Back To 1995

  Chapter 991 Parachute

   Negotiations involving a major merger involving tens of billions of dollars cannot be carried out tenderly, and will definitely be accompanied by tearing up and quarreling. At the beginning, Song Yang gave AOL Time Warner a slap in the face.

Jerry Levine, Ted Turner, and Richard Parsons, who came with them, didn't pay too much attention. They have seen this kind of thing too much, and it doesn't prevent them from talking. Everyone is drinking and chatting together at the party. Anyway, there is no friendship, and they all gather together for the sake of beauty!

  “Because we have experienced pain, we must avoid pain from happening again!”

  Jerry Levin also expressed his attitude. Although he is one of the promoters of this acquisition and merger, it does not mean that he will sell Time Warner cabbage price to Song Yang.

   "The merger of ICQ and Time Warner is a match made in heaven. The complete integration of the Internet and the media will create the most powerful media empire in America!

  Case that guy, he lied to us and ruined this empire too! "

   Ted Turner is still resentful towards Case, and he has lost too much. In this life, Ted Turner will never forget this.

   Sitting in the temporary living room of the North Shore Manor, a small meeting room built up, Jerry Levin said.

"I still believe that there is nothing wrong with the merger of AOL and Time Warner. Traditional media is destined to gradually become Internet-oriented. Similarly, the Internet also needs professional journalists, contacts and users from traditional media. Traditional media and Internet platforms are destined to merge. together!

  AOL Time Warner just had some...bad luck! "

  Jerry Levine still seemed a little regretful when he mentioned the original merger and acquisition. Who would have thought that the Internet would collapse so quickly and so thoroughly, almost overnight, that the huge empire would fall apart.

  But if the words are said at this juncture, it will have a different meaning. In fact, it is still raising the price for Time Warner.

  According to Jerry Levine's words, the merger of Time Warner and AOL was not a crime of war. It was not that Time Warner was bad, but that it was bad luck, and it just happened to encounter the Internet crash.

   What's more, AOL is too good to use Time Warner at all. Jerry Levine is equivalent to throwing the blame to Case and AOL!

   Regarding this set of rhetoric, Song Yang, Irene, Greg, Marcus and others naturally wouldn't believe a word of it.

  “For the grievances between AOL and Time Warner, ICQ has no intention of intervening. If the acquisition is completed, we will split AOL and Time Warner!”

  Irene's words caused the people on Jerry Levin's side to change their complexions slightly. Although they had thought about this result, they didn't expect that Irene would directly mention it without any concealment.

   "Everyone here should be well aware of the situation between AOL and Time Warner. We demand that Time Warner's financial fraud compensation and $28 billion in debt be included in the acquisition amount!"

   Seeing that he was going to continue to argue, Greg said directly, and started the quotation directly.

   "It's impossible. According to this price, how much is the purchase price of AOL Time Warner worth?!"

Richard Parsons said that he came this time to raise the price on behalf of the Time Warner board of directors. The Time Warner board of directors was also afraid that Jerry Levine would be a second-to-fifth boy, and that Time Warner would be sold at a low price. Sold it!

   "For 70 billion dollars, ICQ, together with American Telecom and Western Films, can complete the acquisition of AOL Time Warner in the form of equity exchange and cash!"

  Regardless of whether Richard Parsons objected or not, Gleick still continued to quote, proposing to use $70 billion to win Time Warner.

  The people at AOL Time Warner heard a commotion, and Jerry Levine also frowned.

  This quotation is neither high nor low. The current market is completely different from a few years ago. In the past, companies such as General Electric and Microsoft had a market value of 400 to 500 billion U.S. dollars, but now they are hovering around 200 billion U.S. dollars.

  When AOL acquired Time Warner, it quoted US$106.2 billion. Now ICQ is offering Time Warner at a discount of 30%.

   "If ICQ can replace Time Warner and take on the debt, the deal can be completed now!" Ted Turner, a bad old man, jumped out at this time and said.

