March 3.
Just as Billy had predicted, Disney's stock dropped two points—an excellent price. Still, as complicated as it was, buying millions of shares at that value was no easy task. It was nearly impossible to capitalize an entire company of that size unless he had $13 billion in clean assets ready to spend. For now, he simply had to wait for everything to bear fruit.
–The investment in this new animation is $43 million. Spirit,– Roy Disney whispered, present to propose what he saw as one of the strongest alliances possible: the acquisition of Pixar. Creating their own 3D company was out of the question—they had to buy it.
–I think we need to look at the prosperity of this business. It's tough to compete with someone who instinctively knows this venture won't flourish. That's a challenge we must address when executing such a move,– said Sanford Litvack, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Disney, who had often handled the legal end of Disney's aggressive acquisitions.
–Billy is different. As he grows, he refines his mistakes, understands the value of his work, and carries a deep resentment against those who've crossed him. He recently received a $300 million payment from Warner and has worked lucratively with Regency Agents, snatching up several distribution projects. He'll likely continue forming a community deal with Regency, effectively pulling a major studio away from Warner. And with his efforts in television, he's dismantled animated operations and poached their staff,– added Stanley Gold, who deeply understood the young man's methods.
–Not to mention his ongoing partnerships with Universal, Paramount… and a potential one with Sony,– Stanley Gold added.
It was hard to keep up with the way things kept shifting. When they did, the media were all over it. The boy danced between high-powered executives. Curiously, he invited members of Microsoft—a tech company barely known five years ago—along with other lesser-known names like Larry Ellison and Steve Jobs, both present in the audience.
How much would they offer for Pixar? Enough to live a lifetime recklessly burning through money.
…
–I plan to invest a considerable sum in Apple. Now that we've purged everything that doesn't serve us, it's time to reorganize our company around what we want: to build the best computers on the market, create our own ecosystem—software, hardware—and, of course, enter the mobile phone, MP3, and online app markets,– Billy said.
–You're considering a business like that?– asked Steve Jobs, calculated and perfected, a business shark who understood risk like few others.
–Do you doubt my ideas? I'm certain that in the next decade, we'll become one of the richest companies. We'll strike deals with the Irish government and Montana, shifting production to those regions because of their favorable economic conditions,– said Billy.
–You're planning to…–
–We'll send a negotiator. Your job is to present the perfect vision, the dream of a country or a state. We need economic aid, targeted support. Just drive the people around us insane with inspiration,– Billy said.
–Then let's smile for the cameras. But… where did you get the money?– asked Steve Jobs.
–Just wait for it. For now, I'm eyeing a few acquisitions that could give us strong security, like SanDisk, with its memory cards. I also want to buy camera companies to integrate their tech into our phones and computers,– Billy replied.
–An ambitious plan.–
–Holding companies, subsidiaries, and tight administrative control—turning Apple into a conglomerate is just a step. But the tech world needs our help,– Billy replied.
Waving to the cameras, each of them took their position, feeding egos, mingling with celebrities, basking in the spotlight of earned success. That fleeting success seemed merely a means to earn further recognition.
–I heard you're working on partnerships with every top 50 university in the U.S.,– Steve Jobs remarked.
–Education is the future, now more than ever,– Billy said.
–So, you've got a plan,– Jobs responded. He was familiar with the Stanford deals—strong partnerships involving investments in student startups, donations for competitions, thesis support, and more.
–I do. I want to promote technology, science, animation, and computer science,– said Billy. Monica walked up with her signature smile, black lipstick, and a white dress. –For now, I'm partnered with three schools—Stanford, Berkeley, and MIT—plus two public universities in San Jose.–
–I can see that,– Jobs replied, recognizing the value of academic proximity for tech companies.
–We should head inside,– Billy said, nodding toward Monica. Everything was in place, yet so much remained uncertain.
…
–Lately, I only follow your premieres,– Monica said, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. She laughed when she saw the black lipstick mark she left.
–I realized I haven't been to your fashion shows in days,– Billy whispered, as the opening scenes of the animated film began. Down below sat Jobs with his young children, not older than six, watched over by their mother, always quick to help, holding three in her arms.
Rated for all audiences
–So?– asked Monica.
–I'll go with you. Don't think I'm blind to the fact that you're in every fashion magazine these days,– said Billy.
–Would you come with me to the Met Gala in June?– she asked.
–If it's possible, I'll take you,– said Billy. –I'd love to fly private, with you as my muse, my delight,– he finished in Italian, prompting her to laugh. Not long ago, he had started sprinkling in Italian phrases, and it was clear he was steadily improving.
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