Rebirth as an American Tycoon

Undoubtedly, the Blue Giant was the industry's giant. Collaborating with it was unrealistic. The best case was to be absorbed.

Silicon Valley was far from the unattainable heights it would reach in later years. Real estate here was still very cheap.

Even so, William White couldn't afford to buy property.

Of course, he couldn't settle for something too shabby. Renting a full floor was still necessary.

A new software company appeared in the Silicon Valley Park. Although its scale wasn't large, it was eye-catching enough.

The reason was simple: most Silicon Valley enterprises were engaged in hardware. Larger software companies focused on databases, with company names often ending in 'systems' or 'databases.' Finding one just called 'Software' was rare.

Silicon Valley wasn't big then, so no one knew what this company was all about.

People were very curious about what kind of product this company was making. The name White Software was quite unique -- it was clearly named after someone.

In other industries, this was normal. In the IT world, however, it was rare. The IT industry prided itself on being anti-mainstream, and this company name was quite unconventional.

Regardless of its name, the company's benefits were excellent. Even though it hadn't started operating, it had already attracted a lot of attention.

Silicon Valley startups had a common trait: founders were usually flat broke. It was a paradise for venture capital funds.

Venture capital funds were still in their infancy. They lacked regulation and scale compared to later years.

Mostly, wealthy individuals made direct investments. After Apple and Microsoft succeeded, these wealthy individuals had fewer opportunities. Professional venture capital companies began to operate.

Many people had projects but no money, while many had money but no investment opportunities.

In San Francisco, the company had only a few temp workers, with the highest position being an HR manager.

White Software was obviously not short on money. Although people didn't know what product it made, its display was quite intimidating.

What puzzled investors most was that White Software showed little interest in their investments. Despite being polite, there was a palpable sense of detachment that couldn't be hidden.

Investors were a peculiar breed. If you begged them, they wouldn't pay attention. Even if they chose to invest, the conditions would be extremely harsh -- the stricter, the better.

Now, here was a company that didn't need money, and that was annoying. They even refused money.

Venture capital was like a bank. The less you needed money, the more they wanted to give it to you.

...

Silicon Valley had a new software company, and Jobs couldn't be unaware. Silicon Valley was still very small. Based on the recruitment requirements of the company, it wasn't hard to deduce what their product might be.

"Markkula, you have connections. What's the deal with this White Software?"

"I don't know, but it's clear that they aren't short on money."

Jobs rolled his eyes. "Of course, I know they aren't short on money. I heard they won't accept Series A financing within a year. They are aiming straight for an IPO."

"Yeah, the backers are probably rich. But one thing is certain: their software isn't for mainframes or servers."

"Sigh, I just wonder when they'll have a product. Will it support our Apple system? The current application software is seriously lacking. User experience is terrible."

"Hopefully, they will hurry. Delaying won't help them."

Just then, Markkula's secretary ran over.

"Boss, White Software contacted us. They have software based on the Apple system and asked if we were interested."

"So soon? Of course, we're interested. How did you reply?"

"I expressed interest and asked what it was. They wouldn't say but wanted to meet our technical team. If we don't mind, they wish to arrange a meeting tomorrow afternoon."

"Great, no problem. Set it up. Um, who are they sending?"

"The company's owner, William White."

"What's with that look? Is this guy famous? I've never heard of him."

The secretary thought, famous? Absolutely. A diamond bachelor. A date with him, and I'd die without regrets in this lifetime.

"Boss, he's a bestselling author and a billionaire."

"Damn, no wonder the name was familiar. He's the one who wrote Forrest Gump."

Markkula looked at Jobs in astonishment.

"You know this guy?"

"Yeah, the book's good. You should read it. I just don't get when this guy got into the software industry. Isn't his family in the oil business?"

The more Markkula heard, the more confused he got. William White was clearly famous, but he hadn't heard of him.

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

"Sure, boss. I'll get it for you."

"Also, prepare a file on this guy for me."

"Okay, boss."

It was clear now: despite being new, this company already had a product.

As for why they entered the software industry, no one cared to investigate. There could be many reasons.

Being a billionaire, he could easily fund an investment. Whether he was an industry insider didn't matter.

Apple was certainly welcoming. This was no small operation. If their software was reliable, it would greatly help sales.

Current computer software couldn't fully utilize the hardware. If this continued, declining sales were inevitable.

That wasn't good news for them -- they were planning an IPO. Morgan Stanley's valuation wasn't ideal. Investors made money, but the founders didn't gain much.

...

In American culture, there were no grand opening ceremonies. Large companies might have a press release, but small companies kept things simple. 

The environment here was decent, though currently, there weren't many people. They could expand as the company grew.

At that time, IT companies struggled. Fancy decorations were out of the question. Everything was practical with no frills.

William White had no property in San Francisco. Although he disliked hotels, he had no choice. He couldn't afford extravagance.

The futures market hadn't started yet. If something changed suddenly, it was necessary to have extra funds. If he got a margin call, it would be a big problem.

*****

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