Bab 263: Chapter 263: The Local Snake Strikes Back
Simon was talking to his assistant when Sofia, who also had some free time, approached them with a slightly furrowed brow.
Noticing Sofia's worried expression, Simon asked, "Is there a problem?"
Sofia stood beside Simon, looking towards the crowd around the runway, and nodded, "The editor-in-chief of French Vogue, Colombey Pringer, had agreed to attend the party but suddenly said she couldn't make it due to an emergency. And I just got a call from Paris-Match magazine canceling the 8-page feature on Gucci Night they had agreed to."
Music started playing in the hall.
The fashion show on the runway began.
It was a performance-themed show, centered around Audrey Hepburn's 'Roman Holiday'. Gregory Peck, the male lead of 'Roman Holiday' who was about to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Cannes Film Festival, was specially invited to attend.
Seeing the opulence and festivity in the hall, Simon further inquired, "Anything else?"
"Several top models in the industry in recent years, like Claudia Schiffer, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, and Christy Turlington, have declined our party invitations. Moreover, this party is not the most important thing; I'm worried that for the Fashion Week in September, we might not be able to get these models for the runway."
Simon wasn't surprised to hear Sofia's report about these situations.
The luxury goods industry is limited in size, and Gucci's recent resurgence inevitably posed a threat to other luxury brands.
Gucci's revival in North America, supported by Daenerys Entertainment, faced little resistance, but in France, where luxury brands cluster, brands like Dior, Chanel, Hermes, and Louis Vuitton, the local snakes, would not allow Gucci, an outsider, to dominate their turf.
Simon beckoned a passing waiter, took two glasses of red wine for the women beside him, and took one for himself before continuing, "So, what's your plan?"
Sofia sipped her wine and thought before answering, "If it's just a problem in France, it's not a big deal."
"You handle the media issues. As for Fashion Week in September, I just saw Cindy Crawford and Helena Christensen. If the models you mentioned aren't willing to participate in our show, then find others. It's unlikely that no models would want to. Also, it's mostly about increasing exposure. We can invite more celebrities, which has the same effect, and that's our strength."
They continued talking as the fashion show ended and was followed by a charity auction.
The auction items were the latest Gucci handbags carried by the models during the show, with proceeds going to a charity fighting famine in Africa. Simon hadn't heard of the organization but felt the direction was right and spent $200,000 on an elegantly designed white handbag.
The charity auction marked the nearing end of the party.
Although some French media unexpectedly canceled their cooperation with Gucci, the next morning, media from all over Europe still reported on the grand Gucci Night event.
Simon was clear about his role as a mascot.
If he just showed up at the party without bringing any benefits to the guests who came specifically for him, they wouldn't return next time. Hence, entertainment media timely reported on Simon Westeros chatting amiably with certain stars at the Gucci Night party, hinting at potential collaborations.
Releasing such rumors was not just for show.
While filming 'Batman' in Melbourne, Simon had already vaguely thought of something similar.
Hollywood would expand globally in the coming years, inevitably facing resistance from overseas markets.
If Daenerys Entertainment could invest in a batch of foreign films annually, it would quickly enrich its own film library and gain goodwill from European, Australian, and even Asian filmmakers. Moreover, holding a large number of film projects and affecting many filmmakers' careers would also bring implicit power to Daenerys Entertainment.
Additionally, Simon's foreknowledge from his two lifetimes ensured he could select profitable projects with relative accuracy compared to blind investors.
Daenerys Entertainment was still in an accumulation phase, so Simon was not in a rush with this plan.
However, investing in Peter Jackson's new film through the Australian branch, and signing a few directors now, was essentially laying the groundwork for this plan.
Having fulfilled his mascot duties, Simon left Cannes for Geneva, at the border of France and Switzerland.
Geneva, Switzerland's second-largest city, hosts the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), jointly funded by over 20 countries.
Tim Berners-Lee, at this time, was a computer engineer at the institute.
Coincidentally, Simon's thought of finding Tim Berners-Lee happened at a very precise time.
According to Simon's information, Berners-Lee had submitted a project proposal to CERN's higher-ups in March, suggesting using hypertext to connect all the institute's laboratory computers, which could eventually expand worldwide.
Berners-Lee's proposal, supported by many, was not approved due to CERN's focus on physics. However, he didn't give up and, after two months of revision, was about to resubmit his proposal when Simon approached him.
Simon initially found Berners-Lee through a paper he published on Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).
Arriving in Europe, Jennifer scheduled a meeting with Berners-Lee, and his revised proposal went directly to Simon.
Bitterly, Berners-Lee, known as the father of the internet, had struggled for months to get funding for a $6,500 NeXT computer.
Yes, the high-performance personal computer developed by Steve Jobs after leaving Apple, aimed at universities and research institutions.
