Recently, as long as he has free time, Eric will take the time to study the Qualcomm company information that Kelly collected for himself, as a technical blind who did not know anything about mobile communications, Eric also spent a lot of time to understand what advantages Qualcomm CDMA code division multiple access technology has over GSM and other second-generation communication systems.

At the same time, Eric also found that Qualcomm is currently in the lowest stage of its development history, the mobile communication industry is rapidly shifting from the era of analog signals to the era of digital signals, the second generation of mobile communication technology has been very mature and entered the commercial stage, although Qualcomm has proved the superiority of its CDMA technology over 2G through many experiments and tests, but so far, there is not even a CDMA commercial operation network in the world.

Recalling the information he saw recently, Eric said to Kelly: "I found that I took Qualcomm for granted, and I initially felt that since CDMA technology is better than GSM technology, Qualcomm is now in a difficult situation, and I threw a sum of money into it, and spared no effort to support the development of Qualcomm, which will definitely make this company a leader in the industry." But the fact is much more complicated than I imagined, Qualcomm's current situation involves the development direction of the entire mobile communications industry in the federation, the erection of any mobile communication network involves billions or even tens of billions of dollars of investment, once a certain communication system is determined, even if this communication system is backward than other technologies, but it is still impossible to change in a short period of time, therefore, the communication standard formulation process involving multiple interests is not at all a sentence "my technology is better" can be decided. There are too many bad money driving out good money in the world, so I took the liberty of throwing money at Qualcomm. In the end, it is likely that all money will be lost. ”

Kelly listened quietly to Eric's words, Eric solemnly instructed her to collect Qualcomm's information, and the female assistant also studied Qualcomm's information in detail in private, and also had a deep understanding of Qualcomm's situation.

Not to mention the major U.S. telecommunications operators are arguing over technical standards, Qualcomm also has internal entanglements with operators. Qualcomm began as an outsourced businessman to develop customized wireless communication solutions for communications companies, and in the process, many communications operators held shares in Qualcomm through capital injections. This kind of interest correlation is actually a potential advantage of Qualcomm in the competition of communication standards. However, if Eric forced himself into the ranks of Qualcomm's major shareholders with its deep pockets, it would dilute the stake held by the operator. It will definitely weaken the competitive advantage of CDMA, and may even cause Qualcomm to lose to GSM and other standards in the final mobile communication technology standard, and be reduced to edge technology.

If it had been before, Kelly would have hoped that Eric would not take the liberty of taking a stake in Qualcomm. But at this time, listen to Eric's introspection. The female assistant's tender eyes were full of admiration, a man standing at the top of the pyramid could still maintain this sobriety and sanity, Kelly felt that she was a little infatuated with this little man, and at the same time, she also dispelled the idea of letting Eric quit, and said: "Eric, San Diego is only more than a hundred kilometers away from Los Angeles, I mean, I'm done here." Why not take the time to talk to Qualcomm CEO Owen Jacob? No matter how detailed the information we gathered, it certainly can't compare to the information that the Qualcomm founder has. Maybe you can get unexpected results after you get in touch. ”

Eric looked at the female assistant and said with a smile: "Didn't you disapprove of my investment in Qualcomm at the beginning?"

"That was before, since you now have a very clear understanding of this matter, there is nothing wrong with trying it, and I think that your point just now completely ignores your current personal influence, with the capital you have in your hands now, if you fully support Qualcomm, it will definitely be able to gain a greater advantage in the competition of mobile communication standards. ”

Eric had already given up the idea of meddling in Qualcomm in a big way, and only planned to slowly absorb some Qualcomm shares through Firefly Investment and become a small shareholder, but when he heard Kelly's words, he couldn't help but be a little moved.

However, after thinking about the work schedule, Eric once again showed a helpless expression on his face, even if he could find time to meet with Owen Jacob, it was impossible to spend too much energy on Qualcomm this matter, he had too many things to focus on now.

Originally, this project could be handed over to Firefly Investment, but Chris's personal energy is also limited, as Firefly Investment's several major companies began to develop rapidly, Chris is also busy with his feet on the ground, in recent months, in order to solve the personnel and production adjustments caused by Nokia's rapid expansion, Chris has been an airplane for several months, and only returned to the United States in a hurry before Thanksgiving.

