"That's absolute nonsense! How could Goldman Sachs possibly agree to us collaborating with companies under the Jiangnan Group?" someone immediately retorted in the conference room. The others remained silent, for this was the stark reality: they were all companies under Goldman Sachs, and it was highly improbable that Goldman Sachs would sanction their cooperation with Jiangnan Group's enterprises.
Only Peiqi, after a moment of thoughtful consideration, spoke up, "Why are you all so afraid of Goldman Sachs? Goldman Sachs doesn't have a controlling stake in us; they are merely a major shareholder. They haven't reached the point where their word dictates our life and death!"
As soon as Peiqi uttered these words, everyone understood that their boss intended to partner with Jiangnan Group and Oriental Amazon.
"But Goldman Sachs holds 40% of our shares. The remaining shares, 20%, are in public circulation, and the other 40% are held by other investment institutions. It's difficult for us to form a dominant equity position to counter Goldman Sachs!" a senior executive stated.
"It's not a problem. According to the agreement, the 20% circulating shares are held by our management team. Combined with our personal holdings, we still possess 10% of the shares. Furthermore..." Peiqi paused slightly. "In fact, Western Mustang Bank also holds 12% of our shares. Have you forgotten?"
"Western Mustang Bank?" The expressions of the crowd shifted slightly. Western Mustang Bank seemed to be an industry of Huang He as well. This implied that Huang He was also a shareholder of Google, though he had never appeared on the board or interfered with the company's normal operations.
The combined stake of these three parties reached 42%, exceeding Goldman Sachs' shareholding in the company.
Of course, if a board meeting were convened to contest this, the outcome would be uncertain. The remaining 18% of the shares were largely held by other investment institutions, most of whom would likely side with Goldman Sachs. Therefore, if a board vote were necessary to decide on a partner, it would be difficult to bypass Goldman Sachs!
Moreover, doing so would signify a direct confrontation between the management team and Goldman Sachs. If Goldman Sachs were to leverage its equity advantage to dismiss Google's senior executives, they would be powerless to resist.
"Never mind, I have no intention of calling a board meeting to confront Goldman Sachs. I was merely proposing the idea. After all, with Jiangnan Group announcing the vacuum high-speed train and PT, Goldman Sachs has also publicly stated that they will no longer confront Jiangnan Group. We are in a state of peace, and Goldman Sachs may not necessarily object to our cooperation with Oriental Amazon."
"Even if it escalates to a board meeting in the future, we may not necessarily lose. After all, everyone is well aware of the current state of Wanbaoge's express delivery services. The major investment institutions are also aware of this. Forcing a partnership with Wanbaoge would only result in losses for all shareholders."
"Goldman Sachs is not the parent of other investment institutions. Why would they blindly follow Goldman Sachs, even at the cost of their own company's interests? Are there really dogs that are so obedient?" Peiqi's words drew a wave of laughter from the audience, and they no longer opposed Peiqi's idea. After all, they had been greatly troubled by the PT issue recently, and cooperating with Oriental Amazon was the only viable path they could think of.
That evening, Peiqi arrived at Goldman Sachs headquarters and personally met with Dr. Cooper, directly presenting his proposal.
"It hasn't reached that point yet. We are currently in consultation meetings with the senior management of FedEx and United Express. We will ensure they provide you with the most excellent service!" Dr. Cooper said.
"Heh!" Peiqi chuckled dryly. He had no intention of debating this matter with Dr. Cooper, as the future was inherently unpredictable.
Peiqi stated expressionlessly, "Sir, the PT business became a Google project primarily driven by Goldman Sachs, which also secured 10% of Google's shares in exchange. If this project fails, Google's stock price will inevitably plummet."
"Google's market capitalization has now exceeded 120 billion US dollars. Last year, this figure was only 70 billion. In six months, the market value has increased by 50 billion US dollars. From this perspective, almost all of this increased market value has come from our PT project!"
"If the PT project fails due to Wanbaoge, then at least 50 billion US dollars in increased market value will vanish. With Goldman Sachs holding 40% of the shares, your company would lose 20 billion US dollars in profit! Do you think that is worth it?" Peiqi countered.
"Wanbaoge may not necessarily fail!" Dr. Cooper replied, though his tone lacked conviction.
"No, partnering with Wanbaoge will definitely lead to failure. I even believe Wanbaoge is already on the verge of collapse. Federal and United Express are utterly incompetent. If you don't find a way to properly handle these two companies, Wanbaoge's collapse will be imminent!" Peiqi stated, making Dr. Cooper's expression even more grim.
