Chapter 110 Bait
"Mitch, Debbie said that you are thinking about the future development of the company, can I participate?" Jim pushed open the office door of Lotus CEO Mitch Kapoor, and asked loudly while pushing the door.
Mitch Kapoor was standing in front of a large desk, using a ruler and a pencil to draw something on a piece of white paper, and laughed with a helpless voice: "Jim, before you come to see me next time, can you contact me first?" Secretary, let her confirm if I have time?"
Jim walked over and found that the piece of paper in front of Mickey had straight and precise lines. Obviously, it was a schematic diagram of a circuit.
It seems that every programmer who likes computers can draw a good circuit diagram, and then has enough hands-on ability to assemble some weird computers by himself based on the various drawings he drew.
He sat on the opposite side of the table, leaning his upper body on the table, looking exhausted, and weakly turned to the secretary at the door, and shouted with an exaggerated smile, "Debbie, give me a glass of energy!" How about a pick-me-up? You know my taste~ California **** because there's no special drink you make for me."
"Of course, Mr. Manz." The secretary chuckled, turned and left the office, and closed the door intimately.
Jim slowly sat up straight, tapped his back lightly with his hands, and his voice gradually became calm and low: "The long-distance flight has damaged my back muscles."
"It may also be hurt by the long-term happy behavior. Birch from "Information World" once called the company, yelled at you, and asked the company executive to remember to play the call recording for you. You made him lose More than three thousand yuan." Mickey stared at the drawing, holding the measuring ruler with one hand, and drawing a new extension line with the pencil on the other hand, looking at his focused expression, it seemed that he was not drawing a drawing, but more Like the Creator creating new life.
Jim looked at Mitch Kapoor: "So now can you give me a little time to think about how the company can transform into a hardware company?"
"Of course, of course..." Mickey agreed perfunctorily, but he didn't put down the pencil until the line was drawn, looked at Jim, and smiled: "Of course there is time, Jim, you can say whatever you want now thing."
Jim stared into Mickey's eyes and nodded: "I called you and Jonathan in California, remember? I also asked the secretary to bring the software back, Actor Company, I heard you say it with my own ears before, do you want to Fly Jonathan out there and talk to them, see if there's any chance of buying them, right?"
"Yes, I did say that." Mickey nodded and said.
"Then I called you in California, I called Jonathan, I hope you will fly over to meet me or authorize me, but you never reply, you like that company, you like that software, now you can send them I've been recruited." Jim Manzi spread his hands in confusion, stared into Mickey's eyes and asked:
"But there is no response? I waited for you in California for two days like a **** idiot, and then I had to fly back to make sure the company phone is broken, or California is no longer part of the earth, there is an existence between us Exaggerated communication delay? Why?"
Mitch didn't rush to answer Jim Manz's words, but walked to his president's desk and pressed the intercom: "Let Jonathan come to my office, thank you."
After finishing the phone call, Mitch sat back at his desk, leaned back in his chair and looked at Jim who was somewhat sullen: "I discussed with Jonathan, we don't want to have any more contact with Actor."
"That would at least give me a reaction." Jim stared at Mickey and said, "Instead of dumping me in California and making me look like a **** homeless kid."
Mitch lowered his head and shook his head with a wry smile: "No, Jim, we don't have any opinion on you. In fact, Jonathan and I haven't contacted you for two days because we were together and kept discussing a problem, how to explain it to Jim, and Convince Jim not to let us contact the Actor."
"It sounds like you're not talking about me, but about the blue beard who scares two girls in "Grimm's Fairy Tales". I'm just that scary?" Jim turned his head and complained unhappily:
"Why can't you just pull me up to discuss? Why is it always just you and Jonathan, I'm like a **** who is always eager to have a 3* with you, waiting for the call of you two!"
"You are too strong, Jim. To be honest, Jonathan and I are a little afraid of you. I'm not joking. We are really a little afraid of you. We think that whether you are doing right or wrong, maybe we will have our own judgment. But the final reaction is always, **** him, let Jim do what he wants, anyway, if he disagrees, Jim will definitely persuade us to agree, and there will be no other results." Mitch put away his smiling face, and said to Jim- Manzi said frankly:
“We trust you and are somewhat afraid to discuss any issues you insist on.”