Hearing this, Irene gave the old man an undisguised look. He really is a toad marrying a frog, and he's having a good time. What the hell, if the $70 billion acquisition of Time Warner doesn't include debt, If it is fully borne by ICQ, the cost of this acquisition will directly soar to 98 billion US dollars.

  Bought at such a price, the fat meat will become a weight. It can be eaten, but it will also cause indigestion. Sooner or later, you will play yourself to death.

   "The acquisition of AOL Time Warner must include debt, otherwise we will withdraw from this acquisition!

  If Time Warner is acquired at a price of 98 billion US dollars, we can directly make an offer to Disney, and maybe even buy Viacom! "

  Greck said with a serious face, even Song Yang might not be able to afford such a huge sum of money. Rather than buying Time Warner, a money-losing company, it would be better to buy Disney, which has been earning a lot of money.

Seeing the resolute attitude of the people in the Song Yang camp, Ted Turner pinched his nose, but he was not at all embarrassed. He just hit a shot, maybe ICQ agreed insanely. …

  The people on Song Yang’s side have a firm attitude and absolutely should not be taken advantage of. Time Warner’s side is not reconciled. If Time Warner is sold at a price of 70 billion U.S. dollars.

  After throwing away the compensation of 3 billion U.S. dollars and the debt of 28 billion U.S. dollars, the amount that can fall into their hands is less than 40 billion U.S. dollars!

It sounds like the price of buying AOL Time Warner for 70 billion US dollars seems not low, but if it is changed to 40 billion US dollars, then it is a big mistake. If the news is released in advance, I don’t know how many people will Come grab Time Warner.

  Seeing that the two sides are constantly arguing and starting to fall into a stalemate, Song Yang said at this time, "The acquisition price of 70 billion US dollars is the highest price that the ICQ joint acquisition group can offer Time Warner!

  Of course, if everyone agrees to sell AOL Time Warner at such a price, the acquisition team can provide Time Warner executives and board members with a golden parachute plan worth $1.8 billion! "

Do you think the purchase price is low? Then Song Yang directly put the dollar in the face of Time Warner's executives and the board of directors. , they will be able to share the 1.8 billion US dollars.

  The golden parachute plan is to distribute money directly to Time Warner executives and board members. Whether they want to stand with the leeks or share the money directly depends on how they choose!

After Song Yang finished speaking, it was obvious that Richard Parsons, who had been arguing just now, suddenly fell silent. It is true that he represented the interests of the Time Warner board of directors, but when faced with it, he could hold tens of millions of dollars. When he left Time Warner, he would be lying if he said he was not moved. The tens of millions of dollars was enough for him to work for several years or even ten years.

Ted Turner clearly felt that when Song Yang threw out the golden parachute plan, the executives of AOL Time Warner, including Richard Parsons, were no longer for their group of directors. After a quarrel, Song Yang used this sky-high price to directly divide the relationship between Time Warner executives and directors.

  The **** decides the head. When it comes to their own interests, professional managers can tell the difference very clearly. Who will have trouble with the US knife? !

   "I hope that Time Warner can pass this acquisition resolution!"

   After Song Yang got up, Irene, Greck, Marcus and others all left the venue, leaving the place to Time Warner to decide whether to accept the acquisition.

  After coming out of the living room, Song Yang glanced at the time, smiled and said to everyone, "Let's get someone to prepare for the banquet tonight!"

   A total of 71.8 billion US dollars was used to complete the merger and acquisition of AOL Time Warner. Is this expensive? It is not cheap, but it is by no means a disadvantage.

   Use a golden parachute plan to get Time Warner executives, not only for this acquisition, but also for the smooth takeover of AOL and Time Warner!

The lessons learned by AOL are right in front of us. After the merger of the two companies, AOL and Time Warner have two completely different company styles. Today, it can be said that it is bad luck, but even if there is no Internet crash, the future will be separated sooner or later, because the two sides are not the same way, and there is no way to pee in the same pot.

  Song Yang didn't want ICQ to go through what happened to AOL again, so he simply used the golden parachute plan to kick off all Time Warner executives and let ICQ take over Time Warner completely!

