In Hong Kong, we build a global business empire

Chapter 416: Outrageous! 30% of Microsoft's original shares for $30?
Lin Haoran naturally knew that the resources and influence of these bigwigs were crucial to his future business development, so he patiently communicated with each bigwig, sharing each other's views and insights, thereby enhancing the friendship between the two sides.

His humble attitude and sincere smile won wide praise and favor from the bigwigs present.

After the banquet, Bill Gates quickly caught up with Lin Haoran and said to him with gratitude: "Mr. Lin, thanks to your introduction tonight, I have the opportunity to show Mr. Wang An the strength of Microsoft. I, Bill Gates, will never forget this kindness."

Lin Haoran smiled and waved his hand, saying: "Bill, this is not a trivial matter for me. Since I can help you, I am also very pleased. However, speaking of gratitude, I have an idea. I wonder if you are willing to listen to it?"

Bill Gates' heart moved, and he felt that Lin Haoran's next words would be very important, so he nodded quickly: "Mr. Lin, please go ahead."

However, he was not in a hurry to say it. This was Citibank, crowded and not a good place for private chat.

Lin Haoran looked at the time. It was 8:30 in the evening, which was still early.

So he simply said, "There is a 24-hour coffee shop opposite the Citibank headquarters building. Why don't we go over there and sit down and have a good chat!"

"Of course, I am deeply honored to have such a private exchange with Mr. Lin!" Bill Gates immediately agreed without any hesitation.

The two of them walked down from the Citibank headquarters building and soon arrived at the coffee shop opposite.

In addition to Li Weidong and Li Weiguo who followed into the cafe, other secret guards were also scattered around the cafe, or entered the cafe pretending to be ordinary customers.

Although they don't understand English, after training, they still know simple English.

For example, they still understand simple words such as how much and a cup of.

After entering, I asked for a private room.

Li Weidong and Li Weiguo were guarding the door.

These two people have always been by Lin Haoran's side as bodyguards, so there is no problem of exposing their identities.

Each of them ordered a cup of coffee.

Bill Gates took a sip of coffee and looked at Lin Haoran with curiosity.

Although he was very grateful for the help Lin Haoran gave him tonight, he now wanted to know more about the purpose of this big man inviting him here.

Seeing this, Lin Haoran smiled and said slowly: "Although I didn't know you before, after this brief acquaintance, I am optimistic about the future of Microsoft, and even more optimistic about you personally.

I thought if I could be involved in some way in Microsoft's growth, it would be in the greater interest of both of us."

When Bill Gates heard this, he felt excited.

He knew that as a well-known super-rich man today, Lin Haoran's financial strength and network resources should not be underestimated.

If Microsoft can get his support, its development will undoubtedly be greatly enhanced and its future will be more promising.

"Mr. Lin, what you mean is..." Bill Gates asked tentatively.

Lin Haoran smiled slightly and said directly: "I am very optimistic about you, Bill. Although I don't know Microsoft, and even before today, I have never heard of this company in the United States, but through tonight's contact, I seem to see the shadow of Steve Jobs in you.

So I think if I invest in you, it will bring me unexpected gains, so I want to invest in Microsoft and become one of your shareholders. I believe that with Microsoft's growth rate and potential, my investment will soon see a return."

Bill Gates was overjoyed, but he remained calm and cautious: "Mr. Lin, I welcome your proposal, but we still need to discuss the details of the investment. How many shares do you want?"

He didn't expect that today he would not only successfully sneak into Citibank's year-end banquet and meet industry bigwigs like Wang An, but also attract an investor. This investor is Lin Haoran, who has recently become famous. It was so unexpected.

"How many shares can you give?" Lin Haoran asked back.

"Microsoft is not owned by me alone. Instead, I co-founded it with my partner Paul Allen, so we each hold 50% of the shares now. If Mr. Lin invests and joins, I can persuade my partners to give up at most 30% of the shares together!" Bill Gates said directly with a ruthless heart.

What he values ​​is not only Lin Haoran's funds, but also the connections behind Lin Haoran.

After all, because of Lin Haoran tonight, he truly came into contact with the top circles of the American business community.

Although Microsoft has reached a cooperation with IBM, IBM's partners are not limited to Microsoft. It does not mean that Microsoft's future will definitely take off by relying on IBM.

In IBM's eyes, this was a collaboration that couldn't be any smaller.

