American History 1988
Chapter 137 - 131 Expansion

Chapter 137: Chapter 131 Expansion

At 650 Page Mill Road in Palo Alto, a shimmering glass curtain wall building stood under the California sun.

Shining frequently in the Californian sun, it was affectionately dubbed the "Death Star" by its competitors and the nearby Stanford University.

Just by the name, you’d know the people there were not to be trifiled with, and delving into what they do would reinforce that sentiment: This was a law firm.

"WSGR, the most prestigious high-tech company law firm in Silicon Valley." David pointed at the building in front of them, "Apple, Sun Microsystems chose it as their legal representative for going public, and even the establishment of Mayfield had its participation."

The day after signing the contract, David began guiding Dean in selecting a law firm to collaborate with for Byte Software.

WSGR was the law firm jointly recommended by Morgan Tailer and Mayfield, both having deep cooperative relationships with the former.

This was the first step in Byte Software’s outward expansion, and a foundational move in perfecting the company’s structure.

In America, especially in the high-tech industry, the first step in doing anything is to find a suitable law firm.

"Dean, just like I said before. We must first have the power to protect ourselves legally, and then we can focus on our product," David had advised.

Under David’s direction, they made their way with familiar ease to the opulent office on the third floor, where someone was waiting.

"Hi~ Larry, long time no see."

"David, I heard you’ve found another promising startup this time."

"Of course," after David greeted Larry, he turned his head and gestured for Dean to come over, "Come on, Dean~ this is Larry Soccini, the brightest light of the Death Star!"

If every institution is an extension of the shadow of some important figure, then Larry Soccini was that for WSGR.

"Mr. Soccini," still in a shirt, Dean smiled and shook hands with him.

"Haha~ Dean, is it? Don’t listen to David; he’s just stirring the pot on purpose," Larry responded warmly.

Different from the intimidating moniker of the Death Star, Larry’s demeanor was gentle and proper, always in a neat, dark Italian suit.

In the frenzied and noisy Silicon Valley, where people around him wore khaki pants or blue jeans, T-shirts or sweatshirts, and often sported flip-flops,

it was a stark contrast to Soccini’s office, where file shelves were evenly aligned and documents neatly organized.

This rather old-school practice likely stemmed from his identity as a lawyer, an occupational habit fostered over time.

"Larry, have you received Byte Software’s portfolio?" they sat down on the office sofa, and David went straight to the point.

"Yeah~" Soccini fetched a document from the desk, "A highly creative software, I already sense it will spark a new trend."

"Glad you see it that way, and Dean..." David gestured toward Dean, "he’s the designer of this software and the founder of Byte Software."

"Another Jobs-like figure," Soccini wasn’t surprised by this; he had encountered many such geniuses in his career.

"Right now Byte Software needs to organize its structural documents, including the company registration, bylaws, trademarks, employment contracts, paperwork, and financing agreements...

You know, Larry, we need to go through all the documents," David said, implying Byte Software’s initial work was too amateurish, and now he needed to thoroughly review everything.

"OK, I get you," Soccini said professionally, passing them a fee schedule, "See any issues?"

This was mainly for Dean to examine, as the law firm had different fees for various legal services, and as CEO, he should have a rough understanding of these matters.

Document review for company setup, five thousand dollars; bill verification, three thousand dollars; routine consultation, five thousand dollars; financing documents, twenty thousand dollars; post-financing routine consultation services, ten thousand dollars per month.

All right, Dean saw that the legal consulting fees on the price list were generally above five hundred dollars an hour; he estimated that Byte Software would need to pay at least thirty-three thousand dollars in lawyer fees this time.

Not to mention the future fixed monthly fee of ten thousand dollars for routine services, which was mainly to ensure that all matters were orderly and legal at Byte Software.

Whether it was convening board meetings, recording minutes, or answering questions about business, patents, or labor, they all came with a price tag.

Dean finally understood why hiring lawyers was a major expense for American corporations, as the array of fees nearly dazzled him.

But as a necessary expense, Dean didn’t raise any objections. "Mr. Soccini, Byte Software’s legal affairs will be in your hands."

"Just call me Larry, and I’m looking forward to a pleasant collaboration, Dean," Soccini said, acknowledging Dean’s abilities without underestimating him due to his youth.

Because Soccini knew that Dean might well become another billionaire before long.

