American History 1988
Chapter 370 - 359: See You on the Internet

Chapter 370: Chapter 359: See You on the Internet

"Dean, I know Netscape went public today, but I still want to discuss this deal with you,"

"What?" The noise in the room was too loud, and Dean had to step outside with the phone.

"Regardless of what price Netscape’s stock closes at today, Microsoft is willing to pay a 50% premium to buy one-fifth of its market value.

The only requirement is that we need a seat on the board. What do you think?"

"Gates," Dean stood in the glass corridor, looking down at the trading floor below and suddenly laughed, "I didn’t expect you to call me today."

"For Microsoft, business can be done at any time, just like we can enter any software market whenever we want."

Gates’s voice sounded casual; he was always like this, always confident in his decisions.

"Unfortunately, Gates, Netscape is already public," Dean said in an ordinary tone, like an old friend speaking commonplace words.

"The other shareholders and Wall Street, let Microsoft handle it..."

"No, Gates, you don’t understand what I’m saying," Dean interrupted softly, "Netscape has already gone public.

This means we have more people, more money, and all the other resources in abundance."

There was a moment of silence from Gates on the other side of the phone, then the casual tone returned.

"So Netscape is preparing to launch Explorer 3.0, right?"

"We’re always happy to offer users a better browser."

"Cool~, I also noticed you’ve announced a new developer incentive program."

"The internet belongs to everyone; it requires countless participants to enrich the web ecosystem, and every tech enthusiast has the right to develop their own work on this platform."

"You’re right, the internet—anyone has the right to start this business."

"Yeah~"

"So, see you on the internet?"

"Of course, as veterans, we’ll be giving Microsoft some memorable advice when the time comes."

"I’m looking forward to that day."

Click, Gates hung up the phone.

Dean’s smile curved up; Microsoft’s arrogance was almost etched in its bones.

Alright, the reason why the behemoth from Seattle had been silent before has been found.

It always looks for shortcuts and is always accustomed to negotiating aggressively.

Packing away his phone, Dean returned to the room.

At this moment, the place was in uproar, with so many shouting voices he could hardly hear what the person next to him was saying.

Obviously, the pre-market trading had concluded, and the outcome was pretty good.

"$24! Dean! We made it!" Clark’s neck veins bulged from shouting too hard, like earthworms on the move.

"Well done, Jim; our market value has doubled again," Dean joined the cheering crowd, giving high-fives all around.

In that instant, Netscape had created dozens of new millionaires.

"I knew it! Netscape was sure to deliver a grand slam to Wall Street!"

Clark couldn’t calm his excitement for a long time, as the success Netscape brought him was even more striking than his previous company, SGI.

When SGI went public, its market value was less than a billion US dollars, and Clark held less than 3% of the shares.

But Netscape’s valuation exceeded three billion US dollars before it even opened, and his shareholding was more than 13%.

From any angle, the glory Netscape brought him far surpassed any previous experience.

"Alright, guys, it’s time to ring the bell," someone from Goldman Sachs came in, notifying them that the market was about to open.

This whole procedure was all too familiar to Dean; Teresa, Anderson, Clark, and Dean himself, the four of them faced the media and pressed the electronic button.

"Congratulations to you, Teresa, and Mark, you deserve this."

"Thank you, Dean, they were right, you know how to make everyone rich together!" Anderson’s voice was hoarse; he couldn’t remember how long he had been yelling meaninglessly.

"If you really want to thank me, then show a spirit that sweeps everything away and kick our competitors out of the game!"

"YO!" Anderson and his companions from Illinois all raised their fists and shouted.

"OK, go enjoy your moment in the spotlight!" Dean patted their shoulders, letting the young ones go celebrate to their heart’s content.

But nobody was really in the mood now; with the market officially open, everyone gathered in front of the big electronic screen.

"It’s rising again! It must all be buying now!"

"The whole of Wall Street is talking about Netscape!"

Perhaps the only person in the room who wasn’t focusing on the stock was Dean.

"Jim, it’s still early before closing; do you have a moment? I have something to discuss with you."

"What?" It took Clark a moment to shift his gaze from the big screen.

"Let’s step aside," Dean nodded toward the edge of the corridor.

Noticing his cool expression, Clark finally snapped out of his euphoric state.

"What’s wrong, Dean?" The two came to the side of the court, and Clark first glanced at the hall, then spoke.

"Gates just called me." Dean shook his cell phone.