Therefore, after confirming that Lin Haoran actually wanted to invest in Microsoft, Bill Gates believed that giving up 30% of the shares would not only get him enough funds, but he could also gain access to the connections of the super-rich Lin Haoran.

Today's Microsoft has not really developed yet, so Bill Gates cannot imagine how powerful Microsoft will be in the future, so he naturally has no resistance to Lin Haoran's investment.

In his opinion, being able to be with such a big boss is already a great blessing. Lin Haoran nodded in agreement: "Of course, 30% of the shares, I am very satisfied, but I don't know how much money you think I should raise, Bill?"

30% of the shares was far beyond Lin Haoran's expectations.

In his mind, even 10% was already good, but he didn't expect the other party to directly offer 30%. This was certainly good news.

As for financing, Lin Haoran is willing to invest several million dollars for the sake of the 30% stake, even though Microsoft's strength is still very low today.

Lin Haoran quickly calculated in his mind that although Microsoft is still in its infancy, its potential and growth rate cannot be ignored.

A 30% stake means that he will be able to share huge profits when Microsoft rises in the future, even much greater than the investment returns of Apple.

As for the investment amount, he knew very well that Microsoft was still in its early growth stage and must be short of money, but he was not sure what the other party was willing to pay.

In Lin Haoran's opinion, as long as the other party's price is not too excessive, he will be satisfied.

When Bill Gates saw that Lin Haoran was satisfied with the 30% stake, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and at the same time became more determined to reach a cooperation with Lin Haoran.

For him, even if the company gave up 30% of its shares, he and his partner Paul Allen would still each hold 35% of the shares.

Moreover, giving up 30% of the shares will also gain greater support from the wealthy Lin Haoran. If the shares are given less, the other party may not pay attention to Microsoft.

His purpose was to take advantage of Lin Haoran's network resources and personal strength.

Apart from anything else, at Citibank's year-end banquet, Bill Gates could feel that even the chairman of Citibank had a very good relationship with Lin Haoran.

He leaned forward slightly, his eyes revealing sincerity and expectation: “Mr. Lin, we have actually had some preliminary considerations on the amount of financing.

A few months ago, we almost raised a round of financing, but in the end we did not reach a consensus on the company's management rights. The other party wanted to have certain management rights within Microsoft, which did not conform to our idea of ​​external financing.

Microsoft is currently in a stage of rapid development. Although we have reached a cooperation with IBM, there is still a long way to go in the future. We need more funds to support R&D, marketing and team expansion. "

Having said that, Bill Gates paused, as if considering his next words.

He took a deep breath and continued, "Considering Microsoft's current valuation and our future development potential, I think a reasonable financing amount should be around... $30, provided that I hope Mr. Lin does not interfere too much in the company's management."

As soon as this number came out, Bill Gates nervously watched Lin Haoran's reaction.

He knew very well that $30 might not be a huge sum for a super-rich person, but considering Microsoft's current scale and stage, it was already a considerable investment.

Microsoft is not so well off financially today.

For example, a few months ago, Microsoft bought an operating system called QDOS for US$59,000, which was a considerable expense for Microsoft.

Even though Microsoft BASIC gradually became a recognized market standard and had a certain degree of popularity in the industry, the money earned from selling BASIC interpreters was actually not that much.

Because computer enthusiasts often develop small BASIC interpreters on their own and distribute them for free.

This has had a significant impact on Microsoft's business.

Although IBM chose Microsoft to write the key operating system software for its new PC, the actual remuneration was only $8.

However, Bill Gates was naturally very clear that the actual value of cooperating with IBM was far more than $8.

When Lin Haoran heard the price offered by Bill Gates, he couldn't help but be stunned.

"30 US dollars?" Lin Haoran confirmed with some disbelief. He thought he had heard it wrong.

Not $300 million, not even $3000 million, but just $30? This was beyond his expectation.

"Mr. Lin, do you think it's too high? We can discuss it further." Seeing Lin Haoran's surprised expression, Bill Gates' first reaction was that Lin Haoran thought it was too expensive.

When Bill Gates learned that Lin Haoran was interested in investing in Microsoft, he secretly decided in his heart that he must seize this potential important partner.

What's more, today's Microsoft is actually just a small company with small scale and mediocre performance.

Therefore, he did not intend to propose an overly high valuation, as Bill Gates was well aware of Microsoft's current value.

I wish you all a happy Chinese New Year. Also, it’s the end of the month, and if you don’t send your monthly tickets, they will be useless. Please send your monthly tickets. Thank you all readers!
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(End of this chapter)