America: My Time

Chapter 1518 The Convenience of Reputation

Chapter 1508 The Convenience Brought by Reputation

Many people saw through John's scheme, but no one dared to speak up. They weren't fools; they all understood one thing: don't push things too far. John wasn't weak. As one of America's top financial groups, John wielded power no less than theirs, and his influence in the US was no less significant. He had simply been yielding and restraining his power, avoiding a direct confrontation.

If one day someone were to truly enrage John, forcing him to unleash another killing spree, a bloodbath would await them. Countless people would fall in pools of blood, paying the ultimate price for their folly. Despite the fact that Rockefeller and his ilk have been constantly opposing and scheming against John, they dare not push things too far, because they all understand they cannot afford the consequences.

As long as John doesn't go too far and as long as things remain respectable, no one will go too far. John understands this as well. Even with his crazy expansion in Asia and huge investments in China, everything is within the rules and within acceptable limits, leaving no room for some people to cause trouble.

John wasn't afraid of the old Rockefellers; after all, they were old-money families who knew their place. They understood that people of the same level followed the rules, and John, being part of an American financial group, naturally treated them with the same respect. But the oil and gas companies were different. These guys, loosened from the constraints of the Rockefellers, Morgans, and DuPonts, had become unruly and reckless, along with those scoundrels from the West Bank. These were the ones John needed to be wary of. These guys might ambush you at any moment, given their control over a significant amount of media.

John never trusted the agreements between media moguls, because these guys at Oil Pacific Capital were untrustworthy, as evidenced by their series of actions. John had considered severing Oil Pacific Capital's control over the media, but unfortunately, the old guard in the US didn't cooperate, so his plan failed. Oil Pacific Capital still controlled a significant amount of media power, and if his strategy faltered, giving them an opportunity, they would strike relentlessly, their greed ingrained in their very being.

Because John understood all this, Taiwan was of paramount importance to his semiconductor chip and electronics strategy. However, John now saw another opportunity. Since those Koreans were so stubborn and unwilling to compromise, he could seize the chance to deliver a fatal blow, take control of Korea's semiconductor chip factories, and gain control of their resources.

As for Japan, John has no intention of continuing to invest there, because there is no need. Although Japan has a lot of talent, the environment there is a big problem. In comparison, South Korea is a little better!

Faced with John's goodwill, the Taiwanese guys naturally had to respond. The official nodded and said, "With Mr. John's words, we are relieved. It's not that we are unwilling to stand by your side, but our own situation is also difficult. We cannot withstand the suppression from those people!"

John smiled calmly and said, "I know and understand your difficulties, and I won't make things difficult for you. I only want one-third of Taiwan's energy demand, and I will also only take one-third of the market share for minerals and food. Moreover, I can promise that everything will be based on market prices, without any markups. It's a win-win situation for everyone, and we can all make money together. I won't go too far!"

These Taiwanese guys are well aware of how powerful the resources John controls. Although they don't want to accept them, they have no choice. After all, John's reputation is much better than others, and if they have a conflict with John, the losses they will face will be substantial.

Take the Asian financial crisis as an example. John did not scheme against Taiwan. Otherwise, it would not have been easy for Taiwan to emerge unscathed. Look at the situation in South Korea, look at the situation in Japan, look at themselves, and look at Hong Kong. These guys in Taiwan naturally know what to choose.

Some people say that John hasn't targeted Taiwan because his investments there are too large, and if Taiwan were hit by a financial crisis, John would suffer significant losses. But only a fool would believe that. In terms of investment, Japan and South Korea are no less than Taiwan, yet they were still affected by the Asian financial crisis.

Because they understood all this, these guys from Taiwan, although they had a little dissatisfaction, quickly let it go. After all, everything is about give and take, and they couldn't expect to get away with it without paying a price. Although handing over so much market share to John would put a little pressure on them, John's reputation was undeniable!
It has to be said that John's planning over the past twenty years, as well as the persona he has cultivated, have brought him considerable benefits in many collaborations. Otherwise, these guys from Taiwan would not have agreed so easily and would have had to discuss it with John again!

The Taiwanese official nodded and said, "Everything is fine. We trust your credibility, and doing this will also allow us to obtain more supplies. However, everything cannot be made public, otherwise we cannot withstand the pressure from all sides, as many people will feel uneasy."

"Of course, I'll say it again, I won't put you all in a difficult position. I have sufficient assets in Taiwan, steel, petrochemicals, and retail are all good cover, after all, no one can resist good quality at a low price! Of course, I have no intention of controlling the Taiwanese market or profiting from it!"

If these words had come from anyone else, the Taiwanese wouldn't have believed them. But coming from John, most of them believed them. After all, John's reputation was the best guarantee. As long as they didn't overstep their bounds and kept their promises, everything would be fine. Besides, John's reach in Asia extended far beyond Taiwan! In this friendly atmosphere, John and the Taiwanese reached an agreement. From that moment on, John began controlling one-third of Taiwan's supply chain. Everyone understood how enormous this benefit was, but it was a win-win situation. Taiwan got everything they wanted, and John got the market he desired.