Hearing Eric's concerns, Kelly reached over and patted the back of Eric's hand and said, "Eric, and me...... As for us, you don't have to take everything on your own, there are many of us who can help you. ”

"Okay," Eric grabbed Kelly's little hand and squeezed it, and said with a sense of ambition, "In that case, maybe I need to plan well and devote some of my energy to Qualcomm." ”

Although the decision was made, the meeting with Qualcomm CEO Owen Jacob could only be scheduled after the New Year at the earliest.

Entering December, commercial films such as "Mission Impossible" and "Runaway Bride" in the New Year's schedule are still continuing to harvest box office, and with the advent of the awards season, "Braveheart", which was originally handed over to Fox and operated by the Weinstein brothers, also began to be released on a small scale in the early stage, and Firefly also released "This Killer Is Not Too Cold" directed by Luc Besson at the end of the year.

At the same time, the turmoil in Hollywood continues, Sony finally announced a write-down of up to $2.1 billion in assets of Columbia Pictures, which caused a shock in the entire capital market, after the news was announced, Sony's founder and chairman Akio Morita submitted his resignation report to the board of directors, although in order to protect the reputation of the business tycoon who single-handedly founded Sony, Sony publicly stated that Akio Morita's departure had nothing to do with the Columbia incident. But few believed.

On the global front, Michael Ovitz's departure is a foregone conclusion, though. The issue of Michael Ovitz's sky-high severance pay turned out to be a three-way battle between Panasonic, Seagram and Michael Eisner, with Panasonic believing that the golden parachute agreement was a personal mistake by Michael Eisner, so if Seagram insisted that Michael Ovitz leave the company, the compensation should be borne by Michael Eisner. Michael Eisner insisted that Michael Owitz's golden parachute agreement was approved by the board of directors of Panasonic, and it had nothing to do with him, and Seagram knew very well that the future operation of Universal could not do without Michael Eisner, so he could only put pressure on Panasonic. There is even a faint threat that if Panasonic does not compromise, Sigram will shift its target to buy Colombia.

While keeping a close eye on the situation in Hollywood, Eric completed the editing of the TV version of the Victoria's Secret show in early December. And once again focus on the last stage of marketing at Victoria's Secret.

In order to maximize the influence of the Victoria's Secret brand, after the editing of the TV version was completed, Eric asked the distribution department of Firefly to start producing the video of the TV version, before December 6. The first 1 million cassettes have already been produced. After the TV broadcast is completed, it can be distributed to the whole country immediately.

On Tuesday, December 6th, it was long past the end of the day, but the ABC headquarters on 66th Street was still crowded today, because today was not only the final episode of the first season of "Survivor" that could be a ratings miracle, but also the long-publicized TV broadcast of "Victoria's Secret Show of the Year."

ABC has just experienced a fruitful TV autumn season, "Friends", "Survivor" and "Emergency Room Story" three ace programs took turns, and various ratings data were all red. Firmly occupy the first position in the market share of public television stations, and the reality show "Survivor" has created a new ratings miracle. The average viewership of the first 12 episodes reached more than 33 million. Therefore, the faces of every employee who were left behind to work overtime at ABC headquarters today were filled with excitement and joy, not only because of the super high ratings that the final episode of the first season of "Survivor" will bring, but also because after the ratings data is released, the group's top executives will definitely throw a big party to celebrate.

In the large conference room of the ABC headquarters, there were more than ten people gathered at this time, but compared to the start of "Survivor", the main people gathered in this conference room this time were the people of the Victoria's Secret project team, in addition to Eric, Edward Lazek, Emily and others, including the five Victoria's Secret spokespersons who were invited to come. Because he knew that the final episode of "Survivor" was destined to be a big success, the ABC side did not have as much fanfare as it did when it first started, only Robert Iger appeared on the scene alone, Tom Murphy was old and went home from work early, and Katzenberg did not fly from Los Angeles on purpose.

In addition to the Victoria's Secret show TV broadcast starting at 9 o'clock, the Yahoo portal will also open the Victoria's Secret Angels' popularity voting activity at the same time.

