Bill Campbell's heart was tight, did Zhang Chen want to buy Apple?

In the business world, being acquired is not necessarily a bad thing. In addition to companies that are in decline or in a desperate situation, it is very common for many companies that are still doing reasonably well to find suitable acquirers in order to seek greater growth or shareholders who want to cash out at a high point.

What's more, Apple is not in a good place right now. No, it should be said that it is bad, if Apple was only one breath away from bankruptcy at the end of Amelio's rule, it is now only two breaths away at most.

Although Apple made more than $200 million by selling the OS8 system, it solved the urgent need. But there are very few people who really believe that Apple can get out of the crisis, and even Jobs himself is only taking one step at a time.

There are so many problems that Jobs needs to solve, organizational structure problems, personnel problems, product line problems, supply chain problems, each of which can be written in a monograph of basically a million words.

If Apple is a small young company, it would not be difficult to solve even if there are so many problems. But with more than 4,000 employees worldwide, Apple is truly a multinational company. Just five years ago, Apple was a giant within 300 of the world's top 500.

The corporate diseases that large companies should have, Apple is not bad, and there are many of them.

In this case, if he wants to save the dying Apple, Jobs is in a difficult environment and how complex the problems he faces, you can imagine.

Compared to Steve Jobs's efforts to bring Apple to the world's largest market capitalization, his rescue of Apple from near-bankruptcy is even more miraculous.

What is a miracle? Once a good fortune is a coincidence, twice it is an accident, and the third time it becomes a miracle.

Although Jobs's success in Apple is due to his ability and personality charm, no one can deny that if it weren't for the patronage of Lady Luck, Jobs would not have pulled Apple back from the edge of the cliff so smoothly.

Therefore, finding the right buyer is the rational choice that every qualified businessman can make.

The problem is that no one buys it.

Apple's current situation is very interesting, the outside world has very little confidence in Apple, until now, Apple's stock price is falling every day, some of them have been hedging in Apple stock for two years, and in the investment market, almost no one touches Apple's stock.

But on the other hand, Apple has a large number of loyal fans who are very loyal to Apple. Online, there have even been a lot of Apple enthusiasts in the past few months who have raised money to donate money to save Apple.

It is precisely with these loyal fans that Jobs has the confidence and efforts to save Apple.

But Apple can't avoid its demise just by relying on these die-hard fans, and successfully opening up a larger market is a necessary condition for survival.

Well, I remember that he also said that he wanted to buy Apple, but how did he listen to it at the time, but now that I think about it, maybe this idea has been formed in Zhang Chen's mind a few months ago. Bill Campbell silently recalled in his heart the situation when he met Zhang Chen in the first half of the year.

The more Bill Campbell thought about it, the more he felt that it was possible, on the one hand, Apple had a large reserve of technology and patents. It's impossible for any company that produces personal computers without touching the boundaries of Apple's patents. In a sense, until now, Apple has relatively well-established patent barriers in the field of personal computers.

The acquisition of such a company with strong technical reserves will play a crucial role in the future development of Matrix.

Moreover, Apple's price is now low enough, with a market capitalization of less than $3 billion. Whether it's cash or a share swap, Matrix has enough strength to hold a controlling stake in Apple.

It's not that Apple isn't worth $3 billion, it's that no one can believe that Apple's revenue can afford its huge liabilities and the fixed costs and expenses it incurs every month, and it's even more burdensome to buy.

But this is not a problem for Matrix.

First, Matrix's cash flow is very healthy, with positive monthly cash flow gains more than offset the negative losses from Apple's operations. At the same time, the post-acquisition restructuring and human resource integration can make up for the current human resources gap and the depth of the technology patent reserve of Matrix.

Perhaps, the only problem is Steve.

The relationship between Zhang Chen and Jobs is very bad, and in terms of Jobs's character, if he knew that Zhang Chen wanted to buy the company that he had devoted half of his life, he would definitely oppose it. While he couldn't stop it completely, it would still cause Matrix a lot of trouble.

"Are you really going to buy Apple?" Bill Campbell thought about it for a moment and decided to ask Zhang Chen directly, no longer guessing.

Zhang Chen smiled slightly, neither admitting nor denying it, "Bill, you can rest assured, whether I want to buy Apple or not has nothing to do with inviting you to join Tindersource." I can promise that I won't embarrass you to do anything you don't want to do. Although I don't have a good relationship with Steve Jobs, I will not object to your personal relationship. ”

Bill Campbell's pupils shrank, and Zhang Chen's attitude showed that his guess was quite probable, and if so, this should be the biggest bombshell in Silicon Valley in recent times.

Bill Campbell pondered: "Zack, buying Apple is really a win-win for both companies. But if Steve doesn't agree, you're facing far more difficulties than you think. Steve's influence at Apple is growing day by day, and he already has a considerable loyal following. A forcible takeover, which may end up being just an empty shell, has no meaning. ”

Zhang Chen smiled: "Bill, I think you misunderstood." The most important thing at the moment is next week's iBook launch. This is Matrix's second product to the market, and its importance cannot be overstated. And...... ”

Zhang Chen paused and looked at Bill Campbell with deep meaning: "What I really want is not apples. ”

Isn't it an apple? What do you mean? Bill Campbell suddenly found himself a little incomprehensible to Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen smiled lightly: "In short, I really have no plans to acquire Apple in the near future." Even if you want to buy it later, it won't make you embarrassed. If you are not satisfied with the conditions I gave before, we can talk again. ”

Bill Campbell laughed: "Zack, Jack Welch and George David are only $2.8 million a year. With an annual salary of $2.5 million, a capped 36-month year-end bonus and stock options, you can already hire the best CEO on the planet. Frankly, it's tempting, more than three times more than what I earned in Caijie. ”

Zhang Chen smiled: "Because you're worth the price." ”

Bill Campbell shook his head and said, "Zack, you know, I've been a coach for so many years, and there are a lot of CEOs and CEOs I know who want to poach me, and it's not the first time, but I've only accepted the position offered by Caijie, do you know why?"