Jim exhaled a dirty breath: "Okay, then you guys have discussed it for two days, have you come up with an explanation for me?"
"Because they are plagiarized liars, not creators with dreams. The version you brought back is no different from the first version from the interface point of view, but in fact, it can be found through comparison. The version we received is They carefully prepared, portrayed themselves as admirers of me and Mickey, added some tribute eggs, hoped to scratch our itch, and then bought them logically, relying on a few small functions can make a lot of money , obviously, we ignored them, and they sold another version by themselves, which did not refer to the source code of the prototype of Lotus that Mickey and I published in the telephone line community, but copied our functions and interfaces, and was compatible with ours without authorization. I have asked the lawyer about the documents, and the similarity of the interface is also an infringement, so Mitch and I listen to you and teach these little liars a lesson." Jonathan walked in from the door and said to Jim seriously:
"Their botched tactics **** us off."
Jim Manz listened intently to Jonathan's words, then looked at Mickey, Mickey nodded to him, expressing that he agreed with Jonathan's words.
He likes to his true admirers, Actor sent software for the first time, he thought that the other party was this kind of person, but now he finds out that those guys are just **** who want to use the talent he cherishes to defraud the acquisition.
"I think your lesson is to let the court trouble them after knowing that they have sold the software to some housewives for profit?" Jim Manzi took out a piece of chewing gum provided by the flight attendant from his pocket and peeled off the package Throw it into your mouth, and finally ask Mickey.
Mitch nodded: "Isn't this the method you taught us to deal with those small studios that plagiarized or borrowed from?"
"Listen, Mitch, I don't think the other party's purpose is that simple. Of course, I don't object to you using legal means to solve them, it's just...just..." Jim chewed gum, emphasized his tone, and looked at the two founders separately:
Mitch first looked at Jonathan, and then looked at Jim with a blank face: "Sorry, Jim, I can't hear the connection between discussing cooperation with Xerox and us suing Actor, and we have plenty of cash, Jim, no need Anxious to think about financing, I mean, I understand that the more cash the company has in reserve, the better, but I really can't think of any connection between these two things."
Jonathan also looked at Jim with a puzzled face: "I don't even understand why we are talking about investment."
"Mitch, Jonathan, I know that many people in magazines valued our company at 1.2 billion, because of the amazing sales volume of Lotus 1-2-3, they called it the third largest software company after Microsoft and MicroPort. "Jim rubbed the stubble on his chin vigorously with his hands:
“But since Mr. Leon Seven and his people left the company, frankly, the company is like a baby with a huge checkbook. We are by no means as strong in the industry as the magazines say.”
Hearing Jim mention Leon Seven, Mickey and Jonathan's faces became a little unnatural. Jonathan even lowered his head and turned his head slightly, as if Jim's mention of this name made him very unhappy.
Jim Manzi also noticed the reactions of the two. Leon Seven was a key figure in the success of Lotus, because he co-sponsored the Seven Rosen Foundation, which invested 20,000 yuan in the newly established Lotus. US dollars, accounting for 30% of the shares.
The investment of 20,000 yuan allowed Mickey and Jonathan to focus on software development without distractions, and finally successfully developed the phenomenal software Lotus1-2-3. Disagreements broke out with Leon Seven first. Mickey and Jonathan insisted on developing the hardware after developing the software. It is a complete computer geek style. No matter whether you make money or not, you must first make yourself happy.
However, Leon Seven suggested that the company should keep focusing on software development. Obviously, Leon Seven was finally **** off by two stubborn programmers. He originally valued them, but he decided to withdraw his shares in disappointment. Lotus eventually repurchased Leon Seven's shares with 800,000 yuan, and the two parties were completely cleared.
Although he only got 800,000 yuan, coupled with the sudden blockbuster sales of Lotus 1-2-3, Leon Seven's return on investment seemed a bit low, but in fact, he didn't care about the small money. , he sold a company he held shares under his name, and he easily made 300 million yuan, and he invested in an unknown number of such companies. In addition, he also held Microsoft, IMB, Ash Shares in companies in the computer industry such as Don Tate.
It seems that he founded the foundation just because he was bored and wanted to see if anyone's dream was more interesting, whether it was possible to change the computer industry, and then use money to invest in the other person's dream, making money is the best, and not making money will not affect his status and Life.
