Beverly Hills, Hyatt Regency Hotel.
Douglas Coster from BlackRock's San Francisco branch walked into a business private room with two assistants.
Emma Bateson has been waiting here.
The two parties entered the private conference room to discuss Twitter's investment.
Emma said bluntly: “Twitter and Hawker Osmond themselves do not exclude investment from BlackRock, but the premise of the investment is that BlackRock must not interfere with Twitter’s operations and Twitter must maintain sufficient independence. ”
She paused slightly and added: "Hawke Osment also proposed a dual-class financing model. He controls the company's voting equity, while other companies only have investment dividend interests..."
BlackRock cannot accept such conditions under any circumstances.
Douglas said directly: "His imagination is too good. At least a billion dollars will be invested. If Twitter does not follow BlackRock's position, this investment can be said to be a failure."
Business matters are not limited to business, but also involve a series of subsequent related matters.
Emma hasn't finished her words yet: "Other aspects, such as increasing the number of minority and female employees in the company, were all sternly rejected by Hawke Osmond."
These words attracted Douglas's attention, and he asked: "Did Hawke give a reason?"
Emma said: "He claimed that by doing so he was interfering with the independent operations of Twitter."
Douglas gently touched the armrest of the chair with his fingers, focusing on this aspect.
This matter involves the future strategic plans of BlackRock Group and Vanguard International Group.
Since the mid-to-late 1990s, the two investment companies have developed rapidly. However, the donkeys lost the election and the Texas pigs came to power. Affected by the policy and political environment, BlackRock and Vanguard International's rapid development momentum became One meal.
Just talk about California, a dark blue land, and now the donkeys are suffering setbacks one after another.
BlackRock and Vanguard International belong to the deep blue. If they want to enter the fast lane of development again, it is crucial for the donkeys to regain their absolute advantage.
The two companies collaborated with several think tanks in Washington to develop a strategic plan for marginalized groups.
The method is to use media, entertainment, business and other means to build momentum and push the feminist movement into a new stage. At the same time, groups such as ethnic minorities, homosexuals and drug addicts who are on the margins of society can enter the mainstream of society and gain more voice.
This group of people has been ignored by society in the past, and their counterattack mentality has created a stronger mentality for making trouble and a more positive attitude towards voting.
The votes of normal people are votes, and the votes of these people are also votes.
Moreover, the voting enthusiasm of this group of people is much higher than that of ordinary people.
Specific to business, BlackRock has formulated a future plan to establish a complete assessment system for marginalized groups. Companies that want to receive investment from BlackRock must obtain high scores in this system evaluation.
For example, the employment ratio of female employees, gay employees and black employees in the company is an important assessment criterion.
This plan has not really started yet. BlackRock implemented it for the first time on Twitter, but was rejected.
Douglas frowned. Even if the strategic plan could be carried out, this Twitter acquisition must be pushed forward vigorously.
A poor kid from Wyoming who wants to go head-to-head with BlackRock?
He thought for a while and said to Emma: "You continue to maintain contact with Twitter through regular channels, tell Hawke Osmond that BlackRock will continue to increase its investment and will not give up easily, and let him know BlackRock's attitude. .”
Emma is a middleman, getting paid to do things: "I will do it."
"I will stay in Los Angeles for a while." Douglas stood up and left: "Call me directly if you need anything."
Out of respect and courtesy, Emma sent the person to the door of the hotel, and even walked out of the hotel herself to help Douglas open the car door.
Douglas nodded to her and got into an Escalade.
On a Ford diagonally across from the hotel, Carlos withdrew his telephoto camera and said to Juan in the passenger seat: "Write down the license plate number."
Juan held the DV in his left hand and filmed through the front windshield. He grabbed a pen in his right hand and wrote down the license plate number in his notebook.
Carlos picked up the car intercom and said: "The target vehicle is a black Escalade. Follow it front and rear. Be careful not to be discovered."
The Escalade drove away from the hotel, but Ford didn't move.
Behind the Escalade, another business car followed, with a sturdy bodyguard sitting in the car.
Carlos and others were very experienced in tracking, so they started the car and gave chase.
The black Escalade headed northeast and soon arrived in southern Burbank and entered Universal Studios.
Douglas Coster got out of the car and went straight to Focus Pictures' headquarters in Universal Studios, where he met Focus Pictures founder James Schamus and his old partner Ang Lee. This newly established film company is planning a gay film project. The project is completely in line with BlackRock's strategic plan. A film foundation under BlackRock is preparing to participate in the investment and production of the film.
