Chapter 3124: Poaching From Microsoft

w At 12 o’clock in the middle of the night on May 4, Lin Feng appeared in a high-end luxury apartment in Manhattan, New York. () The owner of this apartment is the person Lin Feng has been waiting for for several days.

"Hi, Mr. Allen, I finally meet you." Lin Feng laughed, "It's not easy."

"Mr. Lin, it's not easy for you to be able to make me feel proud," Mr. Allen said with a hint of ridicule in his tone.

Lin Feng smiled. He looked carefully at Paul Allen, one of the founders of the largest software empire in the world and one of the two founders of Microsoft.

With a slightly convex forehead, gold-rimmed glasses, a kind smile, and a tall and straight body, this is the Paul Allen who built the Microsoft empire. Of course, he is also one of Ellison's bitter enemies.

"Mr. Lin, take a seat." Paul Allen ushered Lin Feng in and took him directly to the rooftop, an excellent place overlooking New York. Standing here, you can overlook the night view of New York. Of course, Trump also owns such a mansion, so Lin Feng has lost interest in this night scene.

"Mr. Allen, I wonder what happened to your decision?" Lin Feng asked directly without taking a sip of coffee.

Paul Allen laughed out loud.

"As expected, Mr. Lin is very direct as rumored. But I like this style very much. Before I answer you, I have two questions to ask that have nothing to do with our cooperation, but are very relevant." Paul Allen said with a smile.

"oh?"

"First, Ellison and I have never dealt with each other very well, and you suddenly asked me to cooperate. Aren't you afraid of causing Ellison's displeasure?" Paul Allen asked curiously.

The conflict between Paul Allen and Ellison has been around for a long time. Calculating carefully, I'm afraid it's more than 20 years ago. Such long-standing grievances. Lin Feng suddenly asked him to cooperate. What would Ellison think? Paul Allen was curious. Ellison is a temperamental person, and he is going to be angry. If he had a falling out with Lin Feng, then Lin Feng would probably lose more than he gained.

"Haha, I think the conflict between Ellison and you stems more from the conflict between Oracle and Microsoft. Well, it should be said that what Ellison hates the most is Bill Gates. "Z, and you are just an innocent victim when he can't find Bill Gates. Bill Gates stays in the company all day long, but you enjoy your life and have too many opportunities to meet Ellison." Lin Feng smiled and said, "I also consulted Ellison about cooperating with you, and he only had one sentence!"

"Oh, what are you talking about?" Paul Allen looked curious.

"You must cooperate with Paul,

Fucking 'Microsoft'! "Lin Feng imitated Ellison's tone and shouted.

Paul Allen shook his head helplessly. Then he smiled.

"Second question, I still hold shares worth billions of dollars in Microsoft, and I am one of the founders of Microsoft. Although I left Microsoft, I founded Microsoft after all. "Why do you have the confidence that I will cooperate with you to deal with Microsoft?" Paul Allen stared at Lin Feng and asked.

'Microsoft' was created by Bill Gates, but without Paul Allen, 'Microsoft' would still be in its infancy and would have died. Moreover, Bill Gates was able to embark on the path of the software industry because of him. At the beginning, it was he who led Bill Gates to earn the first pot of gold in his life. In an era when prices were very low, he made Bill Gates earn $30,000 a year. You know, at that time, $30,000 was enough to buy a yacht.

In this case, what confidence does Lin Feng have to make him agree to completely abandon the "Microsoft" plot in his heart and cooperate with Lin Feng?

"Haha, Mr. Allen, actually I don't believe in explaining this issue at all. When you decided to see me, didn't it represent your attitude?" Lin Feng smiled, "But I still want to explain it, at least to you. A reason to make your decision completely.”

Paul Allen stared at Lin Feng closely to see what explanation Lin Feng would give him.

"First of all, although you left Microsoft because you were ill, originally you didn't want to leave Microsoft. You wanted to wait until your condition got better and then come back to work. Unfortunately, Microsoft at that time had already tolerated No less than you. Don't rush to deny it. There is evidence to support what I say. You and Bill Gates initially co-founded Microsoft. Both of them invested the same enthusiasm and energy. The equity distribution should be. 50% for each person, but it turned out that Bill Gates owned 60% and you owned 40%. But then, Bill Gates wanted 64% of the shares." Lin Feng said slowly.

When it comes to this matter, even though so many years have passed, Paul Allen still feels slightly unhappy. At first, he really thought that the two of them would each have 50%. Unexpectedly, Bill Gates said that Paul Allen still had a job outside, but he had no job and concentrated on writing language programs, so he should have 60%. At that time, in order to keep things quiet and avoid the company falling apart just after it was founded, Paul Allen backed down. Not long after the results, Bill Gates was still dissatisfied. He thought he had paid more for the company and asked for 64% of the shares. In this regard, Paul Allen still chose to give in. For the sake of the company, he had to give in. Because Bill Gates looks like just a boy next door, but in fact he is a very controlling person with a very tough temperament and never gives in.

If Paul Allen didn't give in, the company would just dissolve. So he gave in. But decades later, he still felt uncomfortable.

"Of course, there were not only this time, but two other times. The second time was when Steve Ballmer, the current president of Microsoft, joined. Bill Gates initially promised to give Ballmer 5% of the shares, but when Ballmer joined the company, Bill Gates promised 8.75%, a full 3.75% more shares, and he didn't even notify you." Lin Feng said with a smile.

Paul Allen frowned. This was another thing that made Paul Allen quite unhappy. No matter how he thought about it, he felt unhappy. Steve Ballmer joined the company. He welcomed it, but it was too much for him to have 8.75% of the shares as soon as he came to the company. This had never happened before. Although in the end Bill Gates personally gave Ballmer 3.75% of the shares. But it also left a thorn in the hearts of both Paul Allen and Bill Gates.

