Hughes didn't wait long, and Alex came back to his senses and said, "What kind of cooperation method are you going to use?" I would like to state that if you want to work with me, you have to make my opinion the final decision! ”

Alex's words were purposeful, and if he changed to another person, maybe he didn't need to emphasize it so much. However, he was confronted with Howard Hughes, a man of perfection. If Hughes is tossed like he did with "Hell's Angel", it is estimated that even the United States and the Soviet Union will not be able to afford it. This is a fire kang, and whoever jumps down will be unlucky.

When Hughes heard this, he smiled, "I know what you're worried about, but I can tell you that I've understood one thing a long time ago. That is, I am not a very good executor, I attach too much importance to perfection, and this world is made up of all kinds of imperfections. I have now retreated into the background, only planning the big direction, not the specific execution. ”

"So how do you work together? I don't see why you need me. Money? No, you don't need my money. Technique? I'm not the kind of material to do tricks. Originality? Ideas that you may need, but can't realize, are never good ideas. You need an executor, but I don't have that much time to run a space company. I don't even bother to manage my own company, let alone a company I work with. ”

Hughes shook his head and said, "What do you think is the most important thing in every seminal historical event in human history?" Money, courage, skill, or something else? Think about it, what do you often think of when you think of the term first? ”

"The most important thing? I think what you're saying is important, and if you don't have one of them, you won't succeed. ”

"No, no, no, let's put it this way, we've all eaten tomatoes. However, you must know that no one dared to eat this kind of food back then. They don't dare to eat because of what? Don't have the courage? No conditions? No! It's because there is no role model! Man is an idolater-worshipping creature. You know, by the time I figured this out, I couldn't become people's idols anymore. ”

Alex kind of figured out that Hughes was trying to find someone to stand on stage for him and do what he wanted to do, in this way to guide the thinking, thoughts, and behaviors of ordinary people. In other words, he needed a "stand-in" who could stand in front of the stage instead of Hughes, accept the worship of the world, and become an idol in people's minds.

"No!" Alex only thought for a moment and immediately replied.

Hughes's eyes showed a look of surprise, he didn't expect that he would refuse such a good thing. Money, honor, fame, and women, these things are at your fingertips as long as Alex agrees.

"For what? Why do you want to refuse? ”

Alex's thinking became clearer and clearer, and he said, "What you give me, I can get on my own." But once I accept your terms, I will be conditioned by you. If that were the case, wouldn't I have lost a lot? What's more, I also like to be free and uninhibited. ”

Hughes listened, and Ha Lu Ha Da Lu laughed: "Not bad, not bad! You are indeed just like me. Well, congratulations, you passed my test, then we will be partners from now on. ”

Test? Is that considered a pass?

Alex felt a little confused, but he also knew that Hughes was a weird person and could not be judged by common sense.

Next, they continued to discuss the details of the cooperation. In particular, the composition of the company's shares, which is a crucial matter. Hughes wants to own 60% of the shares, but Alex can only take 40%, and he has to invest $100 million in it at once. This made him very unhappy, and if he took so much money to smash it, he might not be able to smash it. This is not for ordinary people!

"I think the company doesn't have to invest in the beginning, just a few million dollars. As for the investment, it can be gradually increased later. Alex calmly analyzed to Hughes, and he explained the stages of the company's development to Hughes separately.

Soon, Hughes was convinced by him, and he nodded and said, "Okay, then let's invest $5 million first." ”

Immediately afterward, Alex said: "As for the shares, I think I have to take 60%!" ”

After hearing this, Hughes raised his eyebrows and asked, "What is it for!" ”

"As you said, you only care about the general direction of the company's development, and I will make the final decision! That is to say, I must be the main one, and if I don't have the majority of the shares, how can I say it accurately? ”

Hughes sneered, and he said, "In that case, then you might as well take 100% of the shares." Why work with me? ”

Alex was unmoved, still insisting, "Obviously, I have what you need, and you have what I need." Then there are conditions for cooperation, and as for who is in charge, I think we have already talked very clearly about it. ”

Hughes was a strong-willed man, but he was also a very good businessman, and he was able to find common ground in many business negotiations. In his view, negotiation is all about compromise and that it is necessary to find a solution that is satisfactory to both sides.

"I have connections, money, and skills, so I deserve to own 55% of the shares, and you have 45%!"

"No, I should have 55%, you're already old, just engage in airplanes, and you should let a young man like me do it. If you have 45%, you can retire here, don't toss so much! ”

"Interesting, you even say I'm old? Well, I'll just 51% and give you 49% of the shares, so it's okay! Young people, don't be too greedy, you'll fall on your heels! ”

After some bargaining, the two finally agreed to divide the shares equally.

However, the premise is that once the company needs to continue to invest, if one party does not have enough of itself, it must give up the corresponding shares. This is obviously more beneficial to Hughes, who has a big business and is not afraid of not being able to afford it.

Hughes is not only the first billionaire, but his ability to make money in the emerging field is no worse than Alex's. Take electronics companies, for example, they have one for both. The Carpenter's electronics company opened in 1950, a year later than Hughes.

In 1951, Howard Hughes's Electronics Industries made a profit of $67 million, which increased to $200 million in less than two years. That's a lot better than Carpenter Electronics, which Bart manages, with radios, computers, and so on, and Carpenter Electronics is now just $100 million.

Of course, many of Hughes's company's orders come from the government's military industry, and they are huge and lucrative orders. However, Carpenter's computers are also government procurement, and the profits are also large, but they are not as many as others.

Alex thought about it, and finally came to a conclusion that Howard Hughes knows how to read and employ people very well. Hughes's company was all run by his subordinates, and he had never managed it himself, at most he would show up when making major decisions.

