Chapter 39: Swing the hoe

……

"Knock...!"

"Come in!"

With a slight friction sound, Wendy Solo, who was tall and plump in a lilac OL dress, pushed the door and walked in.

"Boss, the negotiation with Kleiner Perkins has come to an end!"

"Sit down!"

Guo Shouyun pointed to the chair opposite with a calm expression.

Wendy Solo nodded, and after sitting down, her expression was full of excitement: "$15 million in cash, paid off at once! We can get 6.5% of Google's equity in Kleiner Perkins!"

"It seems that in the face of the worsening NASDAQ crisis, Kleiner Perkins Huaying finally can't stand it!" Guo Shouyun touched his chin and bowed slightly.

"According to the information we have received, the No. 3 fund in charge of the Internet sector under Kleiner Perkins has withdrawn three times this month. Even the technology sector has also been affected, and they can't stand it anymore!" After a pause, Wendy Solo looked at Guo Shouyun expectantly, "Boss, do you want us to delay it a little longer, due to the double pressure of the continuous decline of the NASDAQ stock market and the withdrawal of investors, there is still room for the price of Google's equity held by Kleiner Perkins!"

"No need, 15 million is 15 million!"

After thinking for a while, Guo Shouyun quickly shook his head and said.

It's now June 10, and there are only 19 days left before the two-month deadline he agreed upon when he signed the contract with Google! Guo Shouyun has no intention of taking any more risks and waiting. Moreover, if Kleiner Perkins Huaying temporarily changed his hexagram, then all his plans would be in vain.

"Understood!"

Now that Guo Shouyun has made a decision, Wendy won't say anything more.

"Is there a reply from Michael Moretz?"

"I was about to tell you about it. At three o'clock this afternoon, Michael Moretz will meet you at the Half Moon Bay Ocean Stadium!"

……

Half Moon Bay Ocean Course is one of the hundreds of golf courses in California, along with Pebble Beach, Torrey Pines, PGA West TPC Arena, Pacific Grove Municipal, and Weidi Wine Garden.

"Bang...!"

As the club was slammed with a strong blow, the battered white golf ball flew off into the distance in a graceful arc before coming to a halt about three metres from the hole.

"Good ball!" Guo Shouyun applauded and laughed.

"Mr. Guo, it's your turn!"

A tall, lanky middle-aged white man in a dark gray T-shirt smiled.

"I'm not very good at my game, and if I make a fool of myself, Mr. Moritz won't laugh!"

"For us, it's not the skill itself, it's the fun of playing that counts!"

Guo Shouyun smiled, walked to his golf ball, held the club with both hands, and after a little preparation, hit a shot. He rarely plays golf, so his level is naturally not very good. Compared to Michael Moretz's excellent score of three meters from the second hole, his golf flew straight over the second hole and towards the third.

"It's good to be young!"

Michael Moretz smiled.

"When I was in college, I was the main guard of the school basketball team, so this strength is inevitably greater!" Guo Shouyun said slightly embarrassed.

"When I was younger, I also liked basketball, but unfortunately I didn't have the same skills as Mr. Guo. When I participated in the basketball audition at Columbia University, I was brushed off in the first round!"

After saying this, Guo Shouyun felt a lot more comfortable. At the same time, it also made him understand one thing, the middle-aged man next to him, who was just forty years old, had superb emotional intelligence beyond the reach of ordinary people.

"Mr. Moritz likes to come here to play golf?"

As the two of them walked towards the second hole together, Guo Shouyun asked with a smile.

"Yes, the Ocean Course is bigger than Pebble Beach. Here you can swing with your maximum strength, and you can enjoy the fun of hitting the ball farther!" After a pause, Michael Moretz quickly swept Guo Shouyun beside him and looked further away and continued, "Moreover, it is easier for me to feel relaxed here, and it also makes me think more about the long term." ”

"Long-term?"

After keenly noticing the change in Michael Moretz's tone, Guo Shouyun squinted slightly.

"If you don't see the future of Google, why would Mr. Guo keep chasing its shares? As far as I know, 6.5% of the shares in the hands of Kleiner Perkins have been acquired by Mr. Guo, right? Oh, I almost forgot, and Andy Bertolheim's 3.25%!"

"I didn't expect Mr. Moretz to know me so well!" Guo Shouyun smiled and did not deny it.

"In the same way, I believe that Mr. Guo also knows me well!"

"In that case, let's get straight to the point. $25 million, Phoenix Capital's acquisition of Sequoia Capital's 10% stake in Google! 25% compound growth rate in less than a year, I think this condition is good enough for both Mr. Moretz and Sequoia Capital... ”

"Bang...!"

