America: My Time

Chapter 850 A kind reminder

Chapter 820 A Kind Reminder

Despite John's repeated reminders, the woman was determined to participate in the charity foundation's work, and John had no choice but to agree. As for how long she could persist, John didn't know, since the woman had high standards for her quality of life and wouldn't stick to a job that was too tiring for long.

Being a figurehead and being fully involved are completely different things. At the very least, you need to know what the foundation's work entails, and charitable foundations aren't just about donating money. You need to figure out how to maximize benefits. John doesn't think the beautiful women around him can adapt to these jobs in a short time. It all takes time. They don't have the good fortune of Jennifer Connelly and Christy Turlington, who have their mothers' guidance. Besides, there are differences between Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the United States.

"I'm sure!" She won't give up until she's completely convinced of her decision. John shook his head, offering no further advice. At this point, nothing he said would change anything; she only saw the glamour, not the pressure and hardship involved.

"Then it's up to you. But don't complain in the future, and don't make any rash opinions that might cause unnecessary trouble. Remember that!" John then changed the subject, returning it to Michelle, and continued, "The situation in Hong Kong is different from that in Taiwan. You need to be careful and think things through carefully. Don't associate with those foolish people who don't know their place, to avoid getting yourself into trouble. As long as you don't ask, no one will force you!"

Xiao Qiang and Mi Xue, being intelligent people, naturally understood John's intention and nodded. To make such a basic mistake and choose sides would be foolish, with serious consequences. With a powerful figure like John behind them, they didn't need to express their opinions, nor would anyone force them to take sides. At least, neither Taiwan nor Hong Kong had that kind of power. John could even disregard the British and dare to confront them head-on; what was the Governor of Hong Kong compared to him? As for Taiwan, they were already being very accommodating; to expect John to take sides was simply wishful thinking.

Why didn't John go to Hong Kong? Was it just because of Standard Chartered Bank? No, no smart person would think that. It was simply an expression of dissatisfaction with Hong Kong, or rather, dissatisfaction with the British. Although John's time was tight, a few more days wouldn't make a difference. It was all just a way of expressing his dissatisfaction with the British, his displeasure at their underhanded tactics.

As the turmoil in the United States intensified, with those guys being influenced by the Star Alliance created by Pan Am, John finally returned to the United States. After arranging everything, John returned to the United States with a calm mind. Soon after his return, Jimmy appeared in San Francisco to discuss the previous cooperation with John.

"Jimmy, are you sure you really want to acquire Western Gas & Electric, using Grumman Aircraft Company shares as a swap? And are you sure you want to invest in Pan Am? You need to understand that once a decision is made, it cannot be changed. These are things that need to be finalized during the company's integration. I'm not worried about your funds; I'm worried that someone will hold you back."

"John, don't worry, Morgan won't compromise for anyone. We can discuss the price in more detail later. I believe it won't be a problem if both sides are sincere!" Jimmy looked confident and didn't feel any pressure at all. It seemed that Morgan had reached a consensus and no one would cause trouble anymore.

"That's good. I'm also someone who hates trouble. I don't want to negotiate over and over again on one thing, arguing endlessly for a little bit of profit, wasting my time and energy. You should understand that. If there are no problems on your side, we can both investigate the acquisition target and then complete the transaction. What do you think?"

John smiled calmly, looking at Jimmy and waiting for his answer. Knowing Morgan as he did, John knew that if Jimmy was in charge, then the guy had the authority to make the decision. Before the exchange was completed, the price wasn't the issue; the biggest problem was that both sides needed to understand the situation of the companies being exchanged. There couldn't be any other issues, after all, this wasn't a transaction worth tens of millions of dollars, but a transaction worth hundreds of millions, which involved a lot of interests.

“John, I know what you’re worried about. Don’t worry, we have the majority of the shares in our hands. Now only a small number of shares are available on the market. If you want to launch a full takeover, it won’t be a big problem; it’s just a matter of time!”

