Neither Michael Eisner and Michael Ovitz's plans to enter Silicon Valley nor the early drafting of the Communications Decency Act, which was moved up by a year from its original timeline, can be considered coincidences.
With the current state of the U.S., where the internet penetration rate far surpasses that of any other country, calling it the Information Age is no exaggeration.
In this new era, the focus of attention, whether from the general public or the government, has shifted accordingly.
Since the joint marketing campaign for the "Information Age" by several major companies at the end of last year, many of the most eye-catching news items in the U.S. media, not just in January but also in February of 1995, are still related to new technology.
During the following weekend, Simon met with Eisner and Ovitz and quickly finalized the deal for Egret Venture Capital to acquire 20% of their planned professional networking site for a startup investment of $5 million.
That same weekend, Microsoft announced that it would officially release Windows 95 on March 10, a date five months earlier than in the original timeline. In fact, the beta version of Windows 95 had already been circulating worldwide since last year through various channels.
In last year's Windows 3.2, Microsoft, prompted by Simon, had introduced the groundbreaking "Start" menu, which received very positive user feedback.
However, the latest Windows 95 system not only made the operating system simpler and more user-friendly but also featured comprehensive upgrades in networking, peripheral support, and graphics. Most importantly, it introduced a more powerful 32-bit system, which further pushed Microsoft ahead of its biggest competitor, Apple, leaving it far behind.
Due to widespread optimism about Microsoft's Windows 95, its stock surged by 1.9% on the first trading day after the announcement, February 13, bringing its market value to $128.1 billion.
In contrast, Apple's market value had plummeted from its peak of over $7 billion a few years ago to just $2.8 billion by the close of trading on February 13, a decline of more than 60%.
Since Simon had acquired Pixar early on, the studio's success was no longer associated with Steve Jobs. Without this aura, as Apple continued to decline, no one even thought of inviting Jobs, who had also faced business failures in recent years, to return to lead the company.
Simon, having already made arrangements for many things, had no intention of intervening this time.
While Simon was mindful of Microsoft's meteoric rise, he wasn't completely unprepared.
In recent years, Gates had become increasingly resistant to the Westeros system. Even with the launch of Windows 95, Gates had still refused to make IE the default browser for the system. Egret also remained firm in not granting Microsoft any licensing for browser patents.
Moreover, Microsoft directly copied Egret's online software store model, incorporating its own desktop software store into the new system. It was inevitable that the two companies would soon face a legal battle.
Given the openness of the Windows system—at least compared to Apple's more closed operating system—Simon never viewed the software store business as core to Egret. With the improving internet environment, users could easily download software directly from official websites. Likewise, some developers would prefer to bypass Egret's store, which took a cut, and sell directly to consumers.
Gates undoubtedly understood this as well.
Launching a software store was likely his attempt to retaliate against being excluded from the core of the internet industry, even as Microsoft dominated the PC operating system space.
Due to the growing friction between the two, Egret's Linux team had quietly been developing a free PC version of the operating system, waiting for the right moment to release it.
The next hurdle Simon needed to overcome was the issue of patents.
Microsoft, having entered the market early, had secured a vast number of software patents related to operating systems, creating a solid patent wall. This was, in fact, the reason other operating systems struggled to gain a foothold.
However, Microsoft wasn't the earliest—Apple was.
Everyone knew that.
Therefore, by acquiring Apple, Simon could obtain numerous patents essential for competing with Microsoft, including many core ones. This would mean that whether in desktop operating systems or future mobile systems, Simon wouldn't have to worry about Microsoft's patent barriers.
While the announcement of Windows 95 had sent Microsoft's stock soaring, Egret was also preparing for some major news of its own.
As the IPO approached, similar to Daenerys Entertainment's public listing last year, Egret would soon fulfill its stock option promises to senior executives and offer stock purchase plans to all employees.
Compared to Daenerys Entertainment, Egret's valuation had now reached the trillion-dollar mark, thanks to various developments.
