Capítulo 534: Chapter 534: First, We Need to Know What to Sell
Andy Rubin.
The developer who created Android.
Before joining Google, there were rumors that he had first approached Ilseong Electronics.
However, Ilseong dismissively ignored him.
Ultimately, Andy Rubin sold his company to Google.
The reason the executives at Ilseong Electronics ignored him seemed somewhat valid at first glance.
Because there was no clear profit structure, they had no reason to accept Andy Rubin's proposal to distribute a new OS in the market.
Moreover, Ilseong Electronics was also in the midst of developing its own OS at that time…
Of course, not long after, Ilseong Electronics deeply regretted this decision, but at that time, it seemed rational.
"Here it is."
Chairman Lee Taek-ki guided me into the meeting room and opened the door.
As I walked in beside him, I couldn't help but frown immediately.
The first time I saw Andy Rubin, his face was flushed with excitement, and the executives were laughing and chatting among themselves in front of him.
"Hah…"
My head began to ache at the sight, which drew a sigh out of me.
The laughing executives stood up when they saw me and Lee Taek-ki.
"Oh? Chairman Lee Taek-ki! What brings you here…?"
Hearing my sigh, Lee Taek-ki's face hardened. He opened his mouth in a cold voice.
"What in the world are you all…"
"This isn't something that needs the Chairman to come down for. We were just planning to send him back because of the nonsense he was saying."
One oblivious executive laughed as he spoke, but the rest of the executives grasped the atmosphere and quickly fell silent.
I looked at them and said, my tone devoid of any emotion.
"Everyone except Chairman Lee Taek-ki and President Hong, leave. Now."
"Who do you think you are?! Who do you think you are, barging in here like this?!"
The oblivious executive from earlier pointed at me, raising his voice.
Simultaneously, I could see the faces of the other executives and Hong Seok-hyun showing confusion.
Hong Seok-hyun spoke with a trembling voice to the executive.
"Hey… do you realize who this is? You're raising your voice in front of him?"
"What? President? What do you mean…?"
When Hong Seok-hyun looked at him with pity, the executive panicked and finally looked around. Everyone was staring at him with shocked expressions.
This just proves that people who lack awareness struggle to survive. I shook my head slightly and asked Lee Taek-ki.
"Who is that guy?"
"That's Managing Director Han Seok-woo."
"Has he always been with Ilseong Electronics?"
"Yes. He was promoted internally to the director position when the management rights shifted this time."
This time, many of the existing executives leading Ilseong Electronics were fired when the management rights were handed over.
With Lee Taek-ki taking the chairman position, the choice to fill the vacancies was through internal promotions.
It seemed this oblivious Han Seok-woo was one of them.
Given that he had made it to internal promotion, he must have some abilities, but… with this cluelessness, he seemed like someone who wouldn't even recognize good ideas if they came from below.
"Get that guy's resignation by the end of the day. If you're oblivious, you shouldn't be acting like an old man. Having someone so rigid on top will only create a stiff atmosphere in the company."
I calmly declared his death sentence. However, Lee Taek-ki appeared to disagree with my assessment.
"Kim Mu-hyeok, please just let this one slide. He's been with the mobile device division for quite some time. That's why the internal promotion this time…"
I coldly interrupted Lee Taek-ki's words.
"Don't make me repeat myself. Get that resignation. Or would you like me to conduct an internal audit? I think that would be worse for him."
"…"
"Chairman Lee Taek-ki, you know that I typically refrain from meddling in management. But this time, you need to listen to me."
With a firm tone, Lee Taek-ki sighed deeply and spoke to the others.
"Everyone leave except for President Hong. And Managing Director Han, you write your resignation and submit it to President Hong. You can leave starting today."
"Chairman! What do you mean by this? You can't just dismiss me like this! Who is this young guy to…"
"Someone who could very well end my own position. So, take that into consideration and get out of here. What are you all doing? Don't just stand there—take Managing Director Han out!"
The other executives tried to drag Han Seok-woo out.
"Chairman! Chairman!"
Lee Taek-ki turned his head away with his eyes closed, ignoring the sound of Han Seok-woo calling for him desperately.
In the end, Han Seok-woo was dragged out of the meeting room by the other executives.
"You seem to know him well."
Noticing the bitterness on Lee Taek-ki's face, I asked lightly.
"…I've worked with Managing Director Han since he joined. He's a valuable talent. I had no idea he would turn out to be so arrogant."
"You can't know someone's true nature while they're on the bottom. Once they are elevated, their true self comes out."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault, Chairman. You must have promoted him based solely on ability. But I hope you will be more cautious next time."
Once the situation settled down, I turned to face Andy Rubin.
Andy Rubin appeared visibly flustered by the sudden turn of events. I gently asked him, observing his reaction.
"Are you Andy Rubin?"
"Yes, I am Andy Rubin."
"The founder of Android, right?"
"…Are you familiar with our company?"
Instead of answering, I smiled faintly and took my seat.
Lee Taek-ki and Hong Seok-hyun sat to either side of me.
"Let's get back to the discussion for now."
