Money Likes Me Too - Chapter 90



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Episode 90.

Texas Governor Adam Price was a man of great ambition.

‘Friendship with Elon Musk is a must.’

The Kennedys, Roosevelts, Clintons, Bushes, Rockefellers, Romneys, Pauls, and, if not Cuomos, Price was also a prominent family.

His father previously served as governor and senator.

Adam also entered politics at a young age. He was gloriously elected as the governor of Texas in the last election. Father and son became governors together. It was the first condition of a prominent political family.

The next target was the White House.

How can today’s Mr. Governor not become tomorrow’s Mr. President?

The same goes for Trump. No one could have imagined that the rich old man from Home Alone 2 would become the owner of the White House 30 years later.

I don’t think he knew either.

‘Isn’t that the same for me?’

He needed a wide and diverse network of connections, not only in politics but also in economics, society, and culture.

‘The most important thing is money.’

Musk had money. Those who didn’t were cheap.

But I didn’t really care about the latter. It’s a business relationship anyway. The former is enough.

The two hit it off well and expressed their friendship publicly.

[ Texas Governor Adam Price, ‘Elon Musk is not a weirdo. He is a smart and strategic leader. Tesla is the best company in the world.’ ]

[Elon Musk publicly supports Price on Twitter. ‘Trump is a good fit to be the next president.’······ Owner risk, Tesla stock price plummets.]

And the result was the Gigafactory.

It was a bit of a stretch.

The gigafactory that will be built in Nevada is already the world’s largest. It’s not even finished yet. There’s no reason to build a second one in Texas.

But I did it anyway.

Of course, I assumed it was because of our connection. There was no other reason.

But what?

Suddenly, Musk notified him unilaterally.

‘I’ve decided to meet with Cocoa Kang Si-hyeon. Let’s meet at the official residence.’

cocoa?

I can confidently say that it was the first time I had heard that name.

I just found out from my staff. It’s a big Korean company. They came to Washington DC a while ago and made an appointment. They’re going to work with Musk to build one more gigafactory each in Korea and Texas.

That’s why Elon Musk is coming to the governor’s mansion.

That day came.

“Welcome.”

Musk actually came to the residence. He had an expression full of anticipation. It was the first time I saw his face.

“That’s amazing. It really is.”

As soon as he sat down, he burst into admiration.

“(Cocoa) helped me so much. I am so grateful.”

“Haha, what are you talking about? (I’m) not that bad.”

suddenly?

I was taken aback by his unusual appearance. The mischievous look on Musk’s face had already disappeared.

“No. It’s not.”

Musk waved his hand.

“I have received a lot of help recently. Now it is my turn to help. That is why I asked to meet (Kang Si-hyeon).”

“Me?”

He looked like he hadn’t heard the last words because he was sitting down.

Adam Price’s eyes furrowed.

Why is this guy doing this?

Could it be that he thought of me this much? I thought deeply. But Musk continued talking without even knowing.

“This year was the same. Thanks to (Kang Si-hyeon) supporting my reckless decision, I was able to finish the year without any problems. Maybe next year will be even better.”

“You say all sorts of things.”

Adam Price chuckled.

Well, he did support a lot.

As soon as the Gigafactory decision was made, we traveled across Texas, more than 200 counties, to find the places that would offer the most subsidies and benefits. We narrowed it down to five candidates.

What if it ends in failure?

He could have a hard time even being re-elected as governor, let alone becoming the next president. He put his political life on the line.

It was an excuse to say it was for Musk. It was a gamble for himself. But he is evaluating his strategic judgment so highly. It was unexpected.

He quickly lowered himself.

“All of this is your ability, Elon. It’s humility.”

“No. My abilities are insignificant.”

Elon was so humble. It was so unfamiliar.

The more he talked, the more delusional Governor Adam Price became.

‘cocoa?’

No matter how big a company is, it is not bigger than Tesla or SpaceX. There is no reason for Musk to respect cocoa this much.

‘It’s not for cocoa, it’s for me.’

Korea is a long-time ally of the United States. Cocoa is one of those big Korean companies. Perhaps introducing Kang Si-hyun to himself is also to persuade him to support his election?

At first, I didn’t feel good.

It was because I made myself wait.

But now it’s different. It’s as if I’m seeing myself a few years from now, when I’ll be in the White House.

“There are so many rude things.”

“Excuse me, Elon. What are you talking about?”

If I can just go to the White House, I’ll be fine.

How many hours?

No, I could have waited for a few days.

