I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1157: A Simple Job]

"That equity subscription agreement isn't going to cause Yahoo any trouble," Eric said, shaking his head. "What worries me more is how Microsoft's response could impact Yahoo's stock price, and even drag down the entire Nasdaq market."

Although Eric only shared half of his concern, Frank Wells immediately understood.

In recent days, the Nasdaq index had skyrocketed to 4,700 points, and the tech stock market was so seriously bloated that even a slight trigger could lead to a full-blown market collapse.

While Firefly Investment's new tech companies had prepared for the bubble to burst, Clover Fund still owned tech stocks that would take at least two weeks to liquidate completely. At current stock prices, the total value of this batch of tech stocks exceeded $6 billion. Even though Clover Fund had successfully cashed in most of its shares, Eric certainly didn't want this massive sum to evaporate due to an early collapse of the index.

Due to Eric's strict confidentiality measures, Frank Wells wasn't fully aware of the specifics surrounding Clover Fund's situation. However, he understood that the longer the Nasdaq index held up, the better it would be for Clover Fund's restructuring efforts.

While he too was curious about Clover Fund's operations, Frank refrained from asking. Instead, he said, "Given that, Eric, you really didn't need to argue with Gates earlier. Even just giving him the runaround for a while would have been better."

"That was my intention," Eric shrugged. "However, Microsoft has been sailing smoothly for years, and it just so happens they've taken a big hit with Yahoo. Gates has probably been bottling up his frustration for a long time, and after his latest demands went unmet, it's no wonder he exploded."

Frank thought for a moment and replied, "I believe Microsoft wouldn't want to see the Nasdaq crash either; they probably won't react too dramatically."

Eric nodded in agreement. "Gates is a smart man. I subtly implied that Yahoo wants to maintain their partnership, and now that he's calmed down, he wouldn't willingly give up that equity subscription agreement without something to show for it. So, this is definitely going to drag on for a while."

Just then, Amy brought another lunch for Eric. Frank picked up his coffee cup and waited for a moment, then continued, "Eric, given the current trends, how far do you think the Nasdaq can really go?"

"The Nasdaq has already hit its limits," Eric replied, picking up his utensils. "What's lacking now is a catalyst to pop the tech stock bubble."

Having said that, Eric suddenly paused. If Yahoo and Microsoft couldn't reach a further cooperation agreement, Yahoo would lose its status as the default browser on Windows systems. This would surely be a major blow for Yahoo and would undoubtedly trigger a decline in its stock price. As the leading stock in the new tech sector, a drop in Yahoo shares could easily lead to a chain reaction of falling tech stocks.

This was one of the potential catalysts Eric wanted to avoid as much as possible today.

Moreover, in the coming July and August, if the second-quarter financial reports released by new tech companies showed widespread losses, that could very well serve as another trigger for the Nasdaq's collapse.

Eric had already prepared for this; Yahoo intended to be the first among most new tech firms to announce its second-quarter financial results before July 15. With Yahoo's strong financial data as backing, the losses of other tech companies wouldn't stand out quite as markedly.

However, Eric suddenly recalled one of the most critical potential triggers for a Nasdaq crash: Microsoft's antitrust case.

...

For the past two years, the U.S. Federal Justice Department had been investigating Microsoft for antitrust violations. By this point, the department had outlined several major charges against Microsoft: illegally erecting barriers to keep competitors out of the market, tying the sale of Windows systems to other Microsoft software, and forcing computer manufacturers to sign exclusive agreements, among others.

Recently, Bill Gates's mistress, Stephanie Jule, had suddenly come forward, claiming that Microsoft incentivized corporate users to exclude competitors through what was being dubbed "reverse bounty." A kinder term for this would be "kickback," but the harsher truth was that it was essentially bribery.

Moreover, the reason Stephanie was able to come forward was that Gates had taken her to a very confidential meeting regarding Microsoft's reverse bounty program. Despite being surrounded by many women, Eric had always carefully positioned women around him like decorative vases, never letting them touch the core secrets of the Firefly system.

So, upon hearing the news, Eric found himself questioning whether Stephanie was arrogant or foolish. The recent North American media even went so far as to put Clinton and Gates side by side, teasing them as the "two unfortunate Bills" who fell due to their lovers.

Stephanie's testimony undoubtedly helped push the Justice Department's investigation of Microsoft forward significantly.

Sorting through his memories, Eric gradually recalled that in the original timeline, one of the key catalysts for the Nasdaq crash was a federal judge, Thomas Jackson, presiding over Microsoft's antitrust case, who, at a critical stalemate moment, suddenly announced he possessed key evidence of Microsoft's monopoly and would soon render a final judgment.

Thus, at that sensitive moment when the Nasdaq index had already soared past 5,000 points, Jackson's statement became the straw that broke the camel's back.

In the wake of Jackson's statement, Microsoft's stock price plummeted, which in turn triggered an overall market crash for the Nasdaq. Subsequently, as new tech companies began releasing a series of massive financial losses in their annual reports, the Nasdaq index continued to decline over the next year, even dipping back to the 1,000-point mark.

Due to the detrimental impact this had on the entire Nasdaq market, Thomas Jackson was eventually removed from his position. For the sake of the greater good, the federal government ultimately announced a settlement with Microsoft, canceling the antitrust investigation, allowing Microsoft to avoid being broken up.

At that moment, Eric began to realize many inconsistencies within the situation. Despite the risk of violating judicial procedure that could end his entire career, Jackson had suddenly leaked details about the Microsoft antitrust case to the media. Soon afterward, Microsoft's stock began to decline, leading to the overall crash of the Nasdaq index.

