The Wolf of Los Angeles-Chapter 391: A Half-Dead Bear was the Best Kind

[Chapter 391: A Half-Dead Bear was the Best Kind]

In the billiards room, Larry Fink picked up the cue, aimed at the cue ball, and struck it, sending the white ball crashing into the red ones.

Last year during the election, BlackRock had supported Kerry and Edwards, only for them to face crushing defeats.

If the ones sitting in the Oval Office had been those two, BlackRock wouldn't have faced such dire circumstances.

Fink lowered his cue and asked, "So, are you planning to sink without a trace, stepping back from politics and ignoring Washington from now on?"

Edwards thought about the Covina shooting incident and sneered, "Given the current political climate and Washington's consistent stance on Russia, if Hawke Osment faced a personal threat now, it would be interpreted as retaliation from Russian spies. The individuals involved would be in a lot of trouble."

Fink replied, "I won't approach it that way; I intend to tackle it from another angle."

Edwards threw the disordered balls into the pocket and asked, "What approach?"

Fink's expression turned somber. "Isn't Twitter monopolizing the social media industry?"

This prompted a chuckle from Edwards. "You mean getting the Federal Trade Commission to launch an antitrust lawsuit against Twitter?"

Fink said coldly, "Twitter has grown too rapidly, backed by the authorities with ample support and various incentives. If we don't impose restrictions, we'll soon face a monster."

Had it not been for the sudden outburst of the spy incident, BlackRock would have already been pushing this initiative.

Edwards talked a big game but preferred not to engage in actual actions. "You came to Washington; go find someone to handle it."

Fink quickly excused himself.

...

Once the door closed, an assistant lurking in the corner asked, "Sir, should we contact anyone?"

"No need." Edwards reset the balls. "Twitter is tough to handle. I heard Goldman Sachs and Hawke Osment have been discussing investment matters. Let's let BlackRock hedge against Twitter. If BlackRock wins, we cheer for him; if BlackRock gets hit hard, we don't lose anything either."

He arranged the balls, picked up the cue, and struck the cue ball with force, making a loud crash. "As for last year's event, the elephant party can't stay in power forever. When we make a comeback, we will have plenty of opportunities to settle scores with them."

...

Meanwhile, on the other side, Larry Fink connected with several members of the elephant party, changed cars, and quietly approached Wyatt Strategic Consulting.

---

Later in the day, Hawke left Peterson Company as dusk fell and headed to Martin Tavern.

Henry Paulson, the CEO of Goldman Sachs, had invited him to dinner.

This restaurant was famous in Washington, rumored to be the place where Kennedy had once proposed to Jacqueline.

After ordering his meal, Hawke looked at Paulson across the table and said, "Last time we met, George mentioned that you were the next Secretary of the Treasury. I thought you had already taken office at the Treasury Department."

Paulson joked, "The current Secretary hasn't stepped down yet, so the next in line naturally has to wait. I still need to stay at Goldman Sachs for a bit longer, at least until we finalize the investment with Twitter."

He directly asked, "Has Twitter set the date for the next financing round yet?"

Hawke replied, "The shareholders' meeting has already approved it; you should send someone to Los Angeles to coordinate and initiate the third-party valuation process."

Paulson raised his glass and toasted Hawke, saying, "My professional team is ready; we can head to Los Angeles next week. I hope we can reach an agreement by the first half of the year."

"Looking forward to a fruitful partnership," Hawke responded, clinking glasses with him and added, "Twitter's Manhattan AI Project still needs Goldman Sachs' support."

Paulson took a sip of his drink and said, "Goldman Sachs will provide strong support."

The fact that the other side was willing to accept Goldman Sachs' investment meant they were potential partners.

...

For Goldman Sachs, problems that could be solved with money were never problems.

In the internet sector, Goldman Sachs had invested in Amazon before, but Amazon's growth had not matched the pace of Twitter.

Paulson had formed a team to study Twitter's model. As a social networking platform, Twitter was able to deliver news accurately to specific audiences, directly influencing certain teams and individuals, something that traditional media could never achieve.

Traditional media promotions often rendered two-thirds of their efforts ineffective.

When spending the same amount of money promoting a product or proposal, the efficiency difference between Twitter and traditional media was staggering.

Since last year, Twitter had already generated hundreds of millions in commercial advertising revenue.

Paulson predicted that in the next 1 to 2 years, Twitter's advertising revenue would experience explosive growth.

Many investment firms were waiting for Twitter's next funding round.

...

The two of them then discussed the potential for Twitter to go public, especially concerning timing.

As an internet company, going public was inevitable. The larger Twitter grew, the greater Hawke's influence would become.

They talked for over half an hour, and this business dinner came to an end.

---

Over the next few days in Washington, Hawke had a packed schedule.

The next day, he visited various members of Congress, including Bonson, accompanied by Hearst, to push for the quick establishment of the Appropriations Committee.