It was a political life lived for this day. Adam Price chuckled as he picked up his car. It was a generous smile, almost like the president’s.

A few hours later,

‘What kind of guy is this?’

Kang Si-hyun and Elon Musk left the official residence. It was because they were inspecting the scene. Adam Price did not follow.

It was a business-to-business affair. There was no reason to follow along.

Of course, to some extent it was an excuse.

I said something else because I needed time to think.

Kang Si-Hyeon was a hotter person than you might think. Maybe even hotter than Elon Musk.

‘What I want to do is create more jobs in Texas and contribute more to Texas. I don’t need any benefits or anything like that.’

It was a welcome sound to hear.

In fact, there was political pressure.

The benefits that had to be offered as a condition for attracting the Gigafactory were perhaps a gamble for the future. All of that was neatly resolved with one word from Kang Si-hyeon.

All prejudice was shattered.

‘Cocoa, maybe you will become a partner who can help me a lot like Elon.’

I firmly engraved the five letters KOKOA in my heart.

* * *

I came back to Korea.

——

Elon.musk ··· 2 days ago

Good bye bro. @Kokoa. See you soon.

(Goodbye, my friend Cocoa. See you soon.)

——

Musk, in his own way, left a farewell message on Twitter.

‘It was nice to meet you, Mr. Kang.’

My meeting with the Governor of Texas was unexpected. At first he seemed wary of me, but by the time I left the residence his attitude had changed considerably.

But there were a few flaws.

Five candidate sites were problematic.

One city offered unlimited incentives for power and water supply in exchange for land over 100 hectares, while another county promised the largest tax breaks the city could grant in exchange for jobs.

‘shit.’

Politicians are all like that. It’s the same in Korea and the US. The nightmare in Gangwon Province almost happened again.

‘I thought it would end with Cocoa Cloud.’

When they call, they make it impossible for you to refuse with sweet bait (Elon Musk), but in the end, they hit you in the back of the head with big benefits.

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I strongly declined.

Then, Adam Price’s face gradually relaxed. Musk just smiled beside me as if telling me to do whatever I wanted.

He trusted me completely.

In the end, the adjustment was made, but the cost that our cocoa had to bear was less than I thought. I thought I would spend a few trillion. But I didn’t. It was because of that damn benefit.

If you think about it, it’s an obvious story.

Heavenly Kingdom.

It’s a nickname for the United States. It’s a name that fits the world’s largest economy, which spends close to a trillion won on defense alone. A trillion won is one trillion dollars. We spend ten times the trillion dollars I have every year.

Let’s think about it differently.

If you keep spending trillions and still stay in first place, it means you earn even more money. It means that you haven’t figured out how to spend money while doing it over and over again.

This is the world.

It has been proven that there are teachings that even the United States cannot provide. Now, I am the only one who can be trusted.

‘shit.’

I bit my lip internally.

A general was there. I listened to what he had to say.

“We sent CEO Yoo Jae-hong to the U.S. GameStop is also positive about this. It seems like the acquisition will not be difficult.”

These were the words of CEO Han Jang-soo.

“What about price negotiation?”

I told them in advance that I could raise it more if I could.

“Fortunately, the acquiring side has a strong tendency to exit, so the discussion is likely to go in the direction of lowering the price. The 51% stake is valued at 550 million dollars, and all assets are liquidated and valued at 50 million dollars, so the total acquisition price is 600 million dollars.”

Look at this.

In the end, I couldn’t spend even a single dollar more than 600 million. It’s disappointing.

“What about the stock price?”

“It’s still the same.”

After the roundtable, GameStop investment was formalized. But the stock price remained the same.

“It’s a shame (that it didn’t come down). What is the community’s reaction?”

“Shall I tell you?”

“Yes, I asked because I was curious.”

“In a word, it is negative. Very negative.”

He took out his tablet and turned on the screen. He read the first comment he saw.

“Angry Birds, Battle Around, and Brawl Stars are all global mega-hits, but they’re just individual game packages. They clearly don’t have a good eye for choosing companies. GameStop will definitely ‘stop’ their consecutive home runs. Would you like to read more?”

This time I’m somewhat satisfied.

“No, that won’t work.”

It was heartbreaking to hear the words, “three consecutive home runs.” This time, it definitely had to be a strike out.

But even if I spend it like this, it’s only $600 million. It’s pocket change. It’s only 0.6% of the $100 billion I have to spend.

But you shouldn’t think that way.

There is a saying that a little goes a long way. If you spend 500 million or 600 million, it will soon become a mountain. The most important thing is consistency.