It seemed like a coincidence at first but was just too coincidental to be dismissed as such.

Even if the federal court issued a judgment to break up Microsoft, the company could appeal. Thus, in order to destroy the entire Nasdaq index, when Judge Jackson released that negative news about Microsoft, there surely had to be a considerable number of sell orders applying pressure to drive Microsoft shares down to achieve that final goal.

Now, with the Nasdaq index approaching the 5,000-point mark, while many investors who had previously been bearish were starting to buy tech stocks, more short-selling funds were still entering the fray, looking to make a profit once the Nasdaq crashed.

According to the nature of capital's pursuit of profit, the prospect of potentially earning billions would definitely drive some to take proactive steps to destroy the Nasdaq index.

In thinking this through, Stephanie Jule's emergence was clearly not an accidental event, much like the Lewinsky scandal.

After all, even if the affections had waned, it's incredibly rare for a lowly employee to risk their career to testify against a former boss without any push from powerful sources or financial incentives.

While Stephanie's testimony did lead to a drop in Microsoft's stock price, it didn't create the outcomes some desired.

So, what next?

...

Thinking quickly, Eric finished his lunch and called Kelly Haynes, asking her to gather information on the Microsoft antitrust case and hurry to Firefly Studios.

A few hours later, Eric was discussing some musical adjustments for Gravity with composer John Williams when there was a knock at the studio door. Kelly, dressed in a light gray business suit, peeked in, greeting Eric in a soft voice.

Eric nodded in response and spoke for a moment with John Williams before stepping out of the studio.

As soon as he exited, Kelly stood up from the sofa in the outer room and walked over to hand Eric a folder, saying, "Eric, time is a bit tight. I don't know if this is enough."

Eric took the folder, replying, "Let's talk in my office."

Kelly nodded and followed Eric out of the post-production center and into his office in the administrative area.

...

Once inside, Eric gestured for Kelly to make herself comfortable, then sat down behind his desk and opened the materials he had in hand.

Kelly didn't mind Eric's casualness; in fact, she found it endearing. She knew that Eric only behaved that way with those closest to him.

After their unforgettable evening together all those years ago, the two maintained a particularly affectionate relationship. And due to the lingering shadow of her previous marriage, Kelly had no intention of seeking another partner, unconsciously channeling her emotional attachments onto the man before her.

Carefully, she brewed a pot of coffee and quietly placed a cup beside the focused Eric before sitting across from him, studying him as he perused the materials.

The information Kelly had gathered in such a short time wasn't extensive, but it was sufficient for Eric to get all the information he needed.

Historically, not much had changed: the judge overseeing the Microsoft antitrust case was still Thomas Jackson, an experienced federal judge. From the materials at hand, he didn't seem to be a hardline advocate for breaking up Microsoft.

Thus, this information undoubtedly confirmed some of Eric's suspicions.

Once he finished reading the last page, Eric looked up and caught Kelly's gaze. He smiled, teasing, "Am I looking handsome again?"

Caught in the act of admiring the man before her, Kelly's face flushed. "I just thought you must have forgotten to shave these past few days."

Eric rubbed his noticeably rough chin, chuckling, "What can I say? The life of a bachelor is awfully lonely. Nobody bothers to look out for me."

"Not much I can do," Kelly replied, giving him a light-hearted glare. "So, what exactly do you need these materials for, Eric?"

Eric picked out Jackson's information and passed it to Kelly, saying, "Have you noticed the recent situation regarding Stephanie Jule?"

"I have. It seems similar to the Lewinsky incident," Kelly said, taking the sheets from Eric. After a moment, she glanced back, her tone teasing yet cautioning, "So, Eric, you'd better be careful about these things."

"Of course, I'd never do something as foolish as Gates did."

"Who knows? You guys are all the same," Kelly said with an amused shrug before lifting the materials again. "So, what's wrong with this person?"

"I'm not sure," Eric replied, shaking his head. "That's why I wanted to see you. I want to find out if there's anything suspicious about this person or if they might cause issues."

Kelly understood Eric's intent but was somewhat puzzled. "Eric, I've been keeping an eye on any potential investigations from the Justice Department and SEC into the Firefly system. So far, nothing unusual has come up. We really shouldn't be intervening in Microsoft's case, should we?"

"We certainly won't be intervening in Microsoft's case," Eric nodded. "I'm just worried that Thomas Jackson might end up being another Stephanie Jule. Just imagine, if in this sensitive period, Thomas Jackson were to suddenly release some negative statements about Microsoft, coupled with some behind-the-scenes cooperation, what kind of results could that lead to?"

Kelly's thoughts whirled around, and she blurted out, "The Nasdaq crashing?"

"Exactly," Eric agreed. "Those who brought Stephanie to light consequently didn't achieve their goals, and they'll likely make another move. I believe this breakthrough point is vital to the Microsoft antitrust case, and Thomas Jackson is indeed a key player in that."

Eric explained plainly without concealing anything. "So, I hope you can arrange a complete monitoring operation on Thomas Jackson. If we can gather useful intel, it could not only prevent an early Nasdaq crash that would harm the Firefly system's interests but also give us a negotiating chip with Microsoft. I really want Yahoo's browser to keep its status as the default browser on Windows."

"Eric, monitoring a government official is highly sensitive. To do it right requires at least a week's preparation. Given your timeline, we might not have that kind of time left."

Eric sensed there was more beneath Kelly's words. "So, what do you propose?"

Kelly responded, "Cromwell recently acquired a batch of listening and counter-listening devices. You should have seen the procurement list. If you trust him, he should find this to be quite a simple job."

*****

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