Chapter 48: No One Is a Saint
Yahoo's board of directors, this time is more dignified.
However, $6 billion is right, that's not a thing, it's still a good deal, and it didn't take long to discuss it, and it was unanimously voted to pass guò, so!
However, for negotiation purposes, Terry Semel came to Google again, three days later.
When he saw that it was Brin who came forward to receive them this time, he had mixed joys and sorrows.
Happily, the co-founder appeared, will this time be smooth lì tong guò?
The worry is that if there is another person, the offer will not be raised again!
Seeing Yahoo's group, Brin looked very happy and hugged Terry very warmly, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Terry, it's really a pleasure, you know, since we started our business, we've been looking forward to working with Yahoo,"
Maybe it's because I'm too worried, and I should be more comfortable? Looking at Brin's enthusiasm, which really doesn't look like a fake, Trisemel thought.
However, without saying a few words, Yahoo unfortunately proved Murphy's Law again, "I'm sorry Mr. Terry," Brin said with a very apologetic, rather sad expression, "After several more urgent consultations and repeated discussions, our board of directors feels that $10 billion is the most appropriate price,"
Looking at the frowning Trisemel and the stunned Yahoo group, Brin was so happy that he was shouting with joy, feeling that the whole person was much lighter from the inside out.
Trisemel stood up angrily, "I don't feel Google's sincerity at all,"
"We're really sincere, you know that," Brin said again with sincerity.
The extremes of things must be reversed, pretending to the extreme, then it is really the same as the real thing.
…………
This time, Yahoo's board of directors really met for several days, and there were two main points of contention: first, is Google really sincere?
As the initiator, Trisemel firmly believes that he should continue to talk to Google.
"It shouldn't be a question of whether Google is worth the price or not, and when we decided to launch this program, we determined the psychological price point of $10 billion,"
∑dǐng∑diǎn∑小∑ said,.≌.o≤s_();" As for whether he is really sincere, I think that as long as there is one percent of hope, we should give 100 percent of our efforts, and it turns out that our prediction of the future trend is completely correct,"
"Our mission at Yahoo is to always help people get the most information they want in the most convenient way, and to achieve this goal, there are three conditions: first, comprehensive: the information is very abundant, second, worldly: you can find useful information from all over the world, and third, the brand: let the world's netizens know about AOO!"
"These are all very correct predictions, but in the choice of path, we are biased, focusing too much on manual content and ignoring technology-driven content."
"The result now is that we have more and more content, but we can't match the technology-driven content,"
In the beginning, Yahoo wasn't really a portal, but essentially a content search site, and the pages were more similar to the professional search sites that followed.
But as it walked, Yahoo felt that relying on search meant that "the content was someone else's" and that it had to master the content itself if it wanted to stay on top, so it turned to portals and media companies.
Originally, this was not a problem, but if both content and search were grasped, Yahoo should always maintain its position as the hegemon of the Internet company.
The problem is that when Yahoo decided to move to content, they basically gave up on further development of search technology, and then gave up on it altogether.
At the very least, there are only 6 Yahoo employees in charge of searching!
Now that they have finally realized this problem, the best way is to acquire existing search companies, and among the current search companies, Google is the best acquisition target for Yahoo.
The boss of the company in the Internet field is so atmospheric, and if he wants to acquire, he is also the strongest to acquire.
"After so many years of hard work, in terms of content, we have been ahead of all Internet companies, and now what we lack is how to let users quickly find what they need from our content, that is, search technology, I have to admit that Google is now the most successful company in this field,"
"From the perspective of the company's strategic development, I hope that our most content can be matched with the best search companies, so that we can better play our strengths,"
"Of course, we don't have other alternatives, it's just that if we want other companies to be as helpful as Google, we have to acquire at least two or more companies, and maybe we will spend less money on acquisitions, but integration is a big problem,"
"We have also worked with Google for a long time, we know the company very well, to be fair, this is a very promising company, their team, is also a very excellent team, even from an investment point of view, I also think that if you can invest in Google, it is also a very good choice,"
"All that said, shareholders, I'm still sticking with the acquisition of Google," Terry Semel concluded his arguments.
Looking at the shareholders who were talking about it, he insisted that his decision must be very correct, and it was a decision that was very beneficial to Yahoo.
What he is worried about now is whether Google has any sincerity in being acquired.
