Perhaps Musk's protagonist aura was too strong; Shi Hongwen originally wanted to snatch PayPal, but instead, due to his own self-destructive actions, he turned his startup project into a pirated music download software.
That's fine; with He Zhengcheng, his friend wouldn't end up singing 'Iron Window Tears' (a metaphor for being in jail). However, Google's fundraising still gave him a huge surprise.
During these two months, whenever he had free time, He Zhengcheng would go to Google and chat with the two founders.
Although he couldn't help with the technology, he offered many suggestions for improvement from the perspective of user needs, such as getting Google's clean homepage ready in advance. The one who designed Google's homepage was Zhi Ling, whom he had always thought of.
That's right, even though he didn't go to Toronto to see Zhi Ling, he still managed to contact this charming and beautiful lady.
The Google homepage, developed under He Zhengcheng's guidance, greatly satisfied the two Stanford high achievers. Having gained their approval, he harbored even greater ambitions.
The Silicon Valley of today was not without search engines; on the contrary, there were many search engine companies: Yahoo, Lycos, Alta Vista, and Excite, with whom Google had acquisition rumors.
"Why did you originally want to sell the company to Excite?" He Mouren asked.
"No money, what else could it be for?" Larry Page replied.
"Don't you feel it's a pity? I think Google has a great future," He Zhengcheng felt like he was about to collapse. A company with a market value of over a trillion dollars, and you actually wanted to sell it? Are you even human?
"If you want it, we'll sell it to you cheap!" Sergey Brin said.
"..." He Zhengcheng was tempted, but quickly realized he wasn't a 'Dragon Overlord' and wouldn't assume he was omnipotent.
"Google's technological attributes are too strong. I don't understand technology, so I can only place my hopes on others. Rather than acquiring Google, it's better to invest in Google," He Zhengcheng confessed.
"Google is very short on cash right now. It would be great if you could invest in us, but have you considered that we still haven't found a profit model and might go bankrupt?"
"Everything has risks. For the sake of an ideal, I am willing to bear the risk of investing in Google. Moreover, I believe the chances of success are greater than the possibility of failure," He Zhengcheng knew that Google's growth speed was incredibly fast, and missing it might mean missing it forever.
For this day, he had made many efforts. After getting to know Google Duo, he didn't rush to invest in Google, but instead tried to deepen his influence in the hearts of Google Duo.
The future of Google involved huge interests. If they couldn't form mutual trust, they might be jointly forced out of Google by other capital along the way. If the interests were too great, his investment in Google might even go to waste.
Therefore, maintaining a good relationship with the founders was crucial, and his own growth was also very important. Neither could be neglected.
Thus, during these months of communication, He Zhengcheng's thinking became clearer, and his interactions with Google Duo also had increasingly defined goals. Their ideas began to merge through repeated collisions.
"What kind of company do you ultimately want Google to be? Have you decided?"
"We've decided: to be a different internet technology company in Silicon Valley! To become an enterprise that 'does no evil,'" Page and Brin said with solemn expressions.
"But doing that will be very hard!" He Zhengcheng kindly advised, wondering why he had shouted the slogan 'do no evil' before, leading them to adopt it.
"Life always has challenges, and we also want to try new things. Even if Google fails, we won't have gained nothing," Page seemed to have consumed a lot of 'toxic chicken soup' (meaning, overly optimistic or unrealistic advice).
"Alright then, let's work hard together for our dream!" He Zhengcheng suddenly felt very 'chuunibyou' (a Japanese term for a teenager who has delusions of grandeur), but someone else was even more so.
"Work hard together!" Brin raised his fist. Chuunibyou is not a disease, but it needs to be cured.
"Since that's the case, let's talk about the shares. First, let's establish a principle: the founders should ideally not lose control, at least not while you still have passion.
And a piece of advice: never underestimate the power of capital. They will have many ways to force people to comply," He Zhengcheng said.
"But as funding continues, it's very common for founders to lose control in Silicon Valley," Page replied.
"Bill Gates of Microsoft retained control, which is why Microsoft has been able to be powerful until now, and will likely continue to be powerful.
There are many counter-examples, the most famous being Steve Jobs' Apple. Never mind, if you lose control, I will withdraw then too," He Zhengcheng stated.
"Then how can we ensure our control over Google while also raising funds?" Brin asked, bewildered.
"I've thought of two methods. One is to control the pace of fundraising, raising funds when the market is good and we have ample capital. The other is an AB share structure, meaning the founders' shares have 10 times the voting power of ordinary shares," He Zhengcheng explained.
"The former requires very high skill, the latter is highly feasible!" Page exclaimed.
"Then let's use that as our guiding principle for fundraising!" Brin declared.
"Alright, now that these issues are sorted, let's talk about my investment. I can put in a maximum of 5 million US dollars. The question is, how much equity are you prepared to give me, or rather, how much do you think Google is worth right now?" He Zhengcheng said seriously.
"How much is Google worth?" Page and Brin both hesitated.
During these past few months, they had come to regard He Zhengcheng as a friend, and under his guidance, they had gradually solidified their ideas. But when it came to interests, things were different.
"Google is valued at 50 million US dollars!" Brin blurted out.
"You really dare to name your price. Don't be so ruthless, okay?" He Zhengcheng rolled his eyes.
Brin didn't feel embarrassed; friends were friends, business was business.
"How about this: I'll put in 3 million for 10% equity, or 5 million for 15% equity.
At the same time, I promise to fully support you in obtaining super voting rights in the future," He Zhengcheng offered the classic 'two-choice' option, plus an additional benefit.
"Let's discuss it!" Page said with difficulty.
"Okay, but don't make it too difficult. If you're not satisfied with the price, you can also initiate Series A funding. I can participate in your funding plan along with other venture capital firms. This won't affect our friendship," He Zhengcheng said, then left, giving Google Duo space to discuss.
The two didn't make him wait long; they came out quickly.
"We've decided: 3 million for 10% equity," Page walked over and gave the answer.
"Pleasure working with you!" He Zhengcheng smiled and extended his hand.
"Pleasure working with you!" Brin responded.
It was finally a success. He Zhengcheng had been busy for a long time for this day, but when he signed the contract, all the hard work and fatigue vanished. All this effort was worth it.