"Because it's an illusion. Bill Campbell said in an emphatic tone, "In our mentoring relationship, it's easy for you to believe that I'm an all-powerful manager. But in reality, I was just a rugby coach-turned-salesperson. Caijie is a small company with just over 100 employees, and they only target the individual users and small business market, and they need someone to help them boost their morale, which is what I'm good at. As a coach, the most important thing is to understand yourself, understand your strengths and weaknesses, I don't understand technology, I am not proficient in complex financial knowledge and capital operation, and I have no vision to judge the future development potential of the industry and enterprises. ”

"And for venture capital companies like Tinder, these are necessary conditions, especially the latter. Bill Campbell said very calmly, "It's not a good choice for you to ask me to be the president of Tinder." ”

Zhang Chen showed a smile on his face, Bill Campbell can become the most well-known president coach in the entire Silicon Valley, not for nothing, just this honesty and determination in the face of temptation, not everyone can do it.

"Just like a ball game, the coach can improve the ability of the players through daily training, can also help the players sort out the situation on the field from the sidelines, and can also improve the morale of the players in times of adversity. But if the coach is allowed to play on his own, he will not be able to play the weakest substitute in the team. Bill Campbell shook his head slightly, "You're overestimating me." ”

Zhang Chen laughed: "Bill, your description is great." But what if I tell you that's what we need for you?"

Bill Campbell was stunned, he didn't expect that he had said it so clearly, and he hadn't dispelled Zhang Chen's wishes.

Zhang Chen said with a smile, "Bill, it has been less than two years since the establishment of Tinder, what do you think is the prospect of the company we have invested in?"

Bill Campbell did not hesitate to say: "Of course, the prospects are very good, no matter which company they are, they have great potential, and the pursuit of them by the capital market speaks for itself." ”

Zhang Chenchengzhu put down the glass in his hand on his chest, "So, what are you worried about? You don't have the vision to find a good project, but I do." The ability to help the companies that have invested in them improve leadership and cohesion, to help them develop their organizational structures, I don't have it, but you do. ”

"The most important thing in the venture capital industry is not to find good projects, but to effectively help each of the companies we invest in to grow into leaders in their industry. ”

Zhang Chen looked at Bill Campbell and said sincerely: "Bill, Tinder Source is also a company that has not been established for a long time. While we relied on some vision and luck to secure a lot of investment opportunities, the shortcomings of Tinder Source were just as obvious. The companies we invest in are also start-ups, and weaknesses in leadership and organizational management are common weaknesses for the founders of these startups. Therefore, your joining can help the founders of these startups quickly improve their leadership and management skills, and help them grow faster. Only in this way can the benefits of the spark source be maximized. And you are an expert in this area, and I believe that with your help, Tinder can become the best venture capital company in the world. ”

Bill Campbell fell into deep thought, and Zhang Chen's words really moved him. He is also human and likewise likes a higher salary and social status. The reason why he hesitated in front was because he was worried that this position was not suitable for him, and if he didn't do well at that time, his reputation would be completely ruined.

Bill Campbell smiled, "Okay, you convinced me, but I still need to talk to Scott." I've been in Caijie for three years and I've worked very well with Scott and I have to get his understanding. ”

Zhang Chen smiled: "Of course, this is how it should be." Bill, Scott only needs to think about it a little to understand that your joining will not affect Caijie's interests, and even because of the change in your position, it may be able to play a greater role in Caijie. Also, you can still keep your seats on the boards of Caijie and Apple, and I don't have any problem with that. ”

Bill Campbell shook his head and said, "Due to the competitive relationship between Matrix and Apple, if I officially join Tinder, I will voluntarily resign from Apple's board of directors." ”

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"Zack, when you first said the phrase 'industrial design is closest to a work of art,' you took an extra step, the rhythm seemed a little messy, and the tone had to be a little bit heavier, especially the word art, got it? OK, do it again. De Quincey Rodney was originally a stage director, and then by chance, he became a speech coach, but he didn't expect to become an instant hit, and X also became his client, and he was mainly responsible for instructing Zhang Chen how to control the on-site rhythm of the press conference.

"OK, no problem. "Zhang Chen is as good as a stream, and he hands over professional things to professional people, which is one of Zhang Chen's concepts. Rodney is indeed worthy of his reputation, picking out all the details very carefully, even how to break a sentence when he says it, which direction he needs to face, how to take care of the audience in his speech without appearing to jump out, these are the scope of Rodney's research.

For this new product launch, Matrix has the experience of the previous time and is more meticulously prepared. George Ivey personally designed the entire stage, which is in line with the iBook's clean design style and better matches the Matrix's product features.

Matrix chartered Parkview Green Arts Center a week in advance, but the release hall was also changed to a 3,000-seat theater in Parkview Green. This time, 1,000 more invitations were produced than last time, but they were still hard to come by, and in addition to the media and professionals, there were also a large number of tech enthusiasts who were already fans of iCom, who wanted to see for themselves what the new products released by Matrix could bring to everyone.

"One more thing? What the hell?" Jobs looked at the invitation in his hand, in addition to a pure black card with white lettering, there was also a card handwritten by Zhang Chen.

"I'll be waiting for you in the center of the stage. ”

Jobs clenched his fists and his eyes bulged: "What does this mean? Are you demonstrating to me?"

There is one more chapter today

(End of chapter)