socalfunplaces Page 110
Page 110
"Don't worry, it'll be quick," Hawke chuckled. "But 06, I've been so good to you, aren't you going to give me some kind of reward?"
"There is a reward... but..." Cheon Song-yi blinked, "Let's talk about it when we get home!"
Ever since.
Back home, under Hawke's expectant gaze, Cheon Song-yi changed into a navy-style JK uniform, exuding energy and vibrancy, making her look years younger.
The blue collar with a bow is fresh and youthful. The waist-length cropped top echoes the blue short pleated skirt, creating a harmonious and unified look. Paired with black flats, it exudes a romantic and pure charm.
"How about this reward?" Cheon Song-yi gently raised her head and said, "I knew you were such a naughty guy, always trying to play tricks on people, so I specifically chose this one..."
"It's alright, I guess..." Hawke slurped, and said, "Is there anything better?"
"I heard your plan from across the Atlantic. You only bought this one item, and there weren't any others left. If you don't like it, forget it."
Cheon Song-yi rolled her eyes.
A hint of disappointment flashed in Hawke's eyes, but he quickly rallied:
"There's no other way, so I'll just have to reluctantly become a concubine!"
Well, how should I put it...
Cheon Song-yi is so radiant!
Hawke found it irresistible!
So the next day, when Cheon Song-yi went to work, she limped along the road, feeling thankful that she had already bought her house and that the day she could escape her misery was not far off.
After sending Cheon Song-yi to the film set, Hawke went to Ryan Technology, where Stella and Na Lan happened to be.
Snapchat has already been launched on the market. In addition to the plan proposed by Hawke, Stella and Nalan, as well as some technical experts, are also discussing adding new features to make the product more complete.
Hawke nodded after reviewing it, agreeing that it did not compromise the private social nature of Snapchat.
To put it bluntly, Snapchat is essentially a safe platform for young people to send each other indecent photos, because this information leaves no trace online and parents have nowhere to check it.
It also caters to users who want to send trade secrets or sensitive information.
"How many users are there now?"
Hawke flipped through the financial report as he asked.
Na Lan replied, "More than 50 people."
"What?" Hawke was disappointed. "Only this much?"
It's worth noting that tech giants like Google receive tens of millions of visits daily, and Facebook, owned by Lane Technology, currently has nearly a billion registered users, while its Snapchat has 50 users...
It's so embarrassing to even talk about it!
“Hawk, starting an internet company is different from acquiring a mature internet company!” Stella said with a dark face, “This result is actually amazing, considering how long the software has been online. This is the result of spending a lot of money on promotion and marketing, as well as using Twitter and Facebook to drive a certain amount of traffic.”
Na Lan nodded, glancing gratefully at Stella, and added, "Sister Stella is right. Snapchat's product quality is excellent. An initial user base of 50 is already ten times the popularity of Twitter when it was first released. As long as it develops steadily and avoids any unexpected problems, it will definitely maintain its place on the internet. Once Snapchat's brand effect is established, the number of users will explode exponentially. At that point, the daily server rental costs will be enough to make you regret having so many users."
"understood."
Hawke nodded, indicating that he understood.
Internet companies face tough and expensive early stages; without going through trials and tribulations, it's difficult to succeed.
Back then, there were tens of thousands of internet companies in Silicon Valley, but in the end, only about a dozen giants survived.
"Stella, what do you think about us creating another 567 of websites?"
Hawke, with a burst of inspiration, briefly explained the plan for the of website to Stella.
Because OF is actually a further development of Snapchat, and in its previous life, OF was indeed a giant that was incredibly powerful, with a user base of over 150 million. In September 2022, in a world where the emerging metaverse was barren and the traditional internet was in decline, OF's performance soared to new heights. The company's total net income was $9.32 million. Considering that the company's core employees were probably less than 200 people, this revenue was astonishing.
This platform targets the fan economy. Anyone can upload pictures, videos, and other content, and fans can pay to buy this content. The platform takes a 20% commission, leaving 8% for the content uploader. In a way... it's a bit like a more relaxed version of Weibo.
Compared to other similar platforms, of eliminates the cumbersome steps of user integration and content distribution, with 80% of the revenue going to the creators, and also builds a direct communication and contact bridge between creators and users.
Hawke believes that of and Snapchat can complement each other.
200 Na Lan, you're practically my Angelababy!
“Hawk, are you serious?” Stella looked at him speechlessly and said, “Do you think Ryan’s reputation is too good, so you can’t wait to ruin it? If Snapchat is still playing on the edge, your idea is to throw yourself into the mud and wallow in it, and you’ll never be able to wash it off.”
Seeing that Stella's attitude wasn't good and it seemed like they were about to start a fight, Nalan quickly stepped in to smooth things over:
“Boss, your idea is actually a really good one, but it’s only suitable for people who are already struggling in the mud. It’s understandable for them to do some daring things in order to cross the class line. But you can’t do that! You’re already a top American tycoon. There’s no need for you to do something like this for a little money.”
“Uh… okay.” Hawke glanced at the two of them and chuckled awkwardly, “It seems I’ve been oversimplifying things.”
He then looked at Na Lan, who was dressed in a business suit, and affirmed, "Na Lan, your explanation is so easy to understand, it's practically my Angelababy!"
