American History 1988
Chapter 389 - 378: The Wind Rises

Chapter 389: Chapter 378: The Wind Rises

"Dad?" Sitting in the car, Dean was surprised to receive a call from Peter.

"I say, kid, were you planning to secretly sell off my company?

You’re already the richest man in the world. Why are you still eyeing the Bald Eagle?

Although Lena’s pregnancy was a surprise, and you might end up with a brother or sister because of it, that’s no reason for what you’re doing."

"What the f*ck?!" Dean sat up straight and interrupted him, "Who’s pregnant?!"

"Uh, that was a surprise." Peter’s voice was somewhat sheepish.

But he quickly became assertive again, "I admit, the Bald Eagle Company owes a lot to your help.

But it grew under the hands of Frank and me. You should at least... at least leave something for Lena’s child; you’re already so rich..."

Peter mumbled and grumbled non-stop, but his voice gradually grew quieter.

"What a mess," Dean frowned deeply, "Have you been messing around with some woman?"

"Ahem—I’m only 46, Dean. Typically, men at this age still have their needs. You’ll understand when you reach my age."

Peter spoke like someone who had been there, eager to pass on his experience to Dean.

"Okay, I think I’ve got it," Dean rubbed his temple.

He should have guessed it; knowing Peter, how could he not stir up some trouble?

Back when he was still dirt poor, he used to sneak into other men’s wives’ closets, let alone now that he has money.

"What about the Bald Eagle Company...?" Peter awkwardly steered the conversation back, realizing he might have misunderstood Dean.

"What about the Bald Eagle Company?" Dean sighed, deciding not to deal with his father’s mess.

"A man from Seattle called, wanting to collaborate with Bald Eagle Company. He said it was your introduction."

"Amazon, right? I remember I mentioned it to you over the phone." Dean had already informed him about this.

"But I checked, and that broken-down company has nothing, not even more employees than our warehouse managers.

The audacious Bezos wanted to swap shares with us, motherf*cker, what makes him think he can do that?"

Peter cursed continuously, dismissing the whole Internet thing as attempting to gain a lot for nothing.

Most crucially, Dean had indeed called him before this, which made Peter doubt whether his own son had sold him out.

"Dad," Dean suddenly felt a sense of despair, "Please tell me you didn’t do anything to him?"

"I cursed him out thoroughly, those people from Seattle are all swindlers and robbers! Dean, you be careful!"

God! Dean couldn’t help but rub his face.

He made a mistake; he overestimated his father’s intelligence.

"Dean?" Not hearing a response, Peter’s voice softened, gradually realizing he might have done something wrong.

"Dad, I’ll handle the Amazon deal from here on. This determines whether Bald Eagle can move beyond Ohio."

"Shit! Is it that important?" Peter was startled.

"Listen, Dad, your retirement funds might depend on this.

So, if Bezos calls again, don’t start cursing at him thinking he’s a fraud."

Although Peter messed up, Dean would still smooth things over for him.

Maybe business matters should be handed over to Uncle Frank, who is much more reliable than his own father.

"Alright, then about Lena..." Peter faltered.

"That’s your business; I don’t want to get involved. Also, to be safe, you better start dividing your assets in advance.

Wedner can help you, or I have a ready-made team of lawyers here, including a trust management investment firm.

Just watch out for yourself, you’re no longer the truck driver Peter."

"OK, I got it." Peter might be prone to blunders, but he trusted the professionalism of lawyers.

After hanging up, Dean called his Uncle Frank, and only then did he make the call to Seattle.

First off, he inevitably had to apologize for his father, then he began to represent Bald Eagle and negotiate the deal with Bezos.

After two minutes of rapid negotiation, they reached a preliminary agreement.

Bald Eagle Logistics exchanged 10% of its shares for a corresponding 6% stake in Amazon.

Simply put, it was cross-shareholding; the transaction did not involve any financial exchange.

Honestly, in terms of size, Bald Eagle was indeed bigger than Amazon.

After all, the former was a labor-intensive company, while the latter was strictly an internet business.

But if one focuses on revenue, Bald Eagle barely surpassed Amazon.

Most importantly, Bald Eagle had reached its growth ceiling, while Amazon was just getting started.

It wasn’t that Dean didn’t want to secure more benefits for his father, but the concept of the internet was becoming increasingly popular.

Even from a professional investment standpoint, venture capitalists would prefer to invest in Amazon rather than Bald Eagle.

Therefore, 10 to 6. Though Bald Eagle took a slight loss, that’s just the way the market is.

Additionally, Dean had wanted to expand the transaction to 20%, but the shrewd Bezos declined that offer.

He was clearly very reluctant to part with his shares. If it weren’t for Bald Eagle Logistics being a necessity for Amazon, he wouldn’t have even considered the deal.

