I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 228

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 228
[Now let me enjoy some real food.]
While Sergey sat there bewildered, I savored the successive courses that arrived at our table.
[That’s right, the lamb here is always delicious no matter when you eat it.]
I enjoyed the meal while Sergey continued speaking with a serious expression, choosing his words carefully.
“Sung-guk, you’re saying you want to acquire YouTube because it’s fun?”
[Of course that’s not the only reason. Not now, but YouTube will soon become a goose that lays golden eggs.]
I looked at Sergey with a bright smile.
“I’m not sure why Google acquired YouTube, but I find it interesting.”
“Sung-guk, don’t you have a 5% stake that you acquired from Chad?”
“Google is famous for pouring money earned at Google into YouTube.”
Sergey Brin’s expression grew troubled.
“But… Sung-guk, even if FaceNote is risky, do you have the funds to acquire a stake in YouTube?”
“Well…”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Sergey, I have a proposal for you.”
Sergey seemed somewhat surprised by my words.
Here I was making a proposal at a meeting where he’d come to acquire FaceNote?
[People really do find it entertaining to catch others off guard.]
I took a sip of water and looked at the bewildered Sergey.
“Sergey, I find YouTube interesting… and I have many ideas that could rescue YouTube from the quagmire of losses.”
“…”
Sergey continued to stare at me with a confused expression.
“I’ll take over YouTube, Google’s headache.”
“Take over? What do you mean by that?”
“I’ll manage Google for two years and pull it out of the red. In exchange, give me a 20% stake in YouTube. However, this is a success bonus. For the next two years, a monthly salary of one dollar is enough for me. Of course, if YouTube doesn’t turn profitable within two years, this contract becomes void.”
“Sung-guk…”
Sergey seemed at a loss for words.
I finished even the final dessert with gusto.
[Teenagers are always hungry, after all.]
Sergey collected himself and looked at me.
“Sung-guk… this isn’t a decision I can make alone.”
“Go back to the company and discuss it. The proposal that I’ll manage YouTube, Google’s headache, for just one dollar a month for two years doesn’t seem like a bad one, does it?”
“But…”
Of course, he would think it unreasonable to give away 20% of shares upon success.
After all, Google was making money well, and they could barely manage YouTube on their own.
[Well, let me drive the nail in.]
“Sergey, YouTube’s current operations show no hope for recovery. There are too many structural problems to survive on just the occasional viral video that comes along. Honestly, even if I work for nearly no salary, 20% for a possible success is an astronomical amount. But think about it differently. Will Google remain with 95% of YouTube’s shares as it continues to decline? Or will Google become the company with 75% of YouTube’s shares after it turns profitable within two years?”
Sergey set down his fork without properly finishing his dessert, his face flustered.
“Sung-guk, this isn’t a decision I can make alone. Could we discuss this internally and talk again?”
“Of course. By the way, please tell the Winklevoss Brothers that I’ll contact them when I need to make a reservation at this restaurant.”
* * *
The presidential election results finally came in.
Barack Obama, who had maintained a consistent lead in polling, won the election.
Mark, sprawled across my living room couch like a sloth, gave me a thumbs up.
“Sung-guk, your prediction came true again!”
“That was too easy of a prediction to make.”
“Well, I knew Barack Obama would win too, you know.”
Still, the prediction post I’d uploaded to FaceNote was flooded with countless comments.
– Sung-guk, you’d make even more money if you became a professional fortune teller.
– Sung-guk, when do you think I’ll be able to fall in love?
I flexed my fingers again.
By now, Sergey must be in complete chaos.
He’d come to propose selling FaceNote to me, only to receive a proposal to run YouTube instead….
Given Sergey’s timid nature, he was definitely going to be agonizing over this—I didn’t need to see it to know.
Mark, who’d been watching TV, shouted at me.
“Sung-guk, your FaceNote prediction is on the news too. They’re calling you the founder of FaceNote and someone who shapes public opinion.”
