Three days!
Kyle Page's stay in Baltimore was only three days, and it could only be three days, because the various industries under his name were simply too numerous.
At the end of February, Kyle led his team and arrived smoothly in Seattle aboard his private jet, a boeing 767 (lola).
"Boss, your stay in Seattle this time is expected to last for half a month."
"1. The first phase of the Page Industrial Park was successfully completed a week ago. Your arrival in Seattle is to participate in the completion and inspection ceremony of the first phase;"
"2. LinkedIn Corporation, whose current headquarters is in Silicon Valley, will be among the first batch of industries to relocate and move into the Page Industrial Park;"
"3. Additionally, a total of 39 companies and enterprises are in the first batch to move into the industrial park, and these also require your personal signature, Boss;"
"4. LinkedIn was established in March 1998 and has been running for three years. In a few days, a celebration for its 3rd anniversary will be held;"
"5. Three days after the LinkedIn 3rd anniversary ceremony, the Series A financing and expansion meeting will also be held as scheduled;"
... "21. You are required to attend the charity gala hosted by the Seattle municipal government."
Little Baggio Lister, a member of the think tank, spoke in a steady and unhurried manner.
The various itineraries numbered as many as 21 items, yet the time left for Kyle was only half a month. For a moment, even Kyle felt his scalp go numb.
This is so frustrating!
As his industries grew and his personal wealth continued to skyrocket, while it made Kyle very happy and proud, the heavy workload was also a major headache.
"It seems my personal assistant team and think tank team need to be expanded further. It's predictable that in the future, the levels, types, quantity, and scale of the industries I'm involved in will expand significantly. By then, I'll be worked to death."
Kyle couldn't help but smile bitterly.
As of now, the personal assistant team, legal team, security team, financial management team, corporate management team, and think tank team serving Kyle... totaled 73 members.
The salaries paid to these 73 people alone amounted to as much as $25 million every year.
In the future, this expenditure would continue to grow.
In 2015, Fortune Magazine disclosed a set of data:
Larry Ellison, chairman of Oracle, spent as much as $60 million every year on his private service team;
For Mark Zuckerberg, chairman of Facebook, setting aside his private legal and financial teams for a moment, his personal security costs alone were no less than $10 million per year;
Jeff Bezos, the chairman of Amazon, paid even more for his private team's annual salaries. Starting from 2012, the expenses for his private team were no less than $60 million per year... Thinking of these sets of data... even the habitually stingy and miserly Kyle couldn't help but understand why these billionaires were willing to shell out such huge sums.
There was no other way!
Without the assistance of these private teams, Kyle could be worked to death several times over and still wouldn't be able to properly manage such a vast number of industries... They arrived at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Othels Teosid, one of the members of the think tank and its only female member—a former vice president of Paris No. 3 Investment Company in France—was already waiting there leading a group from Kyle's private team.
"Boss!"
"Mr. Page!"
The members of the private team all greeted Kyle together as they saw him arrive, their attitudes very enthusiastic.
When you're eating from the bowl Kyle provides, you must pay attention to your attitude.
As for those arrogant elites who gave Kyle the cold shoulder or considered themselves geniuses, there wasn't a single one. Well, Kyle didn't need those kinds of people anyway.
Talent is abundant sometimes; it's not like the world can't function without you!
"Boss, I have already made arrangements at the hotel. Also, Mr. Elon, the Deputy Mayor in charge of Seattle's finance and economic development, would like to invite you to dinner," Ms. Othels said.
Kyle: "Call Mr. Elon for me and thank him for the invitation, but not today. I'm very tired."
Ms. Othels: "Yes, Boss."
This was the current Kyle!
Never mind a Deputy Mayor of Seattle; even a state governor, or even a federal judge or the President—given Kyle's status and influence today, he had the right to say 'no' to anyone. After a few years of operation, Kyle was already a genuine big shot.
Especially his influence in the media made many politicians across the U.S. dare not ignore Kyle's power!
Kyle and his entourage quickly left the airport, however... such a massive team lineup still filled countless people inside and outside the airport with infinite sighs of admiration.
"Kyle Page?"
"That's right, it's him!"
"I never imagined that a small merchant who started by selling movie merchandise could grow to such a scale in just a few short years."
"Who says otherwise? Movies, music, TV stations, media, internet, real estate, finance, manufacturing... his industries span dozens of fields. He's truly amazing! Well, one can't help but admire how young and successful he is."
"Not to mention anything else, just ten days or so ago, he stirred up a storm in the Japan financial market and raked in $1.3 billion in a single day. That alone shows how formidable he is!"
"Lord! How much do You favor this young man?!"
...Many people were discussing fervently.
At the same time, another flight successfully arrived in Seattle.
Felix Luca, the vice president of Adidas who had come all the way from Germany, had not given up even though he had been rejected by Kyle.
And so, he had chased him all the way to Seattle!
"Mr. Luca, are we really going to continue?" an Adidas elite asked with a raised eyebrow.
$140 million was rejected;
$170 million was rejected again;
They offered $50 million based on a total valuation of $200 million just to take a 25% stake in Under Armour, but were still rejected;
Even Adidas's arch-rival Nike had given up on the decision to acquire Under Armour.
However... whether it was Luca himself or the Adidas headquarters, they still hadn't given up despite being rejected several times.
As the saying goes: You torture us a thousand times, yet I still treat you like my first love.
"Mr. Luca, Kyle Page was very clear that he has no intention of accepting investment. Does our trip have any meaning?" another person questioned.
"Heh~"
Hearing this, Luca gave a cold laugh and said, "Put away those little thoughts of yours. It's just a few rejections and a few days of time, and you're giving up so easily? A bunch of cowards! Remember, if you say such things again, you can all get lost!"
Luca was not a person who gave up easily.
At this moment, although he still didn't understand Kyle's thoughts, he had still chased him here.
This was not just Luca's personal idea, but also the decision of the Adidas headquarters.