Chapter 110 We All Know
San Francisco Bay Area.
Woodside.
This place is about thirty to forty miles from Silicon Valley.
It has always been a favorite among the wealthy people in the Bay Area.
In a few years, when Silicon Valley grows up.
This place has become the famous back garden of Silicon Valley.
At that time, every newly rich person in Silicon Valley was proud to be able to buy property here.
That day, Milo and Wally were auditioning new actors.
Villa 211, Circular Avenue, Woodside.
There is also a secret meeting going on regarding Milo.
noon.
The door of the villa opened.
The two founders of Yahoo, Jerry Young and David Filo, walked out one after another.
"David, I'm always a little uneasy."
Jerry Young caught up with the tall David Ferro in a few steps.
David comes from a typical farmer's family in the south-central United States.
He was tall and had red face. When Jerry Yang talked to him and made eye contact, he had to look up. "If we do this, we'll probably have a lot of trouble later."
"It's already been done."
David Filo disagreed and patted his former boss and partner on the shoulder, "Jerry, the key is who we are with! Now Sequoia is in the same group with us, and the most important thing is..."
David was very proud:
"We have Morgan Stanley's support behind us! Jerry, I think you understand what Morgan Stanley means. Netscape went public with the support of Morgan Stanley. They have rich experience."
"I know this. Of course I know this."
Jerry Young says:
"You know, my concern is Milo Blackburn. We used his ideas, but we didn't follow through on our agreement with him. We didn't give him shares, but we used his stuff."
A few months ago, Milo approached the two of them with a book of ideas.
At that time, both of them were amazed by Milo's creative book.
Under the temptation and pressure of Milo, and the inaction of Sequoia Capital.
In addition, Yahoo's prospects were not as bright as they are now - Morgan Stanley had not yet approached them.
The two then agreed to Milo's request and signed an agreement.
They were willing to exchange shares of the company for Milo's creative book.
Although the binding force of that agreement is not strong, it does exist.
Now they've violated that agreement and they've used the ideas that were in it.
But they did not give Milo the shares he asked for.
This is what Jerry Young is worried about now.
But David Filo disagrees.
David Filo said with childlike pride:
"You know, who are our current partners? It's Sequoia Capital, the most influential venture capital firm in Silicon Valley! It's Morgan Stanley, the uncrowned king of Wall Street!"
"Yes, we used his idea. But the binding force of the agreement is not very strong. If he wants to sue us, we will fight him."
"Besides."
David Ferro turned around and looked at the beautiful and magnificent manor villa behind him, unable to hide the desire in his eyes: "Before the listing, he can at least own about 20% of the shares. At that time, the value of this share will exceed 200 million US dollars. If he sues us, the value of his shares will also drop significantly."
"I think..." David Ferro said affirmatively: "Even if it's for the sake of US dollars, I believe he will be angry, but he will definitely endure it for the time being!"
Looking at the confident David Filo, Jerry Yang also agreed with his point of view.
It's something that is easy to understand.
Yahoo used Milo's ideas and added many new features over the months.
At this time, Parallel Universe's pre-IPO valuation was approximately US$500 million.
But because of the addition of a search function, there are many other functions that are very user-friendly.
As a result, the number of Yahoo users increased by millions compared to the same period in the parallel universe.
Yahoo now has more than five million daily visitors.
The daily click rate exceeds 30 million times, far ahead of similar websites and companies on the Internet.
Yahoo's valuation soared as a result, and its pre-IPO valuation price doubled compared to the parallel universe.
It has now reached as much as one billion US dollars and is very well recognized by the market.
It will definitely be higher after it goes public.
Although Yahoo violated the agreement, Milo himself is also one of Yahoo's major shareholders.
Yahoo's valuation has increased and it will be even more valuable when it goes public.
As a major shareholder, Milo is also one of the biggest beneficiaries.
Whether it is the two co-founders, Sequoia Capital, or Morgan Stanley who joined later.
Everyone thought Milo would not do anything reckless.
At least they won't do anything rash before Yahoo goes public.
Because what if Milo sued Yahoo for breach of agreement before Yahoo went public.
That will definitely lead to a decline in Yahoo's valuation and even affect Yahoo's value after it goes public.
Similarly, it will naturally affect the interests of Milo, the major shareholder.
After listing, the stock could be worth more than $200 million.