It seems that John's control of one-third of Taiwan's supply chain poses a significant threat to Taiwan. However, John's promises make it acceptable to them. Moreover, they are not fools; such cooperation is also beneficial to Taiwan. After all, John can stabilize prices in Taiwan and reduce the pressure on their mineral, steel, petrochemical, and energy sectors. After all, John is a mining giant, an energy giant, and a world-class grain trader!
After John's verbal agreement with Taiwan was completed and the welcoming banquet ended, it wasn't long before the old guys in the US learned about John's cooperation with Taiwan. This made them all sigh. They hadn't expected John to dare to make such a promise under such circumstances, which forced them to take John's real strength in semiconductor chips seriously!
However, some people had doubts about John's plan: "Gentlemen, what is John trying to do? With his investments in Taiwan, apart from food, I really don't understand how this kind of cooperation would be of much significance to him. In petrochemicals, he has the largest oil refinery in Taiwan; in steel, he also has his own steel mills and even shipyards. If he wanted, these shares alone could control a quarter of the market share in Taiwan. A third seems a bit low, or even insignificant. Could it be that John wants to vigorously develop his presence in the food sector?"

"I don't know. Nobody knows what John is planning to do. And even if we had ideas, it wouldn't matter. We can't stop any of this. We can only take it one step at a time. What I'm most worried about is the semiconductor chip layout. Where does John get his confidence that he can keep Taiwan's semiconductor chip factories unaffected?"

“Rockefeller, you should know best, after all, you are very familiar with John’s plans for semiconductor chips. What do you think John’s confidence comes from? Is Bell Labs really that powerful that it can complete the development of personal computer CPUs in a short time and compete with Intel and AMD?”

"I'm not familiar with Bell Labs' situation, after all, Jaguar Security's power is not just for show. But have you forgotten an even more important issue? Communications. Bell Labs' greatest strength right now is communications. With such a huge market, controlling just a portion of it is enough to ensure the stable development of the factories in Taiwan!"

Upon hearing this, everyone sighed. Although they were all vying for a share of the telecommunications market, John's market presence was considerable, encompassing the United States, Mexico, and Asia. This gave John a significant market share. These words served as a wake-up call, with some even suspecting that John might be looking to switch to a different arena to compete with them—the last thing they wanted!

At this moment, these old guys all sighed, even President Lloyd. They knew that if John's communications market layout continued to expand, it would put enormous pressure and impact on them. After all, they understood that the communications market was incredibly large, and the patents were held by Bell Labs!
"Communications, we actually forgot about that. If John really wants to shift production from the shrinking market share of personal computers to communications, he might not really suffer any loss. Moreover, given enough time, everything will come back to normal. We need to be prepared!"

That's well said, but what can they use to guard against John? How much power do they have to influence the communications field? After all, they were able to establish a presence in the communications market in South America thanks to John, so it's impossible for them to find a way to stop it all. Their interests prevent them from acting rashly!

“If we take a closer look, we’ll understand how formidable John’s global telecommunications market presence is, and how astonishing his market share is. We need to re-evaluate John’s capabilities and his background,” Rockefeller said with a sigh, a hint of worry in his eyes. The semiconductor chip market is so vast, yet they have so much control over it – this is unacceptable to them.

Changing all this requires strength. Without sufficient strength, even if opportunities are presented to these guys, they cannot succeed, because they suddenly realize that they have been misled. They have all focused their energy on personal computers and the Internet, neglecting the layout and research and development in the field of communications.

Now they realize it's a bit too late; after all, it's already happened. Just look at John's global expansion to understand how terrifying and insane his plans in the communications field are, and all of this worries them.

"Bell Labs, this is his research and development center. If we had been more rational back then and hadn't sold Bell Labs to him, he wouldn't have developed so quickly, leaving us in a passive position all this time!"

"What's the use of saying all this now? No matter how many ideas you have, it's useless now that things have already happened. Everything is beyond our control. We couldn't stay calm under the temptation of profit. What we need to do most now is to resolve the current crisis and get rid of it. After all, Japan is no longer reliable, and neither are the Koreans. We can share the pressure with them, but we can't trust them. These guys are more terrifying than we think."

"Yes, the Koreans and the Japanese are no longer reliable. I don't think they can hold on. After all, they will also think about their own interests. They won't make a crazy decision to fight John for us. After all, they would suffer a lot if they did that, and they won't completely trust us!"

"That's true, but we have no choice. The situation has become so brutal. If we had known John's confidence was so formidable, we would have acted cautiously instead of hastily. But saying all this now is useless. We need to bear all the pressure ourselves and face all the pressure. Relying on others is not as good as relying on ourselves. We need to regain our North American market share. Only in this way can we have better development and broader development potential. And this requires sacrifices from Japan and South Korea!"

(End of this chapter)