In the conference room, Cindy Crawford watched Eric sit at the conference table and pass in front of her, skillfully typing on the laptop keyboard and communicating with Tina Brown, who also worked overtime in Boston, her eyes rolled, she got up and went out for a while, and soon moved a laptop in, followed by a flattering male employee, courteously helping Cindy Crawford pull the network cable to connect to the Internet. Crawford's movements gathered around him, gathered in front of his laptop and talked about the computer screen with great interest.

Emily, who was sitting near Eric, watched the movements of the women, and pulled Chris beside her in a sour tone: "Beautiful women are really born with privileges, I also want a laptop, why didn't anyone borrow one from me." ”

Chris, who was looking at a magazine intently, got up helplessly and said, "Okay, I'll help you borrow one, it's really ...... Woman. ”

Emily glared slightly, "What are you muttering?"

Chris didn't answer, and hurried out of the conference room, causing a string of laughter from everyone.

Emily was also a little embarrassed, so she could only pretend to look at her watch, then picked up the document in front of her and poked Eric, who was chatting with Robert Iger in a low voice: "Hey, Eric, those 1 million boxes of videotapes cost more than 5 million yuan to produce, do you think anyone will be willing to spend $30 to buy a short film that is only more than 40 minutes?"

Eric was also a little uncertain in his heart, but he had already thought of a solution, and said: "If no one buys it, then give it away, carry out various activities through the Yahoo portal, and even give it away in the Victoria's Secret chain store, I didn't plan to use the sale of video tapes to make money, these 1 million video tapes are like Victoria's Secret's internal mail order catalog, the main role is still publicity." Of course, all the expenses of this year's Victoria's Secret show will be paid by me, and starting next year, I will have to pay for it myself. ”

Emily smiled and nodded, because of the scruples about the advertising effect of this big show, LTD transferred the production rights of the Victoria's Secret show to Eric, and now just in the stock price, LTD's market value has increased by more than one billion dollars, don't say next year, even if Eric now asks LTD to compensate him for the production budget spent, the board of directors will definitely approve it.

Seeing her boyfriend coming back with a laptop, Emily moved to the side, remembering the "Survivor" broadcast before the Victoria's Secret show, and asked curiously: "Eric, how many viewers do you think the last episode of "Survivor" can reach?"

As soon as these words fell, everyone in the office, who had been doing their own things, fell silent at the same time and turned their eyes to Eric.

Eric shrugged, pointed to the electronic clock on the wall of the conference room, and said, "You'll know in half an hour, I'm sure you'll be surprised." ”

There were regretful boos around, and Robert Egger, who was sitting next to Eric, smiled and asked a few questions, hoping that Eric could give a prediction. Eric just shook his head and said nothing, which made everyone look forward to the next ratings data even more.

After the last episode of "Survivor" began to air, Nielsen's preliminary ratings data really surprised everyone.

"Survivor" just reached 38 million last week, but just after the final episode, the number of viewers rushed to a high of 49 million, and then climbed, and by the time the final results of the reality TV competition were announced, the ratings had reached 56 million.

Hearing this amazing ratings figure, Emily looked at Robert Egger, who was standing in the corner of the conference room with a mobile phone on a fast dial with an excited face, and asked Eric: "56 million, how much will the ratings of the Victoria's Secret show reach?"

Eric had already expected it, but he was not as surprised and excited as others, looking at the big screen color TV in the conference room that began to play commercials, and said: "According to the experience of high-rated programs such as the Super Bowl, the average ratings of the Victoria's Secret show should be half of the lead series, of course, after being promoted for so long, I think the ratings must be higher than usual." ”

"Tsk, even if it's only half, it's 28 million," Emily said excitedly, "I'm looking forward to the stock market opening tomorrow, and the market value of LTD is only a little short of $4 billion." ”

Saying this, after the large-screen color TV played an advertisement, the picture flashed, and the Victoria's Secret silver VS logo appeared on the TV screen, and a line prompted the audience to participate in the Victoria's Secret show through the Yahoo portal After the subtitle of the popular angel vote, the drumbeat seemed to sound rapidly from far and near in the brightly lit Manhattan night view. (To be continued.) )