Chapter 132 Dawn of the Overlord

glory. Only when you are strong yourself can you truly stand shoulder-to-shoulder with others! If I am looked down upon by others, so be it. Your Uncle once belittled me multiple times, but I didn't...Chapter 132: The Rising Sun of the Overlord

The term "joint president" is simply too ingenious.

Previously, Su Can was struggling with how to solve the Facebook equity issue and had headaches over it. Right after resolving the major problem of equity distribution, he started feeling troubled again by the internal positions and hierarchy, finding it difficult to make progress.

If a young and impetuous person were to wave their hand dismissively and say they didn't care about internal titles or power division as long as they continue to run the business well, then Facebook would be like one foot already in the grave. Su Can and Mark Zuckerberg would ultimately only become minor figures in internet history, causing occasional ripples that would be easily drowned out.

Su Can always believed that running a company is similar to dating; it can't lack passion but also requires mutual feelings between both parties. However, relying solely on passion doesn't conform to objective laws because all great endeavors throughout human history may begin with passion but never sustain due to it alone. Dating and running a business have similarities in the need for management.

The management of dating isn't just about managing daily life; it's also about nurturing feelings between two people. Similarly, operating a company requires a step-by-step approach, which doesn't necessarily mean being meticulous like a machine. However, at every stage, there must be clear actions taken and precise understanding of one's own situation and surroundings.

This can be summed up as a principle: the ultimate height of a building is not determined by the cement and steel added later on but rather by the quality of its foundational base.

For Facebook, the internal structure must be clear and rational to ensure minimal internal friction while allowing it to progress further and reach the point where it can amass capital in terrifying amounts from investors in the future.

In order to highlight Mark's leadership talent and his ability to take charge of the situation, Su Can willingly stepped down as CEO and took on the unorthodox roles of chief intelligence officer and chief financial officer.

The founding members who initially joined Facebook also held somewhat irregular positions with ambiguous responsibilities. This was an effective way for Facebook in its early stages to quickly shed unnecessary burdens and achieve rapid expansion.

At that time, any of the Facebook founders could hand out their business cards to potential advertisers and sponsors during social engagements. Everyone was a fraction of Facebook and could contribute in their own way to help grow the social network. For example, Harvard's top students could leverage Ivy League connections to help Facebook expand into other universities.

However, as Facebook grew larger today, the past vague boundary divisions appeared outdated, and Su Cen couldn't continue occupying two important positions while denying others who deserved these titles their rightful resources調動資源的權利 should be enjoyed.

This special trip to China by Dustin specifically brought a co-president contract that could effectively solve such issues. Su Cen would step down from his roles as intelligence officer and treasurer, replaced instead by the newly introduced concept of a Co-President. Co-President Su Cen would be responsible for devising Chinese localization strategies for Facebook's products (Facebook Chinese), technical reserves, integration of Facebook entertainment platforms, and product marketing channel construction.

A contract from America. In a closed hotel hot spring rest pavilion with sunroof glass room. Under an umbrella遮陽傘. An American youth and the young founder of Facebook signed this document calmly on such a day when flowers are blooming草長鶯飛的日子, putting aside all those events that could stir up public debate.

Meanwhile, in California, USA.

In an office just one street away from the Facebook headquarters at Palo Alto's College Road, several tall men with varying physiques and expressions were present. The atmosphere was charged with a sense of impending storm.

All these individuals were well-known figures on Silicon Valley's venture capital ranking lists.

And now, those who held stakes in some famous companies were sitting on leather sofas真皮的沙發, leaning against walnut wood large office desks核桃木的大型辦公桌, or looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows落地窗 towards the town outside抽的是通用雪茄公司出產的新鮮雪茄扭杜, smoking fresh cigars from General Cigar Company.

Unless seen firsthand, it would be hard to believe that these venture capitalists who usually traveled around the world would converge spontaneously near Stanford University's College Road大樓之上. It resembled Hollywood movies where politicians engage in backdoor dealings不足為外人道的勾當.

If one looked closely, they'd notice that from time to time, everyone’s eyes would glance out of the floor-to-ceiling windows落地窗外望去 towards the exterior facade of the building across the street對麵大樓的外立麵, where Facebook's headquarters was located.

A handsome and youthful-looking man, holding a cigar in both hands, rubbed his eyebrows and turned around. This man, who owns two yachts in Hawaii, is one of the founders of Meritech Capital. He then slightly narrowed his eyes, which have attracted countless women, and said, "This is quite a tricky deal. Facebook just released news about their internal valuation and restructuring being completed. Besides Mark Zuckerberg, they even have another co-president. Do you think I should directly charge into that building across the street, find that little brat wearing a hoodie, and tell him not to play any tricks under our noses because everyone who has ever played games with me ended up submitting to Meritech Capital in the end. As for the founder from China, he’d better go back to that place filled with IT garbage and learn how to run a waste disposal facility first, as it might be more profitable."

