The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 228: The Marginalized Program at BlackRock]

Beverly Hills, Hyatt Regency Hotel.

Douglas Coster, from BlackRock's San Francisco office, entered a business suite accompanied by two assistants. Emma Batson was already waiting there.

After entering the conference room, they began discussing the investment matters concerning Twitter.

Emma candidly stated, "Twitter and Hawke Osment weren't opposed to receiving investments from BlackRock, but the condition was that BlackRock wouldn't interfere with Twitter's operations. Twitter needed to maintain sufficient independence."

She paused for a moment before adding, "Hawke Osment also proposed a dual-class share financing structure, where he controlled the voting shares, while other investors would only have dividend rights..."

Such conditions were absolutely unacceptable for BlackRock.

Douglas said bluntly, "He's being overly optimistic. It would take at least more than a billion dollars, and if Twitter's stance doesn't align with BlackRock's, that investment would simply fail."

Business discussions weren't solely about finances; they also involved a series of related matters.

Emma hadn't finished her thoughts yet: "On other fronts, such as increasing the number of minority and female employees at the company, all of these clauses were strictly rejected by Hawke Osment."

Douglas took note of this and asked, "Did he provide a reason?"

Emma replied, "He said it would interfere with Twitter's independent operations."

Douglas lightly tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair, contemplating the implications.

This situation involved future strategic plans for both BlackRock and Vanguard International.

Since the mid-1990s, both investment companies had developed rapidly. However, after the Democrats lost the election and that Republican from Texas took power, their rapid growth was affected by policy and political environments.

Take California, a deeply blue state, where the Democrats had been repeatedly thwarted.

For BlackRock and Vanguard International, both of which leaned blue, regaining a foothold in rapid development was critical for restoring Democrats' absolute advantage.

The two companies partnered with several think tanks in Washington, setting up a program targeting marginalized groups.

Their strategy involved leveraging media, entertainment, and business to promote the feminist movement to a new stage. They aimed to bring marginalized groups -- minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and addicts -- into mainstream society, granting them more voice and representation.

These individuals had previously been overlooked by society. Their feelings of marginalization fueled a stronger desire to activate and a more proactive voting attitude.

The votes of normal people are votes, and the votes of these people are also votes. Moreover, the enthusiasm among these groups for voting was far higher than that of the general population.

In business terms, BlackRock devised a future plan to establish a comprehensive marginal group assessment system. To secure investment from BlackRock, companies had to achieve high scores within this evaluation system.

For instance, the proportion of female, LGBTQ+, and minority employees would be key assessment criteria.

Although this plan had yet to be fully implemented, BlackRock's engagement with Twitter was its first serious attempt, and the response had been a stark rejection.

Douglas frowned, knowing that even for this strategic initiative to unfold, he needed to push the Twitter acquisition forward powerfully.

A poor kid from Wyoming thought he could directly challenge BlackRock?

After contemplating for a moment, he said to Emma, "Continue maintaining formal communication with Twitter. Let Hawke Osment know that BlackRock will continue to increase its offer and won't back down easily. He needs to understand BlackRock's position."

Emma, acting as an intermediary, responded, "I will."

"I'll be staying in Los Angeles for a while," Douglas said as he stood up to leave. "If anything comes up, just call me."

Out of respect and courtesy, Emma escorted him to the hotel exit and personally opened the car door for him.

Douglas nodded slightly as he got into a Cadillac Escalade.

...

Across the street, Carlos retracted his long-focus camera and said to Juan in the passenger seat, "Remember the license plate."

Juan held a DV camera in his left hand, capturing images through the windshield, while writing down the license plate number with his right.

Carlos grabbed the vehicle's intercom and instructed, "The target vehicle is a black Escalade; follow it closely and ensure you're not noticed."

As the Escalade pulled away from the hotel, the Ford vehicle didn't move immediately.

Trailing behind the Escalade was another van, carrying a muscular bodyguard.

Carlos and his team were experienced at tracking; they soon activated their vehicle and began pursuit.

...

The black Escalade drove northeast, quickly reaching the southern part of Burbank and entering Universal Studios.

Douglas Coster exited and headed straight to the headquarters of Focus Features located within Universal Studios, where he met the company's founder, James Schamus, and his long-time collaborator, Ang Lee.

