New Employees With an Annual Salary of 1 Trillion Won - Chapter 56

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

Chapter 56. New Game (1)

 

Google Management came to visit the fund.

 

The General Manager seemed to have already anticipated that Tiger Fund would be reorganized around him, as he had set the headquarters as the meeting location.

 

“Nice to meet you. I’m Mike, in charge of investment management at Tiger Fund.”

 

“I didn’t expect such a high-ranking person to come out personally. I’m Larry Page.”

 

“I’m Sergey Brin. Nice to meet you too, Mister Lee!”

 

Is a title really that powerful?

 

When the General Manager came out personally, a very warm atmosphere was created.

 

After warming up lightly with a cup of coffee, we soon got to the main point.

 

“Mister Lee has created several algorithms with Google in mind. Would you like to take a look?”

 

“Are they search engine related algorithms?”

 

“It’s a structure that can search for necessary information a bit more accurately and faster than now. You’ll definitely like it when you see it.”

 

It was an algorithm I had invested all my time creating for today.

 

With confidence, I slowly showed the algorithm starting from the code.

 

Since all of Google Management were from developer backgrounds, they easily understood what intention I had in creating such an algorithm.

 

“It’s an algorithm that can calculate user clicks.”

 

“That’s right. I created a ranking system reflecting click rates, time spent, and visit frequency. By providing high-ranking information first, we can improve accuracy.”

 

The information people wanted was limited.

 

By providing materials that many users clicked on first, search time could be greatly reduced.

 

“The next algorithm reflects time.”

 

“For information where time is important, like news or sports, I made it prioritize the latest posts. Like yesterday’s MLB game results or home run records.”

 

“It’s definitely a useful system for sports information searches.”

 

Usually for sports game searches.

 

People use search engines to find out recent game results.

 

It was an algorithm that perfectly matched the speed that Google Management held as their philosophy, and they looked at the algorithm with great satisfaction.

 

But it wasn’t over yet.

 

I showed them the final algorithm.

 

“Finally, I’ve created a user-friendly algorithm. For example, JAVA is a programming language to developers, but to general users, it’s more familiar as coffee.”

 

“Do search results change depending on the user?”

 

“Yes. By storing simple user information, I made it more accurately understand search intent.”

 

The Google Executives were completely absorbed in the algorithm I had created.

 

They exchanged opinions on how to apply it to their existing search engine, and even showed signs of wanting to implement it right away.

 

“It would definitely be helpful if we introduced this to Google. Thank you so much.”

 

“I’m not just giving it away for free. I’d like to propose a collaboration.”

 

“What kind of collaboration are you referring to?”

 

Why would I give away the algorithm I had put so much effort into creating for free?

 

Naturally, it was meant to serve as a card for negotiation, and the time for negotiation had arrived.

 

I leaned back slightly.

 

Now it was time for the General Manager to step in.

 

The General Manager began the negotiation by making them accurately aware of Google’s current situation.

 

“Last year, Google’s corporate value was evaluated at 1 billion dollars. But now it has fallen by more than 60%. Not just Google, but most IT Companies have seen their values drop significantly.”

 

“That’s not Google’s fault. Microsoft and Yahoo also plummeted, didn’t they?”

 

“That’s right. It’s not Google’s fault. But then, was Google’s corporate value being evaluated at 1 billion dollars entirely due to Google’s capabilities? No. It’s also true that you received high evaluations thanks to the IT ecosystem, isn’t it?”

 

The General Manager went on the offensive.

 

It was an attack that would be difficult for the Google Management, who were engineers like me, to handle.

 

“Our value may have dropped, but our user numbers keep growing!”

 

“No matter how many users you have, it’s difficult to turn a profit without a revenue model. Current investors don’t have the luxury to wait any longer.”

 

“We have sufficient funds. We secured 25 million dollars in Series A, and we’re raising over 10 million dollars in Series B this year.”

 

Google had received tremendous investment.

 

They had gathered expectations as the next-generation search engine and were receiving attention as a company that would lead the future.

 

“That investment money will eventually run out too. If there’s no profit structure, that is. That’s why we’re proposing collaboration with Rollbook.”

 

“We’d like to hear what kind of collaboration this would be first.”

