Free Web NovelSteve Jobs coldly ordered them out.
I alternated my gaze between Chloe, whose face had gone pale, and Brian, who had flushed red and blue with anger.
Verizon aside, AT&T had signed an exclusive supply contract for the iPhone in my previous life and significantly increased its market share.
Of course, a few years later, when the exclusivity ended, their share declined—but that opportunity had allowed them to overtake Verizon and rise to the top of the U.S. telecom industry.
The iPhone was far too tempting a bait to simply walk away like this.
How would they respond?
“Are you truly saying you won’t sign with us?”
Brian from Verizon asked, his face stiff as stone.
“Do I look like someone who speaks nonsense?”
“You’ll regret this.”
“Regret? That word doesn’t exist in my dictionary. Who are you to dare lecture me?”
Jobs scoffed. It was a reply typical of him—arrogant and domineering.
“How long do you think Verizon will stay number one? Once the iPhone launches, and if Apple doesn’t supply it to Verizon, what do you think will happen in a few years? I can see the outcome as clearly as day.”
Jobs openly mocked him.
Brian’s body trembled.
But Jobs didn’t stop.
“When that day comes, you won’t still be at Verizon. No— you won’t be allowed to remain.”
“....”
Brian bit his lip hard and said nothing.
But unwilling to endure further humiliation, he suddenly stood.
“Verizon will not carry the iPhone. We’ll see how well you do.”
The entire Verizon team rose with him.
Jobs leaned back, arms crossed, staring up at them with a faint smirk.
Seeing that smirk twisted Brian’s face further.
“...What about Cingular?”
Brian turned to Chloe, who was still seated.
She replied with visible discomfort.
“We’re going to continue discussions.”
“Hahaha!”
Brian burst into loud laughter.
But just as quickly, he stopped laughing and stared at her.
“You’re going to sign that absurd contract?”
“We’ll attempt negotiation.”
Pointing directly at Jobs, Brian said,
“Do you really think negotiation will work with someone that cold-blooded?”
“We can’t just sit back and hand this to T-Mobile. If that happens, we could even lose second place.”
Chloe spoke firmly.
Though the contract terms were ruthless, AT&T clearly calculated that losing this deal would be an even greater loss.
“Hah! As someone senior in the industry, let me advise you. If you accept that contract, all the profits will go to Apple, not Cingular. And you’ll be saddled with massive losses. Eventually, your parent company AT&T will suffer as well.”
“...We’ll handle our own business. We don’t need advice.”
Chloe dismissed him.
Brian looked down at her, displeased.
But she didn’t avoid his gaze.
Number one and number two were always competitors.
If they both withdrew here, the gap might not shrink—but at least it wouldn’t widen.
But Jobs’ mention of T-Mobile prevented her from retreating.
If T-Mobile partnered with Apple for exclusive supply, AT&T’s second-place position itself could be threatened.
“Suit yourself. We’re leaving.”
After glaring at Chloe for a long moment, Brian left the room without even saying goodbye.
Tim Cook followed him out—likely to repeat a warning about confidentiality.
The cold air in the office grew even heavier.
Jobs stood silently, arms folded.
Chloe fiddled with the documents without speaking.
To break the uncomfortable silence, I spoke first.
“Does AT&T intend to continue negotiations?”
Chloe trailed off slightly.
“Yes...”
Glancing at Jobs cautiously, she seemed hesitant.
I asked again.
“Are you truly willing to accept these conditions? I may be Apple’s major shareholder, but honestly, this contract is unprecedented.”
I tapped the document listing the harsh terms.
“You’re being asked to offer a plan with unlimited data, 200 SMS messages, and 450 voice minutes.”
AT&T could set the price, but unlimited data had never existed in the market.
For a telecom carrier, unlimited data was poison.
Structurally, it guaranteed losses.
But I understood why Jobs insisted.
The iPhone could not exist without data.
Its usage would far exceed anything else.
If carriers charged per usage, profits would be enormous—but Jobs was demanding they give that up.
“On top of that, you’re required to pay Apple 10% of every iPhone user’s monthly bill.”
They were being forced to surrender a percentage of monthly revenue.
