Manhattan, America Online headquarters.
The equity transfer signing ceremony was over, and Steve Case finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After completing this equity transaction, the pressure that the Firefly system had brought to Steve Case for a long time finally disappeared.
As long as the merger between America Online and Time Warner goes smoothly, the 7.6% equity held by Firefly Investment will be compressed again. The new AOL-Time Warner Group will be entirely a publicly held company. Without a major shareholder with sufficient shareholding and influence, the control of the new company will also be completely in the hands of the board of directors and management.
As the established chairman and CEO of the new company in the future, there is no doubt that Steve Case will become the head of this comprehensive media giant that is about to be born.
Every time he thought of these, Steve Case couldn't help feeling a little more complacent. He believes that as long as the merger is completed, AOL-Time Warner Group will definitely far surpass Yahoo and become the leading Internet media giant in North America under the promotion of the synergy effect of one plus one greater than two.
The waiting waiter served champagne to everyone, Steve Case took a glass of wine, and with a smile on his face, he took the lead to walk to the heads of several Wall Street investment funds who helped him this time.
After negotiation, the stock transaction price of this equity transfer was finally determined to be 93 US dollars, which was only 0.69 US dollars lower than the average stock price of AOL in the last week. America Online's stock has undergone a stock split. The current total share capital is 825 million shares, and the number of shares held by Clover Fund is about 25.57 million shares. According to the transaction price of 93 US dollars, the scale of this transaction has reached 2.378 billion Ten thousand U.S. dollars.
Steve Case originally hoped that Eric could make a discount like the previous transactions, but Eric's attitude was very firm this time, and he only agreed to erase a dispensable fraction, so that the scale of profit was less than 1% of the stock price is basically equivalent to no concession at all.
Recently, as the Nasdaq index exceeded 2800 points, Wall Street has become more and more worried about the collapse of the Nasdaq index. Many investment institutions are trying their best to sell technology stocks to cash out. If it is not optimistic about the development potential after the merger of AOL and Time Warner, Wall Street will not make a move this time.
Eric was unwilling to give in, but Steve Case had no choice. After promising an additional board seat, several Wall Street investment funds finally agreed to take over the shares held by Clover Fund.
The "New York Times" interview incident at the end of last year, coupled with this dispute over the transaction price, the good relationship between Steve Case and Eric that started from the Firefly system's investment in AOL has completely dissipated. Although America Online and Yahoo still have some cooperation, it is conceivable that the relationship between the two parties will be more inclined to competition and confrontation in the future.
Therefore, at the simple reception after the signing ceremony, Steve Case didn't even bother to maintain a superficial harmony. passerby.
Eric can quite understand Steve Case's emotions. If this kind of thing happens to him, he may not be able to maintain his demeanor.
However, since the other party regarded him as a passerby, Eric was not bored enough to stay any longer, and quickly left with Chris and others.
Since he sold AOL stock last year, Eric has decided to use all the funds he cashed out in the next one or two years to invest in short-term convertible bonds that are sufficient to preserve value and provide sufficient insurance. There is no need to discuss too much about the funds obtained this time. . The Nasdaq market has fallen into a completely unpredictable state of madness. Although Eric is full of confidence that the Nasdaq will get out of the previous curve, and try his best to refrain from selling the stocks hoarded by the Clover Fund in advance, but at this time, he dare not Then enter the market to buy technology stocks.
Today happens to be the last day of New York's Autumn/Winter Fashion Week. Giselle will make her final appearance at the closing show of Calvin-Klein's fashion week tonight, and Eric agrees to join her.
However, the closing show started at six o'clock in the evening, and it's only after two o'clock in the afternoon. After Eric and Chris parted ways, they rushed to a building on 46th Street, where the TV production company that Cindy and Linda founded together In this building.
Seeing Eric appear, the bright-eyed blonde at the front desk personally led him to the door of a meeting room. Seeing that Eric never said anything, she turned and left unwillingly.
Eric pushed open the door and found that Linda was not there, but another supermodel Tyra Banks and Cindy were sitting at the conference table discussing something in a low voice. With a surprised expression, he got up and greeted him.
