Hunting in Hollywood

A new week begins. After breakfast, Simon bids farewell to Janet and rushes to the airport. Today marks the launch of Igritte's two key products: Ypay and Ystore, and Simon had promised last week to attend the event.

Upon reaching Los Angeles International Airport, his private jet is ready on the runway. Boarding with his entourage, Simon finds that Sandra Bullock and his assistant Jennifer are already waiting inside. Jennifer is accompanying Simon to San Francisco, while Sandra, being a spokesperson for Igritte, also attends the launch, having arranged a ride over the weekend.

Since his marriage last year, Simon and Sandra have shifted to a platonic friendship, yet their relationship has grown even closer than that of typical friends. After exchanging warm greetings, everyone settles in a lounge in the mid-cabin, and the Boeing 767 soon takes off.

Once the flight stabilizes, Sandra unbuckles her seatbelt and approaches Simon. "Simon, about 'The Silence of the Lambs,' is there really no chance for an Oscar run this year?" she asks.

Simon casually takes a seat on the sofa, accepting a newspaper from Jennifer, and smiles. "Did Jonathan put you up to this?"

Sandra nods, "Yes, but considering the acclaim 'The Silence of the Lambs' has received, I think it could make a push at the Oscars."

The key creators of 'The Silence of the Lambs,' including Robert Duvall, have already achieved fame and success. Sandra, still building her reputation, aims for a Golden Globe Best Actress nomination. Now, only Jonathan Demme remains. The middle-aged director, who started in the early 70s, has finally made it to the top tier in Hollywood thanks to this summer's hit.

In Hollywood, few filmmakers wouldn't desire an Oscar.

For Jonathan Demme, 'The Silence of the Lambs' represents an excellent chance to contend for awards. Simon knows this might be Demme's only nomination and winning opportunity. However, Daenerys Entertainment wouldn't easily change its established strategy just for one person.

Moreover, even if they wanted to shift strategies, due to the horror genre's typical lack of favor at the Oscars and Daenerys Entertainment's recent sweep of major Oscars, a shift wouldn't likely lead to winning Best Picture or Best Director as in the original timeline but would probably result in just a slew of nominations.

Simon doesn't hide these details from Sandra and explains them seriously, concluding, "So, this time, it's just unfortunate."

Sandra, somewhat familiar with Hollywood's unwritten rules, quickly understands. Winning an Oscar depends not just on a film's quality but also on many external factors.

With an Oscar push looking bleak, Sandra changes the subject. "Janet's due next month, right? I haven't heard about a baby shower. Aren't you inviting me?"

In the West, it's common to have a party before a baby's birth.

A few months ago, Janet would have been eager to handle such things, but now, she's not in the mood. "She probably just forgot. I'll remind her when I get back," Simon suggests.

Sandra leans back on the sofa, studying Simon curiously and hooks the newspaper down a bit, probing, "Depressed?"

Simon shakes his head. "Of course not. But perhaps a bit anxious."

"I'd feel overwhelmed too if I suddenly had a little one on the way," Sandra nods in understanding, then looks at Simon, "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"You're about to have a son, and you're only, what, 23?"

"People become parents at 16."

"That's other people, you're different."

Simon, with a sigh, responds, "Are you hoping I get depressed?"

Sandra's face shows a schadenfreude smile as she continues to watch him, "It seems you're not as relaxed about it as you appear."

Simon deflects, "What about you, found a girlfriend yet?"

Jennifer, who had been quiet, looks on curiously.

Sandra is successfully distracted and hits Simon lightly, "Why don't you find a boyfriend? My orientation is perfectly normal."

"Alright, so..."

Sandra rolls her eyes at Simon, "Found someone. When will you give me a chance to introduce him?"

Simon immediately shakes his head, "Better not let me meet him. I might suppress him out of embarrassment, making him leave you."

"So, men," Sandra laments, seeking agreement from Jennifer, "Right, Jenny?"

Jennifer nods, "Hmm."

Simon feigns displeasure, "What are you agreeing with? If you don't understand, don't pretend."

Jennifer glares back playfully, "I do understand. Men are all greedy jerks."

"..."

"Ha ha..."

The conversation lightens the mood as the 500-kilometer journey to San Francisco takes less than 40 minutes by Boeing 767.

Arriving at the venue for

 the new product launch in San Francisco City Hall, there are still more than twenty minutes until the start. With America Online and Cisco recently going public, Igritte, as a crucial part of the Westeros Company's internet strategy, draws increasing industry attention.

Therefore, this launch isn't just covered by North American media; journalists from around the world flock here, and with various guests, the event draws over two thousand attendees.

After greeting Igritte's executives and briefly networking with industry VIPs like Bill Gates and John Sculley who made special trips, the launch is about to begin.

Though the event mainly features Ypay and Ystore, given the extensive media presence, Igritte's management decides to make it a comprehensive product presentation for the company.

At ten o'clock, the event officially starts.

Tim Berners-Lee, CEO of Igritte, although largely sidelined by his assertive subordinates Jeff Bezos and Carol Bartz, takes the stage first to deliver a speech. He briefly covers Igritte's recent developments and the overall state and prospects of the internet industry.

