socalfunplaces Chapter 78 Microsoft's Acquisition Intentions
Chapter 78 Microsoft's Acquisition Intentions
The afternoon sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting alternating stripes of light and shadow on the office floor.
Lingyun had just finished his routine meeting with the browser development team, where they finalized a new browser optimization strategy based on a multi-process architecture and the V8 engine. Just then, he received a call from the front desk.
"Mr. Ling, a Mr. Ballmer would like to see you. He has no appointment and says he is from Microsoft." The receptionist's voice carried a hint of uncertainty.
Ling Yun's hand holding the receiver paused slightly. What was bound to happen had finally arrived. Xingchen's rise to fame on the BBS hadn't escaped the eyes of the industry giants, though they hadn't expected it to happen so quickly.
Ling Yun took a deep breath and said calmly, "Please ask him to come to the small conference room. I'll be there right away."
In the small conference room, before Ling Yun had even fully entered, Ballmer practically jumped up from his chair, extending his broad palm with an infectiously warm smile on his face.
"Mr. Ling, I've heard so much about you. I'm Steve Ballmer!" His voice was loud and clear, full of energy, and his handshake was firm, as if he wanted to pour all his enthusiasm directly into Ling Yun.
"Mr. Ballmer, welcome!" Ling Yun responded with a smile, gesturing for the other to take a seat. He sized up the future Microsoft CEO, who was in his prime, his eyes gleaming with a hunter's glint.
"Ling, may I call you that?" Ballmer leaned forward, resting his arms on the table, speaking in an extremely friendly manner, showing no superiority over Ling Yun, this unknown young man.
"I've already used your Star System, and it's absolutely fantastic! It abandons the traditional desktop and uses a browser as the system interface—very imaginative. Your anonymous shared memory technology and Binder inter-process communication technology greatly improve system efficiency."
"Thank you!" Ling Yun nodded without saying anything more. He knew why Ballmer was being so warm and friendly to him.
"Microsoft has always been committed to promoting the popularization and development of computer technology, and we appreciate all innovative ideas and talents."
Ballmer then changed the subject, saying, "Microsoft wants to acquire StarCraft, including the entire team and technology. We'll offer a price you can't refuse."
He took a document directly from his briefcase and pushed it in front of Ling Yun. It was a draft letter of intent, with the Microsoft logo prominently displayed on the cover.
Ling Yun didn't open it, but simply placed his palm on the badge on the cover. "Mr. Ballmer, I'm flattered by Microsoft's interest." Ling Yun's tone softened, and he said calmly, "But I'm sorry, Starcraft currently has no plans to be sold, nor does it have any plans to raise funds at the moment."
Ballmer's smile faded slightly, but his enthusiasm remained. "Ling, don't rush into a decision. Look at the numbers inside; they're enough to give you and your team financial freedom to enjoy life or conduct new research that interests you."
"The battleground of operating systems is very deep. Just building the ecosystem alone requires an investment of countless resources and time. In addition to ecosystem building, there is also market promotion. If StarCraft wants to go global, the current hype is not enough. With the backing of Microsoft, StarCraft can move faster and serve hundreds of millions of users."
Ling Yun met Ballmer's gaze and said, "Our Xingchen dream and corporate culture determine that we are not on the same path as Microsoft. We are an open ecosystem that anyone can use to learn and even use for commercial purposes."
"Ling, this is your personal idealism." Ballmer frowned slightly and leaned back. "Let's not talk about these ideals for now. Business is business. You're not running a charity."
"Windows has been deeply rooted in the market for many years now. Our ecosystem, our supporting manufacturers and software developers—none of these can be easily breached. Any attempt to challenge us is tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock!"
Ballmer's words carried an air of self-assured dominance, a confidence that now belongs to the Microsoft empire.
Ling Yun smiled slightly, "Starry Sky has never thought of challenging Microsoft, nor is it going to be a rival to Windows. Our original intention is to embrace the Internet and change people's lives. What we want to do is provide users with an entry point to connect to the world."
"We don't have the money or resources to build an ecosystem like Microsoft's, so Microsoft's core customer base has never been our target. We also won't serve enterprise users; they are not our target customers."
"A very ambitious vision," Ballmer commented noncommittally, "but Microsoft can do the same, even better and faster. The IE browser team is already working on some of the concepts you've proposed. An acquisition would be the highest recognition of your talent. Confrontation, on the other hand, would exhaust your intelligence and ultimately be futile."
This is already a veiled warning, implying that Microsoft could at any time adopt the same technological approach as StarCraft and use its size advantage to directly crush StarCraft.
Ling Yun smiled, showing no fear, and calmly said, "Mr. Ballmer, I believe Microsoft has the capability. However, I created StarCraft not for money. Although I am not as rich as Bill Gates, I am not short of money."
"The value of Starry Sky lies not in how many users it has, nor in how much money it can generate, but in the fact that it represents a more open system, a more practical network system, and a more lightweight system. We are looking to the future; we are merely the foundation stone. Our greatest value is enabling more talented people to stand on our shoulders and go further."
A brief silence fell over the conference room. Ballmer stared at Ling Yun, seemingly trying to determine whether it was youthful stubbornness or a well-thought-out commitment. After a while, he slowly put away the documents on the table, his smile still there, but his enthusiasm had cooled considerably.
"Okay, Ling, I respect your choice." He stood up. "Microsoft's doors are always open for you, not only for StarCraft, but also for you personally. Bill and I both admire your vision and your technology. If you change your mind, feel free to contact me."
"Okay, thank you for your kindness!" Ling Yun stood up and shook hands with Ballmer again.
Ling Yun returned to his office and pondered carefully the purpose of Ballmer's visit and how wary Microsoft was of him.
A soft knock on the door interrupted Ling Yun's thoughts. "Come in!"
Eric pushed open the door and came in with a smile. "Boss, I heard that Microsoft's Ballmer is here?"
"Hmm!" Ling Yun replied perfunctorily.
Eric, however, seemed oblivious to his boss's reluctance to discuss the matter further. "So what brings him to our company? Is he declaring war? Did our system shock them?"
"Get ready to acquire Starry Sky, then I'll promote you and give you a raise!" Ling Yun glanced at him.
"Really?" Eric asked, his face beaming with joy.
"Seriously, Ballmer is planning to promote you to boss!"
"..." Eric felt like he was being choked, unsure of what to say for a moment, and timidly replied, "Boss, I'm the most loyal to you..."