I looked at the news Mark was pointing to.
Some expert was on air analyzing how my post might sound like a prophecy, but in reality, by declaring in advance what would happen, I was shaping public opinion.
“It’s the same with your post about Barack Obama’s presidential victory. Of course, Barack Obama already had higher approval ratings, but when Sung-guk, the founder of FaceNote with solid support from younger demographics, predicted his victory, his approval ratings rose even further afterward. In other words, you created a structure where belief reproduces belief.”
[That expert is pretty sharp.]
So, should I create that structure of belief reproducing belief one more time?
I uploaded a post to FaceNote.
– If I were to run YouTube, I think I could probably pull it out of the red within two years… I’ll turn YouTube profitable in two years while only taking a monthly salary of one dollar. Sergey, get in touch with me.
Comments flooded in as soon as the post went up.
– If you can revive YouTube, which is dying because it’s boring, I’ll truly worship you as a god.
– What, is he saying he’ll take over the boring YouTube because it’s boring?
– This will just make YouTube fail even more.
Of course, only the comments I’d anticipated weren’t coming in.
Mark grabbed my shoulder from behind after reading my post.
“Sung-guk, why are you so obsessed with YouTube?”
[Because it’s going to make money! Because we’re moving from the FaceNote era to the YouTube era!]
Mark tilted his head in confusion.
“Why don’t you acquire Twitter instead?”
“People react faster to photos and videos than to text, you know. Oh, Mark….”
Mark quickly covered my mouth with his hand.
“Sung-guk, you’re about to pitch another idea and expect me to build it, aren’t you?”
[How did you know?]
“Sung-guk, please, let’s talk about that after FaceNote goes public.”
[Fine, I’ll let you off the hook this time.]
I nodded.
Just then, my phone began to ring.
I pushed Mark’s hand away from my mouth and quickly answered the call. A familiar voice came through the receiver.
– Sung-guk!
“Barack, congratulations!”
– Sung-guk, you’re coming to the White House for my inauguration, right?
“If you’re inviting me, I absolutely have to go.”
– I’ll let my chief of staff know!
“Barack, congratulations again!”
– Sung-guk, you predicted my reelection too… when that time comes, I’m really going to need your help.
“Of course.”
Mark stared at me with wide eyes.
“Sung-guk, you’re truly amazing. I don’t think I could ever live like you, even if I were reborn.”
[Of course not. I’m Jeon Sung-guk, after all!]
* * *
Barack Obama’s chief of staff contacted me faster than expected.
– Hello, this is Tim, Barack’s chief of staff.
“Nice to meet you, Tim.”
– Sung-guk, I’m calling to find out how many seats you’ll need for the inauguration. Feel free to tell me.
“Hmm… would nine seats including myself be possible?”
– Of course. Just send us the list of names and we’ll prepare everything right away.
“Yes, I’ll send the list by email right away.”
As soon as I hung up, I sent the attendance list for Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration to my staff.
Jeon Sung-guk, Jeon Ji-sung, Kim So-young, Jeon Min-guk, Jeon Ji-hee, Mark Zuckerberg, Lim Mi-mi, Jeon Tae-guk, Park Sung-hee.
My family was naturally included, and Mark and Lim Mi-mi were my companions in this life regardless.
I included Jeon Tae-guk because I wanted to show off a little.
Even when I was vice chairman of Samjeon Group, I’d been invited to Cheong Wa Dae inaugurations regularly, but I’d never received an invitation to the White House. Jeon Tae-guk probably hadn’t either.
If I brought Jeon Tae-guk to the White House presidential inauguration, the South Korean media would undoubtedly go into a frenzy.
And they would shine a new spotlight on me.
Someone who could bring the heir to Samjeon Group to a White House presidential inauguration?
That meant I had more influence than anyone else in Samjeon Group.
[Hmm… this plan is actually pretty brilliant when I think about it.]
