America: My Time

Chapter 27 Divergent Views
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Divergent Views

Faced with Warner's suppression, Legendary Entertainment halted its expansion in the United States and shifted its focus to Europe, establishing a presence in the UK and setting up European divisions. This strategy applied not only to its record labels but also to its talent agencies. At this juncture, it needed to temporarily avoid direct confrontation with Warner in the North American market. Legendary Entertainment needed time, not a battle of wits; there was no need to waste its energy on Warner.

The newly established film company immediately had a movie in production called 'Flashdance'. Although it was ambitious, from the outside, it seemed more like a personnel integration exercise. After all, it was just a low-budget film, which was completely ignored by Hollywood. Warner Bros. didn't make a move either, as if they were waiting for the final push when the film was released.

This time, Warner Bros. did not try to poach any more talent. They did not want to be outmaneuvered by John again. If they fell in the same place again, Warner Bros. would lose all face and their prestige would be greatly diminished. Such consequences were something they could not afford!
"What is this kid doing? He's abandoned the record company, and apart from the films being filmed, the newly acquired Legendary Pictures hasn't made any moves. He's thrown himself into Dreamworld software. What exactly is he planning to do?" Many Wall Street bigwigs were puzzled, not understanding what John was up to. He had no patience at all. He hadn't even sorted out his record and film companies, and now he was back to the software company. It was all very confusing, and some people even began to doubt whether their previous guesses were wrong, that this kid didn't value media and entertainment.

John would be delighted if he knew what Wall Street was thinking; his unintentional action had brought him such benefits. He was eager to return to his dream world because he had remembered something very important that needed to be accomplished quickly!
Before the Chinese character card, no personal computer could use Chinese. This patent is extremely important. Previously, we were only focused on developing software and seizing Microsoft's patents, forgetting about this important thing. This is the key to unlocking the potential of personal computers in China!

Dreamworld was hiring again, continuing its expansion and creating another stir in Silicon Valley. Although Dreamworld was a relatively new company, its compensation packages were better than many Silicon Valley firms, making it a highly sought-after job. However, this was a major problem for other companies, putting them under even more pressure!
At this point, even Apple became nervous. This time, Dreamworld was recruiting not only software engineers but also hardware engineers, making them suspect that Dreamworld was going to get involved in the production and manufacturing of personal computers! To laymen, personal computer research and development seems difficult; but in the eyes of insiders, it's not like that. As long as there is funding, the production and manufacturing of personal computers is not difficult!
John had considered it, but decided to abandon the idea for now; it wasn't feasible without sufficient funding. If he were to do it, he wanted to do it the best possible way—a 32-bit personal computer, because only a 32-bit computer could support a Windows operating system. Right now, it was too expensive, and the technology wasn't mature enough; it needed time to improve!
At the same time, John was very clear about the state of the local manufacturing industry. If he set up an assembly plant locally, it would be easy to start the plant, but there would be endless troubles in the future!

The research in Dream World has only two directions: one is to study 32-bit Windows operating systems, and the other is to develop adapter cards for personal computers and workstations. Overall assembly is impossible due to funding constraints. If conditions permit, the research should focus on chips.

Chips are extremely important; we can't afford to be held hostage by others. Many people only see the battle between Intel and AMD, but they don't know it's a tacit agreement between them: when the top two fight, the third dies. In John's mind, chips are crucial, and adapter cards are just the beginning.

Soon I'll be heading to Japan again to finish up all the things I left behind. The first time I went to Japan, I didn't have much capital, which prevented me from starting many things. Now that problem is solved; I've borrowed a hundred million dollars from the game world, allowing me to complete many of my plans!

The bubble era has not yet begun, making it the perfect time to invest in Japanese real estate. The best cover for investing in real estate is the retail industry, and Tsutaya is a suitable choice. Opening a store requires real estate, and with a large amount of capital on hand, the natural choice is to buy property rather than rent it.

Game console production is also a major issue. With the summer season fast approaching, John wants to know the production capacity of the three Japanese distributors. He needs to know if they can replenish supplies to the North American market in the shortest possible time after a sales surge. There can be no mistakes; the market is only so big. If insufficient production affects sales, he cannot accept it, especially since this was one of the reasons he chose Japan as a production partner!

