invest their resources in it.

But now Google's rise has given everyone a new option. Those who didn't get much benefit from Microsoft before, or got relatively little benefit, have naturally turned their attention to Google, hoping to get more returns from Google.

This is also why they remain silent and do not take sides.

Bill Gates also understood the key point here. When he thought about it, Ernst's face, which made him grit his teeth, immediately appeared in his mind.

But now is not the time to act impulsively or recklessly. This matter must be resolved as soon as possible, otherwise Microsoft will be stuck in this quagmire and miss out on more development opportunities.

Thinking of this, Bill Gates took a deep breath and said, "I'll handle this. You don't need to worry about it."

"9

When Bill Gates took on the task, everyone in the conference room breathed a sigh of relief, a long-lost sense of ease appearing on their faces.

Bill Gates bowed his head; in their eyes, this was the perfect choice.

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