Chapter 43: Steve Jobs: The Visionary Investor

Steve Jobs

There’s probably hardly anyone who doesn’t know this man

It’s no exaggeration to say he changed the lives of people worldwide…

But now he’s been ousted from Apple, the company he created. He’s struggling with NeXT and Pixar, but the results aren’t good

No, they’re just recording losses

‘If not now, I’ll never have another chance to invest in Jobs. I have to find a way to build a connection with him no matter what’

After returning to New York and spending a night, I flew back to California where Pixar is located

I went there without any prior contact

I might not be able to meet him without an appointment, but given his eccentric personality, I figured it’d be better to pique his curiosity than to make an appointment in advance

Soon after, we arrived at the building where Pixar is located

I walked confidently to the reception desk. The staff sitting inside looked at me

“How can I help you?”

“Is Jobs here?”

“You mean the Chairman?”

“Yes”

The staff member briefly looked me and my companions up and down before hesitantly speaking

“Do you have an appointment?”

“No, but if you tell Jobs, he’ll probably meet me”

The look in their eyes said ‘What kind of madman is this?’ but I calmly met their gaze

The staff member asked with a disgruntled face

“What’s your business?”

“Just tell him there’s a man who rushed here from the East to save him”

“Ha… well… Please wait a moment”

The staff member stood up and disappeared into the back

Han Gyeong-yeong, standing next to me with an embarrassed face, whispered a question

“Who on earth is Jobs?”

“He’s someone who’ll change the world”

A moment later, the staff member returned with an even stranger expression

“…He says to come up”

“Thank you”

We took the elevator and arrived at the chairman’s office

The secretary in front of the chairman’s office also tilted their head looking at me, but guided us to Jobs

Opening the door and entering, I saw him sitting cross-legged on the main sofa. It was exactly the face I’d seen so many times in photos

‘Jobs! At this time, you still have hair!’

Smiling slightly inside, I went in

“Hey Jobs! Hello”

As I greeted him cheerfully like an old friend, his eyes took on a strange look

“You know me?”

“Of course, Steve Jobs!”

“But I think this is the first time I’ve seen you”

“Hahaha, can I sit down first?”

Jobs nodded

I and Han Gyeong-yeong sat down, and Ma Seok-dae took his position standing behind me

I spoke to Jobs, who was briefly glancing at Manager Ma standing

“Don’t mind my bodyguard and secretary”

“Oh! Are you some kind of Asian royalty?”

Jobs, who had been fascinated by Asian culture in the past, was very interested in Asian royalty

“No, I’m from Korea. You know where Korea is, right?”

“Korea? Ah! Il-sung? I went there once before, but Il-sung rejected what I prooposed”

He frowned slightly as if remembering that time, then started examining me again

“So, what’s this about coming to save me? If it’s a joke, it’s not funny”

“Oh Jobs, stop testing me. Who else would be smart enough to invest in you in this situation? You know, they’re all fools. Who in Wall Street would invest tens of millions of dollars in a company that’s been losing money for years? Unless they’re thinking of buying the whole company, that is”

I waved my hands while smiling

Then, without beating around the bush, I hit him with it

“You’re thinking about selling Pixar these days, right? Same with NeXT?”

Jobs’ eyes widened slightly in surprise when I voiced the concerns he hadn’t told anyone

But that was only for a moment. He smiled at me again

“Oh? Me? No way”

Then, as if he had no such thoughts at all, he shrugged his shoulders and said playfully

“Come on, why act like this between people who know everything? I hear you’ve already used up half the assets you had when you were kicked out of Apple, isn’t that right?”

The smile disappeared from his face and he stiffened when Apple was mentioned

Seems like this topic was still a sore spot for him

“Ah! Don’t make that face. I’m someone who thinks Apple kicking you out was crazy. Apple is Jobs, Jobs is Apple, that’s how it should be. Kicking you out, Jobs? They’re mad. Just look at how Apple is doing now”

His expression softened again. I smiled gently

“Apple isn’t important. You’ll end up going back there anyway. I came here right now to eliminate your current worries. Want to hear it?”

There was no answer, but Jobs gestured for me to go on

I smiled at his eyes, which had started to take on a strange heat

“I’ll invest the same amount you’ve invested in your two companies. Give me half the shares of those two companies”

“I said I’m not thinking of selling”

Contrary to his words, his body was honest

His crossed legs had already uncrossed, and his body was slowly leaning towards me

‘Not being honest, are we?’

Hiding my inner thoughts, I spoke again

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not interested in management at all. I just want to build a relationship with you. You’ve invested a total of about 50 million dollars in the two companies, right?”

As he nodded, I tried to persuade him again

“You’ve invested that much, it’d be a shame to sell to someone else. I’ll just exchange half of your shares for that much money. I’ll give you the voting rights, and I only want to talk about the future with you. How about it? Isn’t this enough to be a savior?”

Jobs’ expression changed noticeably at the mention of investing in two companies that were only making losses while giving him all the authority

“I’m not thinking of kicking you out like those idiots at Apple. I’m not investing in these companies, I’m investing in you. Pixar? NeXT? Do you think they’re worth investing in without you?”