"What? You're going to Japan again? It's only been a month, what are you going to Japan for? You should be consolidating these companies now. Now that Legendary Entertainment has been established, we can't let those companies operate independently anymore. We need to complete the consolidation while their strength is still small. That's the most important thing!" Smith felt a headache coming on when he heard that John wanted to go to Japan again. He had been under a lot of pressure lately because of John's situation!
“John, do you really have to go? Can’t you wait until Legendary Entertainment completes its integration?” Anna was also a little worried. Giving up his important work to go to Japan was unacceptable to her!

“I have to go. I had so many things left undone last time, this is the perfect opportunity to make up for them! Legendary Entertainment is important, but Game World is even more important. I need to personally check on Japan's production capacity to see if it meets my requirements. Summer is just around the corner, and if Japan's distribution factories can't meet the demand in the North American market, I need to warn them. Under no circumstances can North American sales be affected; this is crucial to Game World's development!” The North American market is always a bellwether. If Game World's consoles sweep the North American market, Europe will naturally be no problem, and Asia, South America, and Africa won't be an issue either. John has to take this seriously! Of course, this also relates to Game World's revenue. Without huge profits, how can Game World grow, and how can my plans be implemented?
Smith took a deep breath and said, "John, we need to have a serious talk. I want to know your true thoughts. In your heart, the layout of Japan is more important than the home country, right?"

John nodded and said, "Yes, in recent years, the strategy in Japan has been much more important than in the domestic market. Most of my energy will be focused on Japan, not the domestic market. Right now, only media and entertainment in the domestic market deserve our attention; everything else can wait!"

"Is the same true for the Dream World software? Should we also slow it down?"

John nodded solemnly and said, "Okay, it can be delayed until there is sufficient funding. I know that financing can solve the problem of insufficient funds, but I don't want to rush into financing. This will only benefit those investment banks for nothing. I just need to wait a year or two, and everything can be resolved. The Japanese market can't wait!"

"John, what exactly do you value in Japan? Why do you attach so much importance to Japan, even more than to your home country? You should know that Japanese people are very xenophobic. Even if your Phoenix comics are good, they are not the mainstream of the economy!"

"I value Japan's economic development. In a short period of time, they have developed into one of the world's largest economies, second only to the United States. It can be said that Japan has extraordinary potential. If we seize this opportunity, we can accelerate our own development. Right now, the domestic economy is not good, and the labor unions are also a big problem. I need to shift my focus. Actually, I am more optimistic about the Asian market. Japan is now one of the centers of Asia!"

"Is that all? If so, you can't convince me that your decision is too risky and unwise. Investing in Japan isn't impossible, but you can't become overly reliant on it, or you'll become dependent on others!"

Hearing his father's words, John frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and said, "I understand. If investments are overly concentrated in one area, a crisis will inevitably have a huge impact. Investments in Japan are developing very well now, and once the game world sells well, our own structure will change! Right now, I must focus my energy on Japan. I know Japan is exclusive, so I must make more strategic moves in advance. I want to establish a new company in Japan, Tsutaya Bookstore, to handle downstream sales. This way, we won't be dependent on others for comics, magazines, or records, and we can control the entire industry chain!"

John paused here, sighed softly, and said, "I also have similar plans back home. Without factories, there are no jobs, which would affect my public image. In my vision, the service and retail industries are key; they can create many jobs, but we lack the funds. I need to experiment in Japan. If it works there, we'll move back home! Now, everything depends on whether the game world can sweep the North American game market. If we can achieve that, all problems will be solved; if not, we'll have to wait for the right opportunity!"

The market is king; only by mastering the market can you master everything. John understood this very well! Building your own retail business from scratch in the United States is no easy task; it requires too much effort. Even though he had some capital, he didn't plan to sell it. Instead, he waited for the right opportunity to acquire a small company and gradually grow it.

Retail in the United States is fundamentally different from that in Japan. A slight misstep can lead to a heavy price. No matter how many ideas he had, John did not want to start a retail company at this time!
(End of this chapter)