Eric hugged the two girls lightly, and asked Tyra Banks with a smile, "Tyra, didn't you go to the catwalk today?"
"No," Tyra Banks shook her head, but added, as if pointing something, "We can't compete with the young people today."
Eric just smiled, sat down at the conference table, looked at the information on the table, and said, "What are you discussing, and where is Linda?"
"Tara's talk show plan," Cindy sat down next to Eric, and said, "Linda is outside, I just got a call for her, didn't you see it?"
Before Eric could shake his head, the door of the conference room was pushed open again, and Linda Evangelista, who was still holding a mobile phone, walked in. Tyra Banks just sat down on the other side of Eric, seeing Linda walking directly to her seat, she had to step aside.
Before she could sit down, Linda began to 'ask the teacher': "You bastard, you seduced a girl from our company as soon as you came, and you didn't even see me standing nearby. I've already fired her."
Eric said helplessly: "Is it really good for you to be the boss like this?"
"Hmph," Linda snorted twice, then changed her style of painting in a blink of an eye, and said, "Cindy and I have seen the preview of "Iron Man" played by you. Although the beard is ugly, but, Eric, You're really good at dyeing your hair dark, blonde doesn't look mature at all."
Eric shook his head and said, "I don't like dyeing my hair."
After chatting a few gossips, Tyra Banks left early with interest, Linda excitedly found a laptop and showed Eric her electronic account: "168 million dollars, I think this is It’s enough for me to spend my whole life. However, Cindy’s is even more frightening, more than 280 million US dollars. Thinking about it makes me angry. When you pointed out Cindy’s investment, you didn’t tell me. Otherwise, I must have more money than her now. money."
During this time, following Eric's advice, both Cindy and Linda sold out all the stocks they held, and the two women became rare supermodels in the fashion industry with a net worth of over 100 million.
Although the income of the top supermodels has increased significantly in recent years, even if the expected income in the future is included, very few of them can eventually accumulate a net worth of over 100 million. Only this, Cindy and Linda will be able to sit on their own in the long run Big sister head status in the fashion industry.
"Very good." Looking at the laptop screen, Eric smiled and said, "Have you figured out what to do next?"
Linda said: "No, can you help us plan it?"
Eric put his chin in one hand and thought about it seriously, then shook his head and said with a smile: "It's too little, I can't do anything, let's keep it as pocket money."
Hearing Eric's words, Linda, who was in a state of excitement, finally remembered the terrifying wealth of the man in front of her, and hugged Eric's arm in dissatisfaction, shaking, and said: "I have read the reports, many media have It’s no big deal to say that more than half of your assets are just a pile of bubbles.”
The new Forbes Rich List will be released next month, and Eric really hopes that everyone will think so, then the pressure on him will definitely be relieved a lot.
After joking, Eric started investment consulting for the two girls seriously.
A total of less than 500 million U.S. dollars is really too little for Eric. Most of the firefly systems require Eric's personal attention, such as the '4200' plan that is being promoted, or the construction that has already begun Firefly Studios Park cannot be supported by a mere $500 million.
However, if it is not compared with the Firefly Group, this amount of money is definitely a huge amount of money that cannot be ignored for most companies in the world.
While discussing carefully with the two girls, Eric's cell phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, and Eric did not avoid it. After answering the call with a smile, he leaned into his ear: "Hi, Giselle... now, It's nothing, I'm on Cindy's side... Of course, I will definitely go there on time, and I will bring Cindy and Linda to support you... Well, that's it, goodbye."
After Eric finished speaking with Giselle, Linda just hung up the phone, and Linda curled her lips and said, "I didn't promise to cheer her up."
Eric glanced at Linda's expression, then turned to look at Cindy: "Did you quarrel with Giselle?"
"No." Cindy shook her head and said, "But, you can't expect us to get along with them, can you?"
"You, them," Eric grasped the two key words keenly, and said with a smile: "It sounds like a story."
Cindy just smiled and said nothing.