The newly established film company was in the process of planning a gay-themed film project that completely aligned with BlackRock's strategic plan. A film foundation under BlackRock was ready to get involved in the investment and production of the film.

For BlackRock's strategic planning, Hollywood was undeniably the best platform for promotion.

James Schamus offered Douglas a screenplay for adaptation, a short gay novel called Brokeback Mountain written by Annie Proulx.

Douglas, lacking expertise in either literature or filmmaking, made only one request: "I can provide you with a sufficient budget, but the film must have a competitive edge at the Oscars, aiming to win at least one of the following prestigious awards: Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, or Best Picture."

Ang Lee remained silent, recalling how he'd lost Best Director for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon a few years prior. With a financial backer behind him, he certainly wanted to try again.

As for the hidden agendas of the backers, he wasn't concerned or bothered.

This type of business collaboration was simply about mutual benefits.

James, quite courteous, replied, "BlackRock's support was critical for the establishment of Focus Features. We will certainly do our utmost for this film project, especially for Brokeback Mountain. However, winning key Oscar awards for a film that focuses on LGBTQ+ themes requires not just hard work, but also a touch of luck."

Douglas didn't believe in luck: "The key to winning Oscars often boils down to finances. In recent years, Harvey Weinstein has dominated the Oscars; the secret to his success? It's all about spending money on PR."

He looked intently at James and Ang, adamantly stating, "Gentlemen, this film holds exceptional significance for BlackRock and for America at large. I need it to make an extraordinary impact."

Seeing that the financier was willing to be generous, James had little to argue about and readily agreed.

Douglas added, "Furthermore, the film foundation under BlackRock will implement a long-term investment strategy in Hollywood. Topics around black rights, women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and other minority themes will be prioritized for investment. Do you understand?"

Such projects were not unheard of in Hollywood. James seemed to envision a new path for film production and quickly replied, "We'll handle these matters at Focus Features."

After discussing various points with the two, Douglas departed from Focus Features and made his way to visit Burbank.

According to BlackRock's plans, the entertainment industry, specifically the movie sector, combined with traditional media and emerging online media, could form a perfect ecosystem.

Emerging online media, of course, pertained to Twitter.

Now, the ecosystem was missing one crucial element.

...

In San Francisco, Bay Area.

At the office of Clarium Capital Management, Peter Thiel stared at his computer screen, watching a live news feed on Twitter.

Across from him, his college classmate and friend, Reid Hoffman, with whom he had co-founded PayPal, was also focused on a laptop.

The screen displayed the same content: videos of the Ice Bucket Challenge.

Like many others in Silicon Valley's tech scene, the two had participated in this viral challenge.

Peter asked, "How is the Twitter social media platform?"

"Very usable," Reid Hoffman replied, having used Twitter for several months now. "For interactivity, entertainment, media, and ease of use, you can't find a second one like it online."

Peter said, "Forget LinkedIn. Join my investment team, and let's invest in Twitter together."

LinkedIn was also a social media platform, but its size and functionality could not compare to Twitter.

Reid was a well-known angel investor in Silicon Valley: "This company has risen rapidly, so quickly that I lost interest before I even decided to join LinkedIn ."

He voiced his concerns: "There have been numerous examples online of platforms or sites that skyrocketed to fame only to fade away just as quickly."

However, Peter had faith in Twitter: "I'm investing in Twitter not just for the company, but also for its founder, Hawke Osment."

Over the past few days, he had frequently contacted Brian to learn more about Hawke, even conversing with him directly. "For instance, the incidents like the Kobe Bryant event and now Tom Cruise's Ice Bucket Challenge have made Twitter a focal point of Internet attention. Hawke Osment has skillfully turned these events into gripping, high-ratings shows."

Reid had been following along with the action through Twitter: "It certainly has been interesting."

After pondering for a while, he asked: "Investment requires the right timing. I've heard that BlackRock's San Francisco office has been working to engage with Twitter."

Peter Thiel chuckled: "That's why I've been waiting. I didn't rush in."

Investments had to align with personal interests and maximize benefits: "BlackRock has significant influence and is not afraid to use various means to pressure Twitter. They'll surely force Hawke Osment to compromise."

Reid immediately understood: "We'll come in as saviors when Twitter and Hawke Osment are in a critical position, rescuing him and Twitter to obtain the best outcome."

Peter Thiel snapped his fingers: "Now we just need to sit back and watch the show unfold."

*****

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