 

“Google would become the gateway to Rollbook. Conversely, Rollbook would play the role of filling Google’s lacking content, creating a mutually beneficial relationship.”

 

The Google Executives’ expressions became distorted.

 

It was a proposal that completely went against their philosophy.

 

“We don’t do that kind of collaboration. It could affect the fairness of our search algorithm.”

 

“We won’t touch the search algorithm much. We just need user influx. Instead, Rollbook will take full responsibility for advertising. We’ll also distribute part of the revenue from users who come through Google back to Google.”

 

The Google Executives’ expressions still weren’t bright.

 

They didn’t seem to have any intention of changing their philosophy, and instead pushed back even more strongly.

 

“A search engine should be specialized for searching, literally. We don’t want content to increase and the site to become cluttered with advertisements.”

 

“What’s more important than philosophy is survival. You need to survive to complete your philosophy. Right now, it’s a difficult time for IT companies without revenue models to survive.”

 

“May I interject for a moment?”

 

Good cop, bad cop strategy.

 

I stopped the General Manager who was being too aggressive and gently joined the conversation.

 

This was already coordinated with the General Manager, and he was supposed to give me a signal with his finger gesture.

 

“You don’t need to take the collaboration with Rollbook too seriously. It’s sufficient for Rollbook to simply be exposed at the top. The General Manager expressed it as an ‘entrance,’ but you can understand it as more of a ‘guidance sign.'”

 

“That level would be possible, but advertisements are difficult to accept.”

 

“Advertisements can also be designed in a way that doesn’t harm Google’s philosophy.”

 

Google wanted to maintain a simple search engine.

 

In that case, advertisements could also be made simple and user-friendly.

 

“What kind of advertising method?”

 

“Indiscriminate advertising makes sites cluttered. But when a user searches for ‘camera,’ if related camera advertisements appear, couldn’t that be both a search result and an advertisement?”

 

“You’re saying you’ll expose advertisements based on keywords.”

 

“That’s right. And linking with Rollbook would allow us to secure richer user data. Based on this, more precise and friendly advertising becomes possible.”

 

This was the biggest reason why collaboration with Google was necessary.

 

If we could share information with Google, which has many users, Rollbook could also build various systems based on this.

 

“Hmm… it’s certainly a method worth considering.”

 

“And we can have a mutually complementary relationship. Google would take a portion of Rollbook’s advertising revenue generated through Google users, and conversely, Rollbook would share in some of the revenue from Google advertisements we provide.”

 

“Even if collaboration were to happen, could the current structure be maintained?”

 

They were halfway convinced.

 

The Google Management was no longer unconditionally opposed and had begun considering the situation after collaboration.

 

“That’s why we’d like to propose an equity exchange. If Rollbook and Google share equity stakes, couldn’t we maintain a long-term relationship as partners?”

 

“This is a bit awkward to say, but… isn’t Google’s value higher than Rollbook’s?”

 

“Of course, this isn’t a proposal with a 1:1 ratio in mind.”

 

I looked at the General Manager and wrapped up.

 

My role was now finished, and I passed the baton to the General Manager.

 

“We’ll exchange equity shares and supplement the insufficient parts with cash. And not only for Series B, but whenever there’s an opportunity to purchase Google’s equity shares in the future, Tiger Fund will acquire the largest volume with top priority.”

 

“I’m curious about the reason for going to such lengths. Isn’t this too large an investment to be just for Rollbook’s success?”

 

That could be the case.

 

Although it was a promising startup, Google was still a company that wasn’t generating revenue yet.

 

But for us, Google was a company we absolutely had to work with.

 

Not only for Rollbook’s growth.

 

As an investment target, Google was quite an attractive company.

 

Of course, in the short term, its value would decline more than now, but Google’s gear structure was built to grow for over 20 years.

 

“We want to reshape the IT market landscape. Google and Rollbook becoming the center of the IT ecosystem. If that’s possible, no amount of investment would be too much right now.”

 

“Would that be possible? Yahoo has a firm grip on the portal side, and there are already many companies that have taken the lead in other areas.”

 

Yahoo’s users exceeded 100 million, and their market dominance was formidable.

 

But it wasn’t an insurmountable wall by any means.

