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Chapter 412 Farce

Once the idea that history will change emerges, it's not so easy to suppress it.

Just before the hearing officially began, as the camera panned across the screen before the Microsoft team entered, Ernst froze as he watched the fleeting image.

"Check AOL's latest stock price," Ernst said urgently.

The three people on the sofa turned to look at him at the same time, their eyes filled with surprise.

Wenger was the first to react. He quickly took out the heavy laptop from his Prada briefcase, inserted the newly released internet card, and with the modem's piercing beeping sound, the computer interface slowly loaded onto the screen.

"AOL's market capitalization is currently $198 billion," Wenger's voice broke the silence after about two minutes, his fingers rapidly gliding across the keyboard. "However, it has already dropped 5.18% today, and over the past week, AOL's stock has fallen..."

The words stopped abruptly, replaced by an uncontrollable gasp of surprise.

His eyes were bloodshot as he repeatedly refreshed the page, as if unwilling to believe the numbers on the screen.

Carl Weller wasn't interested in that, but his reaction piqued his curiosity, and he nudged his arm with his elbow. "What's wrong? Is something happening at AOL?"

Wenger did not answer immediately, but first looked up at Ernst.

Ernst sat upright, his face expressionless, but his gaze was fixed on the television screen.

He took a deep breath, composed himself, and said, word by word, "Over the past week, AOL's stock has fallen by more than 22.8%."

"This is impossible! It doesn't make sense!" Hamilton sat bolt upright on the sofa, his face filled with disbelief. He muttered repeatedly, "They acquired Netscape last year, and this year they took over NF Entertainment and SPI Online Music. These are all real positive developments. Their market value has more than doubled in six months. How could it suddenly plummet like this?"

Only Carl Weller was clueless, looking at Wenger with a bewildered expression. "What's wrong with him? Why is he so surprised?"

Wenger turned his head and explained with a serious expression, "AOL's decline in this crash was even greater than that of Microsoft, which was the trigger."

"What does that mean?" Carl asked, frowning.

"This means that someone is deliberately shorting AOL." Wenger's tone was almost absolutely certain.

"Amidst a sea of ​​positive news and a generally optimistic market outlook, it has led the decline in this market trend, with its drop even exceeding that of Microsoft, which faces the risk of being split up. This is completely illogical from a market perspective."

Carl thought about it and realized it made sense. As the core target of the antitrust lawsuit, Microsoft would face a crisis of being dismantled if it lost the case, so it was only natural for its stock price to plummet.

But what is AOL? Even if it falls along with the broader market, it shouldn't have fallen this far.

"You mean Microsoft? Microsoft is shorting AOL?" Carl suddenly realized, a look of shock flashing in his eyes.

Are they trying to force Netscape to back down from testifying by suppressing AOL?

This speculation may seem absurd, but it's not impossible.

Microsoft has always been ruthless in business competition; in 1995, it told AOL, "Buy it or bury it."

Given the threat, and now, in order to protect themselves, they might resort to even more despicable means.

"It doesn't necessarily have to be Microsoft; it could be Wall Street," Ernst finally spoke up.

He suddenly stiffened because the camera showed AOL CEO Case and Netscape CEO Jim Clark.

Although the shot was fleeting, Ernst was certain he hadn't misread it.

"If Microsoft falls, no one in the tech industry will be happy, including AOL, which has been receiving a lot of market attention and whose market value has soared in the past year."

Do you think Case will bring Microsoft down? Do you think Jim Clark will bring Microsoft down?

Hamilton opened his mouth, then hesitated for a moment before questioning, "But is that possible? Netscape was driven to the brink by Microsoft, and Jim Clark was the biggest victim!"

If it weren't for Microsoft, he would still be the CEO of Netscape, and he wouldn't have been sold to AOL.

"Victims?" Ernst sneered. "In the world of capital, there are never permanent victims, only permanent interests. Jim Clark's identity has changed. Before, Netscape's interests were his interests, but now, AOL's interests are his interests."

"The Justice Department's lawsuit against Microsoft hinges on evidence provided by Netscape. But what if the victims themselves create alibis for this botcher? What's the point of this lawsuit then?"

AOL's stock price has confirmed Ernst's conjecture.

Whether Netscape and Jim Clark wanted it or not, he had to save Microsoft for his own benefit.

Wenger's eyes suddenly brightened, and he quickly pulled up AOL's shareholder list. "I understand. Three of AOL's top ten shareholders are Wall Street hedge funds. If these funds simultaneously short AOL and then pressure management as shareholders, Case and Clark will have no choice."

"This is Wall Street's desperate measure," Ernst added, his tone revealing his insight into the game of capital. "They calculated AOL's Achilles' heel. After two acquisitions, the company's cash flow was already tight, and a stock price crash would directly trigger bond default clauses. At that point, without Microsoft even having to lift a finger, the shareholders would force management to compromise."

"No wonder Bill Gates looks so ruddy." Hamilton had clearly figured this out as well, and his hostility towards Microsoft returned as soon as he came to his senses.

"Microsoft and this guy got off easy. They should be fined until they're bankrupt."

The group is now fairly certain that this trial of the century will likely end in farce. However, just because Microsoft escaped unscathed doesn't mean it won't pay the price; it will certainly face a huge fine.

Sure enough, when Bill Gates reappeared on television, Wenger and Hamilton's eyes involuntarily shifted to Ernst.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Ernst unconsciously shifted back a little, sensing that the two men's gazes were a bit strange.

Hamilton spoke first, suppressing a laugh, "Don't you think he's a lot like you?"

Ernst paused for a moment, then gave a look of disgust and retorted in an exaggerated tone, "Who looks like him? Look at his narrow forehead and wide chin, he looks like a monkey. Is he as young, handsome, and dashing as me?"

His comment stunned the three people on the sofa, who were momentarily speechless. It was the first time they had ever heard someone say that Bill Gates was like a monkey.

He is, after all, the world's richest man. Even if someone is hostile to him or despises his way of doing things, there is still a certain degree of respect and admiration for him.

Everyone says Bill Gates is a copycat, but anyone can copy. So why did he found Microsoft and become the world's richest man?

Wenger was the first to recover, chuckling softly, "We're not talking about his looks, we're talking about his attitude right now. Don't you think his confident demeanor is exactly the same as yours when you're dealing with those Wall Street firms?"

Ernst paused for a moment, then subconsciously turned to look at the television screen.

In the picture, Bill Gates is leaning back in his chair with his legs slightly crossed and a faint smile on his lips, looking every bit the playboy.

Even though many people at the scene were looking at him with serious expressions, he was still chatting and laughing with the lawyer next to him.

Ernst raised his hand to touch the stubble on his chin, a playful smile playing on his lips, and said with a hint of narcissism, "This arrogant look of his has inherited some of my style."

The three of them didn't want to talk anymore, but they all rolled their eyes at the same time.

It was a monkey just a moment ago, how did it turn into your son so quickly? Genetics is involved now.