Time magazine's tradition of selecting Man of the Year began in 1927, when Charles Lindbergh became the first man in history to successfully complete a solo non-landing flight across the Atlantic, but Time magazine did not put him on the cover, and found such an embarrassing mistake to remedy this embarrassing mistake.

The original Person of the Year corresponded to ManoftheYear in English, and from the limitations brought by the word "Man", it can be seen that the editors who were in a hurry at that time only had a flash of inspiration in their minds, and they did not think deeply about coming up with such an idea.

In 1999, Time magazine renamed the title "PersonoftheYear" to describe it more accurately.

In fact, the Man of the Year is not synonymous with a positive honor.

Any person with far-reaching influence, whether it is a legend for centuries or a legacy for thousands of years, is likely to be elected, such as Hitler in 1938.

Beginning with Franklin D. Roosevelt, almost every president of the United States has been elected Man of the Year at least once.

It can be said that the election of the incumbent president has become the policy of Time magazine.

It is precisely because of the selection of so many widely respected figures that many people take it for granted that the Man of the Year is a kind of lofty figure, and even if the originator Time magazine often points out that this is not the case, it cannot reverse people's thinking inertia.

With the miracle created by EA's listing, Tang Huan, who has already been on the cover of Time magazine once, naturally understands the difference.

Originally, Tang Huan planned to go with the flow. But PR consultant Regis McKenna suggests. He is the founder. Internally, it is already the idol of the company's employees, and externally, it is the first image of the company, including customers, so you can't be lazy, try to fight for it, and you will benefit a lot.

In this case, Tang Huan had no choice but to be good and temporarily get out of the complicated affairs of Pacific communications. Personally entertain Time magazine's team.

The group was headed by Michael Moritz – Michael Moritz, editor-in-chief of Time magazine's San Francisco division, who was also born in the 1950s and was completely young and promising.

After greeting Michael Moritz, Tang Huan remembered the information of the other party in the original time and space, and found that this person was really not simple.

In the era of the advent of the Internet tide, Michael Moritz, who once wrote a book on Apple's successful experience, crossed over from the media field and entered Sequoia Capital, a famous venture capital firm in Silicon Valley, and became a partner with Don Valentine. He has successfully invested in emerging technology companies such as Google, and finally reached a net worth of $3 billion.

"It's one that can be co-opted over. The media that is cheering for their IT industry. Tang Huan secretly commented on the other party.

"In this way, you are really the owner of this large company that has been around for more than half a century and this building that is also historic. Lately, though, you seem to be deliberately avoiding media outlets that want to interview the details of the acquisition. Michael Moritz looked at the luxurious and spacious office, and in a relaxed chatty tone, he began to get to the point.

It can be seen that the young editor-in-chief does not want to interview according to the script, but intends to dig deeper.

But it still hasn't escaped Time magazine's net. Tang Huan laughed, joked, and then said seriously: "Mainly because this acquisition consumes a huge amount of money, and I feel deep pressure, so I decided to temporarily isolate myself from the outside world and work with peace of mind." ”

"Did you work so hard to acquire Pacific Bell because of the company's business capabilities?" asked Michael Moritz with interest.

"Other shareholders are more concerned about this, but I ......," Tang Huan smiled, "I want to apply my technology and products through this platform to bring more convenience to people's lives." ”

"Is it to change the world?" Michael Moritz said, "I interviewed Steve Jobs before Apple went public, and this is what he said to me the most. ”

"In fact, this change must have already begun. Tang Huan had a proud look on his face, "For example, the desktop publishing system, as far as I know, it has begun to serve many newspapers. ”

"That's true, we have such a system in the office of the magazine. Michael Moritz nodded in admiration, "Let's not mention the personal computer field for the time being, let's talk about Pacific Bell first, oh, it has now been renamed Pacific Communications, such a traditional telecommunications company, how do you plan to realize your ideals on this platform?"

It can be summed up in two points. Tang Huan stretched out two fingers, "I hope that through my own efforts, I can get rid of the limitations of cables and venues in this old-fashioned way of communication." More importantly, the network provided by telecom operators should transmit data, images, and so on, in addition to sound. ”

Speaking of this, Tang Huan spread his hands, "Obviously, these ideas did not start with me, and even in reality, there have been different degrees of practical applications, such as Motorola's handheld mobile wireless telephone, long-established fax, etc., but they often lack the digital essence of computer technology, and there is still a distance from my ideals." ”

"Can you be more specific?" said Michael Moritz, drawing a line in his notebook, "without violating trade secrets, of course." ”

"As you arrived, I was discussing this with my men. Tang Huan bowed slightly, "For example, caller ID, which is a function that allows the recipient to know what the incoming call is, is a technology that started in 1968, and it is time for it to blossom and bear fruit." ”

"I'm a layman when it comes to technology, but I can try to guess if Pacific Telecom succeeds in providing caller ID, does that mean that there is a need for extra money on the user's end. Buy a new phone. At a minimum, it should provide a screen where you can see the phone number. Michael Moritz was discussing with great interest.

"Isn't that bad? It's the equivalent of creating a new industry. There are a lot of jobs. Tang Huan smiled slightly.

