America's No. 1 financial conglomerate

Chapter 646 Time Flies

Ernst took a rare vacation throughout January and February.

First, I spent half a month at Whitney Farm, spending quality time with my family, playing with cats and dogs, picking fruits and vegetables, and feeding livestock.

He also understood why so many wealthy people liked to buy farms; being away from the ups and downs of the business world brought them a sense of security and satisfaction.

After leaving Whitney Farm, he took Anne to stay at his Red River Valley Farm for a while.

The farm is now on the right track and, under the management of estate manager David, is showing a vigorous development trend, achieving self-sufficiency in almost all agricultural and livestock products.

As February arrived, the two returned to Los Angeles.

After two months of training, Annie no longer faints, but she remains sensitive.

To Ernst's surprise, she and Jessica developed a deep friendship and became inseparable confidantes.

However, Ernst could understand; it was a case of the current Mizukage meeting the previous one.

Jessica thought she was invincible when it came to water-based escape techniques, until she saw Annie.

That's outrageous! Not only is the amount of chakra huge, but the power is also immense.

Ernst made a special comparison: Jessica could only hang about a meter in the air, but Annie could climb walls.

"Are you happy now?" On the living room sofa in Hidden Mountain City, Connery, radiating maternal glow, leaned against Ernst, her gaze tenderly fixed on his face, her tone a mix of teasing and relief.

Jessica and Anne were still fast asleep in the room, and she could enjoy Ernst's company all morning.

At this point, Ernst's situation was no longer one of fluttering flags outside, but rather of planting them directly inside his home.

Anne showed an extraordinary level of acceptance towards the women around Ernst, such as Connery and Jessica. She showed no rejection or hostility whatsoever, and even frequently showed concern for the next generation of the Garfield family that Connery was carrying.

Connery's face beamed with an undisguised smile, though he was naturally delighted.

For her, being accepted by Anne without having to be kept outside like those mistresses and endure the torment of not being able to see each other for long periods of time was undoubtedly an incredibly lucky thing.

The most important thing is the baby in her womb. The fact that the other party can accept her child makes her happier than anything else.

However, though inwardly satisfied, she scoffed, "I really don't understand how she can tolerate and indulge you like this."

Ernst straightened his back smugly and said confidently, "All I can say is that a man still has to rely on hard power."

Anne was too sensitive, and he was too strong and energetic.

He was already beyond the capacity of a single woman to handle, so Annie was even less capable.

Even when Anne was at the manor, despite being fully engaged in physical activity, she was basically bedridden every day and felt exhausted even when walking.

Not to mention, she comes from a prominent family.

In Ernst’s view, the better the environment in which a person grows up, the less backbone they have.

Throughout human history, most of the heroes and patriots who stepped forward when their countries were in peril, preferring to die standing rather than become slaves of a conquered nation, were officers who rose from impoverished backgrounds.

Those members of large families who have long held high positions are accustomed to a life of luxury and are not very tough when faced with crises and challenges.

Ernst called this servility; the saying "the barefoot are not afraid of those wearing shoes" perfectly describes this.

Besides his family life, Ernst also achieved great success in his career.

First, the highly anticipated acquisition of China Telecom has been finalized.

After rigorous review by relevant departments, the hearing formally approved China Telecom's proposal to acquire Telephone and Telegraph Group's broadband business for US$68 billion.

Secondly, the second round of financing for AI Technology shocked the world.

Wall Street was once again seen as a huge sucker, and countless media outlets wanted to know if Ernst had strangled the lifeblood of Citigroup and Fidelity, the two financial giants.

Otherwise, there's no reason to give iTech such a high valuation.

Not to mention the $800 billion valuation, which far exceeded market expectations.

Many skeptics believe that even lowering Ivy's valuation to $300 billion seems far-fetched, and the media thinks the two companies are complete fools.

Just as market doubts were rising one after another, the US Navy officially launched the bidding process for the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier a week ago. Among the published list of bidding companies, AIT's name was prominently listed, causing another uproar.

Everyone suddenly realized the reason why iTech dared to call out an $800 billion valuation and why Citigroup and Fidelity Investments insisted on making large-scale investments.