"…"
"The people here are the ones who will decide this company's policies. Regardless of what happened earlier, please forget it and continue speaking."
"…Are you going to laugh at me again?"
Recalling earlier, anger flared on his face. I responded with a wider smile.
"If that was the case, I would have already sent you back. Don't you need to know what you're selling before deciding to invest? Since you're here, why not set aside your pride and let's talk? Even if Ilseong Electronics refuses to acquire it, I might still consider investing."
"You're saying you'll invest?"
"Yes. I'm sure you've heard of Dream High, right? I might consider investing there. So think of this as an opportunity and present what you have for sale. I'm curious about how you packaged it up."
It's known that Andy Rubin was turned down by Ilseong Electronics, but what he was trying to sell at that time remained a mystery.
I wanted to see it firsthand—Android in its raw form, before Google acquired it.
Upon hearing the name Dream High, astonishment flickered on Andy's face. He asked again, somewhat dazed.
"Dream High?"
"Dream High is the major shareholder of Ilseong Electronics, and I'm here representing Dream High. Does that clarify things?"
"Are you saying Dream High will invest in us?"
"That's correct. However, first, we need to understand what you're selling. I'm already aware of Android. I know you and a few others founded it together. But I don't know exactly what it entails. So, I'm looking to learn today. If you're not willing, feel free to walk out the door now."
I intentionally gave him the option. However, he only looked back and forth between my hand pointing to the door and my face.
After pondering for a moment, it seemed Andy made up his mind as he began organizing his presentation materials.
In the meantime, I spoke to Lee Taek-ki and Hong Seok-hyun beside me.
"Ilseong Electronics is developing its own OS, right?"
Hong Seok-hyun answered my question.
"Yes. While hardware is important, we believe that having our own OS is essential for the future."
I nodded in agreement with that viewpoint.
Apple's second golden age came with iOS.
Apple created a closed ecosystem of its own, making it so that once you used an Apple product, you had no choice but to integrate your other devices into Apple's range.
That maximized Apple's profitability and ultimately established it as a global company.
Seeing that Ilseong Electronics was also thinking of creating such an ecosystem gave the impression they were on the right track for the future.
However, that was possible for Steve Jobs of Apple, and there was no way such an ecosystem could be formed in the rigid environment of Ilseong.
"How long do you think it will take to develop?"
"If all goes well, I'd estimate about five years."
"That's too long. Can't you expedite it?"
"It's not just about money; it's about personnel… I apologize."
I suddenly thought of the numerous highly skilled developers in Silicon Valley.
It would be great if we could bring them to Ilseong. But would they really come to this narrow, rigid Korea?
"I'm ready."
As we continued our conversation, Andy completed his presentation preparations.
"Alright, let's hear it."
For thirty minutes, Andy explained the OS he was developing, and I listened attentively without asking any questions.
"That's it."
Finally, the presentation ended, and the conference room lights came on.
"Hmm…"
Due to my peculiar reaction, urgency appeared on Andy's face.
"No matter how I look at it, it seems almost identical to Blackberry's OS. Isn't it a copycat?"
What Andy showed me was completely different from the Android I knew.
The OS Andy demonstrated was merely a replica of Blackberry's OS.
It was just a copycat disguised as Android, nothing more, nothing less.
At my incisive question, Andy hastily added clarifications.
"No, while it may look similar, this is a completely different OS. Internally, it's…"
"No, I'm not talking about complicated issues like internal structures. If the packaging looks the same to most, it's categorized as copycat and plagiarism."
I could finally comprehend why Ilseong Electronics refused to acquire this OS.
They were in the process of developing their own OS, so there was no need to buy a copycat. Yet, Google acquired this Android.
The reason for that was likely to fully acquire Andy Rubin and his partners by taking over the whole company.
"What about your profit structure? If you release the OS as open-source and let outside manufacturers utilize it to create phones, where will your profits come from?"
"…"
Moreover, he hadn't thought at all about the profit structure.
It seemed he was merely focusing on releasing the OS as open-source to increase its market share.
"No company operates as a charity without a profit model. It's not just Ilseong; no mobile manufacturer does. Don't you know why every mobile device manufacturer is developing their own OS? It's because it has the potential to make money."
"So if we develop it and release it as open-source, the development speed of Android will accelerate even further. Once we gain sufficient market share, we'll establish a profit model…"
"So you're saying you'll receive money later? After you've released the OS for free, you expect people to pay to use it? Who would accept that? Are you able to follow through with that?"
Andy's face darkened significantly. This man was a hopeless dreamer.
Had Google not acquired it, Android would have remained just another OS.
"But I can see a profit model from my perspective. Even if we release the OS for free as open-source, there is potential ways to profit."
At my words, a glimmer of hope appeared on Andy's face.
"Let's talk about the details later. For now, I don't think Ilseong will find a reason to acquire it, because if they do, they won't be releasing it as open-source."
Lee Taek-ki and Hong Seok-hyun nodded in agreement.
I smiled gently, fixing my gaze directly at Andy Rubin.
"So then, Dream High will acquire Android, on the condition that all four developers, including you, remain with the company."
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