Chapter 220: The Avengers

Thinking of Jobs, Eisner inevitably thought of Pixar. Although Disney had earned a lot of profit relying on Pixar in recent years, it was ultimately not an animated film from their own Disney.

Although Eisner was arrogant and conceited, he wasn't stupid. From the success of Pixar's animated film "Toy Story," he knew that 3D computer graphics would play an important role in the future development of animated films, so he let Disney itself also set up a top-notch computer animation and special effects studio, called the "Secret Lab."

Spending several years, Disney itself produced the animated film "Dinosaur." The realistic skin and hair effects, excellent motion capture, and the expressions and actions with Disney characteristics, combined with the cutting-edge CG level, could be called a feast.

"Dinosaur," this animation, not only spent a huge production cost of 130 million, but also invested a very high promotion fee. But since its release in May, "Dinosaur"'s North American box office was only 130 million. This result was far worse than Pixar's "Toy Story 2" last year, which was 250 million!

You have to know, the cost of the first "Toy Story" was only 30 million, and the second was only 90 million, adding up to less than the 130 million of "Dinosaur," but their box office was much higher than "Dinosaur."

This box office result of "Dinosaur" naturally didn't satisfy Eisner; it should be said it was far from reaching the expectation in his heart. Since the people he cultivated weren't good, he simply swung a big hoe and started digging for people!

The target for this digging, wasn't it a bright target placed there? Naturally, it was aimed at Disney's good partner, Pixar!

Eisner glanced at Jobs in the newspaper. It just so happened that this guy was busy with Apple now and had no energy to pay attention to Pixar. Now was the perfect time.

Eisner called his secretary: "Help me make an appointment with Pixar's John Lasseter."

John Lasseter was the leader of Pixar's animation creation and also the actual manager of Pixar studio's daily operations. He was the true core figure of Pixar.

Eisner snorted coldly. Once he dug Pixar's core team over, you Jobs would be nothing! Let's see how you can still jump with me!

Eisner also angrily tugged at his collar. He had thought Jobs would know about this, but he didn't expect it to be so fast. And this guy John Lasseter, he promised him generous conditions, but he turned around and reported it to Jobs. He was truly a fool!

On the other side, Jobs, who had been spraying for half a day, was also extremely angry. You have to know that his biggest asset now was Pixar. If Eisner really succeeded and dug away the core creative team, then his Pixar would collapse!

The two sprayed trash talk at each other over the phone, and then both hung up the phone with a "bang."

Katzenberg smiled and said: "Don't worry, although he said he wouldn't do anything to harm Disney, as long as we can create trouble for Eisner, this old man definitely won't let it go. In fact, within Disney, he is picking on Eisner's faults every moment. If it weren't for the fact that he is a member of the Disney family and a spiritual symbol, Eisner would have long wished to drive him out."

Fortunately, this time John Lasseter, mindful of his past feelings for Pixar, didn't agree. Otherwise, his Jobs' property would have gone down the drain.

Two weeks later.

In 1985, because Apple's performance was not good, Jobs, the founder, was driven out by the board of directors. In a fit of anger, he sold off 11% of the Apple shares in his hands, leaving only 1 share as a souvenir. Now he is on his second stint, returning to Apple to take charge of this company he founded, with only a small amount of shares. Now that he has no shares, he feels very passive at such times.

Jobs is under a lot of pressure now, and he can't help but feel slightly regretful in his heart. If he hadn't sold Apple's shares at the beginning, it would have been fine.

After Jobs hung up a shareholder's phone, he knocked on the table angrily and cursed loudly.

"Damn Eisner, pull back your dirty claws, you are not allowed to touch a single hair of Pixar. If you dare to do this kind of thing again, I will definitely chop off your claws!"

Jobs hadn't finished being angry when the phone rang again. As soon as he saw these shareholders' calls, he couldn't help but have a headache again.

How could this not make Jobs angry?

This cutting off someone's wealth is like killing their parents. It simply touched his reverse scale!

"Go to hell, it was Pixar and I who were willing to sign an unequal treaty with Disney to exchange for today, but you have never had any respect for Pixar and me. You have received so much from Pixar, but you have never had a word of thanks. Don't think I don't know, you said Pixar's works are only liked by three-year-old children! You are an evil and greedy exploiter, a megalomaniac, a dictator!

Do you know? John didn't want to go to the damn Disney at all to work for you, this damn guy. He called me the first time he came back! Wanting to dig Pixar's people, go to hell!"

On the other side, Wu Yuchen looked at Luo Yi Disney's departing back and asked Katzenberg beside him: "Will he stand on our side?"