 

Rather, it was closer to a sandcastle that could easily crumble, so I stepped forward to persuade them strongly.

 

“That’s why now is the opportunity. With IT company stock prices plummeting, we need to be aggressive now to steal the market.”

 

“You mean to surpass Yahoo?”

 

“Yahoo isn’t our target. The entire IT ecosystem is our target. If Google and Rollbook join forces, it’s definitely possible.”

 

It wasn’t an impossible goal.

 

Even though existing internet users were using familiar services like Yahoo.

 

Internet penetration rates were continuously rising, and new users were flowing in every day.

 

Existing users would prefer familiar websites.

 

But newly incoming users would have no choice but to select more user-friendly services.

 

“If beating Yahoo ultimately means Google also has to become a portal site, we’ll reject the proposal.”

 

“There’s no need to necessarily become a portal site. Google can focus on search engines as it does now, and Rollbook just needs to fill the content areas that are lacking. We can complement each other’s weaknesses while maintaining independence.”

 

Google Management fell into deep contemplation.

 

After discussing for a while, Sergey Brin looked at his laptop screen.

 

He examined the algorithm I had created from various angles, then finally made a decision.

 

“We’ll accept the proposal. Actually, we’ve received similar proposals before, but this is the first time we’ve seen a place as thoroughly prepared as Rollbook.”

 

“Beyond collaboration, we need to become a symbiotic relationship to endure this period and survive.”

 

“Good. Let’s survive together.”

 

They were completely won over.

 

But since the equity arrangement issue still remained, the General Manager stepped forward again.

 

“How about Google and Rollbook exchanging 10% equity shares with each other? And we’ll provide 20 million dollars in cash.”

 

“While Rollbook is certainly a well-made website, it seems like you’re valuing it too highly.”

 

“For 20 million dollars, algorithm provision, and Rollbook will take responsibility for Google’s entry into Korea. The condition is that we handle infrastructure, Korean localization, and overall operations. It’s not a losing proposal.”

 

The General Manager played the ‘Korea expansion’ card for Google.

 

For Google, which had only targeted English-speaking markets, Korea was an unthinkable territory.

 

“Can Google properly provide services in Korea? Both the data and algorithms are all English-based.”

 

“Mister Lee has expertise in algorithms, and we’ll deploy multiple specialists to complete a Korean-based search engine.”

 

“Is there really a reason to expand all the way to Korea?”

 

For Google, which hadn’t even established itself within the United States yet, expansion into non-English speaking countries was bound to feel premature.

 

But we had drawn up a bigger picture.

 

“Starting with Korea, we need to expand to Japan and China. The English-speaking population is about 400 million, while East Asia’s population exceeds 1.4 billion. Is there any reason to give up a market that’s more than three times larger?”

 

“We don’t have the capacity to handle non-English speaking countries right now.”

 

“That’s why we’re suggesting to start with Korea. Rollbook and Tiger Fund will handle everything.”

 

There was no reason to refuse an opportunity to expand the market for free.

 

Google Management, after briefly consulting among themselves, accepted the proposal.

 

“Alright. However, we hope the Korean service doesn’t stray too far from our philosophy.”

 

“We’ll specify that clause in the contract. Korea will become a bridgehead for East Asian expansion. Someday, the entire world will use Google and Rollbook together.”

 

“Just hearing that makes me feel good. We look forward to working with you.”

 

All four of us simultaneously stood up and shook hands.

 

It was the moment Google and Rollbook joined hands, and the beginning of a new game that would shake the IT ecosystem.

 

Annual Salary 1 Trillion New Employee Chapter 56

 

E-book Publication Date | 2025.11.27

 

Author | Seo Oh

 

Publishers | Heo Heung-beom, Park Geon-won

 

Publishing House | Poten

 

Address | [04783] 10th Floor, 8 Yeonmujang 11-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul

 

Phone | 02-6320-8500

 

Fax | 02-6320-8585

 

ISBN | 9791175305892

 

Price | 100 won

 

ⓒ Seo Oh 2025

 

This e-book is a copyrighted work protected by copyright law.

 

This e-book is published under the author’s contract, so unauthorized reproduction, copying, distribution, and sharing are prohibited without written consent from both parties.

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