Publicly, the most eye-catching figure was the combined 17% equity allocation for Egret's four giants: Tim Berners-Lee, Jeff Bezos, Carol Bartz, and Alice Ferguson. Based on a valuation of $100 billion, this equity was worth $17 billion.
If the equity rewards for Tim Berners-Lee and the other two were fully realized, the pre-IPO stock value alone would be worth $5 billion each, placing them in the top ten of Forbes' 400 wealthiest Americans.
It's worth noting that on last year's Forbes 400 list, while Simon's wealth towered above the rest, only six individuals had personal fortunes exceeding $5 billion. After those six, wealth dropped below $5 billion, with the five Walton family members tied for 9th to 13th place, each with a fortune of $4.3 billion.
Now, many media outlets were speculating whether Simon would fully honor his equity reward commitments to his executives. Even though his personal wealth had skyrocketed, the total amount was still staggering. Moreover, under the terms of their contracts, the executives weren't even due to receive their shares until next year.
If Simon didn't want to give away too much to these executives, there were many ways he could maneuver.
However, such a move would likely lead to significant unrest within Egret, potentially causing key executives to resign en masse and initiate legal battles, throwing the fast-moving tech company into chaos.
Furthermore, even if he resolved the issue with the four giants, it would be impossible to be too stingy with the rest of the management and employees who had also contributed significantly to Egret's growth in recent years.
The four giants already held 17%, with Goldman Sachs and Morgan owning 10%, and rumors suggesting 20% would be sold in the IPO. This meant Simon's stake would shrink to just 53%. If too much stock were given to employees, even with dual-class share structures ensuring control, Simon's ownership would inevitably fall below 50% post-IPO.
Losing majority ownership would introduce uncertainties into the Westeros system's absolute control over Egret.
Malibu, Dume Point Estate.
It was February 13.
After lunch, the residents of Shell Villa were packing their bags.
Tomorrow was Valentine's Day.
This year, Simon planned to spend the day with both Jennys in Miami, Florida. It was a private time for mom and dad, with no room for the little ones, so Veronica had come over to help take care of the children.
Since her identity had been revealed last year, Veronica had made fewer appearances at Dume Point Estate.
Simon knew this was likely Janet's doing.
The couple shared a tacit understanding not to discuss the matter.
Their Miami home had already been prepped by staff the previous day, and with everything they needed already there, the three didn't have much luggage to bring.
At 1:30 PM, Veronica, carrying little Nick in one arm and holding Melbourne's hand with the other, accompanied by the Indian maid and a somewhat distracted Seattle, came to see the trio off.
After saying their goodbyes, the assistant, who hadn't been apart from her child since giving birth two years ago, meticulously reminded them of a few more things before joining Simon and Janet in the car.
If no urgent matters arose, this Valentine's vacation would last until next Monday. Besides Miami, they also planned to visit the Bahamas.
Their entourage was large.
In addition to Simon, his wife, and their assistant, there were 50 bodyguards, both overt and covert, as well as a team of over 20 maids.
Simon didn't mind the fanfare.
Even though he had taken several strong measures last year to make his stance clear, his prominence continued to attract hostility, and the attempts on his life hadn't stopped. In the first month and a half of this year, there had already been three intrusion attempts at Dume Point Estate, averaging one every two weeks.
Last year's drastic actions were meant to send a message, but Simon couldn't always use extreme measures. These recent incidents had been handled quietly, with some even being handed over to the FBI.
Out of an instinctive caution, Simon had originally suggested that the three of them travel on at least two separate planes, but both Jennys objected. So, they all boarded the same Boeing 767.
In the front cabin of the Boeing 767.
Once the plane had smoothly ascended, and the accompanying Zoe and Isabel had brought coffee before leaving, Janet quickly pulled out a videotape and inserted it into the player. The wall-mounted television soon displayed a solo ballet performance by Shulshikina, accompanied by "Bach's Last Day."
Grabbing the remote, Janet leaned back on the reclining sofa near the window and pointed at the TV, complaining to Jenny on the other side: "Look at her, they say this enchantress has gone mad because of this dance. If Simon told her to die, she probably wouldn't hesitate. Jenny, you have 'Blizzard,' but what do I have? Nothing!"
