AOL is a company founded by Steve Case and several partners, and Steve Case does not have an absolute controlling stake in AOL. After Firefly invested in AOL two years ago, it became the largest shareholder of AOL with a 30% stake, which is why Steve Case insisted that Eric not participate in AOL's management for a period of time.

At this time, it was less than a year before Firefly agreed not to participate in AOL for three years, but Steve Case felt that Eric didn't care much about AOL's management rights, and this young man's vision has always been on a broader industrial chain layout.

After weighing it for a moment, Steve Keys tentatively said, "Eric, I personally really want to be able to join this affiliate program, but I don't think AOL needs to divest all of its online business, do I?"

In the original time and space, AOL was stimulated by the highly bubble online business in the later stage of the Internet wave, completely deviated from its own development foundation, and focused more on network services such as web portals, so that after the bursting of the Internet bubble, it suddenly found that its own technology expansion in the field of broadband was not even as good as the traditional network service providers, which also led to the rapid loss of online network users in the United States。

When he first chose to take a stake in AOL, Eric originally had the idea of letting AOL continue to harm Time Warner.

However, as he thought more about some things, Eric gradually dispelled this slightly evil thought. Instead of watching an expensive 'fireworks feast' worth hundreds of billions of dollars as the dot-com bubble bursts. Before that, we will take action to adjust the trajectory of AOL. Make this company part of your own empire of wealth.

"Steve, although it is a few years later than AOL, with Yahoo's current huge user advantage, it is not difficult for Yahoo Network to enter the field of Internet service providers and surpass AOL, but I will not choose to do this unless it is absolutely necessary, because I want Yahoo to focus on what it already has and do it to the extreme. Equally. I also hope that AOL can achieve the role of network service provider to the extreme, I believe that under the close cooperation of our three-party alliance, taking advantage of the rise of the Internet industry, AOL only needs a few years to surpass AT&T, Comcast these traditional service providers, at that time, AOL can also expand to the field of cable TV service providers through mergers and acquisitions, and then Firefly Group can also provide cable TV content support for AOL. At this, Eric paused slightly, giving Steve Keys a moment to think. Said again in a solemn tone: "So, now." Which one do you choose, between becoming an industrial giant and insisting on diversification and ultimately achieving nothing?"

Steve Keys smiled wryly, and he could tell that Eric didn't give him a second option, and if he didn't become an ally, he probably had to become an enemy. He was also moved by Eric's words, if he can become an industry giant with AT&T, Comcast, Time Warner, etc., it is not so difficult to abandon the online business.

"Eric, after all, this matter involves the future of AOL, I need to communicate with Bill and them, and ......" Steve Keissyan said of the alliance plan in his hand, "Although AOL has generated profits, the existing capital is completely insufficient to support this plan, and I hope that AOL can start the IPO plan in advance." ”

Normally, in a mature capital market, after a company goes public, as more investors join, the equity will become more and more dispersed, the voice of shareholders will gradually be weakened, and the corresponding management will also gain more power. Although he was already inclined to Eric's plan, Steve Keys still didn't want AOL to become a pawn in Eric's industrial layout, and he wanted to gain more control.

"In order to get more money after the IPO, I hope AOL will continue to maintain the original pace of listing," Eric shook his head, rejecting Steve Case's suggestion, he didn't mind Steve Case's desire to gain more control, but at this time, AOL's market capitalization was less than $2 billion, even if a 10% public offering would not raise more than $200 million, but if the time could be postponed by a year, the same IPO ratio would definitely double the amount of funds raised. Directly extinguished Steve Case's thoughts, Eric quickly stuffed a handful of sweet dates over: "As long as AOL agrees to this alliance plan, Firefly can provide AOL with $200 million in low-interest debt financing, and will not ask for any additional terms, as an ally, Yahoo Network will also use portals and other platforms to actively advertise for AOL, and can even become AOL's network service distributor." ”

Hearing the promise of $200 million in low-interest debt financing, Steve Case didn't have much resistance in his heart, but Steve Case asked suspiciously: "Eric, what does Yahoo mean by becoming a distributor of AOL?"

Eric said: "Yahoo is about to release an application software, I believe that this software is definitely no less popular than online email service and browser software, if AOL wants, Yahoo can build AOL's network login module on this software, I believe this will be able to greatly promote the promotion of AOL network access business, and, because the core of the business is not in this area, Yahoo requires a share that only needs to be slightly higher than the maintenance cost." ”

At present, most operating systems do not have a special network connection function, and if you want to access the Internet, in addition to the necessary hardware, you also need to load the login software of the network service provider, which can provide a platform for service providers to advertise and earn huge additional profits, so it has not completely disappeared until more than 20 years later.

If the app that Eric says is really as popular as a browser app, Steve Case certainly won't turn down the collaboration. As he continued to ask. Eric didn't reveal anything more.

Things come to this. AOL's franchise problem has basically been resolved. The exact cooperation plan will not be discussed until Steve Case's answer is given tomorrow. Eric then couldn't wait to talk to everyone about another plan to promote the construction of an ADSL broadband network, which is the most urgent thing at the moment. Eric's requirements are not too high, with the current Internet can only provide text, pictures and a small amount of audio content, as long as the average speed is increased to a stable 512Kbps as soon as possible, and the charging model is changed, and cheap monthly packages are provided, then Yahoo's development in recent years will no longer be limited by the network environment.

