"Apple is willing to waive the deposit, but they're sticking to a 10% service fee. We're still at a deadlock; our target is 3%, so there's a significant gap to bridge," Tyler reported to Nick.
Nick nodded as he processed the numbers. "That's progress. Close the deal as soon as you can. Don't sweat the small margins right now; our eyes are on the total market share. Besides, having this agreement in place will make our eventual move into overseas markets a whole lot smoother."
"They're feeling the heat now. I'm confident I can squeeze that number down a bit more. Don't worry, I'll have ink on paper before the shopping festival kicks off. It won't mess with our 618 strategy," Tyler promised.
Nick leaned back, looking thoughtful. "You used the court of public opinion to back them into a corner this time, but that leaves a mark on our reputation in the industry. Other tech giants might be a little more guarded when they sit down across from us in the future."
Tyler looked a bit sheepish. "I was seeing red at the time. I'll admit, I had a bit of 'poster's remorse' after I hit send on that X thread. But look, what's done is done. They were trying to shake us down, and I just called them out on it."
Nick waved it off and turned to Giovanni, the CFO. "The revenue from the major e-commerce platforms should be hitting our accounts soon. I need your team to crunch the numbers and give me a clear picture of our liquid capital."
Giovanni nodded. "On it. We'll start the audit the second the transfers clear and have a report on your desk ASAP."
Nick offered a quick smile before turning to Taylor. "You've got your work cut out for you. We can't let up on recruiting, especially on the engineering side. I won't have our military projects stalled because we're short-staffed."
"We're trying. Our two talent scouts are hitting all the major tech hubs right now," Taylor explained. "But like you said, the filter is tight. We get thousands of resumes, but very few make the cut. Finding high-level talent willing to relocate to Tampa and meet our security standards is a tall order."
Since the company's inception, Taylor's team had brought in some solid people, but the pace of Nick's innovation was simply outrunning the hiring pipeline. Militech was still the "new kid on the block," and it was hard to win a bidding war against the prestige of Silicon Valley.
Faced with a dry talent pool, Taylor had shifted his strategy toward fresh grads. They lacked the miles, but they were hungry, proactive, and didn't have to "unlearn" bad habits from other corporate cultures. Taylor's plan was to recruit the brightest young minds, put them through a Militech boot camp, and pair them with senior mentors to get them up to speed.
Once the new office buildings were finished, Taylor planned to launch a massive internship program to build their talent from the ground up.
"Maybe we should bump the signing bonuses or the base pay. Everyone has a price," Nick suggested.
Taylor shook his head. "Our comp packages are already top-tier. The issue isn't the money; it's the brand. Elite engineers want to know the company has a ten-year roadmap. But as the H1 keeps dominating the charts and our name gets out there, the 'cool factor' is starting to do the work for us."
The room shared a laugh. It was a visible shift. A few months ago, telling someone you worked at Militech Technology got you a blank stare. Now, employees were finding themselves getting hit up by old friends asking about job openings and benefit packages.
That growth was breeding a new sense of pride in the office. There's a specific kind of thrill in watching a startup go from a garage operation to a market leader, knowing that as the company scales, so do your own career prospects.
"Alright, that covers the big stuff. Anything else?" Nick asked, looking to wrap things up.
Wallace Gregory, the head of Security, cleared his throat. "Nick, I'm not comfortable with just you and Ryan heading to Miami. Let me put at least one more Tier-1 guy on your detail."
"I'll be fine with just Ryan. I'm going to a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Wallace, not a war zone," Nick said, dismissing the concern with a wave.
Under Wallace's leadership, the Security Department had become a formidable force, staffed largely by elite veterans. Between them and the newly formed Compliance Office, the building was now a fortress.
This upgraded security had allowed them to pass the preliminary audit for their Defense Industry Security Clearance. Once the new buildings were operational, the feds would return for a final inspection. Passing that would grant them a Level 2 Clearance, allowing the company to handle classified government data—a massive milestone for their defense contracts.
"What about a personal assistant?" Tyler cut in. "You're the CEO of a multi-million dollar firm; you shouldn't be handling your own scheduling and paperwork. You need a gatekeeper."
Nick realized Tyler had a point. Handling the logistics of a growing empire was starting to eat into his lab time. "Fine. Find me someone who's fast, sharp, and efficient."
"I'll pull the best candidates tomorrow," Sarah added with a wink.
The idea of a secretary had been floated before, but Nick had always relied on Kacy, his custom-tuned version of the H1 assistant. Kacy was leagues ahead of the consumer version—faster, smarter, and capable of managing Nick's entire digital life. She was essentially a private butler without a physical body. But as the company moved into the big leagues, even Nick had to admit that sometimes, you just need a human in the room.