Chapter 205 BlackRock
Los Angeles, Palisade.
The mansion that occupies an entire hillside was brightly lit tonight, and Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver held a grand thank-you party at their home.
Hawke and Bryan come together.
Schwarzenegger stopped the two of them and chatted alone for a while. He also specifically told Daniel Ketchel to entertain Hawke and Brian well.
As the new assistant to the governor, Daniel had a private chat with Hawke. When the new state government is formed, it will launch an official Twitter and make Twitter the state government's first choice for online media cooperation.
This was no empty talk. He reminded Hawke that he would send someone to contact the governor's office as soon as possible after going to work next week.
Watching Hawke and Brian enter the banquet hall.
Steven Zhang, the media and public relations director of the new governor's office, wondered: "This person is very young, is he 25 years old?"
Daniel looked solemn: "He is the founder of Twitter."
Many people in the California Elephant Party know that Brian Ferguson performed outstandingly this time and opened up a breakthrough twice. He is one of the key figures in the success of the recall casting.
But a few core personnel also knew something. Behind the new mayor of Covina, there was an even more powerful figure named Hawk Osment.
Without Hawke Osment, there would be no Bryan Ferguson.
Entering the banquet hall, Hawke met Roger Ailes, chairman of the Fox Television Network, in a circle filled with old men.
Brian also saw it and said: "If we can't talk, we should go to the young people."
He walked towards a man in his thirties: "Introduce a friend to you, like me, from Stanford University."
This man was casually dressed in a suit, without a tie, and had the simplest short brown hair. After seeing Brian, he hugged him.
Brian then introduced both sides: "Hoke, this is Peter Thiel, founder and CEO of Long-Term Capital Management, an alumnus of mine from Stanford Law School. Peter, this is Hawk, West Coast Media and Entertainment Works Founder of Room and Twitter Entertainment ”
Long-term Capital Management, a name that Hawke heard Brian mention a few days ago, is the first priority in support of the new governor's development plan, just like the Ferguson family's Pacific Investment Group.
Peter stepped forward, shook hands with Hawke, and said with a smile: "The last time I visited Pacific Investment, Mary solemnly introduced you to me. I am now also a loyal user of Twitter."
Hawke said politely: "It's my pleasure."
Peter asked: "Are you interested in moving Twitter to Silicon Valley for development? Silicon Valley has a better development environment for Internet companies."
Of course Hawke would not, and said directly: "The conditions provided by Los Angeles are good, and the development prospects of Silicon Beach are also very good."
"When will Twitter raise funds?" Peter was very direct and took out his personal business card: "Be sure to notify me then."
Hawke exchanged business cards with him: "Yes."
Just after Peter Thiel left, several more people came with almost the same purpose. They all expressed their interest in Twitter and their intention to participate in investment.
Today on Twitter, the cake is getting bigger and bigger, naturally attracting people who want to share the cake.
Hawke is now established and has certain connections and power.
Only then can we discuss investment.
Emma Bateson, wearing a goose-yellow evening gown, has been watching.
She entered the banquet hall early with the invitation she obtained through Silicon Valley channels.
Seeing familiar faces from the investment circle and seeing how popular Hawke was, Emma knew that her mission would be arduous.
Seeing that there was no one around Hawke, she took the initiative to find him and introduced herself: "I am Emma Bateson."
Hawke gently shook the hand she extended: "Hawke Osmond."
Emma smiled and said, "I know you, Twitter and West Coast Studios founder."
Hawke looked at this woman for a moment. She looked about twenty-six or seventeen years old, with exquisite makeup and a hot figure.
Thinking of the person he came to before, he asked directly: "Which investment company do you belong to?"
"No, I don't make investments." Emma said with all her glory, "I'm good at doing business strategic planning for people or companies."
As soon as these words came out, Hawke became a little curious. Since the other party knew that he was the founder of Twitter, he must have known about West Coast Media and Entertainment Studio.
He smiled deliberately: "I didn't expect that we were actually traveling together."
Emma said: "People who do strategic planning often have difficulty planning themselves."
She stared at Hawke with a pair of bright eyes: "I am from a Bay Area information consulting company in San Francisco. Are you interested in working together?"
Hawke asked: "Collaboration? Do you want to do strategic planning for me or my company?"
"The Bay Area is the most outstanding consulting company in Silicon Valley." Emma seemed particularly confident: "The total value added of the cases I have handled is more than five billion US dollars, and many company founders have become multi-millionaires and billionaires. ”
Hawke didn't know the company and didn't know if she was bragging, so he complimented casually: "You are amazing."
Emma is like Hawke in some ways. She is proactive and does not wait passively. She looked around the banquet hall and said: "Here, there are at least a dozen people with a net worth of over 100 million dollars, and some with a net worth of billions of dollars. This person in California has a net worth of over 100 million dollars." In this battle, Schwarzenegger seems to be the winner, but in fact they are the winners.”
She tucked her curly red hair behind her ears, revealing her exquisite profile: "They are the ones who can really sit at the table and eat. Don't you want to be one of them? A net worth of billions means starting from a chess piece." Become a chess player and influence California and even the entire United States.”