"Pleasant collaboration~" They shook hands, signifying that WSGR had officially become the legal representative for Byte Software.

In the future, any legal issues encountered during the operation of Byte Software will be resolved by WSGR.

"Larry, we are here today not only for the contract signing. You know, Teams is already a relatively mature software. So..." David tapped the table gently with his finger, "WSGR also has a special advisory team, who hold a very comprehensive set of product distribution resources, right?"

"David, that would be a separate deal~" WSGR is not only rich in legal resources but also has its connections in technology and other fields.

Even today, WSGR is involved in the investment of many companies. Because of such expansionary strategies, WSGR even has its own product distribution channel connections.

"Of course, we’re old friends now, I understand the rules." David had already briefly explained this operation to Dean before coming.

For transactions facilitated through WSGR’s introductions, they take a certain commission or a fixed consultancy fee, after all, these are their resources.

"OK, I have thought of some names; after I organize them, I will send them to you." Soccini had information on Teams and would look for suitable users for it.

"Good, looking forward to the good news, Larry."

After signing the contract, David left the Death Star building with Dean, marking the first step of Byte Software in starting to scale up.

"Dean, Larry is a very skilled person, he has deep connections with the East Coast’s Rockefeller Family, Sasson Venture Capital, and the HARM Investment Banking Group here in San Francisco," David said.

With David’s introduction, Dean gained a more comprehensive understanding of the polite Mr. Soccini they had just met.

"They have very rich customer resources, and sometimes they also act as brokers, introducing clients to each other for cooperation. Byte Software’s sales channels are too weak right now; we need to seize every opportunity to sell our product."

"Perhaps it is time for us to recruit a Chief Operating Officer or a Sales Director." Dean keenly felt his lack of experience and resources in this area; Byte Software needed professional executives.

"I’m glad you realize this, Dean," David looked at him approvingly.

Founders usually staunchly resist investors bringing other executives into the company because it could dilute their control.

"Mr. Morgan Tailer, although Byte Software is my creation, I would rather see it go public and become an international corporation."

Honestly, Dean didn’t mind recruiting executives for Byte Software, which was evident from his agreement to a 15% employee stock option pool.

Dean cared more about the future growth prospects of Byte Software and the wealth it could bring him.

He didn’t plan to dedicate the rest of his life to Byte Software; he had many other things he wanted to do.

Byte Software might just be one of the companies he would establish in the future; Dean did not possess an extreme desire for control over it.

"Wise choice, I’m getting more and more confident in Byte Software," David patted Dean’s shoulder, "Go~, next we’re going to meet one of the candidates for the senior management of Byte Software."

Lawyers are just the first step; of course, the second is to expand Byte Software’s management team.

The current makeshift team could not fully leverage Teams’ own market advantages; recruiting staff to get Byte Software on the right track was the urgent task at hand.

However, the candidate was somewhat unexpected for Dean, Joe Scalcini, 49, a former executive of General Electric’s Information Services division.

This was a recommendation from Mayfield. Honestly, Dean had some doubts because he didn’t want to bring General Electric’s culture into Byte Software.

The rigid systems of these big corporations were inconsistent with a startup like Byte Software, but when Dean interviewed Joe Scalcini and expressed his concerns, the latter strongly protested.

"Although I may look like I came straight out of a General Electric mold, I’m also an amateur tech enthusiast."

Dean shrugged; that alone wasn’t a convincing reason. Then, Joe Scalcini proceeded to prove his point in his way.

In Byte Software’s office, he successfully wrote a simple Timekeeping software on a computer.

Not only that, but based on the information he saw, Joe Scalcini also suggested many standardized improvements for Byte Software.

Such as employee codes of conduct, expenses claiming processes, personnel recruitment, and so on, Dean was impressed and moved by this.

Byte Software had plenty of vigor but lacked standardized management. Joe Scalcini could help quickly build and improve various departments, exactly what Dean needed.

So, under 3% stock incentive, Joe Scalcini formally became Byte Software’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). This portion of stock came from the employee stock option pool, which may be further diluted with future financing.

With Joe Scalcini on board, Byte Software finally had a capable assistant.

Just a week later, everything in the new office became orderly. Meanwhile, in several main cities in California such as San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, and San Diego, Byte Software began setting up offices.

The first step was to expand throughout California; the second would be New Jersey, Virginia, Florida, Connecticut, Washington, and other East and West Coast states.