America's No. 1 financial conglomerate

Chapter 400 The Servant of the Prince's Residence

He stayed in Ernst-Armonk for three full days, during which time he spent almost all his time between the IBM headquarters and his hotel.

Finally, on July 2nd, as the first rays of sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of IBM's headquarters conference room onto the table, the acquisition agreement for IBM's hard drive business was successfully signed in the presence of both teams.

From the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Armonk, the IBM headquarters building is clearly visible in the distance.

A young man sat on the sofa in the suite, holding a document in his hands. He looked focused, but a hint of nervousness was still visible.

Ernst was very impressed with Leam.

The other party was initially involved in MGM's projects as a member of Harvard University. He caught Wenger's eye with his outstanding professional skills and was eventually retained.

Ernst was intentionally grooming this young man who was highly favored by Wenger; otherwise, he wouldn't have allowed him to be involved in so many projects within his company.

Even though IBM had prepared all the contract terms in great detail during this acquisition, Ernst still specifically asked Wenger to send Leam to assist.

Firstly, when collaborating with a giant like IBM, one can never be too careful.

The second one is also a form of training for Leam Lyman.

It's not advisable to force growth by pulling up seedlings, but as long as the seedling has a good foundation and is deeply rooted, pulling it up a bit isn't a big problem.

"You seem to have something to ask?" Ernst broke the silence in the room. He picked up the glass on the table, swirled it gently, and found that the ice water inside had already melted.

When Leam paused slightly upon hearing Ernst's question, he put down the documents in his hand and placed his hands folded on his knees.

He took a deep breath, seemingly trying to organize his thoughts.

After a brief pause, he looked up, his eyes filled with doubt and uncertainty, and said, "It seems you're not just eyeing IBM's hard drive business."

"That's right." Ernst readily admitted this without the slightest hesitation.

He downed the whiskey in one gulp. It was a bottle of Jack Daniel's that Gerstner had given him that day, which is also known as American "Niu Er" (a nickname implying a low-class, often associated with high-class, but less desirable quality).

This whisky is said to be a collector's item and not for sale, but Ernst still prefers Scotch whisky.

Setting down his glass, Ernst looked at Leam and said, "Besides their hard drive business, I'm also very interested in their server project."

In his view, this was not a secret that needed to be deliberately hidden.

His industry is destined to have a huge demand for hardware devices such as hard disk servers. IBM's technological accumulation and market share in the server field are obvious to all. If a good opportunity arises, he will definitely take it over.

He didn't deliberately hide anything from IBM, which shows that he had no intention of concealing anything at all.

However, Leam shook his head slightly, his face showing even more confusion. "I wasn't talking about server business."

His voice rose slightly. "I'm referring to IBM's other hardware businesses. From my interactions and observations over the past few days, I have a feeling that you want to hollow out IBM's hardware system."

"Hollow it out?" Ernst raised an eyebrow upon hearing this word, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He had never imagined that Leam would use such a striking term.

He couldn't help but retort, "Do you think anyone can hollow out this blue giant?"

This is IBM, after all. Throughout its decades-long history, it has always attracted top talent and technology in the industry by virtue of its strong capabilities, and it has a history of poaching talent from other companies. Now, however, it is believed that someone is plotting to hollow it out.

When Leam heard Ernst's question, he put down his right leg, which had been resting on his left leg, leaned forward slightly, and said with a serious and earnest expression, "Others may not be able to do it, but you are different. You are Ernst Garfield."

In Leam's eyes, Ernst, with his accurate business judgment and top-notch strategic vision, rose to prominence in just two years and became a super tycoon in America. Such a person might not be without the potential to shake the foundation of a giant like IBM.

Ernst's gaze was fixed on Leam, and the two stared at each other for a long time before suddenly bursting into laughter.

The hearty and infectious laughter instantly broke the heavy atmosphere in the room. "I never thought I had such great charm."

Just as Leam had guessed, Ernst had his eye on far more than just IBM's hard drive and server business.

IBM's technological advantages in minicomputers and mainframes, as well as the wealth of core technologies and professional talent within its hardware system, are important resources that Ernst is eager to incorporate into his business empire.

Apart from personal computers and punch machines, which are gradually being phased out by the times, almost all of IBM's hardware business was within Ernst's scope of investigation.

However, what interested him more at this moment was what details Leam made this judgment based on.

"Explain your reasons. Why do you have this idea?"

Leam's expression froze instantly, his eyes filled with shock. "You—you're really planning to enter IBM's hardware business?"

He had only made a guess based on his own observations and was not entirely sure, but Ernst's question was undoubtedly a tacit admission of his plan.

Seeing that Ernst remained silent and simply looked at him quietly, Leam slowly explained, "Actually, I didn't find any conclusive evidence; it was more of an intuition and some details I observed."