"Gates?" Clark was startled at first, then he realized, "Is it about Netscape?"

"Microsoft wants to acquire a 20% stake in Netscape and take a seat on the board," Dean said, throwing out Gates’s terms.

"Robber!" Clark couldn’t help but curse, "This is their conspiracy; Microsoft wants to control the entire Netscape.

Dean, we can’t agree! Gates’s notorious past is the best proof!"

"OK, I know, I rejected him." Dean could understand Clark’s intense reaction.

It wasn’t only about Microsoft’s consistently overbearing style; there was also significant room for Netscape’s stock price to rise.

After all, this was only the first day, look, the numbers on the electronic screen are still green.

"I have a feeling that Microsoft is about to make a move. So, did Gates only talk about this on the phone?"

Clark had now fully calmed down and began to actively consider countermeasures.

Netscape was the second highlight of his career, and he would not allow anyone to mess with it.

"Jim, that’s exactly what I wanted to say. Gates has even thrown down a challenge to us.

Moreover, he’s very interested in Netscape’s developer program; I guess he wants to probe our strategic intentions."

This point was crucial for Microsoft; if Netscape’s future strategy targeted the developer platform, then Gates would stop it at all costs.

This was the nightmare deep in his heart and what he believed could make Microsoft "replaceable."

"He thinks our strategy will threaten Microsoft?" Frankly, Clark hadn’t yet realized the key point.

"Jim, whoever has the developers holds the power to set the rules of the game."

Looking into Dean’s meaningful eyes, Clark finally began to catch on.

"But Netscape’s focus is just the browser platform; this doesn’t conflict with their operating system at all."

"No, in Microsoft’s eyes, the browser represents the internet," Dean corrected him.

Clark’s brow cleared, and then he couldn’t help but say with irony, "So, Microsoft now regards the internet as something in its pocket?"

"Maybe that’s how Microsoft sees it," shrugged Dean.

"Typical Seattle robbers." Clark sneered, "Let them come at us."

"And about Netscape, I’ll give Barksdale and the others a heads-up, and we need to watch Microsoft’s recent moves closely.

I’ll discuss with Durell and see if venture capital can offer any help?"

To deal with Microsoft, of course, they had to unite the internal front first and also rally all the forces they could.

"OK, leave Netscape to me. Just as soon as Microsoft dares release their browser, we’ll announce the free plan for Explorer 3.0."

This was the countermeasure they had discussed earlier, and now it was finally time to deploy it.

"Let’s have a meeting back in California; I’m going to talk to Durell." Dean patted his shoulder, ready to depart.

But before he could find Durell in the crowd, his phone rang again.

"Hillary?" Dean raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"I’ve seen it, Dean. Netscape is becoming a hot topic, and Bill mentioned it in his speech just now."

The Clintons were attending a lecture at Harvard University, and during the intermission, Hillary had seen the news on television.

"The internet is the future, and Netscape’s model has proved that."

"I completely agree with you; Bill also plans to visit Silicon Valley again." Now the couple were very proactive about Silicon Valley affairs, as Netscape had brought them considerable benefits.

"I look forward to that day; perhaps the next few months would be a good time since Netscape is about to announce a new internet plan."

"Exciting news. So, Dean, can you give us some suggestions for the visit schedule?"

"Certainly, I’d be delighted to," Dean’s eyes shifted, and he suddenly had some ideas.

"By the way, how’s Netscape’s stock performing?" Hillary couldn’t be too obvious since she was surrounded by aides.

But concerning her wealth, she still couldn’t wait to know the exact news about it.

Dean glanced at the electronic display outside, "It’s approaching 40 US dollars."

"Oh, God!" Hillary almost lost her footing; luckily, her quick-reacting aide caught her.

"They’re going to rise more, right?" Her voice sounded a little breathless.

"I think so; there’s still half a day left till the close." Usually, there’s another trading peak in the afternoon before the turnover at the close.

"It’s unbelievable, Dean, you’ve created a miracle." When it came to making money, Hillary now had immense faith in Dean’s judgment.

"Netscape has an even longer future ahead, and the internet economy is just beginning," Dean emphasized once more.

"OK, we’re planning to invest in Netscape for the long term. We’ll talk later."

Hillary put away her phone and took a deep breath, covering her chest.

"Madam?" Her aide Cheryl couldn’t help but express concern.

"These blasted heels almost made me fall down!" Hillary complained, stamping her foot, "Cheryl, call that Italian shoe store; I want custom shoes in every style they have!"