This ability to see and employ people makes Alex a little envious. He believes that only in this way can he truly support a huge business empire. In the future, if the Carpenter family wants to develop into a behemoth like the Rockefellers, they will have to learn this skill.

After deciding on the shares, the two discussed the first steps of the company's development. The two unanimously decided to develop rocket skills first. Hughes had also learned about German V-2 missiles, and he was fascinated by the world's first ballistic missile.

"If my company's plane could fit this kind of thing, it would be the fastest plane in the world. Even able to fly to the moon! ”

Hughes's intuition was astonishingly accurate, and it was indeed on this basis that post-World War II rocket technology was developed. The reason why NASA was able to send people to the moon was because of the success of rockets.

"Then there's the last question, Mr. Hughes." Alex said.

Hughes looked at Alex and asked confusedly, "What's the problem?" ”

That's the name of the company! What do you think is the best thing to take? ”

At this time, Hughes realized that the name of their company had not yet been decided. In the past, when he established a company, he never had to worry about the name, and just added the word "Hughes" as a prefix. Now it's a joint venture, so it's not appropriate to do so.

"What name do you want?" Hughes didn't answer, but asked rhetorically.

Alex thought for a moment, and suddenly had a bad taste in his heart: "How about calling it StarCraft Company?" ”

"The abbreviation is SCC? Well, it looks pretty good. Hughes was very pleased with the name and quickly agreed.

With the name in hand, Alex asked Hughes for a few more management talents, and he didn't have many people on hand right now. I can only use the people on Hughes's side for the time being, and then throw them in when there are enough people in the future.

Alex stretched out his right hand and said, "So I wish us a happy cooperation?" ”

Hughes stared at his hand for a long moment, and finally said, "Sorry, I don't really like to touch people, let alone shake hands!" ”

Alex was a little disappointed when he saw that his little trick didn't succeed, and he smiled: "It's nothing, I can understand it." ”

Led by Hughes's bodyguards, Alex soon returned to modern society. When he came face to face with Hughes, he wanted to find a chance to touch him several times, but unfortunately, Hughes always kept a certain distance from him. It seems that Hughes really won't let others touch him, so Alex's plan to copy Hughes's puppet will be stranded indefinitely.

The Interstellar Technique Company was quietly established, with Hughes's people in charge, and Alex didn't have to worry too much. However, the company's research direction is still given by him. You can't make a mistake about this, once you go in the wrong direction, you have to take a lot of detours.

Alex also knew that if he wanted to make a rocket that could go to the sky quickly, he had to use the right people. He thought about it, and before 1950, that scientist had the best research on rockets. Before this era, very few people worked on rockets. As for the rocket experts who came back from the German captives, there is no need to think about it, those people belong to the state, not for them to use.

He thought about it for a long time, and suddenly remembered Goddard, who is known as the "father of American rocketry". He was the first rocket scientist in the United States, and because he was influenced by Verne's novels, he decided to go to Mars at a young age. When he grew up, he specialized in rockets, and personally built the world's first liquid-burning rocket engine fueled by gasoline and liquid hydrogen. This was in 1923, not long after the invention of airplanes.

"Go, help me find Robert Goddard, I need him!" Alex said to his subordinates.

Now, after the establishment of the Interstellar Technique Company, it has always been an empty shell. In order to get the company on track quickly, he has to be a rocket expert to do things.

Soon, news of Goddard came back. This guy is a celebrity in the American aviation community, and his research once caught the attention of aviator Lin Bai, who was the first hero to fly a plane across the Atlantic. Sadly, Goddard contracted cancer and died in August 1945.

"What died?" Alex asked in disbelief, and in doing so, his plans were completely disrupted.

"However, his wife said that if we were interested in his research, they could sell us all the research materials he had left behind."

"How much?"

"$100,000!"

Alex thought for a moment and said, "Give it to her!" We need this information! ”

Surprisingly, Goddard's legacy is indeed precious, and it is known from these materials that his research is still much ahead of the curve in this era. It can even be said that it is even more advanced than the current rocket technology of the Soviet Union. Already in 1929, Goddard began to design a scheme for a multi-stage rocket.

"It's no wonder that the information released by this guy more than ten years after his death can make the American space community call it the 'father of American rockets'. It seems that the United States has indeed received a lot of help from these materials. Alex wasn't an expert, but he knew what was the right direction. In this era, everyone crossed the river by feeling the stones, and they didn't know what was under the Ludao River.

Before man reached the sky, scientists thought that once man left the confines of the earth's sphere, he would develop an explosion. In the early days, all sorts of absurd theories were noisy, and many scientists were opposed to sending people to heaven. It wasn't until the Soviets succeeded in sending Gagarin to the top that the Americans suddenly came to their senses and rushed to catch up.

Goddard successfully launched the world's first liquid rocket, but it never attracted the attention of the government. Without the support of the government, coupled with the secrecy of his research, the United States not only lagged behind Germany in rocket technology, but also fell far short of the post-war Soviet Union.

It was not until 1961, after the Soviet cosmonaut Gagarin went into space, that Goddard's widow published the entire report of Goddard's 30 years of research on liquid rockets. It was only then that people began to realize his remarkable achievements, and the government valued the information he left behind.

Regarding Goddard's research, Nazi rocket expert von Braun once commented: "In the history of rocket development, Dr. Goddard is unmatched, in the design, construction and launch of liquid rockets, he walked in everyone's signature, it is liquid rockets that pave the way for space exploration." ”

Now Alex has no shortage of money or information in his hands, but what he lacks most is people, and without talents, he can't do anything. He can't do it himself, and even if he has the ability to preside over the development of rockets, he doesn't have that much energy to do it.