"You've been far too enthusiastic towards those IBM engineers these past few days; it's unusual."

"I'm very enthusiastic about everyone." In his opinion, this reason given by Leam was not sufficient.

Leam shook his head firmly and retorted sincerely, "It's different. Today, when you visited IBM headquarters, although you were very enthusiastic towards the software department staff and took the initiative to communicate with them, you clearly spent much more time talking with the hardware department staff than with the software department staff."

"Moreover, during your visit to the hardware division, you focused more on the senior engineers. These details conveyed to me that you pay special attention to IBM's hardware business."

Ernst couldn't help but admire Lyam's analysis.

He hadn't expected that his deliberately concealed intentions would be detected by Leam through these subtle observations.

After the contract was signed, Ernst requested a tour of the entire IBM technology department under the pretext of communicating with IBM's server division.

Although Gerstner was somewhat puzzled by Ernst's desire to tour IBM's entire technology division and didn't understand why he would spend time learning about a department that wasn't closely related to the server business, he still agreed to Ernst's request, given the friendly atmosphere of the recent cooperation between the two parties.

Ernst's real purpose was to gain a comprehensive understanding of the business operations of various IBM departments, especially the hardware department, and to see what good things were available.

In order not to arouse IBM's suspicion, he remained extremely enthusiastic throughout the visit. He would proactively chat with staff from the software, hardware, and administrative departments, attempting to confuse the issue and conceal his special interest in the hardware business.

Surprisingly, IBM didn't notice anything unusual, but Leam actually figured something out.

He is a talented individual and deserves special attention and development.

"I'm heading to Albany tomorrow. After you've settled things here, you should come too."

Although the core agreement for ZenTech's acquisition of IBM's hard drive business has been signed, according to relevant procedures, ZenTech's head, He Jialiang, still needs to bring the company seal to complete the final signing formalities.

Therefore, Liam will remain in Ammonk City for the time being to assist He Jialiang in handling all matters during the signing process.

Ernst himself will travel to Albany, the capital of New York State, tomorrow with Flashbuy CEO Affiliate Scott, to attend the American Retail Industry Conference, which will officially begin in two days.

For flash sales, the current confirmed initial model is self-operated, but it is impossible to really choose a single business model.

To truly integrate offline retail channels and achieve seamless online-offline fusion, the support and cooperation of major American retail giants are indispensable.

He came to the retail industry conference to seek strategic partners for Flash Sale.

Leam nodded. Although he worked at Wenger's law firm, he knew that the real boss behind the scenes was Ernst.

He had no reason to refuse when the big boss spoke.

Moreover, such a work arrangement is also a rare opportunity to train and expand one's network.

Just as Leam got up to leave and organize his work documents for the day, Ernst suddenly spoke up, "By the way, Leam, would you be interested in taking a position in the home office?"

"Family-run?" Upon hearing this word, Leam froze, wondering if she had misheard. She stood there, motionless, without making any response.

It wasn't until Ernst looked at him questioningly again that Leam suddenly came to his senses and realized that what he had just heard was not a hallucination.

His heart began to pound uncontrollably, and his voice trembled with excitement, "Can I—?"

Ernst's plans to set up a family office were no secret within Wenger's law firm.

Because the operation of a family office involves a large number of legal matters and requires the support of various professional legal teams, Wenger is working on assembling a corresponding legal advisory team for his family office.

Leam was so excited not because he got a new job, but because the significance of the job went far beyond the position itself.

If Ernst is likened to an emperor who controls a vast business empire, then the family office is equivalent to the institution that manages the emperor's purse strings.

Those who can work in the family office must be the people he trusts most.

Once he enters the family office, it not only signifies a new level of trust Ernst has placed in him, but also means that he will officially become a core member of the Garfield family's business system.

From then on, he would be branded with the Garfield family name, and his personal fate would be closely linked to the rise and fall of this family.

When he went out, he represented Ernst's status, and no one dared to underestimate him.

Even though this newly risen American tycoon has only been around for a very short time, he is not someone that just anyone can easily reach.

Now Ernst has essentially given him this opportunity, allowing him to rise to the top in one step and transcend social classes.

Moreover, he knew that Wenger's legal team consisted mostly of men over fifty years old, senior lawyers with decades of experience.

He, a young man not yet thirty, was admitted. It was clear that Ernst intended to groom him and even planned for him to succeed Wenger and become the Garfield family's representative in the legal profession. How could this not excite him?

Ernst looked at Leam's excited expression and smiled faintly. "There's no such thing as 'can' or 'can't.' I'm extending an invitation to you. If you're willing, all you need to do is nod. It's that simple."

1

Leam's guess was correct; Ernst was intentionally grooming him.

Of course, if one day the other party fails to meet his expectations, he will be ruthlessly abandoned.