"Stock price, stock price, stock price! These short-sighted guys can only see these little things in front of them and don't care about Apple's long-term development at all!"

Wu Yuchen couldn't help but nod. This Luo Yi Disney should be considered half an ally. Next, he planned to develop another true ally.

Eisner was also furious upon hearing this:

"Jobs, who do you think you are! You have to know, at the beginning, no one looked at Pixar's works at all. If Disney hadn't been willing to sign a contract with Pixar and been willing to give you a chance to distribute, you and Pixar would have been finished long ago! It was Disney, it was me who saved you and Pixar. You villain who doesn't know how to be grateful at all, how dare you talk to me like this!"

Three days later, Eisner's phone rang. As soon as he picked it up, he heard Jobs' angry roar from the other side:

He had indeed been a bit of a mess recently. Since Apple's stock price was cut in half on September 29, the shareholders' reaction had been very big. After all, many people couldn't stand this kind of cliff-like plunge, and in the past half month, Apple's stock price not only didn't rebound at all, but fell another 20%. Jobs' phone had almost been blown up by a group of shareholders, and many people threatened to impeach him at the shareholders' meeting a few months later.

Now Jobs didn't just dislike Eisner; he really wished he could strangle him. He swore that if he had the chance in the future, he would definitely finish Eisner!

After venting, Jobs cooled his temper and picked up the phone again. He still had to try his best to appease some shareholders. At least at next year's shareholders' meeting, some major company decisions couldn't all be voted against, otherwise he wouldn't be able to do many things.

Just as he was about to make a call, the ringtone rang. Jobs looked at the name displayed; it was Apple's third-largest shareholder, the manager of the Northern Trust Fund. He hurriedly connected the call.

Before Jobs could speak, the other party asked:

"Steve, regarding the Walkman plan you mentioned, do you still insist on not being compatible with the Windows system?"

Jobs explained patiently:

"Yes, the iPod can only be used on Apple computers. This is not only end-to-end control, which can create a better experience for users, but it can also perfectly combine Apple's hardware, software, and peripheral equipment, and it is also conducive to promoting the sales of Apple computers..."

Before he finished speaking, the other party interrupted: "You are actively rejecting more than 90% of customers. This will not be a successful product. Let's stop here!"

Before Jobs could say anything more, the other party hung up the phone, making Jobs curse angrily again: "Damn it!"

Half an hour later, Jobs saw his secretary run over in a hurry, reporting urgently:

"Mr. Jobs, a major transaction has occurred. The Northern Trust Fund called to notify us that they have sold all the 7.23% shares they held!"

Jobs felt a shock in his heart upon hearing this, and couldn't help but feel a burst of shame and anger. What does this mean? Selling stocks to express opposition to himself? It's best for such opponents to get lost!

Subsequently, he hurriedly asked: "Who is the buyer?"

"Bai Xiong Charity Fund. I just checked, this is a charity fund that was established not long ago in the past few months."

"Bai Xiong Charity Fund?"

Jobs wasn't surprised. It's very normal for charity funds to make investments, and many charity funds are actually tools for the rich to avoid taxes. It's just that he didn't know who this new shareholder was.

"Mr. Jobs, and the people from this Bai Xiong Charity Fund want to come to the company to visit tomorrow and meet with you."

Jobs raised his eyebrows upon hearing this. It seems this new shareholder should have a friendly attitude toward Apple and him.

The next day, in the reception room, when Jobs arrived, he saw an Asian young man sitting in his seat, drinking coffee in a leisurely manner. And why is this face somewhat familiar?

Because Jobs himself is the boss of Pixar, he is not the kind of person who doesn't know much about Hollywood. He took a closer look—isn't this that young Hollywood director, Wu Yuchen!

Jobs was a bit surprised, but still took the initiative to reach out: "Hello, Wu, may I ask if you are the founder of the Bai Xiong Charity Fund?"

Wu Yuchen also stood up immediately and shook hands with Jobs:

"That's right, it's me! Mr. Jobs, I have long admired you and have long wanted to meet you, but you don't usually attend those Hollywood parties~"

Jobs smiled upon hearing this: "Pixar studio focuses on animation, and I put most of my energy into Apple now, so I am indeed a bit out of touch with the Hollywood circle. I really didn't expect this new shareholder to be you, Wu. Welcome to become a new shareholder of Apple!"

Wu Yuchen laughed: "Actually, I have long wanted to buy Apple stock, but its price was too high before. I didn't expect it to suddenly fall and give me an opportunity~"

After the two let go of their hands, Jobs personally took Wu Yuchen, this new shareholder, to visit the company.

