Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 355 Thomas Edison in a Frenzy!

The champagne glow celebrating the huge order for "Sorel Electric" in the Menlo Park laboratory had barely dissipated when, just three days later, another telegram from Paris arrived in Thomas Edison's hands.

This time, however, the telegram brought not joy, but surprise and anger at being offended.

The telegram was sent by Charles Ferguson, general manager of the "Edison Electric Light Company in Paris," and its brief content was enough to make Edison frown:

Nikola Tesla, the young electrical engineer whom he had high hopes for, officially submitted his resignation to the company!
Thomas Edison, clutching the telegram, repeated incredulously, "Tesla? He's leaving?"

He was deeply impressed by the young man from Austria—who had served as the chief electrician at the Budapest telephone exchange and had improved many of the devices.

Although his ideas are sometimes too far-fetched and even a bit unrealistic, there is no denying that he is a rare technical genius.

Edison's original plan was to have him work at the Paris branch for a few years to familiarize himself with his DC power system, and then transfer him back to the US headquarters to work in the laboratory.

This is a promising training path.

Edison muttered "Stupid!" and threw the telegram onto the workbench piled high with parts and blueprints.

He felt a sense of injustice and anger.

The "Edison Electric Light Company in Paris" provided Tesla with a platform and resources, just when he was about to make his mark, but the young man chose to leave.

Was it because of the salary? Or was he tempted by something else? Paris is so bright and alluring, there are so many temptations, who knows?

Despite his dissatisfaction, Edison's emotions were merely confusion and slight disappointment.

While Tesla's departure is regrettable, it is not enough to shake the foundation of the Edison Electric Light Company.

He has recruited outstanding engineers from Europe and the United States, so he doesn't need this maverick young man.

He quickly put the matter out of his mind and focused on testing the new light bulb filament.

In his view, this was just a minor incident, a mistake made by an immature employee.

However, two days later, another telegram from Paris, like an axe, shattered Edison's newly restored peace.

This telegram was no longer Ferguson's routine report; it was filled with a sense of panic.

"Emergency! A total of eight senior electrical engineers and fifteen assistant engineers from the Paris company have submitted their resignations!"
The technical team is now paralyzed! Requesting immediate instructions from headquarters!

—Ferguson

Edison jumped up from his chair: "What?!"

He could hardly believe his eyes. He brought the telegram close to his eyes and read it again, word by word.

That's right, not just one or two, but almost the entire engineering team at the Paris branch!

Enrage overwhelmed Edison in an instant!
His face turned bright red, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

This is absolutely no accident! This is definitely a premeditated and targeted poaching operation!

Which damn competitor is it?

Is it Westin House, who's been suing him over patents? Or Ferranti, who works in alternating current in Britain?

Or is it some new company that has emerged in Germany?
They actually used such despicable means to poach his talent pool!
Edison roared in the laboratory, "Bastards! These treacherous bastards!"

His voice made the glassware vibrate.

The assistants and technicians around him were so frightened that they stopped what they were doing and dared not breathe—they rarely saw their boss so out of control.

Edison grabbed the pen and paper; he needed to call Ferguson back immediately.

His pen tip almost pierced the paper, every word brimming with rage: "Investigate! Find out right now who's behind this!"

Use all available resources to find the enemy lurking in the shadows! I need to know which company and which person it is!

Find them, and then deliver the most devastating blow! At all costs! Let them know the consequences of provocation! He could almost see the triumphant smile of the mastermind behind it all, which made him feel humiliated like never before.

The Paris market is the bridgehead of his European strategy, and the large order he just received from "Sorel Electric" further proves the huge potential for the popularization of electric lights.

Inventors all over the world know that only by conquering Paris can a new invention be qualified to conquer Europe.

At this critical juncture, the entire technical team was emptied out, which is tantamount to the enemy destroying the command post on the battlefield.

This not only means a standstill in Paris operations, but could also affect the expansion of the entire European market and even shake investors' confidence in the Edison Electric Light Company.

In the following days, Edison was unable to concentrate on his work. Like a lion trapped in a cage, he paced anxiously in his laboratory, waiting for news from Paris.

His mind raced through the names and faces of his competitors, analyzing their motives and abilities.

He vowed that once the culprit was found, he would use all available business, legal, and media means to completely destroy the other party.

The ticking of the telegraph machine broke the suffocating silence in the laboratory.

Samuel Insall quickly handed the newly translated telegram to Edison.

Edison practically snatched it, his eyes scanning the words on it eagerly.

The sender was still Charles Ferguson, but the content of the telegram instantly froze Edison in place—

"An emergency investigation has confirmed that all the engineers who resigned en masse, including Nikola Tesla, have joined Solrel Electric Company."

Repeat, 'Sorrel Electric,' the company we just signed a contract with. It is believed that the company is effectively controlled by author Lionel Sorel. End.

—Ferguson

"Sorel Electric?" Edison murmured the name.

The furious expression on his face froze, then slowly shattered like ice being struck by a hammer, replaced by a look of utter bewilderment.

Could it be him? The young writer who, just a few days ago, praised himself as someone who "understands the future"?

That "partner" who just delivered an unprecedentedly large order to me?
Edison looked down at the thin telegram in his hand, then looked up at his assistant Samuel Insall across from him.

Ambitions to illuminate Europe, betrayal by the technical team, huge orders, potential enemies...

These seemingly unrelated lines are now strangely intertwined, and the point of connection is a writer who has made a name for himself by writing screenplays and novels!
He used my light to illuminate his stage and gained fame;

Then, he used my orders as bait or a pretext to poach all my engineers.
What's going on here? Business competition? What kind of logic is it for a competitor to place a large order worth over 10 francs with the enemy before launching a business war?

Edison was completely unable to understand the logic behind this for a moment.

He had seen too many open and covert battles in the business world, but he had never heard of such an illogical tactic.

Why would a writer, instead of staying in his study writing, try to poach an electrical engineer?
This was beyond his entire understanding as an inventor and capitalist.

He slumped back into his work chair, unsure of what to do.

Launching the “most aggressive commercial attack” against a writer? That sounds like a joke.

Stopping the order for those 5000 light bulbs? That would mean defaulting on the contract and incurring huge financial losses.

He looked out the window at the gradually darkening sky over Menlo Park, where the warm glow of the laboratory lights, once a symbol of his confidence and glory, shone through.

After a long silence, Edison slowly spoke to his waiting assistant: "Return the call to Ferguson and tell him not to deal with 'Sorel Electric' for the time being."

Also, start recruiting a new electrical engineer immediately; in the meantime, we'll send a few people from the US to cover for him.”

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While Thomas Edison was struggling to secure orders, others in Paris were also facing an "order crisis."

(End of this chapter)