owlsbooks Chapter 88 Microsoft's Scheme
Chapter 88 Microsoft's Scheme
Steve Ballmer practically slammed the door to Bill's office open, his broad face flushed not with excitement, but with suppressed rage. He clutched a newly received briefing in his hand as if it were a burning coal.
"Bill! Look at that! Look at what that Chinese kid is doing!" Ballmer's voice boomed like thunder in the quiet office. He didn't even wait for Bill to look up from his computer screen before slamming the briefing onto the mahogany table.
Bill slowly turned his swivel chair toward him, his face expressionless, his gaze calmly falling on the scattered papers.
"He rejected our final terms, and then? He turned around and started his 'tour'!" Ballmer spoke rapidly, jabbing the briefing pages with his finger. "AMD's Jerry Sanders, that old gambler, hooked up with him! Sun's Scott McNealy, that lunatic who talks about a 'dark empire,' considers him a confidant! And now, he's gone to New York to see Gerstner!"
He paced back and forth in his office, panting heavily, like a brown bear trapped in a cage. "He's building his little club! An anti-Microsoft alliance! Who does he think he is? Gathering a bunch of rabble to fight us?"
Bill didn't speak, but simply gathered the briefing together and quickly scanned it. It briefly recorded Ling Yun's itinerary and contacts over the past few days, with fairly detailed information.
"We can't let him keep running around like this!" Ballmer stopped at the table, placed his hands on the surface, leaned forward, and stared intently at Bill. "This will give others the wrong impression that Microsoft is weak, or that that kid actually has a chance! We must act immediately and teach him a lesson he'll never forget! Let him know what the price of challenging Microsoft is!"
His proposal was aggressive: "The ultimatum to the OEM channels can be issued immediately. The patent litigation team is ready and can file documents with the court tomorrow. As for public opinion, we can get several influential analysts to 'objectively' analyze the 'huge technological risks and uncertain future' facing the Star System."
Bill finally finished reading the briefing. He gently set the paper down, leaned back in his chair, and rested his fingertips together in front of his nose, falling into a brief silence. The air in the office seemed to freeze, broken only by Ballmer's heavy breathing.
"Steve," Bill finally spoke, his voice calm and devoid of any emotion, "we've agreed to give him a week to consider it."
"A week? What else does he need to consider?" Ballmer nearly jumped up. "His actions have clearly shown us his answer! He's joining forces with our adversaries to declare war on us!"
"It's precisely because he provided the answer through his actions that we don't need to rush in the next couple of days." Bill's gaze was as calm as the winter rain in Seattle. "He visited AMD because AMD has been suppressed by Intel and is eager to find a breakthrough. He went to see Scott because Scott and I have a bad relationship, and Sun is fiercely clashing with us over Java. He met with Gerstner because IBM's strategic focus has long since shifted away from PCs; they only care about their server business."
He tilted his head slightly, looking out at the deep night, as if examining the entire chessboard: "Everyone he contacts has some kind of open or covert conflict with us. His alliances are built on sand, driven by interests and resentment, not by a solid shared vision. Letting them interact more, making this so-called 'alliance' look more legitimate, might not be a bad thing for us."
"Not a bad thing?" Ballmer asked, puzzled. "Are we just going to watch them grow stronger?"
"Seeing all the pieces clearly is more important than taking out one or two stragglers." Bill turned back, a deep light flashing in his eyes. "He's now actively gathering these people together, which makes it easier for us to identify who the real opponents are and who are just wavering opportunists."
"A mere Star Company isn't worth all the effort we put into targeting it. It's never been our real target; it's just a rabbit we happened to catch on our way."
(Please remember the website 20 ...
He paused, his tone carrying a calm, all-knowing composure: "As for his recent activities, the information is so timely and specific... it seems that some of our 'friends' know how to bet on both sides."
Ballmer paused, his anger subsiding slightly, replaced by a more complex emotion. He lowered his voice: "You mean, among them, one of them...?"
Bill didn't answer directly, but simply said, "Some people want to see his 'efforts,' and also hope to get a share if he succeeds. This kind of fence-sitter is common everywhere."
He picked up the briefing and gently tossed it into the file basket on the corner of the table: "Proceed according to our original plan, with the timeline unchanged. If he still refuses after one week, then the comprehensive measures against Xingchen will be launched step by step. Don't let his antics these past few days throw you into disarray."
He looked at Ballmer, his tone leaving no room for argument: "As for that 'friend' who's been trying to curry favor with us... let him stay in Lingyun's circle. Sometimes, an 'enemy' lurking in the shadows, capable of relaying information, is far more useful than a visible 'ally.'"
Ballmer took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and finally nodded. He understood Bill's intention.
Microsoft, this behemoth, doesn't need to roar immediately at the provocation of a mere rabbit. It only needs to proceed at its own pace, slowly tightening the encirclement. And that "friend" hidden within the opposing camp will become the most lethal link in this encirclement.
"I understand," Ballmer's voice regained its composure. "Proceed as planned."
He turned and left the office, his steps heavier than when he arrived, yet more resolute.
Bill turned his gaze back to the darkness outside the window, his face expressionless, but a cold glint of complete control flashed in the depths of his eyes.
Ling Yun's efforts and his strategic alliances, in the face of absolute power and cold-blooded calculations, seemed like a performance whose script had already been seen through. And the final chapter of the performance was silently approaching.