As a result, it may be worth only more than 100 million US dollars, or even only tens of millions of dollars.
That's tens of millions and hundreds of millions of dollars, and David Filo and Jerry Young don't believe Milo will give up.
In fact, what Jerry Young was worried about was that Milo would cause trouble for the two of them again after Yahoo went public, not before the listing.
David Filo knew what Jerry Young was worried about.
He patted Jerry Young on the shoulder again and said:
"Don't worry, my dear friend. Don't forget that we signed the agreement in the name of the company."
"Even if a lawsuit is filed, Milo Blackburn will have to face the entire Yahoo."
"After tomorrow, Morgan will become one of Yahoo's backers. At worst, we can let him sue Morgan!"
Jerry Yang nodded, which was exactly what he acquiesced to and even supported David Filo's actions in the past few months.
Contacted Sequoia Capital, colluded with Morgan Stanley, violated the agreement and backstabbed Blackburn.
"Hey, they're coming out," David Filo said suddenly.
Jerry Yang turned around and saw representatives from Sequoia Capital and Mo Asumur, head of Morgan Stanley's San Francisco branch, walking out of the villa.
David Filo and other representatives from Asumur and Sequoia Capital came out.
The two men came forward with smiles on their faces, and David Ferro said, "Hey, Mr. Asumur and Mr. Gorman. It's noon now, how about we go out for a meal together? I know there's a very good steak house in Woodside, and I'm sure you'll like the veal steaks they ship from Italy!"
Asumur walked over with a smile and shook hands with the two founders of Yahoo. "David, Jerry. I really want to have lunch with you, but I don't have time this afternoon. How about tomorrow? Tomorrow night, how about we hold a celebration party inside my party. Gorman, I hope you can come too."
Before Jerry Yang and David Filo could speak, Gorman, the representative of Sequoia Capital, smiled and nodded: "No problem for me."
"That's it!" David Filo laughed happily. "A nice party, I'm very happy with it. Jerry, you too, right?"
"Of course, it will be a very nice party." Jerry Yang smiled restrainedly.
So they parted ways. Jerry Young and David Filo went to the steak house and ate veal cutlets flown in from Italy.
During the meal, the two founders of Yahoo talked a lot.
Including Yahoo's next plans and the bright prospects after its listing.
Of course, they also discussed the troubles Yahoo might face next from Blackburn.
At around 1:00 p.m., the two founders left.
Jerry Young says goodbye to David Filo as he returns home drunk.
He had no plan to go home and was going to visit the company again.
But just as the car was on the road, he received a call from his live-in girlfriend Akiko Yamazaki.
"Jerry, if you can, you'd better go home now."
"Um?"
Jerry Young heard a dog barking on the other end of the line.
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His girlfriend loves dogs, so she keeps five or six dogs at home.
There are lovable companion dogs and fierce but loyal guard dogs.
"Listen to me. Go home." Yamazaki Akiko said in a low voice.
Jerry Young's girlfriend, Akiko Yamazaki, is a Costa Rican woman of Japanese descent.
The two have been in love for many years and have plans to get married.
Jerry Young was no fool, he felt his girlfriend's tone was wrong.
Especially the puppies, their barking sounds are not right.
"Jingzi, is it inconvenient for you now?" After thinking for a while, Jerry Yang asked in a low voice.
"Anyway...just go home first." Yamazaki Akiko said and hung up the phone.
Jerry Young didn't call back.
He was anxious and after some thought, he decided to call the police first and then drive home.
When Jerry Young drove to the vicinity of his home, he did not go home first.
He found a place to park and waited quietly until a police car appeared at his door a while later.
Jerry Young watched quietly as the police knocked on the door.
He saw his girlfriend come out to open the door and let the police in.
After the police went in for a while, no gunshots were heard from inside.
Jerry Yang then breathed a sigh of relief, got out of the car and rushed home.
Unlike David Filo, Jerry Young was actually doing quite well before starting his own business.
Before starting his own business, he was already a professor at Stanford University with generous annual salary and benefits.
So he bought this suburban villa in Saint-Jacques two years ago.
Unlike David Filo, who only managed to come up with the money this year to buy a villa nearby, but he still took out a loan.
As Jerry Yang walked into his villa, he saw his girlfriend Akiko Yamazaki communicating with the police in the courtyard.
There are also dogs locked up in the kennel in the corner.