As she spoke, she grabbed Simon's hand and playfully bit down on it.
Simon had been reviewing a proposal from James
Rehbold on Egret's stock option plan, but with his right hand now in Janet's grip, he set the papers aside, letting her nibble for a while before joking, "Just consider this ballet your gift."
Janet didn't let go, mumbling through her bites, "That's such a cop-out. I don't want it."
The assistant, Jenny, smiled at the scene, tempted to bite as well but restrained herself, waiting a moment before chiming in: "How about Simon composes a song for you too? It's not hard for him."
Simon shook his hand free of Janet's teeth and defended himself: "You already have one—'Flight of the Bumblebee.' Everyone knows that."
Janet replied, "But that's not an original."
Simon half-jokingly said, "None of these are original. The ghosts around me told me about them."
Jenny's eyes twinkled at this remark, while Janet didn't seem to mind at all, snuggling up to Simon and saying, "Well, those ghosts have no use for it, so just give me another one. It has to be good."
Simon nodded. "Sure, I'll think of something. We'll talk about it when we get to Miami."
Janet pressed further, "And I want you to personally direct the music video."
Simon agreed easily. "No problem. We should have enough time over the next few days."
Satisfied with his answer, Janet then remembered what Simon had said earlier: "Darling, are there really ghosts on our plane?"
Simon pretended to look around before pointing to a corner: "There, there's one right over there, smiling at you."
"Ah!" Janet playfully pretended to be scared and snuggled closer to Simon. Then she asked, "Is it a man or a woman?"
"A woman."
"Pretty?"
"Not really."
"Good. Let's make love in front of her later to make her jealous."
"…"
"Heh."
Jenny watched the two with amusement, a trace of envy in her eyes as a line of Chinese poetry Simon once mentioned floated into her mind.
If only life were always like the first meeting.
Over the years, many things had changed, even for the couple beside her. But their intimacy remained as fresh as the first time they met.
Their relationship was indeed unusual.
Despite the increasing number of women in Simon's life, whenever he was with them, Jenny could still feel his genuine affection. Perhaps that was Simon's strength—he could truly love many women at once, while they could only love him.
These thoughts brought a smile to her lips.
She hadn't changed either.
After all these years, she was still his loyal companion.
As long as he continued to love them, and Janet's feelings for him remained, Jenny was confident she could do the same.
At heart, she was a strong woman.
Though, she had already lost to Janet.
But she wouldn't lose any more.
So, she nestled closer to Simon, quietly listening to their banter, content with just that. Sensing her emotions, Simon wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. Her cheek rested against his shoulder, and as Janet expressed her discontent, she even playfully teased her.
Janet bared her teeth, about to pounce, when the cabin suddenly shook violently.
With a small squeal, Janet curled up like a cat next to Simon, her eyes not showing fear but a strange excitement. "Simon, are we going to die?"
Simon held both women close and chuckled. "It's just turbulence."
The captain's voice soon came over the intercom.
It was indeed turbulence, and passengers were advised to remain seated and avoid bumping into anything.
The shaking continued for more than a minute.
Held by Simon, Jenny had initially been frightened. But when she noticed Janet's gaze, she too found herself with an odd sense of anticipation.
Whether it was a relief or a disappointment, the shaking eventually stopped.
The three of them remained silent for a long time, each seemingly lost in the recent brush with danger.
Although he had suggested they travel separately, Simon realized he wasn't as afraid as he thought. Having lived two lives, he felt he had no regrets. Besides, he had already set plans in motion for many things, with no loose ends left behind.
Simon wasn't as self-destructive as Janet deep down, but after arriving in Miami, he made another decision in light of the experience: to purchase two more Boeing 767s.
Given various considerations, buying a large Boeing 747, as originally planned, wasn't ideal at the moment. However, adding two more 767s was feasible. Simon's reasoning was simple—while he and the two Jennys could be on the same plane in the future, he would never again allow his entire family to fly together like this.
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