This investment in Apple went through the Bai Xiong Charity Fund, buying 7.23% of Apple's shares from the Northern Trust Fund, which cost him about 400 million US dollars.

The Bai Xiong Charity Fund was something Wu Yuchen started having people prepare to build last year, and it was officially established this year. The purpose was actually to help Wu Yuchen avoid taxes as much as possible.

Of course, charity projects must be done. The main thing is to fund poor children. Among them, 20% of the annual donations will be used in the United States. After all, making money in the US still requires putting on a show. The other 80% is naturally used to help poor children in China, building primary schools in various mountainous areas!

Also, Wu Yuchen's personal expenses in the US will also go through the Bai Xiong Charity Fund from now on. Everyone plays like this.

Actually, his investment in Apple this time cannot be said to be the best time, because Apple's stock price hasn't really fallen to the bottom yet, and it will fall another 30%. And the next two years will be the low period for the stock price. From this perspective, the Northern Trust Fund selling Apple's stock was completely correct.

But Wu Yuchen didn't mind this, because the opportunity for a major shareholder to be willing to sell so many shares at once is really rare. When encountering such an opportunity, one must grasp it. He didn't mind waiting a few more years.

Actually, Wu Yuchen had worried before whether this transaction of his would be blocked by some special department in the US, but it wasn't at all. Later, thinking about it, it made sense. The current Apple is not the behemoth it would become later; it's just a small company that makes its own computers, and its market share is only in the single digits.

The current representative of US high-tech is Microsoft. If he really bought more than 5% of Microsoft's shares now, that would be specially concerned. But he couldn't afford it at all. The 5% of Microsoft now is already over 10 billion US dollars.

By the time they had lunch, Wu Yuchen and Jobs had already become quite familiar. At this time, Jobs asked: "Wu, why do you want to invest in Apple?"

Wu Yuchen smiled, thinking of the trillion-dollar empire of Apple in his past life: "It will become the greatest technology company in the world!"

Jobs smiled upon hearing this: "Oh? Why do you think so? You have to know that the current Microsoft is far beyond Apple~"

The current Microsoft is in its prime, undoubtedly the world's number one technology company, and Bill Gates has also ascended to the position of the world's richest man. And Apple's current market value is only 5 billion US dollars. From this perspective, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the current Microsoft is worth 100 Apples.

Wu Yuchen smiled and said: "Because Apple has you. The set of ecological systems you proposed to create Apple itself, I think, is the only way to become a great technology company."

This made Jobs feel great, and he immediately felt that Wu Yuchen was truly his soulmate. After all, there are quite a few people opposing him now, and Wu Yuchen, this new shareholder, has the same ideas as him, so he is a person on the same front!

Jobs couldn't help but continue to ask: "Then what do you think of the iPod plan I proposed?"

Wu Yuchen said sincerely: "It will become one of the most successful Walkman products in the world."

Jobs just raised the corners of his mouth. This wave is stable. It seems that the young Hollywood director in front of him is his Jobs' fan!

Then the next moment, he heard Wu Yuchen say again: "But I also think it should be compatible with Windows."

Jobs raised his eyebrows and immediately asked: "Why? Don't you support Apple creating its own ecological system? Being compatible with Windows will make it impure!"

Why? Naturally, it's because of the experience from his past life!

The iPod product was an MP3 player that helped Apple take off, creating billions of dollars in profit for Apple, and it was also because of this that it had the capital to continue to develop the iPhone.

But actually, although the first-generation iPod launched next year couldn't be called a failure, it was far from a success, selling only over 100,000 units. The iPod truly took off with the second generation launched the year after next. It made the most important change: Jobs made a compromise, letting it be compatible with the Windows system. Then, as soon as the iPod 2 was launched, it sold millions of units, immediately making a name for itself, and it sold better and better later on.

Wu Yuchen explained:

"Jobs, letting Apple create its own ecological system is a major strategic goal, but to achieve this strategy, it is inevitable to attract enough people to use Apple first. And letting the iPod be compatible with the Windows system is a necessary tactical means. You have to know that more than 90% of people are using Windows system computers. If you don't make it compatible, many people won't consider the iPod at all."

Jobs immediately retorted:

"No no no, Wu, as long as the iPod is good enough, it will attract everyone. If I make it compatible with Windows, this ecosystem will be destroyed, deviating from the purpose of using the iPod to drive traffic to Apple computers."

Wu Yuchen shrugged and shook his head to indicate that he didn't agree. Very few people would specifically buy a computer for a portable player. Everyone can calculate this account. However, Wu Yuchen didn't continue to persuade the other party. If Jobs were so easy to persuade, he wouldn't be the stubborn "Jobs" known for it.

