Top of the big era

Bill Gates really joined the board of directors of PayPal, which made everyone feel a bit dreamy, and they also felt the personal strength of Boss Zhou.

It was the right choice to choose him as chairman!

He even invited Bill Gates over.

Then we really got into the discussion of the third thing - should we change the CEO?

Pierre was worried.

He doesn't want to change.

In the past period of time, he had worked hard and was basically able to compete with Zhou Buqi in the board of directors. Unexpectedly, at such a critical moment, the other party actually invited Bill Gates out.

If Bill Gates were to side with Zhou Buqi, there would be no doubt that the CEO would definitely have to be replaced.

Then Pierre has completely lost power in the board of directors.

As everyone knows, Zhou Buqi has no clues there either.

He can't control Bill Gates.

Fortunately, he is the chairman and has the power to preside over meetings, which gives him a certain amount of initiative.

Zhou Buqi smiled and said: "Bill has joined, let's change the topic. In fact, more than ten years ago, when online payment first came out, PayPal was an amazing product, leading the entire industry, or else It will not be acquired by eBay. But now times have changed. If PayPal wants to be separated and developed independently, the first thing to do is to change."

Pierre was very anxious and said rashly: "Even if there is a change, it is not at this time. Marcus should be given some more time, so as not to affect the listing."

Zhou Buqi lowered his hand. He couldn't quarrel in the boardroom. He smiled and said, "Don't worry, let's discuss it slowly?"

"Okay, let's discuss it slowly." Pierre smiled and tried his best, but could not give up all the initiative. "I just think it is very inappropriate financially. How about letting Patrick give you a brief introduction first?" What's the situation?"

This was the first time Zhou Buqi encountered such a scene.

When we were at Ziweixing, although there were some people like Guo Pengfei and Meng Houkun who would come forward and raise many objections, the nature was completely different.

That's just discussion.

Right now it's a fight for power.

In Ziweixing, Zhou Buqi is indifferent to all objections, and it's no big deal. No one will have any resentment in their hearts.

The current situation is completely different.

Zhou Buqi has not made any achievements at PayPal. This is not his territory. He cannot rely on his personal prestige to convince everyone. Even if they are convinced, there will be dissatisfaction in everyone's heart, and as time goes by, they will seem to be inseparable.

It will become a board of directors like Yahoo!, which is famous for its disunity and factional infighting, and has become a big joke in Silicon Valley.

Zhou Buqi didn't allow this to happen to him. The other party pointed the finger at the financial officer. He couldn't pretend not to hear, so he had to smile and say: "Pat, what about you?"

Chief Financial Officer Patrick Dupuis simply explained the situation, with an embarrassed look on his face, "Marcus has worked for the company for three years and became the company's CEO in January last year. He signed a five-year contract. A contract with a base salary of US$8 million per year. There are still three and a half years left in the contract, and the basic salary must be supplemented by US$28 million. If there is some additional severance compensation... If you really want to ask him to leave, this may It’s going to be a big project of over $40 million.”

Zhou Buqi glanced at Boss Ma.

Boss Ma's heart skipped a beat.

Want to curse.

Depend on!

He had talked to this Patrick before, and they said at that time that the compensation would be about US$20 million. How many days have passed and this has doubled?

It may be a calculation and statistical error, or it may be deliberately conveyed false news.

The CFO, like the CEO, is appointed by eBay.

Zhou Buqi asked in a deep voice: "Do you really need 40 million US dollars?"

Patrick sighed, "It was about to go public, but Marcus was fired... The compensation must be in place to reach a settlement between the two parties, and it must be more than the normal liquidated damages. Otherwise, he will go back and launch a lawsuit against the company, Even our IPO will be stopped urgently."

Zhou Buqi said calmly: "$40 million is nothing, Mr. Malphite, what do you think?"

David Moffett was introduced by Carl Icahn, but he was not Carl Icahn or a lackey. He immediately said in a deep voice: "I am opposed to changing the CEO! No company will go public before Firing the CEO within a few months would make us a laughingstock. I’m getting older and I can’t afford that.”

When Pierre heard this, he was very happy.

Zhou Buqi looked at the financial officer again, "Pat, what about you? What's your opinion?"

Patrick did not hesitate at all and said bluntly: "Even if we get everything settled, a peaceful breakup will be a huge challenge for our subsequent IPO. A severance compensation of at least US$40 million is equivalent to a write-down of the company's profits. 40 million U.S. dollars. It was supposed to be profitable in the second quarter, but it suddenly turned into a loss. This will put a huge burden on the stock price increase after the IPO, and even... even if calculated according to the current issue price of the prospectus, it may be in Break on the day. From a financial standpoint, we shouldn't have fired him."

Zhou Buqi looked in Pierre's direction.

I feel like I was careless.

Although this guy is not the top person in Silicon Valley, he is also the big boss and founder of eBay. At least he is a first-class business figure. I really underestimated him.

Being able to persuade Sinofsky to quit is not bad at all.

The current situation is actually a bit out of control.

Zhou Buqi didn't give Pierre another chance to speak. He turned to look at Bill Gates on the big screen and said with a smile: "Bill, are you still online?"

Needless to say, the new ultra-high-definition video calling service launched by Skype is really good. In terms of technology in the field of OTT, Skype is the best and has the most patents.

Bill Gates' audio and video are synchronized, "Well, I heard you, do you want to hear my opinion?"

Zhou Buqi said: "Okay, what do you think?"

Bill Gates said: "PayPal needs to change, I think it makes sense. But if we change the CEO now, is it too hasty? We have just reorganized the board of directors, and the board of directors needs some time to understand the company's business and each person. The situation of an executive. I don’t know Marcus well. If you ask me to judge whether he can lead PayPal’s future development, I can’t say. I don’t know the specific situation at all now.”

The meaning is clear.

He didn't agree either.

When Pierre heard this, he was very happy and felt that he had a chance to win.

Zhou Buqi also felt a certain sense of frustration.

Looking at Boss Ma, I saw him shaking his head slightly, warning him not to be impulsive with his eyes.

Zhou Buqi is not a fool.

If he were on Ziweixing, he could act arbitrarily.

But this is PayPal, and it’s not his place to dominate. He has to play the American way.

Count the votes...

The dissenting votes included eBay founder Pierre, PayPal CFO Patrick, former Freddie Mac CEO David Moffett, and the famous Bill Gates.

Former AT\u0026T CEO David Dorman, a close friend of Pierre's, must also be opposed.

That's already five votes.

There are only ten people on the current board of directors.

Even if the remaining five people vote in favor... it will still be 5 to 5 in the end.

Vote!

Although Zhou Buqi is the chairman, the chairman has no special characteristics. The chairman's vote and the vote of ordinary directors are just one vote.

Once it's really a tie...

Then the proposal can only be shelved.

It’s David Marcus’ retention.

For Zhou Buqi, it is not impossible for him to stay on, but Pierre is a bit too aggressive. If Marcus is not taken down, there will be trouble in the future.

When the management took a look, it turned out that after the spin-off, they should still stay with eBay. The new chairman wants to change the management. Is it Pierre who has saved everyone, or should we move closer to Pierre?

If Zhou Buqi wants to gather people's hearts and lead the team, it will be difficult.

Now the situation has escalated.

Whether David Marcus can stay in office is related to the core direction of the board of directors, the future route choice of management, and the atmosphere within the entire PayPal company.

So, Marcus must leave!

Only if he leaves can Zhou Buqi's dignity and face be preserved, and his prestige and core position be established early, allowing PayPal to develop in accordance with his ideas in the future.