Steve Jobs.
There is probably almost no one who does not know this person. It is no exaggeration to say that the lives of people all over the world changed because of him... But right now, he is in a state of being kicked out of Apple, the company he created.
He is struggling with NeXT and Pixar, but his performance is not good. No, he is only recording deficits. 'If not now, the opportunity to invest in Jobs will never come again.
I have to form a connection with him no matter what.' I returned to New York, stayed for a night, and blindly took a flight to California where Pixar is located. I just went to see him without any notice.
Since I did not make an appointment, I might not be able to meet him, but judging from his eccentric personality, I figured it would be better to stimulate his curiosity rather than making an appointment in advance. A short while later, we arrived at the building where Pixar was located. I confidently walked up to the reception desk.
The employee sitting inside looked at me.
"How may I help you?"
"Is Jobs here?"
"You mean the Chairman?"
"Yes."
The employee looked me and my companion up and down for a moment before hesitantly speaking.
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No. But if you tell Jobs, he will probably meet me."
He looked at me as if thinking what kind of crazy person I was, but I looked back pretending to be calm. The employee asked with a reluctant face.
"What is your business here?"
"Just tell him that a man has rushed over from the East to save him."
"Ha... what a... Please wait a moment."
The employee got up and disappeared inside. Han Gyeong-yeong, who was standing next to me with an embarrassed face, whispered and asked me.
"Who in the world is Jobs?"
"There is such a person. A person who will change the world."
A short while later, the employee returned with an even stranger expression than before.
"...He says to come up."
"Thank you."
We took the elevator and arrived at the boss's office where he was. The secretary in front of the office also tilted her head while looking at me, but she guided us to Jobs. Opening the door and entering, I saw him sitting with his legs crossed in the seat of honor on the sofa.
It was exactly the face I had seen so much in pictures.
'Brother Jobs!
You still have hair left at this time?' I chuckled inwardly and walked inside.
"Hey, Jobs! Hello."
As I greeted him gladly like a friend I had not seen in a long time, he gave me a strange look.
"Do you know me?"
"Of course. Steve Jobs!"
"I think this is my first time seeing you."
"Hahaha, can I sit down first?"
Jobs nodded his head. Han Gyeong-yeong and I sat down, and Ma Seok-dae took a position standing behind me. I spoke to Jobs, who briefly glanced at Section Chief Ma standing there.
"He is my bodyguard and secretary. You don't have to mind him."
"Oh! Are you some kind of Asian royalty?"
Jobs, who had a past of being deeply fascinated by Eastern culture, was very interested in Asian royalty.
"No, I came from Korea. You know where Korea is, right?"
"Korea? Ah! Ilseong? I went there once in the past. Even though Ilseong rejected what I proposed."
Frowning slightly as if recalling that time, he started examining me again.
"Right, what did you mean by saying you came to save me? It won't be funny if it's a joke."
"Why would I play a joke on the great Jobs."
I waved my hand with a smile. And without dragging things out, I got straight to the point.
"You are debating whether to sell Pixar these days, right? The same goes for NeXT?"
Jobs's eyes widened slightly in surprise as I brought up out loud the worries he had not told anyone about. But that was only for a moment, and he smiled looking at me again.
"Oh, me? No way."
Then he shrugged his shoulders and spoke playfully as if he had no such thoughts at all.
"Hey~ Why are you acting like this when we both know everything? I know you have already spent half the wealth you had when you were kicked out of Apple. Am I wrong?"
When the topic of Apple came up, the smile on his face disappeared and hardened. As expected, this topic seemed to be his reverse scale.
"Ah! Don't make that kind of face. I am someone who thinks Apple was crazy to kick you out. Apple is Jobs, and Jobs is Apple. That is natural, but to kick you out, they are crazy fools. You can tell just by looking at the messy state Apple is in right now, right?"
Then his expression softened again. I smiled faintly.
"The Apple story is not important. You will end up returning there eventually anyway. I came here to eliminate your worries right now. Will you listen?"
There was no answer, but Jobs nodded his head as if telling me to go ahead. I smiled faintly looking into his eyes, which had begun to show a strange heat.
"I will invest the exact same amount you have invested in the two companies you own. Give me half the shares of those two companies."
"I told you I have no thoughts of selling."
Unlike his words, his body was honest. His crossed legs were already uncrossed, and he was leaning slightly toward me. 'He really can't be honest.'
Hiding my inner thoughts, I spoke again.
"Don't misunderstand. I have absolutely no interest in management. I just want to form a relationship with you. The total amount you invested in both companies is about 50 million dollars, right?"
I persuaded him again as he nodded his head.
"It's a waste to sell it to someone else after investing that much. I will just exchange half of your shares for that much money. I will give the voting rights to you, and I only plan to discuss the future with you, so how about it? Is this not suitable enough for a savior?"
At the words that I would invest in two companies that were only seeing losses while giving all authority to him, Jobs's expression changed noticeably.
"I have no intention of kicking you out like those idiots at Apple. I am not investing in these companies, I am investing in you. Pixar? NeXT? Do you think they are worth investing in if you are not there?"
At those words, the last remaining wariness disappeared from Jobs's expression. They said he had a very strong love for himself...
"Good. That is good. But is there a reason I must do it with you? There are many other people."
I burst into laughter as if I had heard an amusing joke.
"Oh, Jobs. Stop testing me. Who has the brains to invest in you in this situation? You know it, they are all just fools. Do you think there is anyone on Wall Street who would invest tens of millions of dollars into companies that have been running deficits for years? Unless you plan to hand over the companies entirely, that is."
Jobs eventually surrendered to my words.