Just as I was about to shrug my shoulders, I heard a knock.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The door opened and a familiar face appeared.
“Elon!”
“Sung-guk!”
“Elon, how have you been?”
“Sung-guk! What exactly are you up to these days?”
[Hmm… Sergey must have sent him.]
Elon and Sergey were best friends. Of course, I was best friends with Elon too.
I pretended not to know and greeted Elon warmly.
“How are things? I’m living as I always do. Are all of Elon’s ventures running smoothly?”
“Fortunately, we’ve secured investment and things are moving forward… but you know as well as I do. We’re still drowning in red ink.”
“Elon, don’t worry. Results will come soon.”
“I wish that were true.”
Elon offered a bitter smile.
Despite America’s economic crisis, Elon’s ventures were still attracting massive investment.
“By the way, Sung-guk… that post you made on FaceNote about YouTube? I heard you proposed the same idea to Sergey?”
[So the main topic is finally beginning.]
I smiled brightly again.
“YouTube is so fascinating. I really want to properly introduce it to people. Google seems to be neglecting it, like they don’t think it’s profitable.”
“Well, YouTube’s losses aren’t trivial.”
“Google won’t go bankrupt just from hiring one person for a dollar a month, right?”
“That’s true, but… there seem to be various opinions within Google. Some executives even want to sell YouTube off to an Arab billionaire.”
[That absolutely cannot happen…]
“Sergey says everyone has differing opinions about your proposal too.”
“What’s Sergey’s opinion?”
“Well… actually, Sergey asked me to meet with you and see what you had to say.”
[Of course. That’s exactly what I expected, Elon.]
Elon shrugged his shoulders and wore a mischievous expression.
“But Sung-guk, here’s the thing. Sergey’s request aside, I saw in the news that the way you post on FaceNote creates trust that generates more trust… are you really posting on FaceNote to sway public opinion with full understanding of that principle?”
“Well… that’s…”
I stroked my chin.
Elon Musk was famous for pouring all sorts of unverified theories onto social media.
[He’s been influenced by me all along…]
I shrugged and smiled faintly.
“Elon, I simply write what I want to say. Wanting to say something means I’m making that effort, and it means I’m hoping it will come true. So far, I’ve been lucky and it’s all worked out that way.”
“It’s like a wish journal of sorts. Right, that’s how people should live. Say what you want! And make it happen!”
Elon enthusiastically agreed, looking moved by my words.
“Elon, what exactly did Sergey ask you to find out?”
“Ah… I almost forgot why I came here. Sergey actually doesn’t think your proposal is bad. But internally at Google, they’re saying they’d be taking all the risk themselves, that sort of thing.”
“I haven’t taken almost any salary for the past two years.”
“That’s how negative Google is about YouTube right now. So here’s what they’re thinking—what if you acquired about 10% of YouTube’s shares and took the CEO position?”
“So you’re saying I should buy 10% of the shares, take the owner’s seat, receive one dollar a month, and turn YouTube profitable in two years?”
“In return, if you succeed, they’ll raise your shares from 20% to 30%.”
I clenched my teeth hard.
I didn’t want to show how thrilled I was!
With my current 5% stake plus the 10% purchase, that’s 15%.
And since YouTube will skyrocket in two years, a successful stake of 30%!
I would end up with a total of 45% equity!
This was far more than I had anticipated.
[Sung-guk, don’t smile. Put on a serious face!]
I steadied myself inwardly and deliberately furrowed my brow.
Elon glanced at my expression.
“Sung-guk, not satisfied? Even I think asking you to buy shares in a struggling business first isn’t exactly honorable. To recruit talent like you….”
“Hmm… Elon, I’m conflicted. I’ve been working for nearly two years on a volunteer basis, earning almost nothing.”
“I know… but YouTube’s situation isn’t exactly thriving right now either.”
“Sigh….”
I paused for a moment, then looked at Elon.
“Elon… I’ve made my decision. Call Sergey right now and have him prepare the contract!”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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