Na Lan was slightly taken aback, and her face flushed red instantly.
Stella rolled her eyes at the opportune moment.
In fact, American society is both open and conservative.
Most American media outlets are simply rooted in liberalism and tend to exaggerate in order to make a profit.
In reality, the United States is not as open as one might imagine, because it is a Christian nation, and conservative forces are very strong throughout society.
Upon hearing Stella and Nalan's words, Hawke himself remembered that in later generations, he himself was promoting de-sexification because JPMorgan Chase, a major commercial bank in the United States, had imposed sanctions on them.
JPMorgan Chase has been particularly aggressive in closing accounts for mental health workers or any corporate accounts that support them.
These websites are considered an eyesore by mainstream media; lacking banking partners, they frequently face sanctions and warnings.
In a sense, these websites offer the freest creative environment, allowing users to upload even the most private content, which has fueled the rapid rise of these platforms.
However, when the mainstream wants to take you down, no matter how glorious the website was in the past, it will be brought to the ground in the blink of an eye.
"Never mind what I said."
Websites like Of, even if they enjoy temporary glory, are destined to be brought down to the dust, so it's best to avoid them.
Run Snapchat with peace of mind.
Although Hawke thinks Snapchat is a bit small, once it grows in scale, it will be a giant even if it stands alone! Not to mention the mutual support it provides with Twitter and Facebook.
“Of course…” Stella hesitated for a moment, then said, “Snapchat can’t be openly associated with OF, but whatever you want to do behind the scenes is nobody’s business…”
"Uh……"
Hawke could tell, of course, that Stella was hinting at something.
After all, OF is a business with unicorn potential, and Stella can certainly see its value. $10 billion, rather than letting others make money from it, she might as well make it herself.
She also works on Wall Street, so she certainly doesn't have any moral fastidiousness or anything like that. She only cares about whether a project can actually make money.
"Okay, I'll try to find a black glove in the UK to get this website up and running."
Hawke immediately thought of Tim Stockley, the founder of OF, and wondered if he could put him in charge of the project again.
Hawke could then use a clandestine overseas fund to invest in and establish OF, using Tim Stockley as a front to make a quick buck and run away, leaving the company to someone willing to take it over.
"Let's get down to business," Stella said. "Thanks to the extensive pre-launch publicity and Snapchat's novel concept, the software already has hundreds of thousands of users. Don't underestimate the number of users; it's actually quite a lot. Our company's management is already discussing purchasing enterprise-level software services and more servers from Oracle."
"How much is it?"
Hawke asked instinctively.
Stella casually remarked, "A little over ten million dollars."
"Wow, that's expensive!" Hawke exclaimed. "I'm really curious, how do ordinary people buy servers and other supporting facilities from large corporations when they start an internet company?"
"So 99.9999% of individually founded internet companies are dead," Stella said. "Only a very, very small number of lucky ones are able to attract the attention of venture capital firms, get opportunities, and then be supported all the way to the top. And even these people you see who have made it big through the internet, their backgrounds aren't all blank slates. Many don't have amazing parents, but they have amazing relatives, for example... Look at the proportion of Jews in venture capital firms and Silicon Valley tycoons, isn't it particularly high?"
"It really is true..."
Hawke stroked his chin and thought for a moment.
Oracle founder Larry Ellison, Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg are all Jewish.
Hawke suddenly remembered a hellish joke about Jews, and asked with a laugh:
"Stella, Nalan, guess what's the most flammable thing in the world?"
"what?"
"That must be...Jude!"
Stella: "..."
When people talk about Jews, they first think of an unfortunate people who were homeless, driven out and killed, and wandered all over the world. At the same time, they also think of the most intelligent and hardworking people in the world.
But when people learned that Germans bought a loaf of bread for 50 marks, then the Jews were no longer innocent.
Upon closer reflection, it makes sense. If a nation were truly the most intelligent and hardworking, how could it have made itself an enemy of the entire world?
201 I'm sorry, ma'am! [Please give me flowers and subscribe!]
To put it bluntly, even if Jewish people are clever, it's just petty cleverness.
In Hawke's personal opinion, the rise of Jews since the new century is not because Jews are so powerful, but because the Onsas, who dominate America, need to push some people out as targets. Jews have never held real power in America; they are just rich. And when the Onsas want to steal money... hehe!
Meanwhile, the major importers of laundry detergent into China during the Qing Dynasty in modern history were the Sassoon family, a Jewish family...
After discussing the details of Snap's development with Stella and Nalan, Hawke walked out of her office and told the employees some good news—because the employees had worked overtime to develop and launch Snap Hat, all employees would be awarded a bonus equivalent to one month's salary.
Instantly.
The employees cheered.
Those who come out to work certainly hope to earn more money.
Corporate culture, humanistic care, and treating employees like brothers are all empty promises. If you can pay them more wages, they will work their butts off.
"You rarely have time to come to this company. If we don't give you some kind of bonus, I doubt many employees will remember you."
After getting off work, the two were sitting in the elevator on their way to the parking lot when Stella joked.
The reward plan has been prepared. If Hawke doesn't come, she will announce it. If Hawke does come, he will definitely announce it, to enhance his prestige as chairman.
"Forget it if you've forgotten it, as long as you haven't forgotten me."
Hawke smiled.
The two found a restaurant and had lunch.