America's No. 1 financial conglomerate

Chapter 442 Wrath

An hour later, Bezos received a notification from Alexa, while Amazon's servers were still en route.

In the Seattle office, Karp's frustrated voice came through the phone: "Brewster accepted Google's offer and has informed Google that the agreement will be formally signed tomorrow, and the acquisition process will begin."

With a slam, Bezos slammed his fingers on the table, his eyes flashing with barely suppressed rage.

For a moment, he even wanted to smash his phone on the ground to vent his dissatisfaction and frustration.

The problem isn't that the acquisition of Alexa failed, but rather that they lost to Google.

This time, he lost again to the man who made him grit his teeth.

After hanging up the phone, I leaned back in my large leather office chair, closed my eyes, and tried to sort out my chaotic thoughts.

Just two minutes later, Bezos made another call, gave a few brief instructions, and then hung up.

Within two or three minutes, the office door was gently pushed open, and Blackburn strode in.

Bezos opened his eyes and told Brewster about his decision: "Alexa has been sold to Google for $2.15 million."

Blackburn was taken aback for a moment, but quickly regained his composure and then gave a slightly bitter smile.

He had a vague feeling that Google was involved in the bidding the moment he learned of it, and he wasn't surprised.

Although Amazon offered a higher price and more favorable terms, it must be acknowledged that Google, as a giant in the internet industry, does have an advantage that Amazon cannot currently match in terms of technology ecosystem integration and long-term development potential.

This is the influence of large companies and industry giants.

After a brief silence, Blackburn snapped out of his reverie, looked at Bezos's grim face, and asked in a low voice, "Should we increase the development of our internal web crawler system? Although it's too late to invest now, if we put in enough resources, we can at least narrow the gap with Alexa."

Bezos nodded slowly, his fingers tapping lightly on the table. His tone was firm and forceful. "Tell the technology department that no matter what methods they use or how many resources they invest, they must improve our relevant technological capabilities and narrow the gap with Alexa by the end of this year."

After a pause, a cold glint flashed in Bezos's eyes. "I will make Brewster and those who chose Google regret it. I will make them understand that the Internet will ultimately belong to business, and the power of business can truly drive the development of the industry, not just the accumulation of technology."

Blackburn knew that this was the point that those guys who supported Google's acquisition of Alexa were sticking to.

Although Google is not currently the highest-revenue company in the internet industry, it enjoys extremely high prestige among programmers in Silicon Valley.

Because it always puts technology at the core, insists on technological innovation as the foundation, and then promotes commercialization.

Other internet companies, including Amazon, focus more on commercial goals, and their technology development is often aimed at meeting business needs and serving business growth.

These two ideas represent two different voices in the development of Silicon Valley Internet companies, but very few companies have been able to truly replicate Google's model, or Ernst's company.

The biggest drawback is that this model doesn't attract investors.

From the perspective of the capital market, the key indicators for measuring the value of a company are whether it can achieve profitability in the short term, whether it can bring stable investment returns, or whether such results can be seen more quickly.

Google's model of prioritizing technology over business clearly does not align with most investors' pursuit of short-term returns.

It is this real pressure from the capital market that forces more companies to compromise with commercialization, making Google stand out as so unique.

While Amazon was setting up alternatives, at Alexa's headquarters, Karp sat in his office chair, staring blankly at the computer screen on his desk, his phone casually placed aside.

He was considering his future: whether to join Google or switch sides and join Amazon, siding with Bezos.

If he joins Google, one thing is certain: as the top executive at Alexa, he will at most become a mid-level manager.

Joining Bezos might lead to a higher position, but one would still be dependent on him and unable to enter the core management team.

He suddenly remembered the sentence he wrote on the whiteboard when they founded the company in 1996: Technology should serve all mankind, not a certain commercial empire.

Perhaps I should start my own business again.

Based on his Alexa shares, this acquisition will net him nearly $20 million, which would be considered a significant achievement in terms of financial freedom.

Just as Karp was lost in thought about the future, his phone on the desk suddenly rang urgently, breaking the silence of the office.

He snapped out of his daze, picked up his phone, and saw that the caller ID showed Jacqueline Saffora.

Karp hesitated for a moment, but still pressed the answer button.

The moment the call connected, Saffra's shrill, piercing voice came through the receiver: "I just got word from Blackburn that you actually rejected Amazon's $2.35 million offer?"

