SCT-Novel Chapter 84
Chapter 84
Translator: DreamscribePrivate jet.
In our country, it is not something commonly used.
It’s generally reserved for business trips, and even then, only those at the level of CEO or higher within a group are allowed to use it.
Normally, people just fly commercially.
I was planning to do the same.
That was because Milon Tusk had requested a meeting in California for the acquisition of Close AI shares.
But hyung suddenly told me that the company had secured a private jet and that I should use it.
What’s more, this private jet wasn’t used even by our executives or hyung himself, it was prepared solely for me.
“No, hyung. Why did you buy something so extravagant?”
[You’re the face of our company. And the most important person. Besides, you’re going to meet that Tusk or Lusk guy or whoever. It’s about our company’s image. You’re the CEO, and you think it’s okay to just fly commercial?]
“You should’ve invested this money instead.......”
[Hehe. Compared to the money you’ve earned, this jet is like a handful of sand. Just have a safe trip. Oh, and bring me a gift. Some whiskey.]
“But you said whiskey doesn’t taste good and you don’t drink it.”
[Yeah, but it looks cool.]
He once told me that his little dream was to sit alone at night, lost in thought, put in a single ice cube, and pour himself a glass of whiskey.
Of course, there was the sadly funny story that he tried it a few times, couldn’t stand the taste, and ended up mixing it with cola.
“CEO-nim. We’ve received word from Netflix and AMD in California that they are preparing to welcome you.”
“What? All of a sudden?”
“Yes. It seems they think your visit to California is to check on each company's progress.”
That wasn’t my intention.
Isn’t California famous for Silicon Valley, where numerous IT companies are clustered?
That’s why Tusk also wanted to meet me there.
But it seemed that Netflix and AMD, based in California, assumed that while I was meeting Tusk, I would also visit and inspect both companies.
“Still, I think it would be a good idea to visit them. It’s not about tightening the reins, but we also shouldn’t let things get too loose. And isn’t it often said that seeing something in person is different from hearing about it in a report?”
Department Head Seo was right.
It was also our responsibility to visit the companies we own and invest in at least once to see whether they’re doing their jobs properly.
“It’s going to be a long flight, so please get plenty of rest. The headquarters is already collecting data and organizing reports, so once it’s ready, it will be sent over right away.”
“Ah, okay. You should get some rest too, Department Head.”
“Haha. Just riding on a flight this expensive is more than enough rest for me. Thanks to you, CEO-nim, I get to enjoy such luxury.”
After flying to California on the jet, the first place we went after arriving at the airport was the hotel.
I could’ve headed straight to AMD or Netflix, but I hadn’t set a tight schedule.
How should I put it?
It kind of felt like I came here for vacation under the pretense of a meeting.
So I spent a whole day just lying in the hotel.
I didn’t feel like going out to do anything.
The reason was that this ultra-luxurious suite booked by the company was too nice to waste.
And what I realized was that lazing around in a hotel was more fun than I had expected.
Doing nothing while looking around the room, ordering room service, playing games on the laptop I brought with me.
It was a happy day.
“Looks like you had a good rest.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Yes. Your face is glowing.”
“You, on the other hand, look the exact opposite.”
“Yes. I must be getting old, I just can’t adjust to the time difference anymore.”
“Would you like to rest a bit more then?”
“No, it’s fine. Even if there were other staff members, it’s my duty to assist you, CEO-nim.”
The first place we visited was AMD.
Isn’t it the sector that could be called our future’s biggest source of revenue?
“Welcome, CEO-nim.”
At AMD, all the executives were waiting for me at the entrance.
“You didn’t have to go this far to welcome me.”
“Not at all. You’re the one who saved AMD. Of course, this is the least we could do. Now, please come inside.”
CEO Lisa Woo gave a briefing with the executives on AMD’s current semiconductor strategy and production goals.
“.......”
As I listened to the report and presentation they provided, I was gathering data.
And just like Department Head Seo said, I’m glad I came here.
Receiving reports from afar and hearing them directly on-site while confirming their goals are definitely different experiences.
Even now, as I was looking at this proposal and listening to the presentation, my intuition was already ringing in my head.
“I understand what you’ve said. But as you know, one of the biggest reasons the semiconductor market is surging right now is because of Bitcoin. In other words, if the Bitcoin bubble bursts, semiconductor companies and graphic manufacturing firms like yours could be affected as well.”
The reason the semiconductor market and graphic manufacturers like AMD have gained traction is because of Bitcoin.