According to the data released, the NeXT system Navy Edition, independently developed by Aike Technology, has been significantly improved in terms of performance, security, and compatibility.

Based on the released data, the NeXT system will elevate the combat capabilities of the U.S. Navy to a new level.

This is no longer just a bidding issue for the USS George Bush aircraft carrier. Once applied to the USS George Bush, it will be in line with the US Navy's consistent planning.

In the future, the entire navy and all its carrier groups will be replaced with this NeXT system.

This is such a huge order! It also signifies that AIT's commercial value has not only achieved a qualitative leap, but it has also officially become one of the most influential arms suppliers.

At least in the short term, it will be irreplaceable.

However, compared to AxonTech becoming a member of the military-industrial complex, the media and industry are more concerned about AxonTech's future plans in the field of commercial operating systems.

As is well known, the operating system market has long been monopolized by Microsoft, but iTech, with the technological strength demonstrated by its NeXT system, has now entered Microsoft's domain.

With Ernst's strategic vision and A.T. Technology's technological reserves, plus the fact that Ernst also had Bell Labs under his control.

Who dares to say that ITech won't eventually venture into Microsoft's heartland and enter the personal operating system market?

"You're really generous, giving away billions of dollars like that?" Connery nestled in Ernst's arms and suddenly brought up the topic of ITech's financing.

There was no trace of jealousy in her tone; instead, there was a hint of trepidation and unease. "Is it really okay for us to want those shares?"

The latest equity structure of Aike Technology after its second round of financing.

Citigroup acquired a 20% stake through this financing, Fidelity Investments held 5%, the Boston consortium's stake was diluted to 7.5%, and Ernst himself held 67.5%.

However, after completing the financing, he transferred 5% of his shares in AiTech to Annie's name free of charge.

Anne shielded him from the bullet, which allowed him to reap so many benefits this time, and he now has to give the Boston consortium an explanation.

However, he was cunning and directly transferred 5% to Annie, using this trick to shut up the Boston consortium.

Based on the post-financing valuation of iTech, Citibank and Fidelity invested a total of $268 billion to acquire the 25% stake, bringing iTech's post-investment valuation to $1068 billion.

A 5% stake, equivalent to $53.4 billion.

He was shot in the arm, but received $53.4 billion in return, which was worth it. Massim was speechless, his mouth agape.

However, he knew that Massim had definitely spoken with Anne, and it was nothing more than about transferring the shares.

To his satisfaction, Anne seemed to have refused, and even expressed her dissatisfaction in her own way.

She gave 0.2% of the shares to her close ally during this period.

Ernst can only say that it's really easy for women to make money.

Spread your legs, take the initiative to share some of the firepower, feel comfortable, and get the money.

Not only Jessica Alba, but she also transferred 0.2% of the shares to Connery and Nicole, the two women who were pregnant with Garfield family children.

Based on iTech's current valuation, this is worth over 200 million yuan. No wonder Connery is so uneasy.

"Keep them; consider them a gift from the Empress to you."

Ernst wanted to say "the Empress," but Connery didn't understand.

However, she understood the word "empress" and knew that Chinese emperors had many wives.

"Are you Genghis Khan?" Connery rolled her eyes at him, saying with a hint of coquettishness.

In the West, the most well-known and influential Eastern emperor is undoubtedly Genghis Khan.

His expedition to Europe is still mentioned in textbooks in many European countries today.

Besides AI Technology, another industry that attracted much attention in January and February was e-commerce.

Bill announced its bankruptcy, PayPal is preparing for financing, and Flashbuy launched its IPO—these are all major events.

However, what caused a sensation was Wall Street's investment in Amazon and Walmart's online presence on these two e-commerce platforms.

In just two months, they have completed two rounds of financing. Walmart raised a total of $38 billion, while Amazon raised an even larger $80 billion.

Ernst knew very well that Wall Street's interest in online payments was far from over.

I don't want the bill anymore; consider it a cession of territory and reparations.

However, in the online payment sector, I not only did not withdraw, but also increased my investment.

Once Walmart launches and Amazon takes off, they can easily create another electronic payment system at any time.

The prince was switched at birth, but Ernst didn't care.

He was more interested in the news that Amazon intended to merge with eBay.