In fact, he probably has a judgment in his heart, and it can be seen from the quotation that the first time is 3 billion, the second time is 6 billion, and this time it is 10 billion.
The next time they go, will they raise the offer significantly again?
But, as he just said, as long as there is a 1 percent chance, it is worth 100 percent effort, and what if an agreement is reached?
…………
Although Terry Semel makes a lot of sense, it is not a trivial matter to buy a company at a cost close to one-third of Yahoo's current market capitalization, and it is really necessary to make such a decision, shareholder consent is only the first step, and there is too much work to be done in the future, such as, how to pay?
Today's Yahoo, naturally, does not have so much cash, and it must be a cash plus equity method, so the design of the payment plan is a very laborious thing.
So, Yahoo didn't reply to Google for a long time this time.
It didn't matter if Yahoo was busy, and Paige, who hadn't played yet, became nervous, "Is our last offer too high?"
This is the third time he has asked Feng Yiping this question, it turns out that a determined guy like him also has such times when he is not calm.
"Don't worry, it definitely won't," Feng Yiping comforted him, "We are definitely worth this price now, what they are anxious about should be this 10 billion, is it our final offer?"
But Paige listened, still not sure.
So, when Terry Semel came to Google for the fourth time, he immediately felt a very sincere enthusiasm, and when he saw them finally appeared, it was really like seeing a loved one.
Could it be that this time it is really okay?
"Page, this is the payment plan we have developed based on your company's final offer, for this acquisition, we have decided to pay part of the cash, and the other part, with Yahoo shares, we hope to get as much feedback as possible,"
Terry Semel hopefully handed over the proposed payment plan to Page, for which the company's relevant departments have been working overtime lately.
However, Page's actions made his heart sink, and the plan that condensed a lot of his efforts, after Paige took it, he put it on the conference table at random, and he didn't even have the intention to open it and take a look.
Looking at Paige's face, the smile that definitely came from the heart, and he was still talking, Terry Semele's heart sank step by step, such an expression, such a routine, it was not the first time he had seen it.
The depressed breath that had been pressed in his heart for many years finally had a chance to express it, and Paige's heart was singing with joy, and he was so excited that he stammered a little, "I'm very sorry...... ,”
Terry Semel watched Page's mouth open and close, his head buzzing, and he only faintly heard the last number, "130,"
At this time, how could he not understand the situation?
He stood up with a pale face, "Let's go!"
Looking at the Yahoo executives, who had pleaded and even prayed many times, walked out of the conference room in a gloomy manner, sat lightly on the chair and turned around, looking up at the room Dǐng Page smiled at first, and then looked very lonely.
Brin walked in and patted him on the shoulder, "It's all over man,"
"Yes, it's all gone," he wiped the corners of his eyes, "but why do I feel a little empty?"
Yahoo, who had been disdainful of them many times, made several door-to-door offers for acquisitions, which was a greater affirmation for both of them than a successful listing.
After finally removing the shadow that had been lying in his heart for many years, after finally completely washing away the humiliations of the past, it was like finally unloading the burden, so relaxed that he felt a little empty.
"Why? Think about how much work we have to do, think about how we can create a bright future for Zào," Brin said.
"Yes," Page stood up, regaining his usual appearance, a rare little embarrassed, "I'm sorry,"
"Thank you Schmidt, thank you Feng, thank you for your cooperation,"
Feng Yiping can fully understand their feelings, this is not just the joy and pride of a simple weak person after finally succeeding in counterattacking, there are many complex emotions mixed in it.
"Okay buddy," Feng Yiping patted him on the shoulder, "In the future, no one will be able to stop the pace of our development and rise,"
Regarding Page and Brin's plan this time, although he is in his 30s, he does not advocate it, but he can understand it.
From the perspective of people, no one is a saint, and everyone has their own joys, sorrows, loves and hatreds.
This is especially true for a company that is a carrier of interests, and that one of the great or outstanding companies that has been praised on the altar, whether it is Microsoft, Cisco, Yahoo...... , or later Google, it is even less likely to be a saint.
In the process of their rapid development, there are a lot of black histories, which must have been directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, to many individuals and companies, bringing harm of more than 10,000 diǎn many times, but they turn a blind eye to it.
Moreover, it is equally difficult for the public to pay attention to this, and they will only greet these successful individuals and companies with cheers and applause.
To be fair, these recent wayward actions by Page and Brin will not actually cause substantial harm to Yahoo. (To be continued.) )