David Sacks, a partner of Greylock, turned around to look at this man known in Silicon Valley’s venture capital scene for his swift and decisive tactics. He felt the need to bring him back down to earth and said, "The little brat you’re talking about established a company with a valuation of three billion dollars during the first half of this year through fundraising alone. This social network currently has five million users in America, growing at an exponential rate of 240%. As for that founder from China, as far as I know, their CEO Donald had once publicly stated in Washington Post Group's previous round of funding that Facebook has two unreplicable strong barriers: the first being its social networking model and the second being its founders."

Even if they were arrogant and proud venture capitalists, nobody could deny at this moment what these seemingly unbelievable youths had accomplished. That was precisely why they gathered here.

Someone came to a dark wooden table, laid out documents, and said, "Look, the reason Facebook suddenly released their internal valuation and organizational restructuring is mainly due to the co-president title. They’re planning on countering our funding regulations with this move."

"The founder of Facebook in China has many critical powers; it looks reasonable at first glance but also harbors traps. Look at this point, where there’s a small detail regarding his control over product marketing channel construction. I can be sure that this is Facebook's strategy to divide us. Legally speaking, we cannot bypass this founder during this round of financing, so we still need someone to negotiate with them in China. This essentially means splitting our forces and being restricted on all fronts without the support of our American team during negotiations. This clearly resembles a tactic by Facebook to make us run around like headless chickens across the Pacific."

Another Silicon Valley venture capitalist was extremely disdainful and said, "Their newly released internal valuation is six billion dollars. To be honest, I’ve been involved in far too many major companies’ investment plans. There are countless that surpass Facebook in both greatness and prospects—counting on my toes wouldn’t even suffice. A newly established company wanting to play the ‘internal valuation’ card so quickly should learn a lesson called humility first."

"Six billion dollars Does this mean we have to spend thirty million dollars just for five percent of their shares This is blatant robbery."

"Five percent No, no," The quietest person there, the bald man with broad shoulders from Axelrod Capital—who could exude an invisible aura of power even while sitting—slowly stood up. He held a thick cigar in his mouth and extended two fingers to form a cross. "We want this number: ten percent of their shares. I have to secure Facebook’s this percentage."

Axelrod Capital, a famous American venture capital firm, raised one of its largest funds before the dot-com bubble burst, amounting to 12 billion dollars, with investors including Princeton University, MIT, Harvard University, and Stanford University. After the collapse of the bubble economy, this fund also suffered numerous setbacks; institutions such as Harvard and Princeton severed ties with it. Numerous investments withdrew due to tidal effects, implying that Axelrod Capital was entering a "death channel." At present, Breyer is almost cornered.

Everyone around him stared at him in surprise. A venture capitalist who got along well with Breyer said, "Dude, honestly, this price is too high."

This close friend was aware that Breyer, at this critical juncture, had three major funds suffering losses and approaching a breaking point. Additionally, his company partners were abandoning him, while his wife was concurrently filing for divorce.

This was the lowest point in Breyer's life. However, on the surface, aside from appearing somewhat dispirited, there was no other sign of it. He had staked everything on this round of financing. For Breyer, this was his most reckless action at his current low point. To his friend, however, it could be seen as an act of despair.

The middle-aged American man with broad shoulders turned around and took a deep drag from his cigarette. Facing the group of venture capitalists who claimed to be working together but were actually wary of each other, he said, "Facebook's market value has great potential for fluctuation. It might become very valuable or it could end up being worthless... In the future, this could be a tremendous success, or it could turn into an uncontrollable monster. It’s growing at a rocket-like speed; with millions of new users each year, if this pace continues, in three years it will likely become the most visited website by internet users in America..."

"I don't know if we can keep up with its growth rate. I also don’t know whether this rocket will soar to the clouds or crash halfway through—nobody knows for sure. Do you remember during Google's funding battle, we fought tooth and nail just to be associated with this internet legend; exhausted ourselves trying to catch a ride on their coattails despite our efforts"

"We have missed out on an era of the Internet. To those present here, I’d like to ask: in your lives that are always searching for opportunities and waiting for them to find you, has there ever been even a sliver of thought about whether today’s company we gather here to discuss might, in the future, surpass Google as the new internet hegemon"

"What we look down on or argue about today—could it be the next king of the emerging Internet empire"

The setting sun over Palo Alto painted a crimson hue. In this room within the building where flickering shadows cast by light and dark alternated, the backs of these Silicon Valley venture capitalists—each with the power to influence many companies’ fates—were bathed in red particles, like statues frozen in place.

Breyer, founder of Axel Springer, would never have imagined that what he said today in this beautiful and tranquil California town would prove prophetic years later.

It was flowing well. The pursuit of life should be career, love, and family. This is also a highlight of Su Cun’s rebirth. So far, I am satisfied with the development of both the business and emotional lines in this book. Even if there are unsatisfactory aspects, there's still a fair amount of time until completion. I will strive to make it rich and full, aiming to maintain an intense pace throughout.seas also gather and play this game around Li Luomei. Chen Lingshan privately tugs at her clothes but is deterred by the confident look in Wei Mei Li's eyes; she doesn’t intervene. During her stay in...