America: My Time

Chapter 82 Testing
Chapter 82 Testing

The agency has not been in a hurry to expand in its development plan for idol artists, but has instead taken a steady and pragmatic approach. Although there are now more resources and greater room for development, the focus is still on the existing artists. Rapid expansion may make a quick buck in the short term, but it will also damage the agency's reputation.

A new agency doesn't need to rush into expansion and recruit more artists; instead, it should focus on discovering the potential of its existing artists. John has only one requirement for the Japanese agency: strive for excellence and create only top-tier idols, not cast a wide net.

The other four artists' debut singles were very well received. This was partly due to the high quality of the songs John provided, and partly due to the strong promotion from their companies. They received tremendous resources right from their debut. Their agency holds shares in TV Tokyo and is the largest shareholder, so naturally they would vigorously promote their own artists.

Regarding real estate, the agency has completed its acquisitions. Not only did Elite Agency acquire two apartment buildings, but Phoenix Comics & Animation also acquired one. Although it's just one apartment building, it contains more units than both of the agency's buildings! It is precisely because of the agency and Phoenix Comics' large-scale investments that they have received tremendous attention in the industry and have been able to recruit enough talent to allow the company to develop!

The morning sunlight streamed into the bedroom. John, awakened, looked at Naoko nestled in his arms like a cat, a faint smile appearing on his face. After a blissful moment, most of the pressure had dissipated, leaving him refreshed and invigorated. Today was the day Morgan's representative was to visit, and the location was John's garden in Tokyo!

This was for safety reasons. After all, this was a $40 billion acquisition, and it was best to be cautious. At 10 a.m., Morgan's representative, Jimmy, arrived at John's garden in Pine Valley on time!

Although Jimmy knew John had considerable investments in Japan, it wasn't until he actually arrived in Tokyo that he realized just how substantial John's assets were there. In the living room, Naoko served them a pot of fine tea and then quietly sat down beside John. This was a private meeting, without much formality, and John didn't feel there was anything to hide.

"Jimmy, we're old friends. How's the acquisition going with Morgan? If Morgan has no problems, let's meet with the bank's representatives tomorrow to discuss the loan!"

"Don't worry, John, Morgan's power has always been very strong, and our cooperation has always been very smooth. We've already secured Universal's parent company and NBC. As long as the funds are in place, the next phase of the cleanup will begin immediately, and we will definitely be able to fulfill our promise to you next year!"

"Good, Morgan has not disappointed me. Funding is not a problem. I hope Morgan can act quickly. Legendary Entertainment is currently under pressure from Warner. Only by completing this acquisition can it compete with Warner!"

"Morgan will not let you down. We will complete the cleanup of Universal and NBC in the shortest possible time, leaving you and Legendary Entertainment with no trouble. Morgan's reputation is the best guarantee!"

Jimmy paused for a moment, then continued, "John, the boss asked me to ask you if you have any ideas about semiconductors or Bell Labs. You know Motorola is considering spinning off its semiconductor division, and Bell Labs is also preparing for privatization. A breakup is inevitable!"

John was shocked by Jimmy's words. He had long coveted Bell Labs and had been preparing for its acquisition. He hadn't expected Morgan to approach him so readily, even offering Motorola semiconductors as a bonus – this was an incredible opportunity. "I'm interested," John said. "You know Dreamworld has always been involved in computer research and development, so we're naturally interested in Motorola's semiconductors. I'm also willing to take over Bell Labs after the Bell Corporation split, but price is a major issue. Motorola is in such a hurry to spin off its semiconductor business that there should be a reasonable price. Bell Labs is also a huge burden on the entire Bell Corporation. Taking it over isn't impossible, but a suitable price is necessary!"

“Price has never been an issue. Morgan will definitely give you a satisfactory result. As long as you are interested in acquiring us, we will prepare in advance. This year is not an option, as the timeframe is too short. We will give you a satisfactory answer early next year!”

