I’m in Hollywood Chapter 1008: Return
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Compared with other previous itineraries with various aspects of work, the scheduled New Zealand schedule was originally the easiest.
Eric has full confidence in Peter · Jackson and does not intend to intervene in the The Lord of the Rings series of shoots.
I came here this time and I just intend to experience the shoots process of the "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy in person, while relaxing. Once you return to Los Angeles, with the start of "Gravity" and the post-production of "Iron Man", the next few months will be busy.
It's just that the AOL incident completely ruined Eric's expectations for a trip to New Zealand.
We arrived in Queenstown on Wednesday, New Zealand time, until all the dust settled on Saturday morning, Eric stayed only one weekend, and set off early to return to Los Angeles.
At the same time, on the New York side, when AOL held a press conference on Saturday morning local time, announcing that the company will continue to adhere to the original development strategy and the news that Chris · Hansson resigned from the position of director of AOL, the media took a moment There was an uproar.
《The New York Times》 directly used ‘The Big Defeat of Firefly System’ as the title to describe this incident.
However, there are also a lot of media predicting that Firefly investment will let go of control of AOL. For AOL, it is a huge crisis.
After all, many people can see that Firefly's investment in this kind of thorough letting go probably means that it will gradually sell off its stocks.
As the largest shareholder with a shareholding ratio of more than 30%, once Firefly invests heavily to sell off its stocks, the impact on AOL's stock price is almost devastating.
On the other hand, as long as there is a little sensible person, they will not believe that the two sides will continue to maintain the previous intimate cooperation gesture as stated in the press conference. Without the support of Firefly system media resources, AOL will directly face the dilemma of content shortage in the process of developing Internet media business.
However, although the two parties could not agree on the development concept of AOL, Eric does not deny that Steve · Kes is a very capable professional Manager person.
In the face of the situation of AOL after the press conference, Steve · Kes resolutely adopted a series of corresponding remedies.
The next day, on Sunday, after emergency consultations, Steve · Case once again convened an emergency press conference, announcing that in order to express confidence in the company ’s development prospects, the AOL management will use collateral to hold the company ’s shares and other means. , Raising 1billion USD funds for the acquisition of AOL shares.
The management of a company's buying and selling of stocks undoubtedly best shows their attitude towards the company's development prospects. This move of Steve · Kes directly gave a lot of reassurance to many hesitant investors.
At the same time, Time Warner group executives Richard · Parsons also appeared in this press conference, and jointly issued a statement with Steve · Kies, Time Warner and AOL will reach a strategic cooperation relationship in media content.
It stands to reason that Richard · Parsons is the CEO of Warner Bros. Film Studio under Time Warner. AOL wants to develop the web portal business, but it needs more content support from the news media. Richard · Parsons's appearance at the press conference seemed out of place.
But in fact, the media and investors with a little sense of smell are very clear that Richard · Parsons is an executive of the Time Warner major shareholder Gerald Levin. Richard · Parsons came out, basically the attitude of the masterpiece Gerald Levin.
Before the establishment of Time Warner Group, Gerald Levin was the head and major shareholder of Time Media Corporation, which owns a large number of paper media such as the famous "Time" magazine.
Even though Time Warner has been established for many years, Gerald Levin still maintains a strong influence on the newspaper magazine media once owned by Time Media. This content is exactly what AOL needs for web portal and other Internet media businesses. .
Not to mention, Time Warner also owns North America and even the world's largest cable news network CNNTV Station.
Even if there is a competition for control of the company with Ted Turner behind CNN, Gerald Levine wants to match with the company ’s beneficial media cooperation, and there are not too many obstacles. As long as it can reach cooperation with Time Warner, even if it is completely inflexible with the Firefly system, web portal of AOL can also obtain sufficient media resources from Time Warner.
Moreover, the presence of Richard · Parsons at the press conference of AOL also reminded Wall Street and the major media of the rumors that the two giants might merge.
The marriage of the old comprehensive media group and the emerging Internet media giants seems to many people to be a powerful combination of one plus one and more than two.
The capital market is far more blind than many ordinary people think.
In the stimulus of a series of targeted good news, on Monday, when AOL stock reopened, in just two hours, the stock price returned to the price before Steve · Kies was interviewed by CNN last week.
By the close of the day, the stock price of AOL has reached 262.39USD, which is 11.2% higher than the opening price of 235.76USD, and the market value of AOL has thus reached 432.9400 million USD.
Due to the share price of AOL, the NASDAQ index finally broke through the 2000 point mark on Monday, and the market situation is booming.
In the face of this situation, the most entangled is undoubtedly the major shareholders of AOL in addition to Firefly investment.
The Firefly investment reduction of AOL's shares has been irreversible. To avoid the AOL share price from crashing or even crashing, other shareholders must inherit the shares sold by Firefly investment.
In the video conference last week, Eric directly offered the price of 4billion USD to the 10% stake that was about to be reduced, and did not agree to any discount. However, the market value of AOL before applying for an emergency suspension was only 38.9 billion USD. Naturally, the major shareholders did not agree to buy Firefly investment shares of 16500,000 shares at the price of 4billion USD.
But just on the day the transaction was resumed, the market value of AOL exceeded 43billion USD.
According to the meaning of Eric at that time, now if you want to continue this transaction, the price will be calculated according to 4300 million USD. In just three days, you will have to pay 300 million USD more. Anyone will be very distressed.
Eric was already flying back to Los Angeles at that time. Representatives of major shareholders had to test Chris. The attitude of Eric was very firm on this matter. It did not give Chris any autonomy. Naturally, all parties ’tests did not. Any result.
So until the next day.
According to the general market law, after the retaliatory rebound of AOL stock price yesterday, most people thought that today's stock price would fall back, but the fact made many shareholders happy and mixed with incomparable entanglement.