For BlackRock's strategic planning, Hollywood is definitely the best publicity position.
James Schamus offered Douglas a work for a film adaptation, "Brokeback Mountain," a short gay novel by Annie Pullocks.
Douglas is an outsider in both novel and film creation, and only made one request: "I can give you a sufficient budget, but the film must be competitive enough at the Oscars, and even win the best actor and actress, and the best film." At least one of the four major awards for Best Director and Best Picture.”
Ang Lee has been silent, but he regretted losing the best director for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" a few years ago. This time, with the support of financial backers, of course he wants to give it another try.
As for the hidden purpose behind the funder, he neither cares nor cares.
This kind of business cooperation is nothing more than each getting what he needs.
James said rather politely: "The financial support of BlackRock is the key to the establishment of Focus Features. When we cooperate on film projects, especially this one, "Brokeback Mountain," we will naturally do our best, but for a film , especially a work that focuses on the gay community, if you want to win key Oscar awards, you also need luck in addition to operations.”
Douglas never believed in luck: "The key to winning an Oscar is nothing but money. In recent years, Harvey Weinstein has won Oscars one after another. What is the secret? It's just that he is willing to put down his dignity and spend money on public relations."
He looked at James and Ang Lee and said extremely seriously: "You two, this film has extraordinary significance for BlackRock and the United States. I need it to have extraordinary influence."< br>
The other party was willing to donate generously. James had nothing to say and agreed.
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Douglas added: "Also, BlackRock's film foundation will have a long-term investment plan in Hollywood. Black equality, women's rights, homosexuality and other minority group themes will be priority investment targets. Do you understand?"
This type of work is not unique in Hollywood. James seemed to have seen a new path to film production and quickly responded: "Leave these to Focus Features."
Douglas discussed with the two men for a while, left Universal Pictures, and went to Burbank for a visit.
In BlackRock's plan, the entertainment industry, especially the film industry, coupled with the traditional media industry and emerging online media forces, can form a perfect ecosystem.
The new online media is naturally Twitter.
Now the ecosystem is missing a link.
…………
San Francisco, Bay Area.
In the offices of Long-Term Capital Management, Peter Thiel stared at his computer screen, watching the news live on his Twitter page.
Opposite him, his college classmate and friend Reid Hoffman, who started a PayPal business together, was looking at the laptop in front of him.
The same content is displayed on the laptop screen.
It’s all ice bucket challenge videos.
The two, like many in the Silicon Valley tech community, participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge.
Peter asked the other person: "How about Twitter, a social software?"
"It's very useful." Reid Hoffman has been using Twitter in the past few months: "Interactivity, entertainment, media and ease of use, you can't find another one on the Internet."
< br>
Peter said: "Give up the LinkedIn social media you are planning to invest in, join my investment team, and let's invest in Twitter together."
LinkedIn is also a social media software, but its scale and performance are far inferior to Twitter.
Hoffman is a well-known angel investor in Silicon Valley: "This company has risen so fast that I have no interest in it even before I decide to join LinkedIn."
He has doubts: "On the Internet, there are not a few websites and software that suddenly become popular and then die quickly."
Peter has confidence in Twitter: "I invest in Twitter, not only because of the company, but also because of its founder, Hawk Osment."
These days, he knows a lot about Hawke through Bryant, and even talked to Hawke on the phone: "Apart from other things, the Kobe Bryant incident I showed you last time, this time Tom Cruise's ice bucket The challenges have made Twitter the focus of attention on the Internet. Through repeated operations, Hawke Osmond turned the incident into a high-rating TV series with climaxes and twists. "
Through Twitter, Hoffman watched the whole process: "It's really interesting."
He pondered for a long time and asked: "Investment requires a suitable time. As far as I know, BlackRock's San Francisco branch has been working on Twitter."
Peter Thiel smiled: "So, I have been waiting and did not join rashly."
Investment must first be in line with one's own interests and maximize one's own interests: "BlackRock is very powerful and never sticks to one method. It is also a Deep Blue force. In order to force Twitter to submit, it will definitely use various methods to make Hawke... Osmond compromises”
Hoffman understood it immediately: "When Twitter and Hawke Osmond face a serious crisis, we will appear as a savior to save him and Twitter and get the optimal solution."
Peter Thiel snapped his fingers: "Now we just have to wait and see the show." (End of Chapter)