America: My Time

Chapter 672 The Temptation of Going Public

Chapter 662 The Temptation of Going Public
“John, please feel free to ask for anything. As long as Morgan can do it, we will do our best to help! I believe our cooperation will be even better!” A faint smile appeared on Morgan’s face. He was very pleased with this result, which was exactly what he wanted to see.

"I will, but I believe those guys in Japan will come to me with their own reasons. After all, they are incredibly greedy. Just look at their little tricks to see how greedy they are. They all dream of taking my assets in Japan from me. To be honest, Phoenix Comics and Animation have been poached countless times, but unfortunately, they can't learn the essence of Phoenix Comics. As for the other real estate assets, I don't care too much. I can cooperate with them to get rid of them little by little!"

Morgan was fully aware of John's situation in Japan, but he was still somewhat shocked by John's confidence. Being able to see through the Japanese guys' next moves was no easy feat. However, this wasn't Morgan's concern; he had more important matters to discuss with John.

“John, you also need to be careful about Global Online. Although it hasn't triggered greed in some people yet, the internet can't be completely controlled by you. It's different from mobile communications and cable TV, you should understand that. And Dream World can't be delayed for too long, many people will have their own thoughts!”

When John heard Morgan's words, he didn't find anything wrong with them. This was inevitable. Many people would feel uneasy and worried if they controlled the internet. However, if they wanted to get shares from him, they would need a price that would tempt him. Otherwise, they could forget about it.

"I understand. I don't intend to completely control the internet either. After all, if it develops, it will spread all over the world, and such power cannot be completely controlled by me. However, anyone who wants to acquire shares from me will need to pay a price that satisfies me. It's a bit too early to talk about this now. The internet still needs time to develop. As for Dream World, it's ready and can share its patents at any time. It's just that it's impossible for anyone to establish a separate communication network. They can't bypass Bell Labs' patents, let alone Dream World's server patents. Dream World only shares the network protocol; it's impossible for them to obtain the server patents. It will take time for them to develop their own server system."

John was reminding Morgan Stanley not to think that having a patent for a network communication protocol meant they could start from scratch. That was impossible. At most, they could have ideas and developments in the terminal. Trying to start from scratch would only waste money, get them crushed by Global Online, and cause them heavy losses.

"John, don't worry, Morgan has no such idea and will not do it. If it were so easy to crack Global Online's patents and start anew, they wouldn't have waited until now. The only question is, how do you plan to operate the internet?"

"There's no point in hiding this. We charge service fees, register domain names, and so on. Once Global Online's submarine communication fiber optic cable is completed, you'll see its potential and how we recoup our costs."

“John, how long will this take? Many people are waiting for the evaluation results. This isn’t just Morgan’s idea; it’s the White House’s idea, and those old guys like Rockefeller. They all want to know how your plan will be implemented!”

"Soon, but not this year. It takes time. The construction of the submarine communication cables between the US and Europe, and between the US and Asia, will take time. Europe will be completed sooner, but the cable to Asia will take time, even with Japan's assistance. Moreover, this time we're not just building one cable, but several in parallel, with comprehensive preparations. Although the cost has been high, the result is excellent. If you want to test our network system, it's not too difficult. If we speed things up, we can connect to Europe by the end of the year. As for the Asian submarine communication cable, that will have to wait until next year. However, once the submarine communication cable between Europe and the US is connected, it can be operational. At that time, I believe Morgan will experience the upgraded speed. Of course, the service price will also increase."

A price increase is necessary; otherwise, how can we quickly recoup the costs invested? Such a massive investment cannot be recovered in a short period of time. Moreover, our most important clients are these financial giants. This is why John has always insisted on having multiple submarine communication optical cables running in parallel, in order to provide them with better service. Otherwise, how can we get them to willingly pay more service fees and satisfy our clients?