   "Time Warner Accepts ICQ's Acquisition!"

  When Song Yang and the others entered again, Jerry Levin got up and told Song Yang about Time Warner's decision.

   "Respect ICQ, Respect Time Warner!"

  Song Yang raised the champagne, and in the living room, there was applause all over the sky. In the living room, no matter whether it was the acquirer or the acquired side, they were all smiling at the moment.

   "To Bruno!"

  Ted Turner also held up the champagne and shouted at Song Yang. The old man took part of the cash, but the big guy still exchanged Time Warner shares for ICQ shares, becoming one of ICQ's minority shareholders.

Ted Turner is betting that this time he won't fall into the ditch like last time, betting that ICQ can return to its former glory, and its market value will reach 300 billion dollars or more. In this way, his worth will also reach a new level. At this point, Ted Turner will not believe in evil. Can he fall twice in the same ditch? !

  Wall Street is paying attention to today's negotiations on Long Island's North Shore estate. The stock prices of ICQ and AOL Time Warner are also jumping up and down, and even a little bit of trouble will inevitably fluctuate violently.

  Equally anxiously waiting, the presidents of various companies under AOL Time Warner are also waiting for the birth of a new financial backer, and their moods vary.

Just like Jeffrey Zucker, the president of CNN at the moment, is pacing back and forth in the office at the moment, with a prepared resignation letter on the table. If Time Warner changes the big benefactor, he will immediately Running away, I won't stay for a minute longer, so as not to be ridiculed...

If you want to talk about Time Warner, who has the worst relationship with Song Yang, Jeffrey Zucker, who is in charge of CNN, will definitely bear the brunt. The grudge between him and Song Yang is not because of this year's general election, but because of several It started years ago.

  When the game "Diablo" was first released in Xueleshan, the CNN website directly included a picture of Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, implying that "Diablo" was Song Yang's Battle of Waterloo.

  Since then, the new enmity has added to the old grievances, plus CNN supports the donkey party, and Song Yang’s ICNC TV station has sat on the elephant party’s side, making the two sides even more "revengeful", and they often tear each other up on weekdays.

Who would have imagined that Feng Shui would take turns, and the turn was too big. The old owner of CNN TV station was going to be acquired by the big money owner of ICNC TV station. For Jeffrey Zucker, he didn't need to think about it. Dacheng, if he wants to stay, then wait to be tricked!

As the president of CNN, he has been in the media industry for many years. Jeffrey Zucker has very strong contacts and resources. After leaving CNN, he will be able to find another home immediately. As the mouthpiece of the donkey party for many years, the donkey party It is impossible for Bian to treat him badly. The top think tank company in America, the Aspen Research Institute, has offered him the position of president with both hands, and he is waiting for his death.

But Jeffrey Zucker was really reluctant to leave CNN TV like this. Although the Aspen Research Institute is good, it is far from being comparable to the president of CNN TV in terms of influence and salary. Abandon.

   While Jeffrey Zucker was waiting anxiously, the phone rang, and Jeffrey Zucker quickly stepped forward to answer the phone, "I'm Jeffrey..."

Then, listening to the voice on the phone, Jeffrey Zach seemed to be discouraged for a moment. After putting down the phone, he glanced at the office where he had been working for several years, and put the resignation letter on the In the middle of the desk, he left with reluctance but helplessness.

  General Electric headquarters is holding a conference call for multinational executives. De Immelt, the assistant who was rushed over, temporarily interrupted the meeting.

   Immelt, who had always been unhappy when he saw the message from the assistant, fell silent for a long time after seeing the message from the assistant.

   "Today's meeting is here first!" Immelt looked a little sad, and hurriedly ended the meeting towards GE's executives all over the world.

   "The largest media empire in the history of America was born, and AOL Time Warner was acquired by $71.8 billion!"

  The Wall Street Journal, whose headquarters is in New York, was the first to break the shocking news.

   I feel better today, I am not so sleepy, but I am very thirsty and drank a lot of water. If the situation is better, I will start the second update tomorrow. Thank you for your support!

  (end of this chapter)