"Jobs, I still think the iPod should be compatible with Windows, but I will support you. Let's see the answer given by the market."

Jobs nodded: "OK, then let's see the market feedback at that time."

However, subsequently, he still smiled at Wu Yuchen: "Wu, thank you very much for your support, this has made my pressure much less~."

Don't look at the Bai Xiong Charity Fund having only 7.23% of the shares, but this power is already not small within Apple. Listed companies in the US are not quite the same as A-shares in China. Many major shareholders in domestic A-shares often have more than 50% of the shares, but the shares of many listed companies in the US are very scattered. For example, Apple, its current largest shareholder holds less than 10% of the shares, so now the Bai Xiong Fund buying 7.23% of the shares is already the third largest.

For Jobs, being able to get Wu Yuchen's support at this time can be said to have let him breathe a huge sigh of relief.

Wu Yuchen smiled: "Steve, actually, if you are willing to sell Pixar, you can completely use this money to become Apple's major shareholder again."

After Jobs sold Apple back then, he bought a computer studio to establish Pixar, and then it grew and developed. Now he owns more than 50% of Pixar Animation's shares. If he is willing to sell now, it can be exchanged for 2 billion US dollars, which can buy half of Apple in its current low period.

Mentioning Pixar, Jobs' heart moved, and he looked at Wu Yuchen: "Wu, are you also interested in Pixar?"

"Of course, who can refuse Pixar now? Pixar is attractive to anyone, it's just a pity I don't have the strength to acquire Pixar."

Wu Yuchen sighed, and then his tone changed, asking: "Jobs, you wouldn't want to sell Pixar to Disney, would you?"

Jobs' expression changed directly, and he immediately said: "Impossible, absolutely impossible! As long as that damn guy Eisner is at Disney for one day, this kind of thing will absolutely not happen! If it weren't for the contract between Pixar and Disney, I would have long taken Pixar and left Disney!"

The things that happened before still left Jobs with his anger not yet dissipated, and he and Eisner had truly become enemies this time. It's just a pity that Pixar and Disney signed a contract for 5 feature-length animated films, which hasn't been completed yet. Otherwise, he would definitely have taken Pixar and switched to another major studio.

Wu Yuchen immediately shared his hatred: "That's right, Jobs, Eisner is arrogant and conceited, and doesn't have respect for anyone at all. He is truly a disgusting guy. I think we should unite to boycott him!"

Jobs looked at Wu Yuchen sideways upon hearing this and asked curiously: "Wu, do you also have a grudge with Eisner?"

"Of course! He stole my Oscar for Best Director!"

Subsequently, Wu Yuchen told Jobs about his being backstabbed by Disney. Anyway, this wasn't any secret; anyone who wanted to inquire could find out.

That's right, Jobs was another anti-Eisner ally Wu Yuchen planned to win over. This time Wu Yuchen invested in Apple, on one hand as a long-term investment, and on the other hand, naturally, to take the opportunity to build a good relationship with Jobs and unify the front against Eisner.

The current Pixar is already very important to Disney. If Disney wants to restart negotiations with Pixar to renew the contract, it has to pass Jobs' hurdle. And as long as Jobs is won over and persuaded not to agree, he can keep blocking the negotiation, and then take the opportunity to aim the spearhead at Eisner for attack.

"Jobs, I heard that Eisner has only visited Pixar once, and has even said some bad things about Pixar. He looks down on Pixar from the bottom of his heart. As long as he is in office for one day, it is impossible for Pixar to get good enough treatment from Disney. I think if this dictator can be driven off the stage, it will be good for all of us, won't it?"

Jobs narrowed his eyes and then smiled:

"Of course, without Disney, Eisner is nothing. I am very much looking forward to seeing what expression this disgusting guy will have when he is driven down. However, he has sat in this position for 16 years, and it is not easy to drive him down."

Hearing Jobs' statement, Wu Yuchen revealed a smile:

"It's not that easy, but it's not necessarily very difficult. Eisner has made enemies everywhere over the years, and there are many people who want him down.

And now Disney's stock price has also entered a downward channel. Currently, he can still stabilize with the accumulated prestige, but when the stock price falls to a certain stage, if he cannot reverse it, even if he has sat for 16 years, Disney's shareholders will be very dissatisfied with him.

In fact, Disney's operating situation in recent years is not good. We just need to wait for the opportunity to appear, and then everyone pushes..."

Wu Yuchen said, making a downward motion with his hand.

Jobs naturally understood and smiled, indicating: "I am very willing to contribute when the time comes to send Eisner into the abyss~" ===== CHAPTER 221 =====