The stock price of AOL not only showed no sign of decline in the second day, but rose again by 3.1%, and the market value reached 446.3.6 billion USD, rushing to the 45billion USD mark.
Even if some small shareholders who predicted that AOL share price may have reached the top secretly dumped millions of shares, they did not stop this strong upward trend.
In addition to Firefly investment and management holdings, the other shareholders of AOL are basically the major investment banks and United States state retirement insurance funds. These institutions buy stocks even if they will not hold them for a long time, than those who take short-term arbitrage. For the purpose of holding hedge funds for a long time, they are also the main capital of the United States stock market.
Due to the nature of capital, especially the state ’s retirement insurance funds, the investment principles are mainly prudent. Now that the bubble component of the Nasdaq stock market is becoming more and more obvious, the manager of these investment institutions naturally also considered taking advantage of the high stock price of AOL now.
But in the face of Firefly investment that determined wants to reduce its holdings on a large scale, these investment institutions have to temporarily endure this kind of thinking.
Everyone knows that cashing out together will only cause everyone to get nothing. If the share price of AOL collapses, the investment loss of Firefly will be a few 1 billion and 10 billion USD, which will not cause too serious impact for this company holding assets of more than 200billion USD. But for the major investment institutions, even if the stocks worth only hundreds of millions of USD are lost, many people have to lose their jobs.
In the current situation, only by investing Firefly in these 10% stocks will they continue to sell their stocks for six months.
Of course, there is also a premise that the related Manager people can endure the temptation of AOL's stock price to keep rising. After all, most people are in the expectation of 'may be able to rise some more', and wait until It was only after the stock market crashed that I woke up and regretted it.
Therefore, when Eric's private jet landed at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday afternoon, Morgan Stanley Chairman John · Mark, who was elected as a shareholder representative, also arrived at Los Angeles.
Although after more than ten hours of flight, because the whole journey is a very luxurious and comfortable private jet, the Eric did not feel any fatigue from long-distance travel. He slept on the plane for several hours and arrived at the sunny Los Angeles, These days the depressed mood has dissipated a lot.
The two female assistants and a group of bodyguards who accompanied themselves around the earth took a vacation, and sent them to leave each other. Eric took the car to return to Cliff Peak Manor. When the person was still on the road, they received a call from John · Mark. The other party is already waiting for himself outside the Cliff Peak Manor door.
Although I do n’t want to deal with these people at this time, others block the door, and Eric is hard to avoid.
Get off at the gate of Cliff Peak Manor, Eric went up and shook hands with John · Mark, and the two walked into the manor.
Walking side by side with Eric on the neat corridor leading to the shell villa, John · Mark looked at the green tree lawn carefully constructed around it, complimenting: "Compared to a few years ago, this place can be more beautiful."
Eric rarely entertains guests in Cliff Peak Manor. However, during the process of selling Disney Hand-Drawn Animation Department and acquiring Marvel a few years ago, Eric held a business party in Cliff Peak Manor for major investment banks and funds Manager people. John · Mark was also present. .
"John, you can also buy a manor in Los Angeles. Occasionally coming over for vacation is also good. The Los Angeles environment is still very relaxing."
John · Mark smiled and shook his head bitterly: "Perhaps, I won't have this time until I retire."
The two chatted, and the twins over the villa greeted them together. They walked to the front and whispered their master together, and they were beside Eric.
John · Mark has been in a high position for a long time, and there is no lack of women around, but in the face of the same figure and the twins who are all outstanding at the same time, they ca n’t help but take a few more glances. They are somewhat envious of the bliss of Eric.
Eric did not introduce the twins to John · Mark, just asked: "What about Drew?"
Natasha said: "Boss is in the company and will come over after work."
Eric nodded and said, "Wait for me and Mr. Mark to come over for a pot of coffee. My luggage is in the back car, and there are gifts for everyone. Carly has already sorted it out. You both have them too. Just your own name. "
After being instructed, Eric and John · Mark came to the reception area next to the glass curtain wall of the villa to sit down and chatted for a while, and waited for the twins to come to coffee, poured them back and left, Eric only held the coffee cup , Leaning back on the sofa and asking, "So, John, what are you doing here this time?"
John · Mark smiled bitterly and said: "Eric, you actually understand in your heart, it is still the matter of AOL stock."
"Actually I just got off the plane," Eric shrugged and asked, "What's the stock price that closed today?"
"270.52USD," John · Mark said: "Compared to yesterday, it has risen by about 3%."
Take a sip of coffee carefully, Eric only said: "It seems that it is time to split the stock. I think it is more appropriate to directly split the stock. AOL's stock price still has a lot of room for increase."
John · Mark said: "In this case, Eric, why do you insist on selling?"
"Everyone ..." Eric paused. I didn't know how to translate 'Dao different but not scheming'. I had to say: "If the direction is not correct, the current glory is only temporary after all."
"Eric, none of us know what the future will look like, how can you be sure that AOL has not found its own direction?"
Eric turned his head and looked at the open blue sea outside the curtain wall. He seemed to be absent-minded: "Yeah, so we can only stick to the direction we think is right. I have my persistence, Steve has Steve persistence, You have your perseverance. The things that everyone insists on are different. Reluctant to get together can only drag on each other, so it is better to separate. "
It feels like Eric has diverted the topic. John · Mark has to take the initiative to mention the purpose of this trip: "Eric, according to the price you opened last week, how about 10% off, we can complete the transaction within a week , Cash payment. "
Eric smiled at the corner of his mouth and said: "John, have you noticed the recent fluctuation of Russia ruble?"
John · Mark was stunned. I wonder why Eric suddenly raised this question and shook his head: "Eric, I am not responsible for foreign exchange business. Is there any problem with the ruble?"