The American Kill Line: I Can Predict the Future

"Achoo!"

"What's wrong, Elon?" Ron asked with concern.

"It's nothing, maybe the air conditioning was too low last night," Musk waved his hand.

He had a feeling that Ron's smile today was somewhat malicious.

Ron said earnestly, "You still need to take care of your health, although I know you're under a lot of pressure."

He patted Musk on the shoulder again: "After Tesla goes public, if you need my help, just ask."

"Thank you!" Musk said, his face full of gratitude.

He'd been busy all day, sending girls around and settling disputes, all just to hear those words.

The net asset value announced by the "Hunter Capital No. 1 Hedge Fund" this time is terrifying.

If it weren't for the clear financial statements, he would have suspected Ron of falsifying data.

There are private equity funds with such net asset value on Wall Street, but one that soared to 20.02 in just one month is absolutely unprecedented.

With an initial investment of 5 million and a monthly return of 300%, those who subscribed back then must be laughing all the way to the bank.

Musk is starting to regret not buying more.

If I had been more ruthless back then and invested 20 or 30 million, I would have made over 100 million by now.

Take Philip, for example, this old money guy who's full of vigor.

After years of investment, I'm finally seeing a return on my investment.

He was one of the few shareholders who subscribed for $20 million.

On the day the net asset value was announced, the entire old money district praised his good judgment.

They finally got their revenge.

In return, after learning about Ron's girlfriend, he immediately used his connections.

Whether you're a sports superstar or a Hollywood A-lister, you'll have to bow down in New York.

As for the manager named David, he didn't even need to lift a finger.

Ron deposited $20 million directly into the bank where he had the loan.

The bank immediately questioned David's creditworthiness and demanded repayment of all loans.

Otherwise, they will take the house away.

It can be said that even if the other party pays back the taxes and penalties evaded over the years, he will face the most terrifying "American execution" after he leaves the IRS.

The three chatted briefly at the banquet, and then a middle-aged man walked over with a wine glass in his hand.

Musk whispered something to Ron.

Ron's eyes lit up; the "friend" he had been waiting for had arrived.

"Mr. Anderson, thank you very much for your recommendation."

"No need to be so formal, Ron, just call me Mark." Mark Andreessen smiled broadly, looking at Ron as if he were an old friend.

In fact, he was a contemporary of Bill Gates of Microsoft and Jerry Yang of Yahoo.

In its early years, Andreessen's Navigator (Netscape) was locked in fierce competition with Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

Despite losing the battle with IE, he was undeniably a true legend.

After leaving Netscape, Andreessen co-founded Opsware, a cloud computing company, with his partner Ben Horowitz.

It was also one of the earliest cloud service providers.

Opsware went public on Nasdaq just one year later.

Unfortunately, it was unlucky and encountered the dot-com bubble burst shortly after its listing.

Mark and Ben probably realized that while continuously starting businesses and engaging in high-tech ventures could make money, the risks were also very high.

Ultimately, the two sold Opsware to HP for $17 billion in 2007.

Last year, the two partnered to establish a venture capital firm called a16z.

The company raised $300 million in its first round and subsequently invested in more than 20 technology startups.

The most famous example is the $27 billion acquisition of Skype from eBay, which cost $6500 million and involved investors such as Silver Lake.

The result was self-evident. In March of this year, the Nokia OVI Store officially launched the Skype Symbian V3 V5 application.

Skype has become the most dazzling "unicorn" in the market.

I've heard that Microsoft is currently in talks to acquire Skype for at least $60 billion.

And then there's Facebook, the social media platform with the most online users in the US today.

Mark joined as an angel investor as early as 2008 and participated in multiple subsequent rounds of financing.

The pile of project proposals that Ron received were all sent by a16z.

The two chose a relatively quiet place to chat.

Mark said, "Ron, you are the most insightful and daring investor I have ever met. Number 1 is still too small, it limits your capabilities."

"And the craziest speculator," Ron chuckled self-deprecatingly.

Mark laughed heartily: "That's the praise of losers and envious people. Ron, do you believe it? We're the same kind of people, equally greedy, equally confident."