“Okay, it’s a deal!” John wasn’t unaware of Jimmy’s probing move, but he didn’t care. If you’re willing, you can easily figure out their semiconductor plans from their acquisitions. Besides, he didn’t want to hide anything from Morgan, so he accepted their ‘good intentions’ directly!
The development of semiconductors requires huge capital investment. John is interested in taking over Motorola's semiconductor factory and does not intend to do production in the United States. The relocation of the processing plant is inevitable. If ASUS can acquire Motorola's semiconductor factory, it will greatly help ASUS's development and accelerate ASUS's progress.

Without any grand discussions, John and Jimmy completed their conversation in a relaxed atmosphere. John had originally wanted to invite Jimmy to his home for lunch, but Jimmy was in no mood for lunch at the moment. He needed to report back to his boss about his conversation with John, which was much more important than lunch!
Watching Jimmy leave in a hurry, John couldn't help but shake his head. Although he had been very careful, it was obvious that Morgan had his eye on him. Even if it was only in the real business, it had aroused John's vigilance. He had to be more careful in his actions in the financial futures market and could not afford to make the slightest mistake. Perhaps he needed to establish a facade to attract their attention!
If it were just the recommendations from Universal and NBC, John could have assumed it was Morgan's way of raising funds. But now that Morgan is also recommending Motorola Semiconductor and Bell Labs, John has to be wary. It's clear that Morgan has seen through his plans in the semiconductor and computer sectors and wants to get involved!
Acquire a bank, a savings bank, and establish a small investment company to attract Wall Street's attention. Soon, a perfect plan appeared in John's mind: how to use large computer databases to buy and sell stocks, how to bring specialized minicomputers to the forefront, and even how to preemptively deploy information machines to seize the Bloomberg terminal market.

Financial groups have no regard for human relationships; profit is everything. John must be extremely cautious when dealing with giants like Morgan, or he will be the one who suffers the consequences.

John naturally understood the dangers of the 'benefits' that Morgan offered him. Expansion was one thing, but he couldn't afford to pay too high a price. Moreover, there was a big problem with this piece of meat: the American employees weren't so obedient, the takeover of Motorola Semiconductor was a big issue, and continuing to use Morgan to cleanse the country was another major problem.

After Jimmy left, Morgan quickly reported on his conversation with John. Once it was confirmed that funding was not an issue, Morgan's tense heart finally relaxed; everything had gone smoothly. John's exploration of the semiconductor sector also received approval. However, John had noticed the significant problems behind semiconductors and realized that selling Motorola Semiconductor and Bell Labs at a high price was impossible; only a reasonable price would be acceptable.

Is there a major development in the semiconductor industry? As a Morgan tycoon, he can naturally see the prospects of the semiconductor industry, but it puts enormous pressure on American semiconductor manufacturers. High costs are an unavoidable issue, which is why Motorola wanted to sell its semiconductor business.

Almost all manufacturing industries are relocating overseas, and those that can't are looking for new homes. This is the general environment in the United States. The root cause isn't the Wall Street crocodiles; the biggest problem lies with the labor unions and workers in the US. It's the unions' madness that leads to so many unmotivated employees, causing a series of problems for US manufacturing!

After acquiring Motorola Semiconductor, manufacturing will be moved overseas, with only research remaining in the United States. John doesn't want to take over those pampered employees, and the union's reaction is not a concern for him!

Although John was willing to accept Morgan's "gift package," he wouldn't proactively inquire about it. From now on, he needed to remain calm. Only by staying calm could he obtain what he wanted at the lowest price in the upcoming breakup of the Bell Group, and only by staying calm could he get everything he desired from Motorola!
"There are more and more things to deal with, and people's energy is limited. I need a personal secretary, and I also need to continue to expand my talent pool!"

John does need a personal secretary now to handle some less important tasks and organize data from various companies. For now, one or two personal secretaries are sufficient, but as the company expands, more staff will be needed, and perhaps the personal secretaries will eventually become a secretarial team!
Originally, there weren't so many events this year, but with the explosion of the gaming world and the emergence of those greedy crocodiles on Wall Street, everything has exceeded expectations. Driven by Morgan's powerful hand, Legendary Entertainment's development has been forced to accelerate considerably. Now, Morgan wants to further accelerate Dreamworld's partnership with Nvidia, adding more fuel to its own fire. This inevitably reminds John of the term 'fattening up'!
(End of this chapter)