Linda couldn't hide her words, and said: "You don't know, your Brazilian honey is very powerful now. A few months ago, WM launched a newcomer with a very good foundation. But, WM designed her The development route of Bundchen is exactly the same as that of Bundchen, they both follow a healthy and natural image style, and they even compared her with Bundchen in a magazine, and then the girl was out of luck."
Eric didn't understand something, what does WM mean
Looking at Cindy, the girl picked up a pen understandingly, and wrote two words in the blank space of a document: Women-Management.
WM, Women-Management, women management company.
Presumably, it should be a modeling agency, but its scale and reputation cannot be compared with Elite, IMG, Ford and other giants in the modeling agency industry.
Linda caught a glimpse of Cindy's small movements, and said: "WM is Women-Management. It doesn't need to be explained. Kate Moss' North American brokerage contract is with this company. It's just that Hailuo is outdated because of her beautiful style. They I was in a hurry to transform. Well, where did I just say?"
Eric smiled and said, "That girl is out of luck."
"Yes," Linda nodded her head, and said, "WM originally arranged 15 shows for that girl in this New York Fashion Week. Guess how many shows she ended up walking?"
"zero?"
Linda lightly slapped Eric on the shoulder, and then raised three fingers: "Three games, I heard that the girl collapsed immediately after knowing that her Dior was taken away at the beginning, so pitiful."
Eric looked at Linda's sad little expression, but he didn't feel much in his heart.
In fact, he is a very protective person. Fights between his own kitten and other people's family can't be biased towards outsiders, right
Moreover, Eric has always liked women with stronger personalities, and women who are too soft-tempered will not stay by his side for long. This is like riding a horse. The most powerful knight will naturally choose a horse with a fiery personality.
Reaching out and pinching Linda's chin, Eric smiled and said, "Don't be so pitiful, don't you ever bully others?"
"No," Linda shook her head brazenly, then pointed at Cindy in a blink of an eye, and began to betray the revolution: "She did this before. In the fall show of THIERRY-MUGLER in 1991, she directly shoved other models on the runway. Woke up and ruined the whole show. Hehe, I remember that THIERRY-MUGLER's designers were all crying."
Hearing Linda revealing her dark history, Cindy looked indifferent and said, "Everyone knows that it was Naomi Campbell who provoked it first, and the scene was already chaotic when I walked on the catwalk gone."
Linda said: "Then the fashion news the next day was full of 'Cindy Crawford pushing other models'."
Cindy glanced at her proudly: "This shows that I am the most famous, and I am not comparable to kittens and puppies."
The two girls bickered for a few words, and Linda suddenly became interested again, and she held Eric's arm and said, "By the way, I'm really going to support your little Brazilian honey tonight, and CK also invited me this time." It seems that we haven't heard the news of her being pushed out, and the scene will be very lively, maybe there will be a fight."
Linda was gloating in her office on 42nd Street, and in Bryant Park, the tent where CK's closing show was about to be held, the scene was already very lively.
Seeing Giselle hang up the phone with Eric Williams, CK Operations Director Tom Curry, who was in charge of the big show, looked sadly at the man who was sitting at the dressing table and let the makeup artist touch up his makeup. The girl said: "Giselle, it's just a very inconspicuous appearance, everyone won't notice her at all, and it's too late to adjust now, just pretend she doesn't exist, okay?"
Giselle did not give in at all, looked behind her through the makeup mirror, and said, "She shouldn't have existed in the first place, you decide for yourself, either I quit, and Phil and Quss also quit with me, or, You made her disappear, I don't want to see her backstage."
Tom Corey thought for a while, and said: "In this way, I will let her make up in another place alone, and leave immediately after she is done, and will never appear in front of you."
Gisele waved her hand to signal the make-up artist to go away first, and turned to look at Tom Curry. The girl was sitting down, but she looked condescending, and said, "Tom, this is the closing show, I really don't want to make trouble, However, Eric will come over tonight, you should understand what I mean, I don’t want to see a Madou with a style similar to mine appear on the runway, this matter is not discussed.”