"You mean we lost Mr. Leon Seven, who only knew how to persuade us to abandon our dreams and focus on money, and became babies?" Mickey first lowered his head, then looked up at Jim, and said with a smile: "We And you, aren't you? You're the perfect guardian of this company."
Jim Manzi pursed his lips. He was a little moved by what Mitch said, but he still insisted in the end: "I'm very happy that you think of me as a big shot, but in fact, I just have the experience of being an assistant to the editor-in-chief of "National Policy". I got to know some big names who were interviewed in that magazine, and it’s just some contacts, but I don’t have influence in this industry, and Mr. Seven, who obviously has influence, will not return to Lotus. We can only find another Xerox, which has sufficient influence in industries such as typewriters, copiers, printers and computer hardware, is obviously a good choice.”
"You have said so much, but you haven't said the connection between these two things, Jim." Jonathan looked at Jim blankly: "What does this have to do with us teaching Actor Company?"
"Maybe the possibility is very, very low, but this possibility does exist, that is, the **** Actor Company may be the bait thrown by a rival company that drools at us." Jim Manz looked at the two of them, slowing down Speak fast, open your mouth and raise your head, like a fish caught by a hook:
"If Mr. Seven is still there, or if Xerox has invested in, we will naturally be fearless. No matter what kind of poison is mixed in the bait, we can digest it with their industry influence after swallowing it, but now only We three little guys, I think we should be more cautious, just let the lawyers collect all kinds of information, and I can solve it after I get the cooperation with Xerox, or talk to it, if they like If there is no money, then see if there is a chance to buy it at a suitable price.”
Mickey and Jonathan laughed out loud after hearing Jim's words, and Mickey said: "When you dealt with those small companies that copied us, you never said that we would be afraid, not to mention that it is not us who are wrong, we are not small people, the other party is A bunch of despicable liars, plagiarists."
"That's right, they are the young people, the real unknown people." Jonathan also said beside him, crossing his arms.
Jim said a little excitedly: "The real unknown people are the companies that made a little money sneakily before! Have you ever seen those companies send us software provocations first? Have you seen them **** carefully prepare two software? Have you ever seen them peddling software to poor people with a **** big fanfare? No, but Actor does these things and is not afraid that we know what it is doing, it's like a **** coquette, standing The other side of the road bows to you! Taunting you, silly*, do you dare to come* me? You don’t dare, I bet your thing doesn’t work at all, you’re a…”
"Before you came back, we had our colleagues in the company's legal department submit a complaint to the Massachusetts court." Mickey saw that Jim started to swear because of excitement again, and suddenly said calmly.
Jim seemed to have his throat stuck, and he froze in place. He looked at Mickey, and then at Jonathan, who nodded affirmatively.
Jim opened his mouth, and said after a few seconds: "I think this kind of matter should be discussed before deciding, or in other words, it's my job to clean up the opponent..."
"Of course it's your job, it's just that we were irritated by the software you asked the secretary to bring, and we overstepped our authority a little bit. It won't happen again next time, I promise, Jim." Mitch said to Jim.
Secretary Debbie came in from outside with a well-made cocktail, and handed it to Jim who hadn't recovered yet: "Mr. Manzi, your drink."
Jim took it, walked up to Mickey, took a few deep breaths, and said fiercely: "Okay, I forgive you, but if I find out that the situation is wrong, I will immediately choose to withdraw the lawsuit, you can't stop me .”
"Of course." Mitch said affirmatively.
"Please drink." Jim handed the cocktail to Mickey, turned around and left the other party's office in a hurry.
Jonathan looked at Jim, who passed by him but did not say goodbye to him, and left, then said to Mickey who was holding a cocktail: "Jim looks very angry."
Mitch Kapoor walked up to the drawing with a cocktail in his hand, admiring his own work, suddenly splashed the cocktail on the drawing, turned and looked at Jonathan: "You think we are leaving those **** capitalists that Jim said, just A baby that could die at any moment?"
"I don't know, I only know that our Lotus company provides Jim with a salary." Jonathan shrugged: "It's not Leon Seven."
Nearly 5,000 words, just this one update, I have to get up early tomorrow to drive my wife out~ Sorry
(end of this chapter)