"Jingzi, what's going on? Why do you want me to come back at this time?"
Jerry Young came over and asked.
When Yamazaki Akiko saw him coming back, she immediately left the policeman and came up to whisper:
"Jerry, someone wants to see you. He's in our living room right now. I didn't want them there, but they forced their way in anyway."
Hearing this, Jerry Yang breathed a sigh of relief again, glad that he had called the police first.
If the other party breaks in by force, it would be a violation of the Castle Law.
It turned out that he was right to call the police first! Jerry Yang couldn't help but look at the policemen who were looking at him.
Without waiting for Yamazaki Akiko who was about to speak, he stepped forward to face the police and said, "Officers, someone broke into our home without our invitation, violating the Castle Law. That's why I called the police. Oh, I called the police just now. I hope you can help me get them out."
After he finished speaking, Jerry Yang saw several policemen looking at each other.
The two leading officers, one fat black and one white, seemed to like eating donuts very much. They even laughed at each other.
The fat white police officer said: "Jerry Yang, right? But your girlfriend just said that she has agreed to let Mr. Aris come in as a guest. So Mr. Aris did not violate the castle law. We can't evict them. Only you, the host, can ask them to leave."
"Yes. I heard it too." The fat black police officer said with a smile, and pointed at several other policemen, "We all heard it."
The policemen all smiled and said yes.
Jerry Yang frowned and looked at his girlfriend. Yamazaki Akiko came up to him and whispered in his ear, "I didn't... I really didn't. I was very happy when the police came just now. But after they came in, they talked to the man's bodyguard for a few words, and then it became like this."
Jerry Yang knew that things might not be resolved simply.
He looked a little grim.
At this time, the fat white police officer suddenly said, "Sir, I think you'd better go in. Mr. Aris said he came to see you, and he said he has no ill intentions. I believe him, really."
Do you think he has no ill intentions? Jerry Yang thought to himself.
But at this time, Jerry Yang knew that he had no choice but to go in.
Just look at the attitude of these police officers.
You know, although the place where he lives is not a top-tier wealthy area, it is also a famous wealthy area nearby.
The police patrolling here are generally very responsible.
The fact that the police were like this meant that the other person was not a simple person.
Besides, the police are here now, so there shouldn't be any problem with your personal safety if you go in.
If the police leave later, it might be even more dangerous.
Thinking of this, Jerry Yang took a deep breath, nodded and said, "Okay, Mr. Aris, right? I'll go in and talk to him."
Jerry Young met Mr. Aris in the air-conditioned glass lobby.
Mr. Aris was dressed casually, in a blue silk shirt with the collar open, mustard-yellow slacks and moccasins.
Against the backdrop of bright and gorgeous clothes is a chubby face and a body like a giant ball.
With just one glance, Jerry Yang recognized the identity of the person in front of him.
"Mr. Aris? It's you! When I heard the last name Mr. Aris, I should have thought it was you..."
Jerry Young came over and shook Wendy's hand.
"Haha~" After shaking hands, Wendy came over and put her arm around Jerry Yang's shoulders, "Long time no see, Mr. Yang. I'll call you Jerry, and you can just call me Wendy."
Jerry Yang nodded awkwardly because he realized that the person in front of him was Milo Blackburn.
And he had just attended a secret meeting against Milo that morning.
An hour ago, I was even discussing with David Ferro how to deal with the trouble coming from Blackburn.
Now that he suddenly saw Wendy, Jerry Yang felt like his conspiracy had been exposed.
Pulled by Wendy, Jerry Yang and the fat man returned to the glass-roofed living room and sat down.
As soon as he sat down, Jerry Young's butt almost bounced up.
Because Wendy said, "I know what you did this morning, Jerry. You and that piece of shit David Filo and some of these investment bankers were trying to play some trick on us, right?"
Jerry Yang felt a chill in his heart and pretended to smile, "Mr. Aris, I don't know what you are talking about. I have been in the company all morning. You know, Yahoo is very busy now and is in a critical period of growth..."
Wendy waved her hands, smiling gently on her chubby face, "Don't pretend. Jerry, you just separated at 211 Circle Avenue. The people from Redwood called me. Although we are not in San Francisco, we know everything."
"We all know what you want to do."
Jerry Yang's heart fell into the abyss this time.
Finally, his face could no longer maintain its original calmness, and he showed a somewhat panicked expression.
(End of this chapter)