Chapter Fifteen: A Newcomer in the Industry

There was no doubt that the Blue Giant was the dominant force in the industry. Seeking cooperation with them was hardly realistic; at best, one might be absorbed into their ranks.

Present-day Silicon Valley was far from the unattainable place it would become in the future. Property here was still remarkably cheap. Even so, William White couldn't afford to buy anything. Nonetheless, he couldn't appear too shabby; renting an entire floor was still necessary.

A new software company appeared in the Silicon Valley park. Though not large, it was eye-catching enough. The reason was simple: most Silicon Valley firms dealt in hardware. The larger software companies all focused on databases, and their names invariably ended with “Systems” or “Database.” It was rare to see a company simply called a software firm.

Silicon Valley in those days was small, and no one knew what to make of this new business. The curious bystanders wondered what product this company would make. White Software was certainly a unique name—clearly taken from someone’s surname.

While such naming conventions were normal in other industries, in IT they were rare; the sector prided itself on being countercultural, and this company name seemed particularly eccentric.

Regardless of the name, the company's benefits were excellent, and even before opening its doors, it had attracted considerable attention.

All startups in Silicon Valley shared a common trait: founders were usually broke. This was the playground of venture capital. At that time, venture capital was still in its infancy—neither standardized nor large in scale. Typically, wealthy individuals invested directly. After the success of Apple and Microsoft, such individual investors faded as professional venture capital firms emerged.

There were plenty of people with ideas but no money, and even more with money but nowhere to invest.

Currently, in San Francisco, there were only a few temps—the highest position being an HR manager. Despite having almost nothing, the company already had several groups interested in investing. The HR manager was bewildered; his main job was to recruit staff, but before he could hire many, potential investors were already knocking at the door.

It wasn’t that these investors were foolish. IT was a new field, and everyone started from humble beginnings. Apple itself was born in a garage. Although they had yet to go public, their valuation was already high, cementing a legend of wealth for investors.

White Software was clearly not short on cash. Even though no one knew what their product was, their operation was impressive.

What surprised investors most was the company’s clear lack of interest in their money. While polite, their aloofness was unmistakable and impossible to hide.

Investors could be rather perverse; the more you begged for their money, the less likely they were to give it to you. If, in the end, they did invest, the terms would be outrageously harsh.

Now, things were different—a company that wasn’t short of funds was downright annoying. Imagine not wanting money even when it was offered.

Venture capital, after all, was like banking; the less you needed their money, the more they wanted to give it to you.

With a new software company in Silicon Valley, the great Jobs was bound to know. The Valley was too small for such news to go unnoticed. Judging by their recruitment requirements, it wasn’t hard to guess what kind of product the company was working on.

“Makula, with your wide connections, do you know what this White Software is about?”

“I’m not sure, but one thing’s certain—they’re not lacking in funds.”

Jobs rolled his eyes. “As if I didn’t know they’re well-off? I heard they won’t even consider Series A funding within a year. Hear that? They’re not looking for venture capital; they’re going straight for an IPO.”

“Hmm, their backer must be wealthy. But one thing is clear: their software isn’t for mainframes or servers.”

“Sigh, I just wonder when their product will be ready. Will it support our Apple system? The current shortage of applications is a real problem; user experience is terrible.”

“Let’s hope they move quickly. Time isn’t on our side.”

At that moment, Makula’s secretary hurried over.

“Boss, White Software contacted us—they have a piece of software based on the Apple system and want to know if we’re interested.”

“That soon? Of course we’re interested. How did you respond?”

“I said we were interested, naturally. When I asked for details, they wouldn’t say—just wanted to arrange a technical meeting. If we’re available, they hope to meet tomorrow afternoon.”

“All right, that’s fine. Help me set up the meeting. By the way, who’s the contact?”

“They said it’s the company owner. Their boss is William White.”

“What kind of look is that? Is this guy famous? How come I’ve never heard of him?”

The secretary thought, “Isn’t he famous enough? He’s a diamond bachelor—if I could be with him, I’d have no regrets in this life.”

“Boss, he’s a bestselling author and a billionaire.”

“Damn, no wonder the name sounded familiar. He wrote Forrest Gump.”

Makula looked at Jobs in surprise.

“You know this guy?”

“Yeah, the book’s not bad—you should read it. I just don’t get when he got into software. Wasn’t his family in oil?”

The more Makula listened, the more confused he became. Clearly, this William White was quite well-known, yet he had never heard of him.

“Linda, do you have that book? Lend it to me.”

“Yes, I’ll get it for you, boss.”

“And prepare a file on this guy.”

“Yes, boss.”

It was now evident that although the company was new, it already had a product.

As for why he’d entered the software industry, no one cared to dig too deeply. There were too many possible reasons.

Since he was a billionaire, investing even a fraction was easy. Whether he was an industry insider was irrelevant.

Apple, of course, was welcoming. This was no small affair; if the software proved reliable, it could significantly boost sales.

At present, computer software was nowhere near unlocking the full potential of the hardware. If this situation persisted, declining sales would be inevitable.

That was hardly good news for them, especially as they were seeking to go public. The current valuation from Morgan Stanley was less than ideal. While investors were making money, it wasn’t working out well for the founders.

American business culture had no traditions of opening ceremonies. Giant corporations might hold a press conference, but for small companies, everything was kept simple. Dragon or lion dances were out of the question, even for Chinese-owned firms.

The office environment was decent enough, and with so few people, there was room for future expansion as the company grew.

IT companies in this era had it rough—elaborate office renovations were out of the question, strictly impossible. Everything was chosen for utility; there was no place for anything flashy.

William White had no property in San Francisco. Though he disliked hotels, he had no choice; funds were still tight, and he couldn’t afford any extravagance.

The futures market hadn’t taken off yet, and if anything changed, he needed to have extra cash on hand. If he was caught in a margin call, it would be a huge problem.