"Phew... I can't say anything to that. True, there is no one who offers conditions like this. Though there are many people showing interest in acquiring the companies."
That would be true. It was a time when giants of the information and communication industry, such as Paul Allen who founded Microsoft with Bill Gates, or Oracle's Larry Ellison who was called the bad boy of Silicon Valley, were testing the waters. Especially Larry Ellison, who would be proposing more actively because of his friendship with Jobs.
But Jobs was reluctant to sell his companies. Not only NeXT which he newly created after being kicked out of Apple, but also Pixar which he acquired for ten million dollars...
If he sold the companies and washed his hands of them, he would avoid losses, but he must have felt anxious about whether he would be able to return to Apple. Well... eventually Pixar would hit the jackpot, and Jobs would return as Apple's CEO when NeXT merged with Apple. Nodding my head, I agreed with his words.
"Right. If I were a normal investor or businessman, I would have just acquired them rather than running the companies with you. But you don't want to sell, do you? I came here thinking that would be the case. If not, I will get up right now."
Jobs hurriedly grabbed me as I was about to stand up from my seat.
"Ah, why is a young friend in such a rush? So you are asking for half the shares I hold. And I do the management?"
"Fifty million dollars! How about it, are you interested?"
"What will you do if you blow your investment money?"
"Well, I can just think of it as the cost of building a friendship with you."
Blow it?
It will come back ten times, twenty times over, so what is there to worry about.
"That amount is a bit too sm..."
I cut him off in advance as he showed signs of activating his trademark negotiation card.
"Don't even think about asking for more than fifty million dollars. I am handing over management rights and voting rights, and if the companies go public or I hand over my shares, you get the right of first refusal! This is the best I can do for you. Who besides me do you think would offer such crazy terms?"
"Listen to me."
"Fifty million dollars!"
"No..."
"Fifty million dollars!"
Then Jobs let out a hollow laugh as if he was fed up.
"Ha... this is my first time seeing someone more stubborn than me. Alright, I got it. We will do the detailed contract later, let's just talk and have a meal together today."
"Okay."
Han Gyeong-yeong, who had not said a single word, spoke to me in a low voice as if slightly exhausted.
"I will head to the hotel first."
"Will you? Alright. Call the lawyer over here."
While Jobs was getting ready, I gave brief instructions to Han Gyeong-yeong on what to do and stood up from my seat.
"This is my partner James Han. I will mostly be in Korea, so the person who will probably communicate with you often is him."
"Oh! Mr. Han? Nice to meet you."
"It is nice to meet you too."
"Let's go have a meal together."
"He is too tired so he says he will head to the hotel first. There is also some work I asked him to do. You will see him when we sign the contract tomorrow."
"Is that so? Then let us see each other next time."
After shaking hands with Jobs, Han Gyeong-yeong went back. We arrived at a restaurant that Jobs said he went to often. 'Ah... this person was an extreme vegetarian, wasn't he?'
He was ordering only salads and fruit types when placing his order.
"Don't worry about me and order whatever you want to eat. I will be treating today after all. Hahaha."
I gave a brief reply to him, whose face kept blooming with smiles as if he was in a good mood, and I ordered the same thing.
"Are you a vegetarian too?"
"No, I am not picky, but I can't eat meat in front of Jobs."
Then he laughed loudly, apparently liking my words.
"I like it. That appearance overflowing with confidence really feels like seeing myself when I was young. By the way, is your secretary not eating?"
"Ah... Don't mind him. He is always like that. He is a reliable person."
Jobs briefly looked over at Ma Seok-dae and nodded his head.
"It is hard to easily find a person like that. His posture alone is extraordinary, but he is also constantly checking your movements."
"Thank you."
"Why are you thanking me?"
"Because he is my person."
The food came out, and we continued our conversation while eating fruits and vegetables.
"What do you think of the internet?"
"It will change the world. Especially the World Wide Web. Innovation is already taking place, starting with Mosaic."
"Oh! You even know Mosaic?"
"Web browsers will continue to increase, and information will pour out. Then, eventually, the world running on computers that you dream of so much will arrive. It is a world that will come true within ten years."
"Those fools at Apple do not even know what a young person like you knows. They are still captivated by past glory. The Apple I want is not something like that."
"Hahaha, they probably kicked you out because they are fools."
Jobs smiled as if satisfied and nodded his head.
"Come to think of it, what is your name? I didn't even know that."
"Charlie Kim."
"Charlie? Not your American name, what is your original name?"
"Kim Mu-hyeok."
"Kim Mu..."
"Hahaha, don't try to force a pronunciation you can't do, just call me Charlie."
"This is embarrassing. I spent quite a long time in Asia, after all. You call me Steve too. It's a title I only allow to truly close people, so consider it an honor, Charlie."
"Alright, Steve."
The conversation continued in a harmonious atmosphere. Jobs talked about the path he had lived. It was a story I already knew, but I played along.
It was not very difficult to match his words from the position of knowing what kind of person he was.
"Innovation is the yardstick that distinguishes between a leader and a follower. Charlie, which side are you? A leader? Or a follower?"
"Steve, I have always been a leader and I will continue to be a leader. There is probably no one more innovative than me. The same goes for you, Steve."
"Hahaha!"
He laughed out loud as if he was truly enjoying himself.
"Charlie, you are the first person to say such a thing in front of me. This is really fun. What kind of world is the future you see?"
Should I give him a little taste of what the future is like? I took out the mobile phone I had in my pocket and showed it to him.
"You know what this is, right?"
"It's a mobile phone, isn't it?"
"This mobile phone will keep getting smaller, and eventually, a computer will fit inside it."
< Brother Jobs~ Brother Steve Jobs~ > The End