Free Web NovelThe day President Bush and President Yoon Changho met at the summit.
Right on time, I arrived at the forum where Korean and American business leaders had gathered.
All of the business figures who had accompanied President Yoon Changho on this visit to the U.S. were, in effect, visiting America for this forum.
Because the forum was not open to the press, the atmosphere was relaxed, with business leaders gathering in small groups and talking freely.
The moment I entered the venue, Chairman Kim Byungwoo spotted me from afar and hurried over.
“President Kim Muhyuk. You’ve arrived? I thought you said you wouldn’t be attending.”
“It’s been a while, Chairman Kim Byungwoo.”
I shook hands with Kim Byungwoo and looked around as I spoke.
“I originally didn’t plan to attend. But I happened to arrive in Washington yesterday. I canceled all my other schedules, so thankfully I was able to come.”
“Haha, is that so? That’s good to hear. It’s reassuring to have you here, President.”
While talking with Kim Byungwoo, I moved further inside with him. That was when someone approached.
“Charlie.”
“Chairman Bill Gates.”
It was Bill Gates, the chairman of Microsoft.
“How many years has it been now?”
“It’s been a while. About three years, I think.”
After a light handshake, Bill Gates’ gaze shifted to Kim Byungwoo beside me.
I placed a hand on Chairman Kim Byungwoo’s shoulder and said,
“This is Chairman Kim Byungwoo of Joongwoo Group. He’s my business partner, and someone I’m indebted to in many ways.”
Bill Gates smiled and extended his hand to Chairman Kim Byungwoo.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Bill Gates.”
“It’s an honor. Chairman Bill Gates.”
“An honor, you say. Would you mind if I borrowed Charlie for a moment?”
Kim Byungwoo glanced at me, and I nodded with a faint smile.
“Of course. I’ll step aside. Please, talk comfortably.”
After finishing the handshake, Kim Byungwoo disappeared into the crowd of business leaders.
Bill Gates and I moved to a corner of the forum hall.
“Charlie. As expected, that Jobs fellow didn’t show up today either. He’s far too much of a lone wolf.”
“Hm.”
“Do you think I enjoy attending forums like this? There has to be interaction among businesspeople. But he’s always like this.”
The love-hate relationship between Bill Gates and Jobs was well known. At one point, the two had been allies.
When Jobs founded Apple and created the Macintosh, Bill Gates had accepted Jobs’ proposal and developed Excel for the Macintosh.
That version of Excel played a significant role in the Macintosh’s success.
However, their alliance didn’t last long.
The success of the Macintosh shocked Bill Gates, and he joined hands with IBM to create MS-DOS.
The emergence of IBM and MS-DOS dealt a heavy blow to Apple.
After that, Jobs was pushed out of the very Apple he had created, while Bill Gates continued to rise.
The competition between Apple and Microsoft had a tremendous impact on the computer industry as a whole, but the fate of the two companies diverged sharply.
Microsoft grew into a world-leading company, taking over 90% of the operating system market for personal computers.
Apple, on the other hand, was pushed back by Microsoft’s Windows and, just before receiving a death sentence, brought Jobs back.
“You know Jobs’ personality better than I do, Chairman Bill Gates, don’t you?”
“As you say, I do know him well. But if he keeps acting like this even after coming back, he’ll only make enemies.” frёewebηovel.cѳm
Coming from Bill Gates, those words carried irony—he himself had become almost a symbol of monopoly capitalism.
Microsoft had nearly been split in two due to antitrust litigation.
After that, he worked hard to rebrand himself, wrapping his image in philanthropy.
“I know you’re a major shareholder of Apple. But don’t entrust everything to Jobs. He might cause a major incident.”
“That won’t happen.”
No, he will cause an incident—a huge one. He will soon unleash the iPhone onto the market.
If the 1990s were Bill Gates’ era, the 2000s would be Jobs’ era.
“I trust Jobs. That’s why I’ve entrusted all of Apple’s management to him. He’s not someone who should be controlled. Once you try to control him, his creativity dies.”
“Is that so?”
Bill Gates was a realist; «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» Steve Jobs was a perfectionist and a dreamer.
Though the same age, their dispositions were polar opposites.
There could have been a thaw between them, but that was no longer possible.
In the original timeline, when Jobs returned to Apple, Bill Gates supported him with 1.5 billion dollars. In this life, however, I had taken that role.
Along with Jobs’ return, I invested two billion dollars into Apple. Using that capital, Jobs announced Apple’s splendid comeback by releasing hit products that began with the iMac and continued with the iPod.
Bill Gates’ reaction was only natural.
His rival Jobs was being praised, while he himself was being showered with criticism.
At present in the United States, Bill Gates was the symbol of a monopoly capitalist, while Jobs was the icon of innovation.
“You’re overestimating Jobs.”
“I’m not overestimating Jobs. You’re underestimating him.”
At my reply, Bill Gates shook his head and asked,
“In your view, between Jobs and me, who do you think will be the final winner?”
“I don’t know. But if Microsoft doesn’t change, I don’t think I’ll invest in that company. I don’t see the merit.”
Bill Gates turned to me with a shocked expression.
“What?”
“If you remain obsessed with the success of Windows and do nothing else...... in the end, even Microsoft could be left behind and fade into history. Microsoft as it is now isn’t attractive.”