"So, once the submarine communication fiber optic cable to Europe is completed, Dream World will develop a communication protocol?" At this point, Morgan finally realized when Dream World would open its patents. As soon as the new internet was launched, it would enter the time when patents were opened, giving those guys some benefits so that they could better understand this network system.

"Yes, I believe you won't be disappointed. Once the global network is connected, the split of Universal Online will begin. At the very least, the cable television network will be spun off and merged with the cable television networks of Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media, allowing the two major media groups to complete the acquisition of it."

Upon hearing this, Morgan was somewhat dumbfounded. What kind of operation was this? Wasn't this just transferring money from one hand to the other? However, he quickly understood John's intention: cross-shareholding. This shrewd John was making arrangements for a future IPO. "John, Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Group intend to go public and raise funds?" At this moment, a glint of light appeared in Morgan's eyes. If his guess was correct, this would be another huge business opportunity.

"I have this idea, but it's not about the two major media groups going public to raise funds. It's about NBC and Paramount preparing to go public. Those guys aren't saying I shouldn't have such media power on my own, so I'll just go public. Of course, this will take some time. After all, the two major media groups have just been restructured and need time to integrate. Also, it will take time for them to take over the cable television network. Even if it's split up, it will take time."

“I understand that Morgan can handle everything related to the listing of the two major television networks.”

"That's no problem. Our cooperation has always been excellent, and I have no reason to refuse. However, it will take time, and it's not feasible until at least next year. A year is too short for the two major television networks to make proper arrangements, as well as for Universal Online. But we can now have a new collaboration. 7-Eleven is preparing to go public early next year!"

At this point, John offered his incentive. 7-Eleven had already completed its initial layout and formed a strong market. However, 7-Eleven's funds had reached their limit. Continuing to expand would push the cash flow to its limit and create danger. Therefore, going public became the best option.

Today, 7-Eleven convenience stores have a huge market share, both in Asia and North America, and have an absolute market share that crushes other convenience stores. It is only natural for them to go public at this time. As for Europe, it will take time and more funds. It is unrealistic for them to complete the process on their own. Going public to raise funds is the best option.

The Morgan executive confidently stated, "No problem, leave this to Morgan. As long as we make the arrangements, everything for the 7-Eleven launch will be in place before the summer. There will absolutely be no issues!"

After 7-Eleven goes public, Southern Group's development speed will be faster, and the listing process will be accelerated. After all, Southern Group's cash flow is currently very tight. John does not want to rely on his own funds to expand indefinitely; that is impossible. A global layout requires too much capital, which he cannot bear alone.

This wasn't just the case for Southern Group; other groups under John's control also faced similar issues. This is why Quantum Mining sold off so many mines and small-to-medium-sized mines on a large scale—in order to raise funds to expand into manufacturing and metallurgy, allowing Quantum Mining to move beyond a single business model and truly achieve comprehensive growth.

"I believe in Morgan's strength. This time, not only will 7-Eleven choose to go public and raise funds, but the Forever Group will also go public and raise funds after completing the retail integration. We need to accelerate the development of the company, and at least we can't let the company's cash flow run into problems! I believe many guys are secretly watching them, waiting for my cash flow to run into problems. I can only say that they are overthinking it. I am not as stupid or crazy as they think. Perhaps in their eyes, I am a guy who loves to hog everything, but I want to say that they are wrong. I am a person who knows how to share, but I will not let them benefit for nothing."

Morgan nodded and said, "Indeed, you are a person who knows how to share, but you don't want others to benefit for nothing, which is understandable to everyone. Trying to get more shares at the lowest price won't work with you. Morgan will do everything in its power to arrange their listing and will definitely not let you down, after all, our cooperation is not a one-off thing."

"Yes, this is just the beginning. Soon more companies will go public and raise funds, but it will take time. After all, I can't list all these companies at the same time, as that would seriously affect their market value. So it takes time, step by step. I can't rush it, or I will suffer huge losses, and those guys will take advantage of me for nothing. That's not the result I want!"

(End of this chapter)