American History 1988
Chapter 131 - 125 All is Acting

Chapter 131: Chapter 125 All is Acting

"What kind of person is Dean?" David wondered briefly before nodding with absolute certainty, "A genius!"

"A genius?" Peter Thiel repeated the question while taking pictures, a habitual echo.

"Yes, a genius. His genius lies not only in his creativity but also in his ability to learn.

We all know he’s only a sophomore, but under Stanford’s demanding academic workload, he not only ensures that he gets an A or even an A+ in every class.

In addition, from the development of Teams software to the founding and smooth operation of Byte Company, he has been leading all these things.

He’s like a rabbit equipped with Eveready batteries and on a stimulant, and then you connect the wires to the Hoover Dam power plant; he’s always so passionate and imaginative."

"This slightly differs from your partner’s assessment of him, but you share the same view that ’he is a genius.’" Peter Thiel put down his camera, "One last question, let’s talk about the wealth that Byte software has brought you—"

"Uh... I’m not sure how to put it," David said honestly, spreading his hands, "but the rumors out there are somewhat exaggerated, and things are not as people imagine."

"So you’ve made a million dollars?" Peter Thiel was also curious about this question.

"Actually, what I meant to say is that sales and profit are two different things, and in reality, it’s not that much. Especially Dean, he even took on the tax portion that should have belonged to me and Markus."

"Are you saying Dean paid all the taxes for you? As far as I know, if we go by the numbers rumored, that tax rate could be as high as 20%?" Both Peter Thiel and the newspaper girl responsible for recording were astonished by this statement.

"Yes," David nodded firmly, "Rather than calling him a business partner, I would prefer to drop the word ’business’."

"Wow~ that’s very humane, isn’t it?" Peter Thiel was looking forward to the interview with Dean even more.

"Yeah~"

...

"To be honest, if I didn’t know that I arranged today’s interview venue, I might have thought I was in a Hollywood audition studio." Peter Thiel captured Dean’s smiling moment with a click of the shutter.

"I take that as a compliment," Dean raised his thumbs up, slightly turned his body, trying to make the Teams logo on his chest more conspicuous.

"Your two partners, they have very different evaluations of you, want to hear them?" Peter Thiel gestured to the newspaper girl not to stare blankly at Dean, reminding her not to forget to record the conversation to come.

"I guess Markus’s assessment of me would focus more on relationships with girls, while David would be loyal to what he sees," Dean guessed, winking playfully at the newspaper girl.

"I have an intuition," Peter Thiel emphasized as he put down his camera, "that you understand your two partners far better than they understand you."

"Wow~ I never knew the editor-in-chief of ’The Stanford Review’ was so easy to talk to, that’s different from the rumors on the outside." Dean had done his homework on this newspaper; its stance had provoked quite a bit of controversy at the school.

As a liberal conservative publication, many of the topics it covered sometimes contradicted each other, leaving Dean confused as to whether they leaned more to the left or the right.

If it wasn’t for prior communication that the interview would not involve political issues, Dean might not have accepted their interview.

After hearing Dean’s teasing, Peter Thiel shrugged his shoulders, "You know, after Ronald Reagan Library and ’The Battle of the Classics,’ we all learned a lot."

Peter Thiel was referring to the major debate between the left and the right that had erupted on Stanford’s campus years ago, a pity that Dean wasn’t at Stanford back then.

"OK, let’s talk about the Teams software. How did such an idea come to your mind?"

"As for Teams, I think there is nothing more persuasive than experiencing it firsthand. Although it’s not a consumer-oriented software, I still think it’s a revolutionary product."

"Revolutionary?" Peter Thiel liked the word.

"Yeah~, it will change the future of communication between people, although that may still be a bit far off. But in the office sector, we are just as revolutionary, making communication between employees more efficient and offering more freedom.

Previously, you had to say something when you picked up the phone, but on Teams, you don’t feel that pressure. It provides you with enough private space, and even its file transfer feature has helped to reduce paper usage in offices, and that’s an environmentally friendly approach, isn’t it?"

"That sounds cool," Peter Thiel thought this might be a selling point.

"Yes, we are unique, there is no other software on the market that can do this. Teams will revolutionize how people think about office software!"

Dean didn’t know how much influence ’The Stanford Review’ would have, but he didn’t pass up any chance to promote Teams. In America, you have to learn to promote whatever you do.

"Lastly, what do you think about politics? Or do you have any advice for Stanford students?" As a humanities student, Peter Thiel ultimately cared more about social issues.