After years of operation, AOL has accumulated sufficient experience in network laying and service operation. Cisco's industry-leading technology can also quickly solve the hardware equipment required for the construction of new broadband networks, and even provide complete network solutions for AOL, Firefly and Yahoo's advertising resources in film and television media and network portals will also solve the promotion of new network services, therefore, a few people who are slightly excited are chatting and chatting, and they have spent a whole night unconsciously, even if the five people here are not workaholics, but the situation of working all night often occurs, and when they find that the sky outside the window is gradually brightening, the five people do not have any sleep。 I just went back to my room to wash up, and then went downstairs to have breakfast together.

All night. Perhaps because of the more he talked about it, the more he put his investment, Eric unconsciously revealed many Internet concepts that have not yet appeared, such as big data, cloud computing, e-commerce, and anti-virus software...... All in all, he said whatever he remembered, and it wasn't until he found that the expressions of the other four people looking at him had changed significantly, and Eric quickly reined in, but even so, Eric knew that his image in the hearts of several people was estimated to be close to aliens.

Steve Case even came up with the idea of opening an American online chain Internet café business in major cities in the United States because of Eric's prompting, and it turned out that there was no concept of Internet café in 1994. Eric's impression of Internet cafes in his memory is not very good, but he knows that because of the strict regulatory system, Internet cafes in the West are not overflowing, but as a theory says, everyone can cook at home, but restaurants are still everywhere, and the same is true of Internet cafes.

Eric is also very much in favor of Steve Case's idea, the Internet cafes that appeared in advance are like the free WIFI provided by Google and other tech giants more than a decade later, which can make more ordinary people have access to the Internet, and if AOL's chain Internet café business is really large enough, it will also play a role in promoting the popularization of the Internet. However, these need to be upgraded after AOL realizes ADSL broadband technology, and when Windows 95, a more simple and easy-to-use operating system, comes out, with ADSL high-speed broadband, then the feasibility of this plan is indeed very high.

Last night, Steve Case originally planned to delay it under the pretext of discussing with other partners, but this morning, influenced or brainwashed by the broad Internet industry prospects described by Eric, Steve Case instead became an ardent supporter of Eric's information industry alliance plan, and simply talked to other partners and some executives of AOL, and the matter was confirmed, and of course there was no obstacle on John Chambers' side, compared to AOL, Cisco's current equity has been more dispersed, except for the largest 21 in Eric's handsIn addition to the % shareholding, there is no other shareholder who holds more than 10%, so as CEO, John Chambers can decide this matter.

In this case, taking advantage of the fact that Eric is still in Boston, several people directly began to discuss the next stage of cooperation plan.

On the other hand, Bill Gates, who came to Boston again after many years, was also quite beautiful, with speeches, interviews, and banquets from several universities and local media celebrities in Boston. By the time Bill Gates finally heard the news of Eric's meeting with John Chambers and Steve Case, and called in person, Yahoo's alliance plan with AOL and Cisco had basically been drafted.

Eric was so clear about Bill Gates' style that he never had the idea of pulling his classmates in. This is a master who wants to get involved in any business, although it cooperated with IBM in the eighties, but because in recent years Microsoft wants to get involved in the hardware business that coincides with IBM, the cooperation between the two sides has now appeared a deep crack, if it is not for the difficulty of developing processor chips, Eric believes that Microsoft will definitely not mind getting involved in Intel's turf. In the original time and space, involving all areas of the Internet industry, Microsoft basically held an attitude of seeing geese flying by, regardless of whether they ate or not, they had to fight down, and they did not let go of portals, instant messaging, online mailboxes, etc.

Eric did not hide the upcoming cooperation with Microsoft from John Chambers and Steve Case, and revealed a little about the reason and purpose of his doing, which did not hinder the alliance agreement reached by the three parties in the slightest. Cisco and AOL signed the agreement, and John Chambers and Steve Case rushed back to their respective locations to begin preparations for the alliance.

At this stage, there is no need to hide from Steve Keys and John Chambers for projects such as instant messaging software and browser literal translation scripting languages, in order to facilitate several people scattered throughout the United States to communicate about the implementation of the alliance plan at any time, Eric deliberately used the YCR instant messaging software that is still in beta to set up the first official chat tribe in the history of instant messaging, bringing in all the main leaders of these companies, and giving this YCR tribe a very popular name- Firefly Empire.

Until many years later, there has been a legend circulating in the circle of YCR, the world's most widely used instant messaging software, that in the huge YCR social network world, there is a very mysterious tribe, this tribe does not even have a number, ordinary people can never find it, and there is no qualification to join at will, even if users want to create a fake tribe with the same name, it will be banned by the system. Any member of this tribe has a turbulent position in their respective industrial fields, and any news from this tribe can cause economic fluctuations on a global scale. Many people who are fortunate enough to have access to the tribe's half-clawed information say that it is not the ridiculous Rothschilds, not the Jews, not the so-called Freemasons, who really have the ability to control the world, but the group of people in the electronic tribe called the Firefly Empire who really hold the lifeblood of the global economy. (To be continued.) )