"What's even more ridiculous is that I actually got this information from Amazon. Shouldn't you give me a reasonable explanation?"

Saffra's barrage of questions left Garp speechless for a moment.

He composed himself, trying to keep his tone calm. "This is Brewster's decision."

He then explained to Saffra in detail why Brewster chose Google.

However, his explanation did not earn Saffra's understanding. Instead, he was met with a near-hysterical scream from Saffra on the other end of the line, her voice shrill like a madwoman: "I don't care whose decision this was! You bunch of lunatics, you turned down $2.35 million and insisted on accepting Google's $2.15 million offer. What kind of bullshit ideals are you talking about? What kind of consideration is the future of your employees?"

"I'm telling you, if you dare to do that, I'll order the freezing of all Alexa accounts right now, making it impossible for you to even maintain normal operations!"

Even if Alexa agrees to Google's acquisition offer, the review process will take several months, and Saffra wants to use this method to force Alexa to comply.

Before Karp could answer, his office door was pushed open. Seeing Brewster, he reached for the receiver and mouthed, "Saffra's on the phone."

A knowing glint flashed in Brewster's eyes. He strode over to Karp and took the phone directly from Karp's hand. "Ms. Saffra, while Amazon's offer is higher, it doesn't provide Alexa with its true core value."

"I chose Google not only to provide Alexa employees with a more stable future, but more importantly, because Google can provide a better platform for the development of Alexa's technology. Our technology can be deeply integrated with Google's architecture to continue serving the development of the entire internet industry, rather than being limited to e-commerce and becoming a mere promotional tool. This is the true value that Alexa technology should have."

"Are you insane?" Saffra's roar almost shattered the receiver, her voice filled with disbelief and rage. "I invested in you so you could run the company, make a profit, and create value for shareholders, not so you could do charity."

"$2.15 million is a full $20 million less than $2.35 million. Do you know what that $20 million means? It means that the money Etoler Investment lost this time is enough for us to invest in another startup like Alexa."

"This also means that the value of all shareholders' options is shrinking. You're using the interests of all shareholders to satisfy your so-called technological ideals. You're simply a madman blinded by pity!"

Saffra grew increasingly agitated, continuing her tirade, "Do you know what the LPs at Etoler Investment will say about me? They'll say I invested in a fool who doesn't care about shareholder interests, and my career could be ruined because of this decision. Can you take that responsibility?"

"No, Ms. Saffra, you're mistaken." Brewster shook his head gently, his tone still calm. "It turns out that Alexa's other shareholders are not just looking at short-term gains; they are all idealistic and compassionate people."

"Otherwise, the shareholders who now support selling Alexa to Google wouldn't have a majority vote. This shows that most shareholders recognize the long-term value Google can bring to Alexa, rather than just focusing on the $20 million difference you see."

"You mean Etoler Investment and I, those capitalist slaves who only care about money and have no ideals?" Saffra's voice rose another decibel, her tone filled with anger, as if Brewster's words had pierced her most sensitive nerve.

Brewster was silent for a moment, then asked in an almost indifferent tone, "Isn't that so?"

He had had enough of this old woman and this greedy capitalist institution, and he disliked their capitalist logic that only cared about profits and disregarded their employees.

"I...I'll ruin your reputation!" Saffra was so angry at Brewster's question that she was incoherent. She gritted her teeth and said, "You wait, from now on, no investment institution will invest in you again, and you can forget about ever having a foothold in the startup world again. You will pay a heavy price for your decision today."

Brewster chuckled dismissively, his tone tinged with contempt. "Ms. Saffra, do you think I lack funds? With my experience in the industry and the profits from the sale of Alexa, I have absolutely no need to rely on any capital support."

"Moreover, my company was acquired by Google, which is a valuable asset for securing funding. Truly insightful investors will see my value, unlike you who only focus on immediate gains."

In the office of Etoll Investments on Wall Street, Saffra trembled with anger as she listened to the busy tone on the other end of the phone.

Unable to contain her anger any longer, she slammed the landline phone to the ground.

With a loud bang, the telephone shattered into pieces, its parts scattered all over the floor.

Hearing the commotion, the employees outside the office peeked out, but no one dared to come in and stop them.

They all knew that Saffra was in a rage at that moment, and anyone who tried to get close could become the target of her anger.

"I'll make you regret this. I'll show you what happens when you talk back to me and insult me." Saffra stood there, her chest heaving, her eyes blazing with fury.