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Chapter 410 The Trial of the Century

As dawn broke, the villas in Redwood City, California, remained serene.

Ernst got up and went to the dressing room, picked out a comfortable tracksuit to change into, and when he arrived at the living room on the first floor of the villa, Muller and the others were already waiting there.

They then set off and began jogging along the perimeter of the villa.

The Redwood City was exceptionally quiet in the early morning. The trees on both sides of the road were lush and verdant, and the leaves rustled gently in the breeze.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and earth, making one feel refreshed.

He had just bought this villa, and coincidentally, he became Larry Ellison's neighbor again.

However, this time their houses were not next to each other; there were four houses in between.

Having finished my retail trip to Albany, my first stop in Redwood City was to check on Bell Labs.

Now that the entire Bell Labs has basically been relocated to Redwood City, Ernst is somewhat worried and wants to come and see how the entire Bell Labs is operating and what difficulties he needs to solve.

This relocation involves a large number of personnel and equipment transfers, making it a very large-scale operation.

Bell Labs has more than 30,000 R&D and support staff, and when you add their families, the total number is nearly 80,000.

This was undoubtedly a large-scale population migration. How many people lived in Redwood City? Just over 80,000.

The relocation of Bell Labs was equivalent to creating a population center of the same size in Redwood City.

Such a large influx of people is an opportunity for Redwood City. The large population will inject new vitality into Redwood City's economic development and drive the prosperity of local real estate, catering, retail and other industries.

Otherwise, the Redwood City government wouldn't be so eager for Bell Labs to set up operations there.

However, the influx of a large population has also brought many problems.

Public resources such as housing, education, healthcare, and transportation are all facing enormous pressure.

These problems cannot be solved in a short time, but fortunately, they are not urgent and do not require immediate resolution.

I returned to the villa drenched in sweat, and there was a brand-new BMW parked in front of the door.

When Ernst saw the car, he couldn't help but chuckle, then said to his bodyguards, "No wonder they say intellectuals are the most secretly passionate."

His words were somewhat sarcastic, and the bodyguards couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Amidst laughter and cheerful conversation, Ernst entered the villa and saw Karl Weller slowly sipping a cup of coffee on the sofa in the living room.

"Seeing you, I finally understand what it means to have a face as beautiful as a peach blossom," Ernst said with a smile as he walked up to Karl Weller.

When Karl Weller heard Ernst's teasing, he looked embarrassed and his face flushed slightly. He just smiled and didn't say anything.

Who would have thought that Bell Labs' move would unexpectedly bring Carl Weller's love story to the forefront?

A female support staff member at Bell Labs directly confessed her feelings to Carl Weller.

It means I admire you, love you, and want you.

If you're not interested in me, then I'll choose to resign and stay in New Jersey with my family.

Then this seemingly reserved guy was easily won over, and Ernst was completely stunned when he received his invitation.

So you're a bachelor in your fifties?

Surprisingly, this old man is quite popular. He's only 36 years old, and you're old enough to be his father. I wonder if he lacks fatherly love.

"You didn't spend all your savings on this wedding, did you?" Ernst asked curiously as he sat down on the sofa opposite Karl Weller.

He knew that Carl Weller had bought a top-tier mansion in Redwood City for over $320 million as soon as he arrived.

Now that he has bought a new car and is also preparing for the wedding, Ernst estimates that it may not even reach five million dollars.

The preparation for the wedding, in particular, is extremely expensive.

The main reason was that Carl had such a wide network of connections that, in order to accommodate enough guests, Carl Weller directly rented a stadium in Redwood City.

Even so, Bell Labs employees could only watch the wedding live on a TV screen in their office space to celebrate Carl Weller.

Unfortunately, Americans don't have the concept of giving money as a wedding gift; they give gifts instead. Otherwise, the money he received from wedding gifts would probably have been more lucrative than a pyramid scheme.

One of the reasons Ernst came to Redwood City was to attend his wedding.