Geneva city, nestled at the southern end of vast Lake Geneva, was naturally included in Simon's property acquisitions, given its livability. His residence, located on the northern outskirts by Lake Geneva, spanned over 3 acres and included a private dock.
Arriving in Geneva on a weekend morning, Simon spent the next three days discussing various internet concepts with Tim Berners-Lee.
On May 23rd, Tuesday.
After finishing work in Cannes, Sofia arrived in the afternoon. Entering the lakeside mansion's living room, she saw Simon rapidly discussing with a man in his thirties in front of a whiteboard covered in incomprehensible terms and symbols.
Books and materials were scattered throughout the room, along with two open computers. Though orderly, they seemed out of place amidst the luxurious decor.
Jennifer was beside a printer, continuously spitting out documents.
Sofia, realizing why the living room remained orderly, greeted Jennifer. Simon, seeing Sofia's arrival, gestured with his eyes but continued his discussion.
"To create such a website to list internet sites, making it easier for users to search the internet. Additionally, we can offer forum services for various discussions. Later, we can add more services like search, communication, and so on."
"According to your idea, Simon, we must continue to promote commercialization; otherwise, we can't support such a website. We've discussed this for three days. I don't oppose commercialization, but if so, competitors will create different standards, leading to internet fragmentation, contradicting our goal of global connectivity."
"Anyone with foresight can see the fragmentation is against everyone's interests. Even if what you say happens, parties will eventually compromise. And Tim, I believe we have the capacity to avoid this scenario because we don't have competitors yet. It's like building a road. If many people realize a goal and start building roads for their interests, many different roads will emerge. But now, only we want to build this road. If we can complete it before others react and offer considerable free access, I doubt many will spend money and effort on another road."
"…"
"…"
Sofia listened, somewhat understanding, and curiously picked up a document Jennifer had just organized.
Looking down, it was a script language development scheme for adding dynamic features to HTML webpages.
As for what HTML webpages were, Sofia was equally puzzled.
Simon and Lee continued discussing for over an hour until the whiteboard was full of notes. They stopped as evening approached.
After formally introducing Sofia, Tim Berners-Lee left with a thick pile of documents. After three days of discussion, he agreed to quit CERN and head to North America to lead the newly established company.
Ygritte.
That was the name of Simon's new internet technology company.
Ygritte, or as Simon preferred, 'Igritte'.
After 'Daenerys', 'Melisandre', and 'Cersei', 'Igritte' would be the fourth 'woman' under Westeros Company.
Simon even had a slogan for the company, akin to Google's 'Don't be evil'.
A slogan with a bit of mischief.
'You-know-nothing!'
A universal slogan, which wouldn't need removal when contemplating evil deeds.
As for its meaning, when Igritte Company rose, romantics would surely provide various philosophical interpretations. Simon would never reveal it was merely a red-haired wild woman's rebuke to her lover.
In the confirmed plan, Simon would invest $10 million for a 90% stake in Igritte Company. As its head, Tim Berners-Lee would hold 10%, worth a million dollars.
And if Igritte reached Simon's envisioned scale, even if Berners-Lee's shares diluted in future funding, it would still be a substantial fortune.
According to the plan discussed over three days, Berners-Lee would resign from CERN to oversee Igritte Company's establishment and operation in San Francisco.
Simon preferred Los Angeles for Igritte, but it wasn't sensible. Proximity to Silicon Valley would grant easier access to the desired technology and talent.
Igritte's first task would be establishing HTML-based internet standards and, like Qualcomm in the 3G era, applying for a complete set of internet technology patents.
Simon didn't plan to build patent walls like Qualcomm, at least not in the early days of the internet. He wanted to maintain control when the internet era rose.
While perfecting technical standards, Igritte would develop two software tools: one for web design aimed at developers, and a graphical interface browser for general users.
These tools would be Igritte's sharpest weapons in seizing the internet era's initiative.
In Simon's plan, the browser would always be free, while the web design software would be initially free, later split into a free standard version and a paid professional version.
Generating revenue through software sales to sustain Igritte, this was a business model Berners-Lee found acceptable. Limited by his era, he couldn't foresee that Simon's idea of a web directory would be the core of his plan.
In the original timeline, the early internet's most famous 'web directory', Yahoo, was valued over $100 billion at the peak of the internet bubble.
Moreover, unlike Yahoo, which declined rapidly after the Internet 1.0 era, Simon had already charted a sustainable path for Igritte's portal, including instant messaging, email, and search engines. Simon knew their immense potential.
Even if Igritte eventually succumbed to corporate inertia and couldn't transform flexibly, Simon, with his clear vision, could extend his internet industry layout through investments in other tech firms.
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