Carol Bartz follows, focusing on Igritte's YWS product.

YWS, short for Ygritte Web Service, is named similarly to AWS, Amazon Web Service, from Simon's memory. The biggest current difference is that YWS still offers traditional web hosting and leasing services, with cloud computing technology still under development.

However, compared to its industry peers, YWS has clear advantages.

It includes a one-stop website solution needed by most site creators, offering a simple solution for businesses or individuals looking to explore the internet without facing major technical barriers.

Such simple web services come with limitations. Without mastering certain technologies and relying on 'assembly,' these efforts are akin to the shanzhai (counterfeit) products from Simon's memory, unlikely to scale significantly.

To advance further, internet companies must develop their own talent and technical teams.

But these considerations are for the future.

Currently, the most critical task for the internet, or more precisely, the World Wide Web, is to rapidly enrich its content resources.

This is akin to ensuring that a person is well-fed before they can pursue a more refined life.

To achieve this, Igritte has built four new large data centers across the US in the first half of the year.

Moreover, once cloud computing technology is implemented next year, the existing data centers' computing power will be maximally utilized. Then, with early advantages in technology and cost, Igritte will face no rivals in this sector.

Although today's topic involves relatively technical discussions, the guests, who aren't novices and have prepared well, grasp the implications of Carol Bartz's presentation.

As the internet industry accelerates, everyone recognizes the explosive growth of internet sites, with many companies diving into server hosting and leasing businesses.

Igritte, holding a series of core patents in World Wide Web technology, possesses many advantages that even giants like IBM can't match.

In the past, IBM could force subsidiaries like Intel and Microsoft to license their patents to prevent monopolies. Now, as a new industry leader, Igritte faces no such pressures, making concessions only when it wishes to.

Half an hour later, amid vigorous applause, Carol Bartz concludes her presentation.

Tim Berners-Lee returns to the stage.

This technical executive is responsible for introducing some new products and features of the Igritte portal, many of which have already been officially launched. However, given today's media-packed event, it's an opportunity to maximize exposure.

After a well-prepared presentation that directly appeals to users, Tim Berners-Lee also finishes to applause.

Following him, it's not yet time for the heavyweight new products.

A senior executive from PC giant Compaq takes the stage to introduce their internet-customized personal computers.

There was also consideration for featuring the C-girl to promote the iCam.

However, this card camera product has been in the spotlight for months, and Tinkerbell Company is now grappling with a series of supply chain, technological development, and production capacity issues due to surging market demand.

Traditional electronics giants display too many advantages in these areas.

Whether it's Japanese manufacturers like Sony and Panasonic or American electronics firms, they've recently started projects or launched their own internet camera products. With established component supply chains and manufacturing facilities, these traditional giants can easily meet market demands.

Panasonic, which has formed a partnership with the Westeros system, even probed an investment in Tinkerbell.

Clearly, if Tinkerbell accepted Panasonic's investment, many of its current challenges would be easily solved.

However, neither Simon nor C-girl plans to let Tinkerbell become a subsidiary of Panasonic, and Panasonic isn't content with a minor, non-decision-making stake, so talks have stalled.

Even as traditional giants start investing, they cannot devote as much attention to a single product line as Tinkerbell, which focuses solely on card cameras.

For instance, traditional camera giant Kodak launched digital cameras earlier than Japanese manufacturers but possibly sensing the threat

 to its film industry, chose not to follow the card camera trend.

In Simon's memory, Kodak indeed headed towards bankruptcy for clinging to its film industry benefits and rejecting the digital camera wave.

Thus, Tinkerbell also holds significant advantages.

After Compaq's executive wraps up the introduction of their 'Internet PC,' the event has been ongoing for over an hour.

As Igritte's brand spokesperson, Sandra and the team specially invite renowned talk show host Jay Leno to the stage. Through a series of jokes, they liven up the atmosphere in the hall, leading up to the final major segment.

First appearing on the grand screen in the hall is Igritte's motto, interpreted by many yet known fully only to Simon.

You Know Nothing!

Jeff Bezos takes the stage, joking about the motto before transitioning to the Ystore interface displayed on the large screen.

For the next half-hour, Jeff Bezos details the features of Ystore and Ypay.

Since a store needs attractive products to draw customers, Ystore launches with all PC games developed by EA since its establishment in 1982. Due to an exclusive contract with Nintendo that hasn't expired, the 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' series unfortunately doesn't appear in this game lineup.

Additionally, Ystore introduces a large selection of PC games from other manufacturers. An online multiplayer version of the EA-developed RTS 'Dune' series is also set to launch soon.

Bringing EA's computer game content to Ystore has not been without its challenges.

As a game publisher, Ystore's role is similar, potentially threatening EA's traditional business. Initial strong opposition from EA's senior management and other shareholders, even though many older games had lost their retail value and Ystore represented a chance to reuse 'waste,' the conservative management was still reluctant.

Ultimately, Daenerys Entertainment, as EA's largest shareholder with a 35% stake, exerted pressure to approve this decision.

To permanently resolve this issue, Simon recently instructed Nancy Brille to start something she had long wanted to do—begin negotiations for a complete acquisition of EA.

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