So, 6% it is. At least this would ensure his father and aunt’s family could live comfortably for the rest of their lives.

...

On the first Thursday of March, the Sears store on Jackson Boulevard in Chicago was unusually crowded.

The regulars knew that today was Sears Member Day, with discounts on many products.

Bob, being a local, had purposely come to Sears today to check items off his shopping list.

Pushing his shopping cart slowly through the aisles, Bob’s targets were staples like milk, bread, and frozen steaks.

He didn’t head to the electronics department until he had swept through that area completely. Sony had recently released a new CD-ROM drive that piqued his interest.

Still coughing. The videotape shop under his apartment complex had brought in some high-quality tapes featuring stars from the San Fernando Valley.

He couldn’t miss admiring their grace; it was one of the few hobbies Bob enjoyed while on business trips.

Unfortunately, his laptop lacked a CD drive, and to experience multimedia on the latest Windows95, an external CD-ROM drive was necessary.

Soon he reached his destination with his shopping cart, but what puzzled Bob was that he could no longer move forward as soon as he arrived at the outer perimeter.

Because the area ahead was crowded, he noticed that the gathering consisted mostly of men over thirty.

They were mostly well-dressed, usually wearing wristwatches, giving off a business-like aura.

While the shopping carts added a touch of domestic life, Bob could tell at a glance that they belonged to the same demographic as he did.

Feeling intrigued, Bob abandoned the sparsely occupied Sony counter and squeezed into the crowd.

As his view widened, he immediately spotted a tall poster of Liam Neeson.

Of course, the experienced Bob knew that wasn’t the focal point. As his gaze dropped, he saw the sophisticated black device in the hands of the actor.

A PDA? Bob’s eyes lit up; he was familiar with the gadget. His boss Jack owned an Apple Inc. Newton assistant.

Whenever he traveled with his boss, he often saw him pull out the device to jot notes, sketch, or check the schedule.

Bob hadn’t ruled out getting a Newton assistant for himself, but its $700 price tag was somewhat off-putting.

He already owned a laptop, albeit a bit bulky, but it was sufficient for checking notes or schedules.

Besides, his boss had one. He could just follow and carry the bags.

But the PDA he was looking at didn’t resemble any model he was familiar with. Palm? He hadn’t heard of it.

However, turning around and looking at the crowd here, his instincts told Bob there was something exceptional about this PDA.

Driven by curiosity, he finally squeezed his way to the counter.

Then he saw the black Palm displayed in the showcase, alongside a price tag of $299.

Damn! Is this really a PDA? Bob was stunned by the price.

He had never heard of any handheld computer on the market for less than $500.

For a moment, he wondered if it was just a dummy model.

But then, considering this was Sears, he dismissed his doubts.

If it didn’t want to risk bankruptcy, the store would never commit such a blunder.

Watching others try out the PDA, Bob finally couldn’t resist any longer.

"Miss, may I try it?" he asked.

"Of course, sir," the young sales associate said with a smile, handing over a demo unit.

She had heard too many similar requests today, yet her enthusiasm had not waned.

After all, as a counter sales associate, she earned commissions.

Bob quickly became engrossed in his first experience with the Palm—it was incredibly responsive, much faster than his boss’s Newton assistant.

The handwriting recognition was highly accurate, and it was also very compact. Bob could even fit it into the pocket of his jeans.

Most importantly, it was affordable—$299... oh no, there was also a higher-end version for $369.

Still, that was beyond Bob’s consideration. He glanced at the neighboring counter where a Sony CD-ROM drive was priced at $499.

Damn Sony! San Fernando Valley’s darlings, I’ll have to meet you some other time.

Bob’s rationality saved him from being ruled by his impulses; he chose to stand with Liam Neeson.

...

The first model of Palm launched on schedule in early March, though the advertising push had started long before then.

Apart from traditional media platforms, the campaign on the internet reached peak levels.

Yahoo, Price list, Netscape mail, and even Toktok ran Flash ads for Palm.

Of course, as a consumer electronic, securing an endorser was standard practice.

Initially, Dean planned to invite Schwarzenegger as the face of Palm, but considering the actor’s muscular physique, it seemed oddly mismatched.

Eventually, Orion found Liam Neeson for him, who had previously starred in "Schindler’s List" and was not lacking in fame.

His demeanor was also suitable for a business-oriented electronic product, so Dean confirmed him as the candidate.

In addition to these efforts, Dean also had Yang Zhiyuan display the Palm at global roadshows for advertising placements.

Indeed, Yahoo was about to go public, scheduled for early April.

Now in the final sprint before the IPO, Dean planned to fly to the East Coast to attend the grand event soon.

But amid this hectic period, Steve Case from AOL called Dean.

"Dean, Microsoft is contacting us, maybe you should make a trip to Virginia," he said.