"Then what percentage of equity are you willing to provide?" Xu Zhi asked with a smile.

"We can agree to buy your company's products by share, and Mr. Xu should understand that as long as we get an order from IBM, this will be a long-term stable income. Paul Allen said in a deep voice.

Xu Zhi shook his head and said, "I don't care if this income is high." ”

"Then does Mr. Xu care so much about Microsoft's equity?" Paul Allen frowned and said, although the current Midea company is not as strong as IBM, it is much stronger than Microsoft, and it is indeed difficult to buy the other party's products with money.

"I'm more optimistic about Microsoft's development than this kind of collaboration. Xu Zhi said with a smile that although Midea has also developed simple system software, everything needs to prepare a back road, and the most fundamental reason is the existence of the US government.

The personal computer era has only just begun, and the size of the entire market is only a billion dollars, which is only an inconspicuous amount in the United States.

But as long as a few years later, the computer market will bloom, some large companies will also enter this market, the scale will grow at an annual rate of 60% to 100%, and after the 90s, the Internet began to connect the world, the information age is coming, system software will become the core products that affect national security.

Not to mention a Hong Kong company, even if it is an ally of Japan and European countries, the US government will not allow it to control the operating system, the lifeblood of the Internet.

There have been such cases in later history.

In 1982, a professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Tokyo, Japan, felt that the use of the dos system was extremely complicated, so he spent two years writing a PC system specification called tron for more than 300 pages.

In 1984, the TRON system was first learned about at an international conference on microcomputer applications in Tokyo, when 150 experts from around the world were optimistic about the future of TRON.

At that time, the concept of the TRON system was: "The basic software, that is, the platform of the software, should be as free as air and water." ”

This concept was more recognized by international technical organizations than the window system launched by Microsoft in the United States at that time. Because Microsoft's Intel business alliance charges extremely high, while TRON is completely free.

This was actually a battle over the standards of the system, and many large computer companies at the time intended to jointly develop the TRON system, and even IBM joined the alliance because the TRON system was free.

However, in 1989, the U.S. government passed the Super 301 Act, which set trade barriers for TRON products.

In fact, if the US market is only closed, the TRON system may not be in a slump, but the US government has put pressure on large companies such as IBM and HP internally, and announced externally that any computer companies involved in the research and development of the TRON system will not be allowed to enter the US market again, and even some European countries have joined in because of some interests.

Under the blow of dimensionality reduction, the free TRON system completely collapsed and withdrew from the stage of history.

In the area of the operating system, technology is not the problem, but the structure of the ecological chain, without a strong government background, it is impossible to be able to confront American companies, rather than this, it is better to take a stake in Microsoft now, and at the same time ensure that Microsoft develops as it has historically, so that it can also obtain sufficient economic returns.

What he really plans to do well is a few office software, which are just as profitable but not political.

Xu Zhi continued: "This is a win-win cooperation, and I will not treat Microsoft badly, and the purchase price of the stock is absolutely satisfactory to the two of them." ”

"Then Gates and I have to discuss it again. Paul Allen nodded in agreement, but the 30% equity transfer was really difficult for them to choose.

Paul Allen is a person who is good at discovering and seizing opportunities, in fact, Microsoft's early development, his credit is far greater than Bill Gates, after using a glory computer, he knows that the superiority of this system is very strong, but the other party's value is too high, and Microsoft's traditional method of smashing money has become invalid.

"Yes. Xu Zhi said with a smile. In fact, he also hopes to be able to cooperate with Microsoft, so that he can obtain the highest benefits in the future, otherwise, if the opportunity for Microsoft's rise is handed over to other companies, the development of the entire personal computer industry will be unpredictable.

Both sides are sticking to their own reserve price, Xu Zhi of course will not care about the amount of cooperation, even if it is big, it is just a cooperation, you must know that once Microsoft wins IBM's order, the company will develop rapidly, and then Microsoft only needs to spend time and money, completely bypassing some of its own patents, it is really not good, in a rogue country like the United States, Microsoft can also ask for help from the government in the name of "national security".

Against the world's largest rogue government, Xu Zhi is unwilling to toss, and he has no strong support behind him.

As for Microsoft, Bill and Paul are more afraid that if other companies or even IBM itself get such a technology license, then the entire development plan of Microsoft will collapse.

Then, Bill Gates and Paul Allen left the reception area, and after waiting for about 20 minutes, the two hurried back.

Paul Allen sat down again and said, "Mr. Xu, I discussed with Bill, we can sell another 10% of the company's shares to you, plus the shares you held before, you will own 20% of the shares of Microsoft, but you have to promise not to interfere in the management of the company." ”

"I don't have to be involved in the administration, but I want to be regulatory, and I have priority for every future funding from Microsoft. Xu Zhi said strongly, if there is no such priority, then Microsoft can introduce unlimited investment and dilute its shares, you must know that Microsoft's market value at its peak in the future is as high as 600 billion US dollars, exceeding the GDP of most countries in the world, once it is diluted in the early stage, it is a huge loss.

"Yes. Bill Gates and Paul Allen hesitated, but nodded and agreed, after all, they didn't know the future situation of Microsoft, and Xu Zhi represented a huge company, which could also help Microsoft's development in terms of funds and resources.

Xu Zhi nodded and said, "Okay, in that case, I will arrange for the company's lawyer to prepare a patent licensing contract." ”

"Yes, our lawyer will also prepare an equity transfer contract, 10% of the stock, with a price of $2.5 million, what does Mr. Xu think?" said Paul Allen.

"No problem. Xu Zhi smiled and agreed, this little bit of money is just a trivial matter.