July 5th.
Administrative meetings were intense. Both Billy Carson and Lux Animation focused on differeors and faegotiation issues. They didn't realize the true headache caused by the sale of their Hotmail application. Throughout the st few months, the pany created with Billy has announced one blow after another. For such a signifit amount, the acquisition process requires many protocols, both on the surfad behind the ses. Billy's ambitious system has a website with design standards suggesting quality and at least one tract. This model is the future standard. But what happens when you're the first to envision this way of seeing things?
He also added funalities that wouldn't reach ss until 2008-2010, such as archiving attats, ging fonts, offiat for draftiers, various domains with @ for uies to attach their IPs for staff and students, and el trag. Different terms of acceptance were included. Now the test addition is an online Messenger using the email address, along with data and various ways to verify the user's identity, like a camera photo.
The first message and chat worked perfectly, resulting in the signatures of marepreneurs wanting to join the pany with great enthusiasm. On July 5, 1995, Bill Gates was seeering Wall Street. This shark is only looking for ohing: another shark with deep pockets to make room frowth.
They weren't the only ones moving to plete all the procedures. The allure of this revolutionized even the fax panies, who tried to create prerogatives against the fax. However, the strong and clear words of some iors about the withdrawal made it likely that within two years, panies would start creating their emails, and the ge was so evident that they had to see the whole picture from afar, just as mail carriers once lost the market to telegraphs ao fax maes. It was time tet something else.
All the top tiers were closely watg the development of the Hotmail sale, a milestohat would mark eleic messaging, a step in evolution anticipated over fifty years, all attributed to a business genius in the eyes of entrepreneurs.
Hotmail was what these growing i panies were looking for. Almost as if their research aimed to acquire this pany, the justification was the business model: eg a website through a service that attracted several bidders greater than the occasional traffic. The terms sheet sent out to resolve everything was brillia weling. Hotmail only wao tinue a free service for at least the five years, arguing that the pany's development required adding multiple users.
-It's a brilliant idea, - remarked David Marquardt, a member of Microsoft's board of directors. He has been a part the venture capital firm Teology Venture Iors (TVI) since 1981. He has been the liween TVI and Microsoft in many relevant ways for both Microsoft's market and other markets, as seen in the recurring iments in his list of eology panies.
-I'd like to know if we t on the necessary support to pete with this pany. Billy Carson only wants money; however, we offer a star colboration. Our software is one of the best on the market, and our hardware is as advanced as we make it. If we mao plete this acquisition, the MSN portal open up a new range of packaging services we introduce, like our Windows model. No pany will be able to pete this decade, - said Bill Gates with some disfort, exposing his business so broadly. But as is known, the pany's magnitude and growth ot sustain such a rge purchase, and they hope favorable iment from some pertages of the iment firm will help uhese panies without having to fight IBM, AOL, or Napster.
-We uand. From Venture Iors, we view this pany favorably, - ented David Marquardt, still resonating with Microsoft's future model. Nothing was certain, but the pany's vision was sound, and as a high-risk pany, betting has never been a problem.-
***
Money slipped through Billy's hands like water. There was a lot of ine, but also many expehe pany ied in four movies, each exceeding 20 million: "The Iron Giant," "A Bug's Life," "Lilo & Stitch," and "The English Patient," all produced and directed by Lux Animation. Now they po add a fifth movie, "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace."
-We'll use the profits from The Iron Giant for Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, along with toy series royalties and other variants we have, but we still 't raise the 90 million, - said Anne Hall, reviewing the ats.
-A loan. Several banks are eager to lend to us. We have the sale of Hotmail, and they know it. Our colteral is enough to get us another 100 million i, - said Raimon, dismissing the .
-We already owe 70 million! It's not healthy to owe that much. The i rates are high, even if we iate below the average, - Anne tered sharply. They had several leaks, from iments in the children's el, a dotary el, and IP purchases. Overall, being part of and shouldering 30% of series like Friends, ER, Kommissar Rex, Marvel series, and others was a stant drain on funds.
They also acquired cht rights for King Kong, Speed Racer, The Addams Family, The Lord of the Rings, Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Grimm's Fairy Tales, Transformers, My Little Pony, aai Rangers.
-Billy will get the money. He'll have to make those deals he usually makes. How did Who Wants to Be a Millio? Any good news? - asked Anne.
Jim shook his head but mentioned some positives. The series Survivor premiered, ae another headache, ID Software made a 60 million iment to buy multiple game development panies, from Blizzard, Raven Software, and Paralx Software, to expanding ID Software and RPG Software.
-Mr. Carson will arrive in San Jose, - asked Steve Parks.
-He's been in Italy lohan pnned, and now he's headed to Los Angeles. He’ll be here for the Hotmail sale. With the money we have, we start produ on Star Wars. Billy will secure the remaining 33 million as part of his obligations, - said Anne.
The board members sweated over Anne's almost brutally realistic reprimand of the boss. Anne's importao Billy must be signifit, allowing Billy to be absent from the pany for two months.
-Of course, it's no problem for Billy. I usually review his finances, and his credit is good. But we're not ting on the success of A Bug's Life. Mald's franchise proposed a purchase deal, and it's safe to say we've surpassed 150 million nationally, likely reag 300 million globally by the end of July, - said Raimon.
-Let everything be agreed, - said Anne.
Billy spent the five days strolling hand in hand with Monica Bellucci through Europe, mingling with European directors and producers. Many praised his current work at Pixar and anticipated his movie.
***
-You're more successful than I initially thought, - ented Monica Belluc her softly ated English, sitting with Winona and , who hadn't left siheir ceremony. The British actor fell for the charms of the '90s angel, attending the Italian ema ga together.
A grand ballroom, masks, and serpentine gnces were the focal points of the gathering, where everyo more fident behind their masks and the subdued atmosphere.
-I don’t see it that way. My success in this field is modest. I do better iech market, - Billy replied softly, engrossed in their versation. Monid he had an agreement, to enjoy their love in a marital way, with delicate kisses filled with passion, expl, and craving their desires without crossing boundaries. The brue sparked a poetiterpy between them.
-Take me dang. I want to dance all night, - said Monica.
Billy extended his hand, the June 5 meeting fotten for the masquerade ball. They dao their melody. Is it necessary to uand love? Each step, eaarked a different way of seeing things, including the fact that they only pyed ballroom dances, from waltz to foxtrot, tango, and quickstep. Monica's smile was a radiant sun worth treasuring.
-We should escape and walk along the beach, with a bottle and our arms keeping warm, - said Moni the early m, exhausted from dang, tired of drinking wine and wandering the grand hall, indifferent to everything around her. Her words, like a mantra, sought a focus to help her escape from blind passion and i.
Billy ran a finger over the Italian's lips, as she tilted her head back, resting it on his chest.
-Let's do it. Free from everything, - Billy said, crossing the baly and heading to the beach at a certain distance. Monica ran barefoot, wanting to be chased, wanting to smell the sea salt, with the arms and promises of eternal love. It was all she desired, that poetic pride, remembered and lost in poems.
...