"Doctor, as the Chairman and CEO of the company, I have decided that for the PT project, I will actively pursue cooperation with Oriental Amazon. If you have any objections, you can call a board meeting to cancel my decision and, by extension, dismiss me from my positions as Chairman and CEO."
"Consider this matter yourself!" With that, Peiqi left abruptly without even a farewell. Dr. Cooper, enraged, smashed his teacup.
However, Dr. Cooper was a calm and intelligent individual. He knew better than anyone that Peiqi's suggestion and decision were correct. For the future of PT, cooperating with Oriental Amazon was the best choice.
If not for his direct stance against Jiangnan Group, he himself would have recommended Google to cooperate with Oriental Amazon.
But it was precisely because of his consistent attitude that it became difficult for Dr. Cooper to speak. Peiqi's firm stance now served as a stepping stone for Dr. Cooper.
As for convening a board meeting to dismiss Peiqi, please, the entire Google and its teams were cultivated by Larry Page. Goldman Sachs had no one capable of taking over Google, let alone developing it further.
If news of a management change were to spread, Google's market value would likely plunge, causing significant losses for Goldman Sachs. He himself would struggle to withstand the scrutiny from his own family.
Never mind, he would turn a blind eye.
Dr. Cooper sighed, essentially tacitly approving Peiqi's decision. The most important thing now was PT; the successful launch of PT would allow Goldman Sachs to reap immense profits from Google. Otherwise, he would be a sinner in the eyes of Goldman Sachs, and no one would go against money.
Peiqi returned to his office and, relieved, let out a heavy sigh. He had been holding himself together with sheer willpower. Now, back in his office, that tension finally dissipated.
However, the outcome left Peiqi very satisfied. Given that Dr. Cooper had not given any immediate explicit approval, he considered it an acknowledgment of his decision.
Peiqi immediately ordered his senior executives to initiate cooperation negotiations with Oriental Amazon, emphasizing the necessity of selling their devices on the Oriental Amazon platform.
What Peiqi hadn't anticipated, however, was a critical question posed by the business negotiation personnel after his order was issued: "Are you certain that Oriental Amazon, or its backer, Jiangnan Group, would be willing to cooperate with us? After all, the PT project was originally their project, and we forcefully took it from them!"
Uh oh, Peiqi had never considered this issue, and his expression became remarkably varied and complex.
——————————
"This is truly an exceptionally difficult decision!" Upon receiving the news that Google wished to cooperate, Liu Qiangdong, the head of Oriental Amazon, was indeed quite hesitant.
The entire world practically knew about the past entanglements between Jiangnan Group and Goldman Sachs, and how Jiangnan Group had been severely exploited by Goldman Sachs. A product that could have changed the world for years was snatched away by Goldman Sachs at a bargain price.
Initially, Liu Qiangdong was also angry upon hearing this news, but when Google approached them, he became hesitant.
After all, the fame of PT was now known globally. If Google's PT were to cooperate with Oriental Amazon and be sold through Oriental Amazon's online channels, it would be equivalent to a massive advertisement for Oriental Amazon. Who could refuse such a benefit!
However, Liu Qiangdong also had to consider the attitude of Jiangnan Group and Boss Huang. Therefore, after a period of hesitation, Liu Qiangdong dared not agree directly. Instead, he first called Boss Huang, as this was a decision that could not be made without informing Huang He.
"This is a good opportunity for Oriental Amazon. You have no reason not to cooperate, so you can proceed with the cooperation with them with confidence!" Huang He said calmly. This attitude, however, made Liu Qiangdong somewhat worried.
"Don't worry, I'm speaking the truth, not sarcastically. Since Google is open-minded enough to approach us for cooperation, should we be less open-minded than these Americans?" Huang He chuckled.
"Yes, Boss!" Having received Huang He's permission, Liu Qiangdong was finally relieved. The two companies then quickly reached a cooperation agreement. Google PT would be exclusively sold on Oriental Amazon. In return, Oriental Express, under Oriental Amazon, would improve its insured delivery service. The insurance fee would be $5 per mobile phone, paid by Google.
That evening, three days after Apple's sales announcement, Google also officially announced that their mobile phones would commence full sales on August 1st, with an initial pre-order of 500,000 units.
Furthermore, Google PT would be sold entirely online. All users could directly place orders through the internet, and delivery would be handled by express services with free shipping, fully covered by Google.