Emma took a step forward gently, not crossing the social safety line, but also further demonstrating her charm: "A woman like me will have as much as she wants, and Hollywood actresses will throw themselves into her arms like crazy."< br>
"Sounds very tempting." Hawke smelled the smell of Chanel No. 5: "But the development of the company must be done step by step. If the foundation is not solid, it will become a sandcastle."
The other party didn't understand the words talking about eggs, so he didn't say anything.
Emma suggested: "This place is a bit messy. Let's find a place to chat alone?"
Hawke turned his head and glanced at her. This woman had a good figure and face, even better than Bella Thain.
This is Schwarzenegger's territory, not his office, and I don't know where the surveillance cameras are.
Hawke said softly: "If you have anything to say, tell me here."
Emma couldn't force it, so she could only say: "I have contacts with many investment institutions. They have abundant funds, which are not comparable to those of people like Peter Thiel. They can help Twitter quickly expand its scale and seize the global market. In Nas Dak is listed. ”
She knew what career-minded men liked best and had studied Hawke's resume.
How could a bankrupt small farmer's son from Wyoming withstand the temptation of money.
Emma continued: "With the number of active users and development speed of Twitter, coupled with the platform and resource support of large investment institutions, it is not an extravagant expectation for the market value to exceed US$10 billion."
Hawk thought for a while and simply asked: "Which investment institution are you here on behalf of?"
Emma said directly: "BlackRock San Francisco Branch."
Hawke has heard people talk about this company, and he also saw some information on the Internet in his previous life. It is an investment company that was spun off from a subsidiary of the Blackstone Group. It seems that it was only listed in New York in 1999, and its scale is far smaller than that in 2010. after.
And he also knows that BlackRock is heavily blue-leaning.
Sure enough, the donkeys saw the power of Twitter and began to take action.
Hawke would not be stupid enough to refuse on the spot, saying: "What about the investment goals? What about the plan? What about the platform and other resource support? I have not seen these, and I cannot make any reply."
There is a chance to talk without a single refusal. Emma said: "There will be follow-ups. This time, we are just in preliminary contact."
Hawke added: "Twitter has no shortage of investors. You always want me to see your sincerity."
The two chatted for a while, Emma exchanged business cards with him, took the initiative to say goodbye and left.
Hawke found Brian, who was entertaining Schwarzenegger's daughter, Katherine.
The latter kept smiling happily.
Seeing Hawke calling for him, Brian finished in time and came over and said, "That woman just now was very beautiful."
Hawke said: "That's a black widow."
Brian asked: "What's going on?"
"It's almost time, let's go." Hawke noticed that many guests were leaving one after another: "I have something to talk to Mary about."
The two said goodbye to the owner and went to the manor parking lot together.
Edward flashed his lights to alert them to the car's location.
The black bulletproof Mercedes-Benz quickly drove out of Palisade.
Half an hour later, in a bar in Santa Monica, Hawke met Mary Ferguson and Erica Ferguson, who had come with her mother.
Pacific Investment Group, controlled by the former, is Twitter's second largest shareholder. Erica nodded at Hawke. Without any extra words, she went directly to the shop owner and asked for a wine that suited Hawke and her mother's taste. She paid for the boss she knew and sent him away, then went to the door to hang a sign saying it was closed.
Hawke said directly: "BlackRock found a consulting company to contact me and wanted to invest in Twitter."
Mary said: "Although this company is not particularly large, it has grown at an alarming rate in the past few years."
She paused briefly and asked: "What did you think about it?"
Hawke said: "Investment depends not only on money and platform, but also on location. Twitter will definitely need to raise funds, but not BlackRock."
Mary nodded slightly: "I got news that BlackRock and Vanguard Group have formulated a strategy with the donkeys to promote the voices of marginalized people and bring them into the mainstream."
Hawke understood what was going on as soon as he heard it: "Giving them privileges can not only deflect conflicts, but also win their votes. Once these marginalized people seize the opportunity, their ability to cause trouble is much better than ordinary people. ”
If nothing else, if we really want to accept investment from BlackRock, who can bear it if a bunch of LGBIQ people come over?
The company must go bankrupt.
"In the second half of the year, we will conduct our first round of financing," said Hawke.
Mary agreed: "The time is up and Twitter needs more allies and platforms."
"BlackRock, I will not refuse for the time being. I will delay it for a while." Hawke said directly: "I am worried that they will launch a high-level business war and directly attack the physical level."
6◇9◇Book◇Bar
Mary herself is engaged in capital investment, and of course she understands the means of business warfare. As long as the benefits are large enough, she will dare to use any means.
She reminded: “Before raising funds, try to increase the number of active users as much as possible.”
Hawke nodded: "I will."
Mary got up to leave and called Erica: "Go home?"
Erica said openly: "You go first, I won't go back."
Mary said no more and went straight out of Qingba.
Erica brought a bottle of wine over: "Have a drink."
Hawke took a new cup and placed it in front of her: "Drink less, we have to ensure the body's reaction speed."
Erica nodded: "The initial stage of starting a business is always difficult."
The two returned to Hawke's villa together.