"Well, naturally, maybe the president will thank you. Michael Moritz nodded again and again, urging, "Please move on to your next idea." ”

"E-mail, do you know?" Tang Huan laughed after seeing Michael Moritz give an affirmative reply, "Then you naturally know its advantages." However, e-mail is currently mainly used on university networks, and if it were to be extended to the general public telephone switchboard, it would undoubtedly greatly improve people's work efficiency. ”

Tang Huan pointed to Michael Moritz's notebook. "Just like the manuscript you're writing right now, when it's done on the computer, you can dial up to the server through the modem, send the e-mail, and the headquarters can receive it from the server and put it directly into the desktop publishing system for processing. Isn't this more efficient than the traditional delivery method?"

Michael Moritz listened with fascination and asked eagerly, "What about this application?" When will it be brought to market?"

"Protocols are required for network communication, and high-capacity devices are required for mail servers to store data...... Questions like that. It needs to be solved one by one, and it is difficult to give a definite timetable for the time being, but it will certainly not be as careless and indifferent as the current market application environment. Tang Huan waved his hand confidently.

"I can't wait any longer, and I hope that the price of these services will not be unattainable at that time. Michael Moritz laughed and made a joke.

"You don't have to worry about this problem, after all, if these applications are only limited to a limited high-end circle, it will not only lose its original meaning, but also fundamentally damage our business interests. Tang Huan made it clear that he, a capitalist, would not slaughter ordinary consumers without restraint.

"It's going to take at least a while for you to see the effects of your changes to Pacific Communications, so let's talk about a few of your companies in Silicon Valley. ”

Michael Moritz flipped through his laptop and gossiped, "Is EA the most profitable of all the companies at the moment? Now game consoles are more profitable than personal computers, right? And will this difference lead to a biased and uneven distribution of technology and research resources?"

"In fact, in the eyes of us technologists, game consoles and PCs are both microcomputers with the same attributes, except that the former specializes in gaming entertainment, while the latter focuses on comprehensive, general-purpose functions. Although there seems to be some difference in consumer enthusiasm for the two in the market now, it is not enough to influence our R&D direction. After all, in some technologies, the two are the same. ”

Tang Huan did not answer the other party's question about profitability positively, as a listed company, the information released by EA is detailed enough, and the business capacity is several streets behind Atari, which ranks second, so there is no need to add Fangyuan computer and Zheru software to further increase the hatred value of all kinds of envy, jealousy and hatred.

In particular, Tang Huan is really tired of hearing the title of Silicon Valley nouveau riche, anyway, the achievement of the billionaire title has been brushed, and it is better to make a fortune.

"There are reports that the number one position in the three fields of video games, personal computer hardware and software, respectively, is occupied by your EA, Fangyuan computer and Zheru software, is this really the case?

Michael Moritz took out a table and showed it to Tang Huan, "This wonderful information, which is full of pictures and texts and makes people understand at a glance, was processed by CGrid, Zheru's spreadsheet software. The ubiquitous product made my first reaction to it that its content was authentic and credible. ”

"At present, EA's position in the video game industry, judging from the comparison of data on the stock market, should be the hegemon that people often say, as for Fangyuan computer and Zheru software, it is difficult to make conclusions, after all, Apple computer, IBM-PC, and Osborne generation machine, which is known for its portability, also performed well. Perhaps, EA, Fangyuan Computer and Zheru Software have considerable influence in the industry, which is more accurate. ”

Tang Huan, who didn't want to make too much money in terms of making money, tried to guide Michael Moritz to focus on the technology and the product itself.

Fortunately, the other party is also very knowledgeable, "You pioneered the industry, invented spreadsheet software, and dug the first pot of gold for your business, and the personal computer equipped with various spreadsheet software, including CGrid, has become a necessary office equipment on Wall Street, like a calculator, and this kind of impact on the world is not insignificant." With this product, you got a stake in Apple and became a billionaire at a rocket-like pace. Your entrepreneurial trajectory seems to be much smoother than Apple's Steve Jobs and Woz, and there are no other episodes in the process?"

"Everyone's career starts differently, and I don't think it makes much sense whether it's going well or not, but there's a lot to be said about it. ”

Tang Huan smiled loudly, stood up and invited: "Why don't we go to Cupertino's office to talk, there is everything you need, including my personal, business partner's, and the whole team." ”

……

From the founding of Zheru to the present, Tang Huan has always paid attention to the preservation of photos related to various events.

These materials were first placed in Tang Huan's office, and later accumulated more and more, and the company history museum was set up to display them.

When Michael Moritz was brought here, he was immediately fascinated by the array of things in front of him.

He stared at a group photo of Tang Huan in the center, Jobs and Gates on the left and right, and muttered, "History seems to be frozen here." ”

"It's not as exaggerated as you say. Tang Huan said to Michael Moritz sincerely: "If you think that our team's work in Silicon Valley is creative and successful, you might as well write about this experience for everyone to share." ”

Michael Moritz's eyes grew brighter and brighter, and he asked tentatively, "Is this an officially authorized biography?"

"This can be considered, but you can't always keep an eye on me personally, but you should pay more attention to my guys, who have been diligently contributing to the process of following me to change the world with IT, and deserve the corresponding historical memory. ”

Michael Moritz was so intrigued by the idea of writing a biography of Silicon Valley's hottest company that he immediately agreed.

As a result, Tang Huan encouraged Simeone, Chambers, Gerstner and others to be interviewed by Michael Moritz and other Time magazine reporters.

Before Christmas, everyone not only got a rich material reward, but also received an honor, which can be described as a great joy.

And the controversy within Time magazine about the Person of the Year has finally come to an end. (To be continued......)

PS: It's really amazing, not only the cover of the work, but also the chapter name, "on" has been automatically replaced with "on", drunk.