---

At the same time, Russia openly announced that the so-called artificial intelligence and espionage case did not exist. The Interior Ministry's investigations revealed that someone had bribed editors at related newspapers to write false news stories.

The Russians even released footage of the interrogations.

However, when the news reached North America, it was deemed ineffective at best.

News Corporation's The Times was the first to publish an article saying, "Don't believe those cunning Russians!"

The Wall Street Journal also published related reports analyzing Russia's consistent track record of deceit.

Europe had long feared Russia; to say it was deep-rooted was an understatement. Media outlets like Le Figaro in France and Bild in Germany didn't need any prompting; they automatically echoed sentiment, exaggerating that the Russians were performing for show and grandstanding.

In the eyes of Europeans and Americans, Russia's actions resembled that of a clown.

Even though many could see through it, they still stirred the pot.

This had nothing to do with intelligence or lack thereof, but solely the political stance.

Foll𝑜w current novℯls on ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm.

During this period in 2005, with America leading NATO seemingly focused on the Middle East, their number one enemy was undoubtedly Russia.

Twitter had surpassed 50 million active users globally, capable of accurately targeting news to specific users.

The Russians' behavior could only lead to self-dramatization in North America and Western Europe.

The narrative power remained in the hands of others; black became white, and white turned black.

Were the Russians displeased? Not to mention their agents; even a cat could be thrown out of the litter.

However, these developments did not hinder the progress of the Manhattan AI Project.

---

With the lobbying efforts from the Elizabeth team at Peterson Company, along with the political resources brought in by Twitter and Hawke, just days later, the Appropriations Committee of Congress accepted the proposal for the Manhattan AI Project pushed by the White House, officially establishing the related task force.

Next came the lengthy waiting period of reviews and lobbying.

This plan involved a vast scope. Just as Hawke had said, dozens of upstream and downstream supporting companies were needed, and Twitter wouldn't be the only one reaping the benefits.

Due to the significant amount involved, Hawke prepared for it to pass next year.

Lobbying would also be left to a professional firm.

---

Hawke planned to return to Los Angeles. The day before he left, Brian arrived in Washington on business.

They met at the Hilton Hotel.

"Did you encounter any Russian spies while you were here?" As soon as Brian saw Hawke, he threw out his big opener.

Hawke wanted to tell him to shut up but couldn't catch his breath, saying angrily, "Can you keep your mouth shut, Brian?"

Brian looked innocent. "I'm just stating the truth. With all the trouble you've stirred up, the Russians wouldn't come looking for you..."

Hawke stared at Brian with a mischievous look.

Quickly, Brian shut his mouth, choosing not to engage with this bastard.

He asked, "Is your side progressing smoothly?"

"The Appropriations Committee has formed a task force." Hawke summarized briefly.

Brian nodded repeatedly, offering a more flattering version this time: "The Russians have become Twitter's stepping stone."

Hawke smiled, saying, "That's politically correct, and the temptation is too great. Once the plan is approved, the first-phase funding is expected to be hundreds of billions. In the following stages, it'll be enough to propel Twitter into the stratosphere."

"Hearing that makes me almost tempted," Brian shifted the conversation to his area of interest: "Clinton and George Walker have both played the Russians for fools, and originally Russia's new czar intended to get close to NATO. Now he claims it'll take 20 years to build a great nation again."

Hawke deliberately pointed out, "Europe is at the core of America's interests. If America faces difficulties, the West Pacific can kill two birds with one stone, and across the Atlantic, we can harvest from European countries; however, both regions are threatened by Russia."

These points were very much in line with geopolitical and contemporary issues.

There's no need to mention Europe; the greatest threat since World War II was thought to stem from Eastern Europe.

In the West Pacific, the Russians wield direct influence; one bad move could lead them to bully their southern neighbors.

Another ally was being suppressed over territorial disputes by Russia.

At this moment, the only threat to the US was the goose.

Brian completely agreed, saying, "Their strategic arsenal is substantial, and it's hard to handle."

Hawke playfully took a moment to think and said, "If one day you manage to command the Oval Office, you might find a suitable time and place to spark a proxy war with Russia, ideally luring them down into the fray, then endlessly bleeding them dry."

"That's a solid idea," Brian was self-aware enough to respond, "If I want to enter the White House, I still need at least another ten years."

Hawke remarked, "This counts as political capital too. The elephant party currently has a firm grip on the conservative hardliners, so you might want to bring it up to gain more internal support."

Brian asked, "Do you have any good considerations?"

Hawke approached the map hanging on the wall and pointed at the Middle East, saying, "Currently, the United States has significant forces in Iraq, which is adjacent to Syria. The close relationship between Syria and Russia can be traced back to the Soviet era; Russia has inherited and further deepened that relationship."

Brian understood, "Support a faction in Syria, then drag Russia into the conflict?"

"This is just a preliminary idea; you need to develop it further." Hawke's purpose was simple: a half-dead bear was the best kind.

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.