"And the third equity dispute was when you were suffering from lymphoma in 1983 and were receiving treatment. During this period, it was reported that Bill Gates and Ballmer were considering issuing options to dilute your shares." Lin Feng smiled slightly and said nothing more. Paul Allen could still tolerate the first two equity disputes, but he couldn't accept this equity dispute. When he was sick and needed comfort the most, his partners were thinking about diluting his shares. This is unacceptable to anyone.

Paul Allen clenched his fists slightly, and then let go. Indeed. This third equity dispute was the reason why he really decided to leave Microsoft, and once he left, Paul Allen never entered Microsoft again, not even passing by the door of Microsoft.

He was heartbroken.

"Of course, this is not just the reason why you left Microsoft. You and Bill Gates have different management styles. He is high-pressure, you are gentle, he is cold and ruthless, you are gentle, and you two should be complementary. Unfortunately, his control is too strong!" Lin Feng sighed.

If Paul Allen was still in Microsoft, I'm afraid Microsoft would be even more terrible now, instead of just living off its old capital like it is now. You should know that Paul Allen is the most famous investor in the United States. He invests in 30 industries on average every year, and invests at least $5 million in each industry. Of course, some of these industries make money and some lose money. For example, he made $75 million by investing in AOL. And he lost $8 billion by investing in ACI.

Of course, if you look closely, Paul Allen invested in ACI by selling his AOL shares. After all, the investment in this business is too big. And who could have expected that if he did not invest in ACI, and only held ACI for another five years, the ACI shares he held at that time would bring him a net profit return of $40 billion. However, although Paul Allen's investment in ACI was an extremely failed investment in terms of return ratio, his vision was very accurate.

The integration of three networks is a development trend. Unfortunately, when Paul Allen invested, his vision was too advanced, and no one in that era expected the arrival of the integration of three networks. So, his investment failed. But his philosophy and his grasp of the future direction of technological development are not wrong.

On the contrary, Steve Ballmer can only be regarded as an operator. He cannot lead Microsoft to continue to climb to the top. And now Bill Gates has lost his entrepreneurial passion and motivation. Microsoft is no longer magical.

As for why Lin Feng invited Paul Allen to join, in addition to attacking Microsoft, what is more important is that he saw Paul Allen's keen sense of the future direction of technological development. He was able to build his current family business by relying on "memory", the memory of the future, and this memory will be used up in a few years. What will happen after it is used up? What should I do? I am not a very capable person. At least for the future direction of technological development and future changes in the situation, I am very ordinary and have no ability. By then, I may soon be forgotten by everyone.

Lin Feng does not want this, so he must absorb all kinds of outstanding talents. Paul Allen is the partner that Lin Feng is looking at. His overall view and his keen investment vision are what Lin Feng needs. Lin Feng has carefully analyzed the industries that Paul Allen has invested in over the years. From today's perspective, 95% of the hundreds of industries that Paul Allen has invested in over the years are profitable, and can even lead the direction of a certain field. It's just that it was too advanced at the time, and Paul Allen didn't have absolute funds to operate and make it bigger and stronger. Or, Paul Allen himself has been living with the attitude of enjoying life since he got sick and left Microsoft. His interest in investment is a hobby, not a profession, so he sells it when he loses money, and he also sells it when he makes money. If Paul Allen really wants to do a certain business, Lin Feng believes that he can still run it well.

It would be too much if he doesn't dig this kind of person over.

"Mr. Lin, to be honest, your understanding of me is far beyond my imagination. I must admit that what you said is all right. However, there is a question. Your 'Pangu System' cannot impress me. I don't think it will definitely surpass 'Microsoft' and 'Apple'. If I cooperate with you, I will be cursed by the masses, and Bill will be angry. Although I am happy to see him jumping, you must give me a reason why I must cooperate with you!" Paul Allen looked at Lin Feng expectantly.

As one of the founders of 'Microsoft', Paul Allen has a complicated heart. But he has no good feelings for Bill Gates. This guy has too strong control and is too unkind. He would be happy to give Bill Gates a little blow. Of course, if Lin Feng's 'Pangu System' is really better and better than the 'Microsoft' operating system, he would also be happy to see it. After all, society needs competition, and no company is eternal. Over the years, he has invested in so many industries and has long understood this truth.

Lin Feng smiled.

"Mr. Allen, what do you think of the 'Pangu system'?" Lin Feng asked.

Paul Allen thought for a moment.

"Regarding your 'Pangu', I think it's a good attempt. The 'Microsoft' system has always been all-encompassing, and the company's policy has always been moving towards integration. Therefore, 'e', ​​browsers, and video players are all integrated into the system. However, your 'Pangu' takes a different approach and only serves game entertainment, which is also the main demand for personal computers in the 21st century. This is a good starting point, and it can occupy a certain market share when the 'Microsoft' system dominates the market. But your 'Pangu' lacks software. At present, major software companies and 'Microsoft' have a very good cooperation, and they are unlikely to offend 'Microsoft' for your 'Pangu'. Especially, you are a Chinese!" Paul Allen said bluntly.

"Although all countries in the world firmly deny racial discrimination and never support it, racial discrimination has always existed in this world. Without absolute benefits, you cannot get the support of Western companies. At present, most Chinese software companies are not strong enough to support you. Of course, China's Kingsoft is willing to launch the 'Pangu version' of office software, which is a perfect compensation for your system. But it is far from enough!" Paul Allen sighed.

"So, Mr. Allen, I came to invite you to become the president of the 'Second World' application software department, and also serve as the vice president of the 'Second World'!" Lin Feng said sincerely, "I wonder if you are willing?" (To be continued)m