章 260: Chapter 260: Charity
"Dell? Never heard of it before."
"Sir, it's a company started by a student."
"Heh, that's Jobs' fault. Do students not study anymore these days?"
"I heard this guy is a dentist, but for some reason, he suddenly got into computers."
"His company shouldn't be that big. How come there's a briefing here?"
"Yeah, the registered capital is only a thousand bucks, but they're doing well. He's directly selling computers to customers, so he needs a lot of adapter cards. This report is his request for credit terms."
"Heh, credit terms aren't a problem. What does direct selling to customers mean?"
"Initially, he was flipping IBM stock. Now I guess he's a compatible PC manufacturer. He doesn't use retailers; he directly markets to users."
"What do you think, Tom? Do you admire him?"
"Yes, as a salesman myself, I understand the difficulty. Without brand recognition, this can be quite hard."
"Alright, this sales model is quite innovative. We can support it. If his company plans to expand, we could invest."
"Alright, sir. The kid should be thrilled."
William White chuckled silently, thinking to himself, "Texas sure produces talent. One impressive Compaq isn't enough, now we've got another big fish."
Michael Dell indeed was a master of the craft, creating a miracle in just a few short years.
It's undeniable that the IT industry is a place where miracles are made. The later famous entrepreneurs almost all came from this field.
Getting along with this guy was easy, but investing wasn't simple. He's not like Jobs. This fellow is similar to Bill Gates; they're middle-class and wouldn't lack that startup capital.
Many in later years worshipped Jobs, mostly for his rags-to-riches story. As for Bill Gates and Michael Dell, most people would say they had connections or good luck.
William White? Heh, he was born into wealth. There's no point comparing, even though he's impressive too; it wouldn't resonate the same. If you were to make a movie about it, it wouldn't be a great topic.
...
"Sir, the semiconductor market's a mess recently. Haven't had any trouble over it?"
"Heh, of course I have. Andy Grove even called. Heh, Motorola isn't happy either."
"The Japanese must be under a lot of pressure too?"
"Sigh, let them be. I'm not the one producing; I can't control what people buy."
Tom thought, you're the biggest buyer now. Who else would they complain to?
...
"Old buddy, have you decided?" Intel's CEO Gordon Moore was somewhat dispirited.
"Gordon, if they switched to a new CEO now, what do you think his first decision would be?"
"Andy, although I hate to admit it, the decision would be simple: end the DRAM business."
"Sigh, alright. Maybe William White is correct. There's no point competing with the Japanese over mass-produced products."
The two founders of Intel finally made the right choice; they decided not to compete with the Japanese.
...
Finally, the preliminary specs for the PS2 could be set.
First, CDROM would be incorporated, with at least 1MB of memory. As for the CPU, it must follow a standard 32-bit architecture.
"Sir, isn't this thing gonna cost around ten thousand bucks?"
"What nonsense! At least three years is needed. How could it be that expensive?"
"Oh, so it'll be possible in three years, not now."
"Hmph, do you think I am crazy? With current consoles selling so well, would I rob my own wallet?"
William White hadn't mentioned that this device was actually a product for five years later. Getting it ready early was just about giving time for those games.
He guessed the Japanese's patience wouldn't last more than five years. If nothing changed by then, they'd certainly develop their own platform.
Of course, if the Japanese couldn't hold back and acted sooner, he wouldn't mind an early release. Earning a bit less on the PS wasn't a concern; as long as it kept the Japanese restrained, it was worthwhile -- the real formidable foes were them.
...
A group of Japanese folks gathered in Tokyo, truly understanding the feeling of helplessness.
Fujitsu, Mitsubishi, and NEC, the top three dynamic memory manufacturers in Japan, faced the possibility of being dismantled.
Although it wasn't confirmed yet, America's intention seemed clear: since the three didn't comply, they should stop playing.
Heh, when William White heard this news, he was a bit embarrassed. He didn't know which jerk came up with this bizarre idea.
William White felt ashamed, while Andy Grove thought it was impossible to implement. So, it was actually only the Japanese who were tense.
This bizarre proposal eventually got approved.
Heh, William White wasn't sure if the bill had been passed earlier, whether that impressive Intel would have still emerged later.
Given the biased situation, William White believed that Intel would have continued to focus heavily on dynamic memory. Favoritism wasn't beneficial as it reduced business competitiveness.
...
Putting aside the US and Japan squabbles, the folks in Africa had a particularly rough year.
Africa faced a severe drought, a comprehensive drought. By the time the news reached the US, large-scale deaths had already appeared.
Although he knew it might be useless, William White decided to donate some food.
Well, he might not be the best person, but he wasn't overly rotten either. William White vowed he was absolutely a good person.
After all, the way he got here was quite peculiar. It was best to retain a bit of reverence. Knowing about this catastrophe and doing nothing would be inappropriate.
Of course, it's not wrong to be charitable, but how you do it matters.
William White finally decided to hold a charity sale.
...
"Two hundred million dollars? Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure. They said it's trading toys for food. A batch of specially marked video games and toys would be sold at designated locations on Labor Day."
"Alright, coordinate with someone, George. Did he say how he'd use this money?"
"Yes, he mentioned that the grain would be purchased from small and medium farm owners."
"Tsk, this kid is something. If he got into politics, it would be remarkable."
The Elephants needed to show their presence; after all, it was two hundred million dollars, a staggering amount at the time.
"He bought directly from the warehouse, paying all in cash."
"Tsk, alright, get everyone to shut up. I don't want to hear anything disagreeable."
"Okay."
Some big farm owners were a bit upset, feeling discriminated against. The orders would be perfect for them, easily handled by one company with significant discounts.
With the Elephants' help, he didn't have much to do. As for whether the Donkeys were resentful, he truly didn't care -- they'd be down and out for years.
Since the Americans led the way, others naturally had to show support. Suddenly, various charity auctions sprouted up.
*****
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