Chương 350: Chapter 350: Back to the Daily Grind
Back in Los Angeles, William White started his busy schedule, not because he particularly enjoyed working, but because he had some explaining to do.
The battle for the next generation mobile phone standards had begun to surface. At this point, even the clueless Motorola sensed the looming danger.
Previously, they had scoffed at William White's massive investments. Now, with Europe clearly preparing a big move, Motorola's space for survival in the upcoming competition would undoubtedly be squeezed.
When you hold something in your hands, you might not cherish it as much, but when someone plans to come and take it by force, it's a whole different story. They were eager to know what William White was really planning.
"Cooperate? Sure, but we'll need to make large investments for at least five more years. Ask them if they've really thought this through; I don't want to hear any talk of pulling out again," William White said, feeling torn. He still hoped for a partnership with Motorola. If things got too tangled up internally in the U.S., someone else would surely scoop up the benefits.
"Alright, sir. I hope they're a bit more sensible," Filson replied. He wasn't impressed with Motorola's board either. "You guys flip-flop every day. What exactly do you plan to do?"
"And one more thing, we're already lagging in research and development. Even if we rush to catch up, snatching back half the market share would be a good deal. I'm not making any promises about whether those investments are worth it. Importantly, no more than that, or it'll trigger antitrust laws. I don't get why they insist on taking down their own company."
William White had every reason to be furious; Europe's GSM was a collaboration among many countries, far more formidable than any monopoly. Yet here in the U.S., companies seemed handcuffed. It was downright ridiculous.
Cooperating with Europe was a must, not just because they were allies, but thanks to our great Department of Justice. They were tirelessly trying to undermine our company. So it was time to give up the unrealistic fantasies.
...
When the news broke from Bell Labs, Motorola sighed in relief; William White wasn't planning to go it alone. The consortium also exhaled, as it looked like the guy intended to share the spoils.
But this reason?
Did he really need to speak so cryptically?
However, many of William's words were likely to become reality. Motorola's dominance in mobile phones had already attracted a good number of rival interests, and the talk of antitrust measures wouldn't just be lip service.
If Motorola continued to race ahead in digital mobile communications, the antitrust hammer would surely fall eventually.
Now, despite facing challenges from competitors, the risks of antitrust issues had evaporated. Analyzing the pros and cons of the situation was tough; the bottom line was simple: nobody was happy, but at least everyone shared the pie.
If anyone else said this, the Department of Justice might blow a fuse, probably even invoking consumer protection arguments. But when it came to William White, it was hard to say anything.
A new year began, yet the struggling game industry saw no signs of spring. Large quantities of game cartridges ended up in landfills, leading the market to plunge into despair.
Most disheartening was that the only surviving American game company was Legendary World.
...
"George, your dad's political campaign is looking good. If you need any help, just let me know," William White was happy; barring any surprises, the next four years looked pretty easy for him.
After those four years, William believed he could finally go toe-to-toe with the consortiums. He might not win for sure, but he wouldn't lose too badly.
Not bringing him onboard as a wild card right from the start surely made the consortiums regretful.
Rockefeller was clearly playing dead, and Morgan was lying low. William believed as long as those two didn't meddle too much, the other consortiums wouldn't pose a real threat.
In the end, their circles simply weren't the same. The consortium regarded entertainment media as a publicity channel, while he saw it as his main business; that made all the difference.
"It looks pretty rosy for now. When it comes down to the wire, I might need some backup from you," Bush Jr. said nonchalantly. The Elephant had done pretty well these past years, and even a stormy global stock market crash hadn't caused much damage.
Most folks didn't care much for the Donkey, at least not at the moment. If they messed up the economy again, things could get messy.
The Legendary World example was evident; government interference destroyed an entire industry. The so-called Keynesian model just didn't suit America.
"Backup is easy to talk about. You know the drill, just get the info ready. I'm much better at breaking things down," he replied.
"Ha! I got it. I hope it won't come to that."
William was good at sweetening the pot. Though he didn't feel the need to cling to others, he wasn't opposed to it either. Everyone knew he had good relations with Bush Jr., so pulling away now seemed like a boy trying to play it smart.
NBC's style was always different; unless you paid for it, they avoided political issues. Over time, the public seemed to get used to that approach.
It wasn't that William White lacked bias -- his NBC was hard to miss. If he chose sides, others would struggle. There'd be no avoiding a split at that point.
...
In America, Michelle Reis was still feeling a bit out of place. There were no familiar faces, no familiar places around her.
Fortunately, that bad guy turned out to be somewhat reliable. It was in America that she realized the significance of the name William White.
She hesitated to move into William White's luxurious mansion; it was one of the few things she stood firm on.
Okay, she tried to convince herself it wasn't about craving luxury; being with him mattered more, even if the place was small.
William found it hard to comment on such youthful sentiments. Sure, he was a jerk, but he never forced anyone. If it was a business deal, that was one thing, but if it turned into coercion, he'd be spending all his days in church.
He believed that if he went through with it, maybe he'd get struck by lightning the moment he walked out.
"Are you coming over later?"
"Yeah, I'll come once I wrap up some things. Are you missing me?"
"Of course, I made soup."
"Good girl, be careful; don't burn yourself."
"Yeah, I'll be careful, waiting for you."
Alright, with a start like this, everything else would naturally fall into place; it was hard to say who was more infatuated.
Somebody said he was just too sentimental -- is this really a good thing?
Actually, that wasn't true. Counting it all, she was the second, aside from Suzuki Meiko; the rest didn't really count.
You heard right; those really didn't count. You couldn't just label every woman he'd interacted with as part of his history -- that was hardly fair, considering this was Hollywood.
*****
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