With those words, the last trace of wariness disappeared from Jobs’ expression

They say he has a very strong sense of self-love…

“Okay, that’s good, but why do I have to do this with you? There are many others”

I burst into laughter as if I’d heard an amusing joke

“Oh Jobs, stop testing me. Who else is smart enough to invest in you in this situation? You know, they’re all idiots. Who in Wall Street would invest tens of millions of dollars in companies that have been losing money for years? Unless they’re thinking of buying the whole company, that is”

Jobs finally surrendered to my words

“Whew~ I can’t argue with that. True, no one else is offering these kinds of terms. There are many people interested in acquiring the companies, but…”

Of course

This was a time when tech industry heavyweights like Paul Allen, who co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates, or Larry Ellison, known as Silicon Valley’s bad boy from Oracle, would be eyeing the situation

Especially Larry Ellison, who would be making more aggressive proposals due to his friendship with Jobs

But Jobs was reluctant to sell his companies. Not just NeXT, which he created after being ousted from Apple, but also Pixar, which he acquired for ten million dollars…

If he sold the companies and let go, he might avoid losses, but there was anxiety about whether he could return to Apple again

Well… Eventually, Pixar will hit it big, and NeXT will merge with Apple, leading to Jobs’ return as Apple’s CEO, but…

Nodding, I agreed with his words

“That’s right. If I were a normal investor or businessman, I’d just acquire the companies rather than run them with you. But you don’t want to sell, right? That’s why I came. Otherwise, I’ll get up right now and”

Jobs hurriedly grabbed me as I was about to stand up

“Ah, why is such a young friend so impatient? So you want half of the shares I own, right? And I’ll manage?”

“Fifty million dollars! What do you think?”

“What if you lose the investment?”

“Well, I’ll just think of it as the cost of building a friendship with you”

What are you worried about? It’ll come back ten, twenty times over

“Isn’t it too small an amount…”

Seeing signs of Jobs’ unique negotiation card about to be played, I preemptively blocked it

“Don’t think about getting another fifty million. I’ll give you management rights, voting rights, and priority purchase rights if the company goes public or if I transfer my shares! This is the best I can do. What crazy investor do you think would offer these terms?”

“Listen to me for a bit”

“Fifty million dollars!”

“No…”

“Fifty million dollars!”

Jobs let out a laugh as if he were fed up

“Ha… I’ve never met someone more stubborn than me before. Okay, I get it. We’ll do the detailed contract later. For today, let’s just talk over dinner”

“Okay”

Han Gyeong-yeong, who hadn’t said a word, spoke to me in a slightly tired voice

“I’ll go to the hotel first”

“You want to? Alright, call the lawyer here”

While Jobs was getting ready, I quickly gave instructions to Han Gyeong-yeong and stood up

“This is my partner, James Han. I’ll mostly be in Korea, and he’s likely to be the one frequently interacting with Jobs”

“Oh! Mr. Han? Nice to meet you”

“It’s nice to meet you too”

“Shall we go eat together?”

“This person is too tired and says he’ll go to the hotel first. I’ve also asked him to do something, so you’ll see him tomorrow when we sign the contract”

“Is that so? Then I’ll see you next time”

Han Gyeong-yeong shook hands with Jobs and left

We arrived at a restaurant Jobs frequently visits

‘Ah… This guy was a hardcore vegetarian, right?’

He only ordered salads and fruits

“Don’t worry about me and order whatever you want. It’s on me today, hahaha”

He seemed to be in a good mood, his face constantly blooming with smiles. I briefly answered and ordered the same thing

“Are you a vegetarian too?”

“No, I’m not picky, but I can’t eat meat in front of Jobs”

He laughed loudly, apparently liking my words

“I like you. That confident attitude reminds me of myself when I was young. By the way, doesn’t your secretary eat?”

“Ah… Don’t worry about it. He’s always like that. He’s a reliable person”

Jobs glanced at Ma Seok-dae and nodded

“It’s not easy to find someone like that. His posture is different, but he’s always watching your movements”

“Thank you”

“Why are you thanking me?”

“Because he’s my person”

As the food arrived, we continued our conversation while eating fruits and vegetables

“What do you think about the internet?”

“It will change the world. Especially the World Wide Web. Innovation is already happening, starting with Mosaic”

“Oh! You know about Mosaic too?”

“Web browsers will continue to increase, and information will pour out. Eventually, the world you dream of, run by computers, will come. It’s a world that will be realized within 10 years”

“Even a young person like you knows this, but those fools at Apple don’t. They’re still trapped in past glories. That’s not the Apple I want”

“Hahaha, they must be fools to have kicked you out, Jobs”

Jobs nodded, seeming satisfied

“Come to think of it, what’s your name? I didn’t even know that”

“Charlie Kim”

“Charlie? What’s your original name, not the American one?”

“Kim Mu-hyeok”

“Kimmu…”

“Hahaha, don’t try to pronounce it if you can’t. Just call me Charlie”

“This is embarrassing. I spent quite a long time in Asia too. You can call me Steve too. It’s an honor I only allow to really close people, so consider it a privilege, Charlie”

“Alright, Steve”

The conversation continued in a friendly atmosphere

Jobs talked about the path he had lived. Although I already knew the story, I played along. Knowing what kind of person he was, it wasn’t difficult to match his words

“Innovation is what separates leaders from followers, Charlie. Which side are you on? Leader? Or follower?”

“Steve, I’ve always been a leader and will continue to be one. There’s probably no one more innovative than me. The same goes for you, Steve”

“Hahaha!”

He laughed loudly, seeming really pleased

“You’re the first person to say such things in front of me, Charlie. It’s really interesting. What kind of world do you see in the future?”

Should I give him a little taste of the future?

I took out the mobile phone from my pocket and showed it to him

“You know what this is, right?”

“It’s a mobile phone, isn’t it?”

“This mobile phone will keep getting smaller, and eventually, a computer will fit inside it”