"That's good. As long as there are no major problems, I'm relieved. As for the situation of Western Gas and Electricity, I believe you are all aware of it. Time waits for no one. Let's have our people take action separately, some to investigate, some to negotiate. It won't waste each other's time. After all, if we don't do this, it will drag on for too long. I don't have that much time to waste on this. You should know my next plan."

“Understood, you don’t need to worry about that. We will definitely not hold you back.” Jimmy immediately expressed his support. Time is money, and he understood that. Moreover, having done so many transactions with John, he naturally knew how much John valued time and was unwilling to drag things out in transactions!
“I’m not worried about you Morgans holding me back; I’m worried about those old guys. Do you think Rockefeller will have no reaction to this deal? Western Gas and Electricity is something they’ve always wanted to control. For them, controlling it means they can sell their gas to every household, and power plants are major gas consumers!” Morgan understood everything John was saying. When they sent Jimmy, they were prepared. Even if Rockefeller talked a good game, they wouldn’t give up. After all, everyone saw the profits in gas and electricity at this point.

“John, that’s settled then. If you need help attracting those guys’ attention, we can hold a press conference to let them know about the deal and give you plenty of time to do other preparations!”

John shook his head and said, "No need, thank you for your kindness, but at this point, no amount of concealment will help. Now is the time to fight tooth and nail, to show our cards. You can rest assured that the transportation company will soon complete its integration and can go public and raise funds next year. We won't put any pressure on you!" John understood Morgan's concerns. Such a behemoth could not be controlled by him. Going public was a must, but as for shipping, that would take time.

"That puts my mind at ease. Now, I wonder if the timetable for the IPO can be confirmed?"

John shook his head and said, "It's not confirmed yet. After all, the integration isn't finished, so how can we talk about a timetable? But Pan Am's timetable has been set. It will go public and raise funds in the second half of the year. Morgan will handle everything. I believe you won't let me down."

"Of course, we've been working together for so long, when has Morgan ever let his partners down!"

"I'm not worried about Morgan. Like I said, I'm worried about those old guys. You don't think they'll let Pan Am go public smoothly and impact them. The emergence of Star Alliance will put pressure on them and force them to fight back. They only have two paths in front of them: one is to build their own alliance and win over other airlines, but there are many problems. They don't have Pan Am's experience, nor do they have as much resource and information sharing. The other is to learn from Pan Am, test internally first, and then improve themselves step by step, but this will take a long time, and they may not be able to design an information system suitable for themselves."

"John, how many companies like this do you have in Silicon Valley? This can't be done by just one company. Are all those software companies that are licensed by Hughes Aerospace yours?" At this moment, Jimmy took the opportunity to ask John about his layout in Silicon Valley. After all, it's impossible for just one software company to integrate so many companies.

“Jimmy, do you think that’s just the beginning? Soon there will be more integrations. Retail companies, car dealerships, and so on will all be integrated. Before long, technology will change society and make everything faster. Hughes Aerospace’s GPS is more useful than you think. Its greatest value is not in the military, but in civilian applications, in all walks of life, and in information exchange!”

Jimmy was completely baffled by John's words. He didn't have John's foresight to see the impact of information on future generations, and he found everything John had said to be unbelievable and fantastical.

To plan sales and share information, John put a lot of thought and money into software investments. He also exchanged information with these companies, which allowed him to refine his plan little by little in such a short period of time and make his strategy a success.

Jimmy currently only knows about John's plan, but he's still completely clueless about the extent to which Silicon Valley software companies can integrate businesses. He can't see it clearly or grasp its full potential until everything is actually presented to him, allowing them to see the role of information in resource sharing. Only then will he understand how crucial this is for a company's development. If John didn't have experience from his previous life, he wouldn't have dared to be so reckless, investing so heavily in software. It's a huge investment of real money; all software is built with money, with the server investment alone being staggering, not to mention other labor costs and testing work.

(End of this chapter)