He is indeed very greedy. Facebook is just his first step in social media; he wants to build the perfect social media portfolio.

Twitter was orchestrated and brought to its current state by him behind the scenes.

If Ron's title of "harvester" in the financial markets is a result of others' excessive praise, then Marc Andreessen is a true "elephant hunter" in the field of high-risk investment.

Mark's purpose in finding Ron was simple: to seek cooperation.

The investment projects submitted were just a bonus.

"Ron, I have many old friends who would love to be friends with you, just like I do."

Ron didn't respond, waiting for him to continue.

Mark said, "I will be preparing for a second venture capital fund in the second half of this year, no later than November, with an initial capital of no less than $600 million."

He wasn't showing off; he was expressing his intention to collaborate.

"What a coincidence." Ron smiled and swirled his wine glass.

Mark's eyes gleamed with keen interest.

"Just like you said, Fund 1 is indeed a bit too small. If possible, I also plan to set up Fund 2, with initial capital..."

Ron paused, then raised an eyebrow at Mark: "No less than $30 billion."

That's arrogant enough... but Mark likes it. A smile couldn't help but creep onto his face as he raised his glass and said, "I hope we'll have the opportunity to collaborate!"

Ron also raised his glass: "Like-minded people!"

"Haha, yes, like-minded people, cheers!"

The two wine glasses gently clinked together.

Ron needs to use Mark's a16z as a springboard to get involved in the venture capital field.

It would be a waste to limit one's "predictive" abilities to financial market investments.

Moreover, as its size gradually increases, this "predictive" ability will become increasingly useless in the financial market.

In many cases, it can only be used as a reference.

Just like Mom said, you can't put all your eggs in one basket.

Mark's idea was even simpler: the one thing A16z had in abundance right now was money.

But what they lack most is money.

Venture capital differs from the financial market in that it has a long monetization cycle.

Even if Mark is not short of money, he still has to consider the shareholders.

Especially those shareholders with extensive connections and resources—these are Mark's—or rather, a16z's—most important resource.

He must protect the interests of these people, and even if he suffers losses in several major projects one day, he must ensure that they stand firmly behind him.

At this point, Ron, the "golden goose," became Mark's most suitable partner.

It rose quickly, its foundation is not very stable, and it is different from those giant private equity firms, so there is no need to worry about it turning the tables.

More importantly, he has very strong investment skills.

A net asset value of 20.02 would make anyone envious.

Mark was satisfied with the initial consensus reached on cooperation.

He glanced around the arena and said in a low voice, "Ron, I heard you're interested in IMG?"

"Why do you all think I have feelings for IMG?" Ron asked, quite annoyed.

He was clearly standing up for his girlfriend and showing off his muscles.

Why do you all feel interested in this sports media company?

Moreover, Mark wasn't the first to ask this question; people from Merrill Lynch and JPMorgan Chase also asked the same question.

"I understand, sports models are indeed attractive."

Mark gave a knowing smile, then said seriously, "I know a few entertainment companies of the same type. If you need help sometime, I can introduce you to them."

He thought for a moment and added, "What I mean is, for your little girlfriend."

Mark believes that Ron's high-profile targeting of IMG is definitely not just about getting revenge for a model girlfriend.

Let alone an unknown little model, even the world's top supermodels are just toys in front of a private equity tycoon like Ron who manages $20 billion.

To put it bluntly, given Ron's current track record, if he were to short any well-known company with a market value below 10 billion, every single one of them would suffer heavy losses.

How many entertainment media companies would be willing to endure such an undeserved disaster for the sake of a model?

I'm afraid that if Ron shows even the slightest interest, the agency will send that model over cleaned up.

And after-sales service must also be guaranteed.

This is why when Ron was targeting that sprint superstar, no one or his sponsors came to his aid.

Therefore, Mark was quite certain that Ron had his eye on IMG.

Especially at this time when the IMG president is suffering from a terminal illness.

Although the methods were despicable, it is undeniable that this was the best opportunity.

Few people would risk offending a middle-aged financial tycoon for the sake of an old man nearing the end of his life.