"Peter, I really don’t know much about politics. To me, they are tiresome, chaotic, damaging to relationships, and lack certainty. In contrast, technology has the power to change the world, just look at those companies born from Stanford in Silicon Valley.

Technology does not dictate what is classic, nor does it tell you how to think; technology creates a neutral platform for creativity and free expression. Perhaps focusing on the code or business plans right in front of you, and being busy creating the future, is a little easier."

...

"Dean, what do you think of the uniforms I designed for Teams? Impressive, aren’t they?" Marcus boasted, turning to show off the massive logo to Dean and the others as he left the campus, ready to return to Byte Software.

Dean and David exchanged a look and shrugged, "If you’re talking about the logo that takes up the entire back? Yeah, it’s eye-catching."

"Yeah~" Marcus said excitedly, twisting his back, "I guarantee that everyone who comes across us will see it."

"OK, wear it for a week straight on campus in all sorts of places, and I bet even more people will see it."

Back at the Byte Software office, Dean hadn’t even had a chance to sit down when Anna hit him with some unexpected news.

"Boss, someone from Morgan Tailer Venture Capital wants to come by and visit you?"

"When?" Dean was a bit surprised, hadn’t he just recently made a phone call to Gary?

"Right away," she said, "they’re already on their way here."

Dean was stunned, then quickly snapped to. "GO! Everyone get back to your stations and pick up the phone! I don’t care if you’re really making calls or just pretending, just look busy!"

"Dean, what’s going on, why do we need to do this?" Marcus was still confused about Dean’s instructions.

"The investors we’ve been waiting for are here," Dean said, directing people in the office to pile up documents on their desks, while explaining to Marcus, "If we want them to open their wallets, then we need to show them Byte Software in full swing. The busier we look, the better Teams is selling. The better Teams sells, the more eagerly the investors will fork over the money! Get it, Marcus?"

"Oh~" Both Marcus and David gaped, "That’s an unbeatable reason, Dean!"

It was all acting, Marcus grasped the essence in an instant. Without waiting for Dean’s instructions, he already took the lead in setting up the office, scattering documents even on the ground.

At that moment, Gary’s blue Corvette had already pulled up smoothly beside the road in front of Byte Software.

Dean glanced outside and then picked up the phone, slipping into business mode.

When Gary and his son David got out of the car, they saw a garage-sized office filled with busy figures everywhere.

Hurried clerks with documents, the constant ringing of phones, and a conspicuous handwritten poster on the wall at the entrance announcing that Teams software had sold thousands of copies that week.

No one noticed their arrival; as for Dean, their main interest, he was signing documents handed to him by a clerk while answering the phone.

The small office was buzzing with activity, crowded, messy, and noisy, vibrantly alive. David Morgentaler did not feel the slightest bit slighted by the lack of attention, on the contrary, he loved the atmosphere.

After nodding to Gary beside him, the latter stepped into the office, disrupting its busy rhythm.

"Hey~ Dean, it’s me, Gary!"

"Sure, Mr. Kelly. The physical copies of Teams you need will be delivered promptly, I guarantee it," Dean said, concluding his call before putting down the phone with a flush of success on his face.

"Hey, Gary, you should have given me a heads up," Dean said, standing to give him a hug. "You know, Teams is keeping me so busy I can hardly breathe~"

"I did call before coming," Gary said, subtly implying that he had done just that.

"Oh~ did you?" Dean slapped his forehead, "Sorry, I’ve been so swamped with stuff, so..."

"OK, I understand," Gary couldn’t bring himself to blame Dean for being so busy—it was all for business, after all.

"You mentioned that we’d just talked on the phone," Dean spread his hands, looking at him, "So? What brings you here now...?"

"Oh, I forgot to introduce him," Gary gestured towards the door, "After hearing about Byte Software, my father decided to come and meet you in person."

"Oh~ OMG!" Dean’s face lit up as he quickly stepped forward to greet him, "The founder of Morgan Tailer Venture Capital, Mr. David Morgentaler, right?"

"Hello, Dean," David Morgentaler shook his hand warmly, "We may be meeting for the first time, but Gary has talked about you a lot. He says you’re a genius."

"Gary’s exaggerating," Dean shot Gary a knowing look, then turned enthusiastically to David, "I should’ve visited you sooner, but one thing after another came up and disrupted that plan."

"You did the right thing, Dean," Teams is the biggest surprise for both of us. Now..." David Morgentaler glanced at the crowded office, "maybe we should find somewhere to talk?"

"Of course," Dean felt it was time for Byte Software to expand.