"I haven't spent much money, and I've saved up quite a bit over the years," Carl Weller said with a smile, putting down his coffee cup.

After speaking, the other party took out a notebook from his briefcase. He had come to report to Ernst on the current arrangements at Bell Labs.

Given this situation, what other difficulties need to be addressed?

However, Ernst raised his hand to stop him. "Sit down for a while. I'll go upstairs to take a shower first."

He felt sticky and sweaty all over, which made him very uncomfortable. After saying that, he got up and walked towards the stairs, leaving Karl Weller alone in the living room.

As I entered the bathroom, I casually took off my sportswear and turned on the shower. The bathroom door opened again.

Jessica skipped in naked and immediately pounced on Ernst, hugging him tightly.

Feeling the other person's soft body and warm breath, a ripple of emotion stirred within me.

This was his third reason for coming to Redwood City: it was better to avoid Connery.

I only wanted to take a quick shower, but the little girl filled the bathtub with water. It would be a shame not to take a bath with her.

Sitting on the edge of the bathtub, I watched Jessica kneeling on the non-slip tiles. I wondered if her knees were hurting.

Ernst took a bath for more than half an hour. When he came downstairs again, in addition to Carl Weller, Wenger and Hamilton had also arrived in the living room.

The television in the living room was already on, playing NBC's news channel.

Ernst walked to the sofa, sat down, glanced at the television screen, and then asked Wenger and Hamilton, "Has it started?"

Wenger shook his head. "It's still early. The hearing doesn't start until 10 o'clock, and the Microsoft team hasn't arrived yet."

Today is a big day, concerning the fate of Microsoft and the future of the entire internet technology industry.

The upcoming hearing will bring the antitrust case brought to a complete close by the U.S. Department of Justice and twenty states suing Microsoft.

Although Microsoft has admitted to monopolistic practices and accepted the corresponding fines, those were only against Google.

Google has now withdrawn its lawsuit, but the litigation between Microsoft and the U.S. Department of Justice and twenty states is not over yet; today is the final judgment day.

However, the scene of "one whale falling and all things thriving" did not appear. The Nasdaq index has fallen sharply for three consecutive days, and all technology stocks and internet industry stocks have fallen to varying degrees.

Microsoft, as the main player, is the first to be affected.

Just a few days ago, Microsoft's market capitalization touched the $400 billion mark, but then began to fall rapidly.

Today, Microsoft's market value has fallen below $3500 billion, a drop of more than 12% in just three days.

Microsoft's sharp decline put enormous pressure on the entire Nasdaq market, almost causing it to collapse.

Some media outlets have even claimed that an economic crisis is imminent in the United States, and that this boom in the US stock market will come to an end.

This is Microsoft, after all. If they lose the case, they will face being broken up.

If even Microsoft, the tech giant, is like this, what about other tech companies? Won't they be easily manipulated by the Department of Justice in the future?

Therefore, the verdict against Microsoft is not only related to the survival of Microsoft itself, but also to the future development of the entire technology industry.

Among the many companies paying attention to this hearing, Google is undoubtedly the most nervous.

Once Microsoft, the industry leader, is dismantled, the U.S. Department of Justice will likely turn its attention to Google after its IPO.

Despite the cooperative relationship between Google and the U.S. Department of Justice in the previous antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft, the U.S. Department of Justice will absolutely not hesitate to dismantle Google if given the opportunity.

"They're here," Hamilton said as soon as Ernst sat down.

On television, Bill Gates led the Microsoft team to the entrance of the Capitol Building, where a large crowd of reporters had gathered.

It was squeezed out of the frame.

"This level of popularity is probably unmatched even by Michael Jackson," Ernst couldn't resist teasing his old rival.

Today, the entire United States is broadcasting this trial of the century live. Bill Gates is the biggest star, and I guess every channel is reporting on it.

"But judging from his expression, he doesn't seem to be affected by the verdict," Wenger replied.

Ernst looked closely after hearing this and indeed, he was radiant, showing no signs of being affected by the possibility of Microsoft being broken up.