“Not attractive......”
“Times change quickly. Technology keeps advancing. In the end, you don’t just follow that speed—you have to surpass it and introduce something new. Only then can you become a company that leads the future.”
There was no meaning in merely following the times. To lead a new era was what made one first-rate.
At my scathing criticism, Bill Gates’ face stiffened. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
“I still hold a small amount of Microsoft stock...... but if you ask whether I’d buy more, I don’t think I would.”
“······.”
An awkward air settled in after my blunt honesty.
The one who broke that uncomfortable atmosphere was a new arrival.
“Chairman Bill Gates.”
Bill Gates and I turned our heads at the same time.
“Who’s this? Isn’t that Musk?”
“Haha! It’s been a while.”
I was startled by Elon Musk’s appearance. I hadn’t expected to run into him here.
“What do you mean, ‘a while’? Didn’t we see each other just last year? At the founding party for SpaceX, wasn’t it?”
“Ah, it was an honor to have you attend, Chairman.”
“What are you saying? Entrepreneurs like you need to succeed for America to advance.”
While the two talked, I studied Elon Musk’s face.
He looked much younger than I remembered. Perhaps sensing my gaze, Elon Musk looked my way. Our eyes met.
“But...... who is this person?”
Elon Musk asked, and only then did Bill Gates introduce me.
“You don’t know him? You know Dreamhigh Investment, right?”
“Is there anyone in America who doesn’t know that investment firm?”
“He’s the owner of Dreamhigh.”
“What? The owner?”
Elon Musk looked at me in surprise. Bill Gates repeated himself.
“Yes. The owner.”
“But isn’t the CEO of Dreamhigh James Han?”
“That’s right—the CEO is that man. But......”
Before the conversation went further and turned unnecessary, I quickly stepped in.
“Hello. I’m Charlie Kim.”
Elon Musk took the hand I extended.
“I’m Elon Musk.”
“I know. You’re the founder of PayPal, right?”
“You know me?”
“Of course. How could I invest if I didn’t know entrepreneurs like you?”
After the handshake, I looked at Elon Musk and gave him a business smile.
“Hm. But as Chairman Bill Gates said, are you really the owner of Dreamhigh Investment?”
“Calling me the ‘owner’ is a bit embarrassing. But it’s true that all the initial capital used to establish Dreamhigh came from my own money.”
“......You look like you’re still in your early twenties. Then were you a teenager when you founded Dreamhigh?”
At Elon Musk’s offhand question, I burst out laughing.
The people gathered at the forum turned their attention toward me, but I didn’t stop laughing.
After laughing uncontrollably for a while, I finally calmed down, shook my head, and answered.
“I’m in my early thirties. I’m younger than you, but not that young.”
“Ah, my apologies. You look young—I was terribly rude.”
“Not at all. I’m happy to be seen as young.”
While Elon Musk and I were talking, Bill Gates looked around and said,
“Then I’ll leave you two to talk. I have somewhere else to be.”
Bill Gates left, leaving only Elon Musk and me.
“Let’s sit somewhere comfortable and talk. I’ve been wanting to meet you.”
“Me?”
“Yes. You, Elon Musk.”
I led the bewildered Elon Musk to an empty table.
Sitting across from each other at a round table, we began our conversation in earnest.
“You sold PayPal and used that money to found a space exploration company called SpaceX, correct?”
Elon Musk nodded.
“I find your path interesting. You tried to buy rockets from Russia, failed, and then decided to build your own rockets by founding a company.”
Even before Elon Musk, there had been billionaires who pursued private space ventures as hobbies.
But most of them went bankrupt. I looked at Elon Musk and asked,
“Aren’t you afraid of failure?”
Elon Musk answered my question.
“Failure? I’m not afraid of failure. I’m more afraid of dying without leaving anything behind—of stopping the challenge.”
“You’ve already joined the ranks of billionaires at a young age, yet you won’t stop challenging yourself?”
“Money is nothing more than a tool to achieve my dreams. I won’t stop challenging myself until the day I die.”
Elon Musk. Opinions about this man are sharply divided.
One side cursed him as a once-in-a-generation fraud who succeeded through sheer luck; the other praised him as a genius who would change the world.
With his eyes shining, he said,
“Money isn’t what matters. I’ll spend my entire fortune chasing my dream.”
I nodded.
“I see. Money as material to achieve a dream. Interesting. Very interesting.”
“Is that so? Other people point at me and call me crazy.”
“Aren’t you still at the starting line? No one can predict the outcome yet. So what is the end of that dream?”
After briefly glancing around, Elon Musk spoke in a low voice.
“To build a city where humanity can live on Mars. That is my ultimate goal.”
“A city on Mars? You’re dreaming of turning something possible only in science fiction movies into reality.”
“If you look at the present age from a few hundred years ago, everything would seem like magic. Cars replace horse-drawn carriages and race through cities, people freely talk to those far away and send photographs. And airplanes fly through the sky. All of it would have been unimaginable just a few hundred years ago.”
I quietly nodded. Encouraged, Elon Musk grew even more animated.
“The pace of technological development is accelerating. I firmly believe that I can build a city on Mars before I die.”
He truly believed it. There wasn’t a trace of doubt in his eyes or actions.
“Very well. Then I’ll join that plan as well. I’d like to invest in SpaceX.”