“And if there’s a device issue, replacement and repair decisions are handled by Apple, not the carrier.”
That meant the iPhone customer belonged to Apple—not AT&T.
“Sales channels are restricted to Apple Stores and AT&T Stores. Third-party retailers are excluded.”
AT&T had contracts with Walmart and Best Buy.
This would block them.
They’d have to expand AT&T stores instead—requiring massive capital.
“And the exclusivity applies only within the U.S.”
Apple was free to sell globally.
The exclusivity was domestic only.
There were countless other toxic clauses.
“Why sign this contract? As an investor, I’d almost want to stop you.”
Even as Apple’s major shareholder, wrong was wrong.
If I were AT&T’s major shareholder, I would oppose it outright.
Jobs shot me an irritated look, but I continued.
“Chloe. Is there truly such urgency? Your gap with Verizon isn’t huge—five to ten percent. If you grow steadily, you could surpass them eventually.”
“Charlie. Whose side are you on?”
“Yours, of course. I just don’t [N O V E L I G H T] understand this with my common sense.”
“The iPhone will change the era. Exclusive domestic sales alone are enough to overtake Verizon. That’s why AT&T is still sitting here.”
Even so...
“I know that much. I’m asking if there’s another reason to accept massive losses.”
“Hmm... You know Verizon and AT&T share roots?”
“To some extent.”
AT&T’s history spanned over a century.
Its predecessor was Bell Telephone Company, founded by Alexander Graham Bell.
It had once been a monopoly.
The U.S. government broke it up under antitrust laws.
AT&T was forced to split into regional companies.
Long-distance profits fell with competition, so AT&T attempted the computer business—only to fail against IBM and Apple. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
“After getting battered by antitrust laws, they split up. Later reacquired pieces. But by then Verizon had seized the market. AT&T was the original stronghold, yet fell behind. Imagine the blow to their pride.”
Two telecom giants emerged from the split.
“Sometimes in business, pride matters more than profit.”
Jobs’ explanation clarified everything.
He never intended to sign with Verizon.
They were leverage.
T-Mobile too.
‘He really thinks brilliantly in situations like this.’
I admired him.
AT&T had reason to beat Verizon.
Chloe gave a bitter smile.
“To defeat Verizon, we must secure this deal. We’re currently discussing a merger with SBC. For that merger to succeed, we must secure this contract.”
So that was it.
The timeline had shifted because the iPhone launched earlier.
“After signing exclusivity, we’ll use it to persuade shareholders. We lack nationwide coverage. The government won’t block the merger.”
She intended to merge with SBC and expand coverage nationwide.
For that, this absurd contract was necessary.
I glanced at Jobs, still sulking slightly.
Was this his plan—or Cook’s?
Either way, it was a checkmate.
“Still, we can’t accept everything. Some clauses must go.”
Chloe cautiously continued.
“Everything else is acceptable. But the 10% revenue share is excessive.”
I agreed.
That clause would trigger shareholder rebellion.
“Instead, how about significantly increasing handset subsidies under two-year contracts? The more iPhones we sell, the more Apple profits.”
So instead of revenue share, they’d increase subsidies.
Same meaning—different framing.
Subsidies could be justified as investment.
“Hmm...”
Jobs stroked his chin.
“We’ll commit our full capacity to selling the iPhone. As iPhone sales rise, our subscriber base rises.”
She was tying their fate together.
Tim Cook returned.
“Warned them?”
Cook nodded.
“They won’t leak our terms.”
Jobs shrugged.
“AT&T wants to negotiate.”
“Oh?”
Cook studied Chloe like prey.
“Negotiate with me.”
He stood.
“Everyone, to my office.”
Cook led the AT&T team out.
The door closed.
Only Jobs and I remained.
“Jobs. You planned this from the start, didn’t you?”
He just smiled.
“T-Mobile was just pressure.”
“They’re not big enough to partner with us.”
“So Verizon and T-Mobile were both leverage against AT&T. Was this your idea—or...”
I glanced at the door Cook exited.
Jobs kept smiling.
“What matters is AT&T can’t escape our grasp now. Anyway, I showed you this negotiation for another reason...”
I cut him off dryly.
“You want me to sell the iPhone in Korea, don’t you?”