The introduction of ‘In Sangmu’, an artificial intelligence for business purposes, is also like that.

One account per computer. Royalty is paid every time it is used. It is a steady spending. I needed this idea all the time.

So, a new contest was created.

Tiring,

At that moment, a business report came in. It was an email from KSH’s Lim Kyung-jun, the incompetent executive director.

[ Cocoa Octagon Results Report . ]

Octagon refers to the ring used in mixed martial arts matches.

This is the first competition held with the aim of discovering good business areas for cocoa in 2018 by utilizing ‘In Sangmu’.

Of course, this means a business field that is good for spending money.

It was a task that I had instructed and left before going to the US. It was for all employees of the Cocoa Group. At least one idea had to be submitted. There was also a limit on business expenses. 100 million dollars (approximately 100 billion won).

Of course, this is the lower limit, not the upper limit.

The results came out quickly.

— 1st place: Acquisition of KBO ‘Dosan Bears’ baseball team.

It’s been hot from the start. ‘Dosan Bears’. It’s a prestigious team that has existed since the beginning of professional baseball.

But more than that, I liked the name.

‘Dosan? It’s the perfect name for Dosan.’

My mouth was watering.

But the club’s value was a hindrance. It was only 200 billion won. It barely passed the lower limit.

The idea itself was good. Sports clubs are money-eating hippos.

There is not much income, but there are many places to spend money. It does not have to be Dosan Bears. There are many expensive clubs in the world.

‘Eureka,’ I said, picking up the phone.

– Yes, Mr. Chairman.

“I just read the report. It was a good idea. Doosan Bears. Get ready to take over immediately.”

While Lim Gyeong-jun hesitated, I continued speaking quickly.

“And can you prepare a billion dollars?”

– yes?

Dosan Bears, that much money? Lim Kyung-jun’s question read his thoughts. But I’m not that lowly.

There are other places to spend the billion dollars.

I hung up. I called internationally again. It was Texas.

– Mr. Kang, what’s going on?

Adam Price’s voice has crossed the Pacific.

Texas Governor Adam Price stood for a long time after hanging up the phone, not saying anything.

“Governor, why are you suddenly like this?”

“It’s nothing.”

“You were talking about cowboys. If it’s another ridiculous redneck… or a threat from a resident, I’ll deal with it quickly.”

It was a worried voice.

The Cowboys are the NFL franchise team Dallas Cowboys from Texas. They are a traditional powerhouse. They are also a prestigious team that has the highest value in the world.

But recently it has fallen into a slump.

The residents’ complaints were loud.

That period overlapped with Adam Price’s term as governor. Voters blamed everything on the governor. It’s ridiculous, but that kind of thing affects the vote.

As a politician, I couldn’t help but be sensitive.

“No. That’s it.”

But that wasn’t what Adam Price was worried about.

“No, you’re suddenly asking me to arrange for the Cowboys to be acquired? What kind of crazy talk is that?”

They say they have prepared 1 billion dollars.

Of course, an acquisition is possible with that amount of money, as the club’s value is just under $900 million.

But that’s not all.

The Cowboys are a symbol of Texas.

Even if it was inevitable because it was a business-to-business transaction, I couldn’t arrange something like that with my own hands, not even in my dreams. I would be treated as a traitor, or rather a slave to the state. Even if I ran for president, it was clear that I wouldn’t get a single vote from Texas.

Texas has the second-largest electoral vote count behind California. How can you become president without it? That’s nearly impossible.

‘That’s crazy.’

I declined, but it was surprising.

‘I can never let go of this man’s hand.’

There is a saying:

It’s hard to make someone successful, but it’s easy to make them fail.

But what if the power of a man who can talk about buying the Cowboys as easily as buying a McDonald’s hamburger is enough to defeat him?

That story just now wasn’t really about taking over. It was clearly a threat.

I made a hasty phone call.

“Elon.”

– Adam, what’s going on?

“I just got a call from Mr. Kang.”

Musk was also delighted by Kang Si-hyun’s story. He also knows it.

Now even Adam Price has figured it out.

The talk of not needing subsidies or tax exemptions was all bait. It was a test to see how much Kang Si-hyeon could give up for himself. A kind of loyalty test, perhaps?

It was because I didn’t have enough sincerity.

It was a crisis of small gain and great loss. I almost made a big mistake.

“I’ll do whatever he wants, but please tell him not to the Cowboys. I’ll do everything I can to get subsidies and tax breaks, and I’ll even try to change the bill if necessary. Just not the Cowboys, please.”

His voice trembled.

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