But Bitcoin prices don’t always go up.
Currently, the price has soared past $20,000, but signs of a bursting bubble and a price collapse were becoming visible.
Experts were already loudly claiming this was the last chance to exit.
“But unlike Bitcoin, there’s something that keeps increasing over time. That’s servers. Whether it’s an existing company or a new startup, servers are essential. And we’re manufacturing the components needed for those servers. So focus as much as possible on that area, increase production, and speed up technical advancement.”
I removed the majority of the items listed in the current proposal and marked only the ones that my intuition responded to.
“These are the plans I’m approving. Please remove all the others from the project.”
“......Pardon me for saying so, CEO-nim. But you just mentioned that if the Bitcoin bubble bursts, we’d be significantly affected. Even so, are we really increasing production?”
“Yes. Bitcoin is extremely volatile. It crashes hard, and at other times it shoots up like it’s going to pierce the sky. In the long term, it will continue trending upward. People might say the Bitcoin era is over whenever a crash comes, but that will never happen.”
The reason I could speak with such confidence was because I had already seen, through my intuition, how far Bitcoin's price would rise.
I didn’t know the exact date, but Bitcoin would become far more expensive than it is now.
“The current high has stopped at $20,000, but one day, the price will exceed $100,000.”
“$1... $100,000!?”
The executives began murmuring among themselves.
Most of their reactions were along the lines of how Bitcoin could possibly reach $100,000.
People made a huge fuss about it hitting $30,000, but in the end, it failed to break that wall and has been falling, hasn’t it?
“In any case, please proceed with this plan. Especially in the technical sector, approach it with the goal of surpassing NVIDIA through cooperation with Kangseong.”
On the way back after wrapping up the meeting, Department Head Seo quietly moved closer to me.
“CEO-nim. But… do you really think Bitcoin will reach $100,000?”
“Yes. It will, eventually.”
That said, I had no intention of buying it now.
Not only was it impossible to know exactly when it would hit $100,000, but since I operate KW Exchange, trading Bitcoin was prohibited.
More importantly, rather than buying it and holding for a long time, it would be better to invest that money elsewhere and make returns immediately.
That’s because I’m not someone who likes long-term investing, I always prefer investments that generate short-term profits.
Of course, that would be a different story if my intuition reacted.
***
“CEO-nim, the Squid Game you asked us to pay special attention to is currently in production. However, the director is a perfectionist, so he’s extremely meticulous. From casting actors to building the sets, he insists on reviewing every detail.”
In short, it meant the production period was being extended because of the director.
I reviewed the Squid Game proposal.
“.......”
It still shined beautifully and brilliantly.
As I stared quietly at that light, before long, a vivid image struck my mind.
A strange scene of the entire world being covered with Squid Game.
A drama set in Korea, spreading worldwide, of all things.
Is this what it means to culturally conquer the world?
“Please fulfill everything the director requests. The production timeline doesn’t matter, however long it takes.”
“Ah, yes.”
“And I think this is what the CEO-nim has been looking forward to the most.”
What I handed over to CEO Reed Hastings were the upcoming series lined up for investment.
As expected, his eyes sparkled, and he received my checklist with the care of someone handling a treasure map.
“Then I’ll be taking my leave now.”
“Oh- aren’t you going to look at anything else? Like the filming set or the scripts? Honestly, everyone’s very curious about you, CEO-nim. Especially the directors and writers. They keep wondering how every project you pick becomes a huge hit.”
“Really?”
“Yes. So the writers sometimes lament. Saying that a once-in-a-generation drama writer could’ve been born, but that talent ended up in finance instead. Haha. So... if possible, they’d love to hear your advice on their stories.”
That just made it even clearer, I needed to leave here quickly.
After all, I don’t even know much about storytelling, and I’ve never actually watched the hit projects I picked.
“I wouldn’t want to interfere with their creative freedom. Besides, if I show up without reason, I might only put pressure on the production. Just let them know I’m cheering them on from behind the scenes.”
“Your philosophy is truly exceptional. Someone with a keen sense for story, yet who never infringes on creative freedom and invests with trust instead... I’m learning something valuable today.”
“.......”
I ended things on a warm note and stepped out of Netflix’s headquarters.
“CEO-nim, Milon Tusk has arrived at the meeting location.”
“Ah. Let’s head over quickly.”
“Yes. I’ll take you right away.”
I headed toward the appointed place with the staff.
