Chapter 117: Microsoft's Fortunes Turn Around

Unlike the hesitation felt by Steve Jobs and William White, Bill Gates was riding high. The contract with Big Blue was like a shot of adrenaline, sending Bill into a state of pure euphoria.

A PC based on the Intel 8080 was clearly more reliable than the Apple II. If sales met expectations, Microsoft’s lead would be insurmountable.

But was the lead really that significant?

Thinking of White Software, Bill Gates felt a tightness in his chest. They were the ones with the comprehensive advantage. If they chose to enter the operating system market, Microsoft wouldn't stand a chance.

The negotiations between White Software and Motorola were no small matter. The IT industry was deeply curious: why would a company doing so well in software want to dabble in an unfamiliar industry?

Motorola’s choice was easy to understand. Their primary objective was the telecommunications sector; their involvement in the semiconductor industry was merely an accident. Since they weren't good at it, cooperation was the better path. Besides, it was an open secret in the IT world that William White had deep pockets.

After hearing this explosive news, Bill Gates couldn't help but let his imagination run wild. Since William White didn't reject cooperation, could they forge a powerful alliance in the future? While the idea was enticing and potentially practical, the biggest problem was that his own company wasn't large enough; one wrong step and he might end up being absorbed.

Fueled by this newfound urgency, Bill began to work harder. Time was running out.

What he didn't know was that if the price were right, William White would not refuse.

He was here to enjoy life; who had the patience to manage a company? The IT industry was the most cutthroat arena, and lifespans there were notoriously short. Aside from a few ancient tortoises, the more successful one seemed to be, the sooner one burned out. Bill’s interest in the path to longevity had its merits; the friends around him were not exactly the picture of health.

The departure of Steve Jobs served as a wake-up call. It was tragic to pass away before getting to spend one's wealth. What good was a super-luxury yacht if you never got to use it, while your wife was busy flaunting her affection for some young stud? Sigh, it was truly lamentable.

For the sake of a good life, he shouldn't push himself too hard. He had been working too intensely lately, which was not a good sign. He didn't need to change much; he already carried an aura of success. He just needed to avoid self-destructive behavior and engage in activities beneficial to his physical and mental well-being.

Tonight’s date left him feeling conflicted. Sharon Stone was certainly beautiful, but whenever he fantasized about "that," he couldn't help but think of that movie called *Basic Instinct*.

The thought of an ice pick appearing at a critical moment was indeed a pain in the neck. Even though he was certain he wouldn't encounter such a situation, he still felt something was off.

Coming from a beauty pageant background hadn't helped her acting career; people seemed more accustomed to her when she was unclothed. Hollywood was notoriously harsh on actresses; those from beauty pageant backgrounds were always labeled as eye candy. If she got two lines of dialogue, it was considered a director's mercy—and that depended on how well she "served" them. To be cast directly as a supporting actress like this was simply inconceivable.

Her agent was also shocked. He never expected that a project he had already planned to abandon could be brought back to life. That was how agents were: once you proved your value, they would fawn over you and satisfy your every demand.

With her agent’s hints, she finally realized how foolish she had been. Thankfully, she hadn't just laid there waiting that day, or she would have become the laughingstock of all Hollywood.

She didn't mind having something happen with William White. There were many talented men, but one so young was extremely rare.

William White, after all, had a bit of a self-destructive gene. The feeling of walking on the edge of death made his blood boil. After careful grooming, she looked much better than she had during the audition. He really couldn't fathom it: if even pageant winners were struggling so much, what was the point of those competitions?

"You look charming today," William White said, never stingy with his praise.

"Thank you."

The young woman was still clearly a bit reserved. With William White’s deliberate efforts to put her at ease, the conversation soon became pleasant. After all, they were of similar age, and there wasn't that much awkwardness. It wasn't a formal engagement; at their age, there was nothing they couldn't talk about.

A brilliant encounter was inevitable. There were too many indescribable details; to avoid affecting the reader's mood, please mentally fill in the next twenty thousand words.

"That little bastard." Seeing the empty space beside her, the young lady couldn't help but feel a flash of annoyance. The room was still suffused with the scent of youth, which made her blush and her heart race.

William White was actually quite timid. The psychological shadow of the ice pick was just too large. He hadn't intended to do anything beyond a friendly match; if he had ended up like "that," it would have been a disaster.

It must be said that because the car was relatively new, the driving experience was quite excellent. William White didn't speed excessively. Although the car wasn't his, he figured he might have a chance to use it again, so it was better to take it easy—this thing was a pain to repair.

Negotiations with Motorola had entered the operational phase. William White’s conditions were not harsh; he did not demand total control. However, he refused to make the slightest concession regarding management. He only asked for a 30% stake, but demanded 51% of the voting rights—a condition that left everyone speechless.

Motorola had a knack for self-destruction; how could he possibly hand over management to them? It was infuriating to watch people who didn't know how to handle a bunch of explosives.

They were the first to launch mobile phones, yet they suffered a crushing defeat in digital mobile telephony. Ericsson and Nokia were the products of their distraction. They had developed smartphones early on, but they always preferred to squeeze out features like toothpaste, only to be slaughtered by Apple. Android was actually quite good, and by relying on their brand advantage, they still had a way out, but they ended up treating consumers like fools.

Having played a winning hand so poorly, Motorola was arguably number one in incompetence. William White would have to be insane to let them manage the company.

Ricoh, as the Japanese partner, didn't have many grand ideas; they were just looking to patch up their own weaknesses, so there was no need to argue over management rights.

The three parties had already initialed the agreement; the rest was just work for the subordinates. At this point, the die was cast.

William White only wanted to maximize his interests. All R&D was aimed at squeezing the potential of the 6-series. Regarding the next phase of development, he turned his focus to low power consumption.

The future of the PC belonged to Intel. Motorola might have had a chance once, but now they certainly wouldn't. If the original six geniuses hadn't left, they would have had plenty of time, but it was too late now. Even if Apple adopted the 6-series, it wouldn't matter; the biggest winner would always be Big Blue.

Motorola agreed to the partnership mainly based on this consideration. Although the "Checker Plan" was secretive, those IT titans had ways of finding out. At the very least, in the competition for CPUs, the 8080 had already won a major victory.

Big Blue was wary of this combination. They weren't sure if White Software would also enter the PC field. This was different from Apple; the other side’s production control was quite excellent. If they really dragged a group of Japanese partners into the fray, it would definitely not be a scenario they wanted to see.

Intel was even more annoyed. They knew very well that their 8080 was inferior to the other side’s 6-series.