As soon as Guo Shouyun finished speaking, Michael Moritz swung his golf ball. There was some deliberate neglect, which made Guo Shouyun frown. However, he has been a human being for two lifetimes, and he has been in society for half his life, and the city government still has it. Therefore, the face is still as usual, giving people a sense of calm and maturity.

"Mr. Guo, can you answer me a question?"

After looking at the young people around him, a flash of surprise flashed in his eyes, and Michael Moritz said quickly.

"Of course!"

Guo Shouyun nodded.

"Why are you so bullish on Google?"

Michael Moretz's eyes lit up.

Guo Shouyun smiled faintly, "I am optimistic about Google for the same reasons as Mr. Moretz! However, the difference between me and Mr. Moretz is that I can make my own decisions." And at Sequoia Capital, the real one is Don Valentine!"

Moritz frowned, his face slightly gloomy.

"Mr. Guo, what do you mean by that?"

Guo Shouyun smiled slightly and did not rush to answer, walked slowly to his golf, clenched the club and prepared for a while, and hit it hard.

A hint of gloom flashed in Moretz's eyes, but he didn't expect that he had just given Guo Shouyun a dismount, and then he was counterattacked by the other party.

"This is really a guy who refuses to suffer!"

"That's a good shot!"

Guo Shouyun looked at the golf balls that flew out and smiled.

"Mr. Guo's playing level has improved very quickly!"

"Really!" After a pause, "Mr. Moretz, I heard that the board of directors of Sequoia Capital has always been very opposed to your over-investment in the Internet?"

Michael Moretz raised an eyebrow, "I don't know where Mr. Guo got the news from. In fact, the board has been very supportive of Fund 3's investment in the internet sector. Especially in Yahoo's investment, we have brought nearly 2 times the return to the clients of Sequoia Capital Fund 3!"

Guo Shouyun nodded: "Sequoia Capital's investment in Yahoo is indeed a classic, and Mr. Moretz's sense of smell for Internet companies is indeed amazing. However, compared to the peak of Yahoo's market capitalization of more than $100 billion in '99, its stock price has now fallen by nearly a third on the Nasdaq market. ”

"Even so, Yahoo's market capitalization is much larger than the money we put in!" said Michael Moretz.

That's why I say it's wise to invest in Yahoo. It's just a pity that 'ingratitude' is the root of human inferiority. When the NASDAQ crisis came, Mr. Moretz did not sell Sequoia Capital, or Yahoo, which you controlled Fund 3, so as to avoid the risk of a downward trend in the stock market, and let investors' assets shrink, which became your biggest original sin! It is enough to make people forget all the efforts of Mr. Moretz before!"

Michael Moretz is silent.

He can't refute it, because the disputes within Sequoia Capital can't completely hide from those companies that are pervasive in consulting, information, and headhunting.

"Mr. Moretz, Mr. Don Valentine is a good investor. But it doesn't have to be a good partner. You must be more aware of the difference between yourself and Mr. Valentine's investment philosophy than I am as an outsider! In normal times, this difference may not be much, but after the outbreak of the NASDAQ crisis, it has become a trigger point for conflicts between you. As the founder of the company, he certainly doesn't want to see the company's performance and revenue dragged down by Internet investment, even if it's just possible!"

Looking at Michael Moretz, who was becoming more and more silent, a satisfied smile flashed in Guo Shouyun's eyes.

"Come to me?"

Seeing that the heat was almost over, Guo Shouyun threw out another goal of his trip: poaching!

"What do you mean?"

Moretz's body trembled, and his eyes widened as he raised his head suddenly, staring at the young man in front of him who seemed to be extremely confident.

"I have a newly formed VC here, and I have $30 million in it that I personally invested. I can give you 5% of the shares. And the operation of this VC is also completely under your sole responsibility. Unless the loss of the company's assets exceeds 20%, I will not intervene in the normal management of the company. Plus, you get 10% of the company's total revenue!"

Moretz's face changed greatly after Guo Shouyun finished speaking. Guo Shouyun's sincerity in directly offering $1.5 million, as well as the company's 10% revenue share in the future, is not insignificant, and the struggle and hesitation in Michael Moretz's eyes can hardly be concealed. It can also be seen from this that he did not have a good time in Sequoia Capital during this time.

"Mr. Moretz, the opportunity to take control of a venture capital firm on your own is now in front of you. You can seriously consider whether it is better to be a platform to display your talents freely, or is it better to continue to be a deputy under Don Valentine?" Guo Shouyun smiled.

"I need time to think about it!"

After a long time, Michael Moretz, who took a deep breath, said with a solemn expression.

"OK, no problem. But I hope Mr. Moretz will give me an answer soon!"

"Good!"