Truthfully, the thing I’d been most looking forward to on this trip was meeting Milon Tusk.
It wasn’t because of the Close AI acquisition deal.
It was more out of personal curiosity.
There was something I absolutely wanted to ask him when we met.
Did you create Bitcoin?
***
“So we finally meet. I’ve been looking forward to this.”
Tusk, who had been waiting at the agreed location, greeted me warmly.
I thought it would be a typical, stiff business meeting, but it was the complete opposite.
“Me?”
“Yes. One of the benefits of having lots of money and running a company is that your information network expands. Especially as you interact with people at the top, you hear a lot of things. And lately, I’ve been hearing a lot about you.”
“I doubt I’m someone worth that kind of attention. Especially here in the U.S.”
“That can’t be. Aren’t you the one who partnered with the White House and shook the financial markets? Not to mention, you brought down TSMC, which once dominated the semiconductor sector, and put a leash directly around NVIDIA’s neck. And yet here you are, being modest.”
I just smiled lightly.
“So I wanted to ask you directly. When did you start planning all of this? I never imagined you would overturn the already one-sided semiconductor and graphics card market like this.”
“I just got lucky, that’s all.”
“Hmm... I’m not sure ‘luck’ quite explains taking over the shipping industry and teaming up with China to bleed TSMC dry.”
I quietly studied Tusk’s smiling face.
It shimmered golden at times, turned pitch black at others, and then distorted like a corrupted image full of noise.
It was a type I had never seen before.
No actually, I was sure I had seen it somewhere before.
“Since you’re not answering, I’ll stop digging deeper. I’d rather not provoke you and have our company suffer the same fate as others that either vanished or crumbled after getting on your bad side. Shall we talk business now?”
“Sounds good.”
“45% of Close AI’s shares. 200 million dollars. I think it’s a very fair price. If not for the AI development we’re pursuing at Tesla, I would’ve held on to this stake.”
Tusk was selling these shares because of his own company.
Tesla’s current goal was full autonomous driving.
To achieve that, they needed to develop a highly sophisticated AI. While Close AI was currently a non-profit organization, there was a high possibility it could become a future competitor.
Because of this conflict of interest, he was letting go of the shares and stepping away.
“They’re clinging to the non-profit label now, but the current CEO, Nick McTeman, won’t be able to keep that up forever. That’s just how the world works. No matter how noble your intentions, you eventually need money.”
“And the executives there have no objections?”
“What can they do? They don’t have the money to buy my shares for 200 million dollars. And the fact that you chose this company means it has a solid future, right?”
The fact that my intuition selected this company among countless AI firms meant it had more potential than the rest.
“But in the end, Google will win. No matter how talented the people here are, they can’t compete with Google’s funding or resources. Not to mention their accumulated data.”
“You’re speaking as if you don’t really want to sell.”
“I’m just being honest. Frankly, I wouldn’t care even if the deal didn’t go through. The reason I came here today was to see your face and have a conversation. Now that I’ve done that, I’m satisfied.”
I gave a subtle signal to the staff members who had been tense since earlier.
They brought out the contract our company had prepared.
“Oh. So you’re really buying it?”
“What else can I do? It’s not like I can buy Google.”
“Buying the dark horse to go up against the giant dinosaur... You’re more of a fighter than you look.”
Tusk had his staff review the contract.
Despite all that talk about not wanting to sell, he signed with lightning speed, perhaps afraid I might change my mind.
Once both of us had signed, we exchanged a handshake.
As we headed back to our respective cars and were about to part ways.
When we were alone, with the staff hanging back behind us, I finally asked the question that had been on my mind.
“Did you make Bitcoin, CEO-nim?”
Satoshi Nakamoto.
It’s a Japanese name, but no one actually believes he’s Japanese.
And for a time, there were strong rumors that Milon Tusk was the creator of Bitcoin.
“Officially, I’ve said I didn’t.”
He had once dismissed the rumors via social media, claiming he had nothing to do with creating Bitcoin.
“But even if I were Satoshi, I’d officially deny it. Things like this are better left as mysteries.”
It was a loaded, suggestive comment.
Was he saying he’d keep it a secret forever?
“Then, I look forward to meeting again. Somehow, I doubt this will be our last.”
“Yes. I hope fate brings us together again.”
I shook his hand one last time.
And as I watched his face, still shifting, shining, and breaking apart, I felt a sensation stir within me.
That feeling, that shape.
Exactly what I felt the first time I saw Bitcoin.
An unpredictable madness.