Erica opened her locked closet, pulled out a set of yoga clothes, pushed Hawk outside and changed into clothes.
This night, Hawke fully experienced the flexibility of Erica's body.
Early the next morning, after sending Erica to the police detective station, Hawke came to the company.
He met Edward and said: "Meet Campos at ten o'clock."
Edward made a phone call.
Hawke saw that he was not in good spirits and asked: "How are you? You are listless."
Edward sighed: "In recent days, Deborah has been quarreling with me. She insisted on asking me to resign."
"Resign?" Hawke was quite surprised.
Edward is not stupid at all: "I will not resign."
"Didn't you write down a lot of women in your notebook?" Hawke reminded: "Are you really going to hang yourself on a tree?"
Robert Downey Jr. has been pregnant for more than a year, and Deborah and Indio Downey have little emotional value to offer.
Edward thought about it seriously.
"Remember to carry a gun with you." Hawk reminded, put on his coat and left the office.
Edward took the car keys and followed.
The two arrived at the safe house, where Campos had already arrived.
Hawke asked directly: "Tiger Woods, David Beckham and Kobe Bryant, all no news?"
Campos said: "Beckham has confirmed his transfer to Real Madrid, but the transfer window will not open until July 1. Madrid media reporters are gathering, and he has been with Victoria. We have people following Tiger Woods. For the time being, There is no news. He just got engaged and has been keeping his fiancée company except for training and competitions.”
He focused on the last person: "Kobe Bryant was restless after going to Colorado. Like many sports stars, he was still flirting with women during his recuperation. He got very close to a hotel receptionist. Our people took some photos. The photo didn’t alert anyone for the time being, so I sent Garcia to support him, he was more experienced.”
Hawke nodded: "Very good, try to gain something."
Campos added: "He is currently back in Los Angeles, but we have definite news. He will probably return to Eagle County tomorrow to prepare for surgery."
Hawke still said the same thing: "Keep an eye on him."
Campos has been following Hawke for more than half a year and is used to seeing the other side of celebrities. He said: "Sports stars have better physical conditions and strong endocrine systems, so it is difficult to control the lower body."
Previous incidents such as Will Smith and Paris Hilton have proven that celebrity gossip can effectively increase the popularity of Twitter and cause user activity to skyrocket.
If Twitter raises money, the number of active users is an important criterion for valuation.
The old formula works, and Hawke certainly won’t abandon it.
Another point is that most black sports stars come from ordinary backgrounds and pose no threat at all.
Before leaving, Hawke mentioned one more thing: "I may need a few bodyguards here. You should first find someone with good driving skills and special principles."
Campos complied.
On his side, there are many people who had to flee to California because they were unwilling to join the traffickers.
Most of these people are very principled and very conscientious in their work.
Hawke thought for a while and then said: "If there are suitable candidates, you can tell them to bring their families to live in Los Angeles, and their family's legal status will not be a problem in the future."
…………
Hollywood area, Walk of Fame.
Tim, an assistant to Douglas, a senior BlackRock manager, drove by on the road.
The sidewalks of this star road, which is famous all over the world, are almost occupied by homeless people.
The Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles and the traditional Hollywood area are now the two major homeless areas in Los Angeles.
The target person he came to look for this time has become a homeless man and must be in one of these two areas.
Tim arrived near Highland Center and the person he contacted was waving on the side of the road.
He parked the car, waited for the man to get in, and asked: "Coulson, have you found the man?"
The man named Coulson is a private detective who has been cooperating with BlackRock: "I found it. It is unimaginable that the former rugby star turned into a homeless man because of one wrong move."
Tim said: "Take me over and have a look."
"This way." Coulson pointed down the road.
Tim drove east, passed two intersections, turned a corner, and saw the sign of Ackerman Charity Aid Station.
Coulson said: "There is a parking lot behind the aid station. Several teammates that Miller Collins had made in the past pooled their money to buy him an RV, and he temporarily lived in the RV."
Tim drove behind the aid station, straight into the parking lot, and parked in an empty space.
Coulson pointed to an old RV more than ten meters away and said: "He is here."
Tim looked over there. Not long after waiting, someone got out of the car.
The man had an unkempt beard and messy hair. He was holding a wine bottle in one hand and a cigarette in the other, puffing away at the smoke.
Tim carefully distinguished it for a while, then looked at the photo in his hand and found that it should be right.
Coulson said: "We have worked together more than a dozen times, and when did I miss it?"
Tim looked over there and suddenly asked: "This man has no fighting spirit at all?"
"What kind of fighting spirit does he still have? After the Milk Gate incident last year, he instigated members of the El Chapo Gang to attack the Fox TV host and was eventually sentenced to jail." Coulson's investigation was very clear: "While in jail, his wife Maria filed for divorce Success.”
He couldn't help but shake his head: "This guy is extremely unlucky. He first paid compensation for the breach of contract for the endorsement, and then encountered a female lawyer and a female judge in the divorce case. Most of the property was awarded to the woman, not to mention, because the club contract had not expired at the time, and the income level had to be determined. Pay alimony..."
Tim felt miserable after hearing this, and even had a fear of marriage.
(End of chapter)