At the same time, Tim Connor, CEO of 【AltaVist】, was also reading Joe Murphy’s business plan.
“Merger?”
Anyone who wasn’t a fool would understand the content.
Naturally, problems stemming from this kept surfacing in his mind, and the most concerning was the complete review of the command structure due to the merger.
“Indeed, running a business is like managing a living organism.”
Depending on whose hands the business plan unfolds, what was thought yesterday differs from what is thought today.
For now, following Joe Murphy’s business plan seemed the fastest and most efficient way.
Of course, there was a need to discuss it again with Lee Hyun-woo.
Without hesitation, he made a call.
And then,
“Did you receive the business plan?”
Expecting that it had been received, the response came immediately.
(Yes, I just read it.)
“What do you think? The direction we discussed is changing 180 degrees again.”
(Rather than changing, it’s more like skipping the intermediate steps.)
Lee Hyun-woo’s words were true.
Originally, the plan Lee Hyun-woo and he had envisioned was this:
First, operate 【AltaVist】 and 【Jungle USA】 separately.
Second, the more successful portal site would absorb the less successful one.
Third, after the final merger, the better-performing CEO would become the CEO of 【Jungle USA】.
According to Joe Murphy’s business plan, they were skipping the first and second steps and going straight to the third.
“The problem is the CEO.”
(Of course.)
“Honestly, I am ambitious, and I think Joe Murphy is ambitious too. What do you think?”
(Then we should let the board decide after the merger.)
“That process also takes time, so I want to propose a new method.”
(Go ahead.)
“A double CEO format. Joe Murphy handles finance and sales, while I take charge of technology and portal site operations.”
(Dividing the decision-making power could lead to confusion. It could also form factions.)
“That’s a drawback, but how about we accept the risk and compete? And leave the final decision to the board.”
(It’s still risky. There is a possibility that 【Jungle USA】 might not establish itself during that time.)
With this, Lee Hyun-woo clearly understood what he wanted.
If there is a merger, the CEO will be decided through the board.
If not, there is no need to force it; they can follow the original plan, which is to operate the portal sites of 【AltaVist】 and 【Jungle USA】 separately and then go through the merger steps.
Tim Connor had no choice but to say,
“Let’s think about it for just two more days.”
(Let’s do that.)
In the next two days, Tim Connor would make a decision for the future.
This was a decision that had to be rushed in the rapidly changing IT environment.
After hanging up the phone, Lee Hyun-woo thought for a moment.
“It must be a tough decision.”
He could read Tim Connor’s thoughts.
The anxiety that if things proceeded as is, he might be outpaced by Joe Murphy.
However, he knew in his mind that it was the right choice.
The business plan intricately incorporated experience, intuition, and vision.
Maybe that’s why?
The next day he got a call again, and Tim Connor said he would come to Korea in person.
“He must want a more definitive answer from my mouth.”
Anyone running a business has ambition.
Tim Connor was no different and didn’t want to back down.
But in times like these, it’s best to clearly state what the right choice is for his own sake.
Basically, 【AltaVist】 was a place that went extinct in a previous life because it lagged behind the times in management.
Therefore, Tim Connor’s position might suit better as a CTO, Chief Technology Officer, than as a CEO.
The next day.
Tim Connor, who had hurriedly boarded a flight to Korea, sought out Lee Hyun-woo without even taking a break.
His face clearly showed that he wanted an answer.
In an urgent voice, he asked,
“Honestly, without holding back, please tell me.”
“You seem to already know the answer.”
“……”
Seeing no response, it seemed that Lee Hyun-woo’s words were right.
“Ha…”
Starting with a sigh, Tim Connor nodded his head.
“At the end of last year and the beginning of this year, I lived with an obsession that we had to transform. It was because of 【Jungle】. Watching the continuous stream of content that stimulated people’s interests as well as their search engine, I thought that if we entered the US market, we wouldn’t stand a chance… That’s how I felt.”
“……”
“So I became desperate in my own way. That’s why I partnered with 【Jungle】. But a problem arose. It was a financial crisis. To do what 【Jungle】 was doing, we needed to increase our personnel and facilities, but 【AltaVist】’s funds were not solid. Naturally, we needed investment, and several places actually showed interest.”
“……”
“Then the news broke. A leading firm on Wall Street reported that they would invest in 【Jungle USA】. I was shocked by the figure of 100 million dollars. We were discussing at most a few million dollars. But even though it wasn’t the Korean headquarters, 【Jungle】 managed to secure that much? I felt a sense of self-reproach, not knowing the reality of 【AltaVist】.”
Listening to Tim Connor, Lee Hyun-woo quickly grasped his psychological state.
What was needed now was empathy.
“Anyone would feel uneasy if a suddenly emerging company rises rapidly, even when you’ve been managing things rationally and reasonably. I feel the same way.”
“Sorry? What do you mean…?”
“I am feeling very anxious right now. Will our entry into the US market be successful? We’ve secured a large investment, but what if it completely fails? There are already many established places; can we compete and win against them?”
“Oh… it didn’t seem like that…”
“I was pretending. In fact, I couldn’t sleep over it.”
What Lee Hyun-woo spoke about was his past life.
Although the circumstances and background were different, Lee Hyun-woo always had to face competition amidst anxiety.
Naturally, this led to work addiction.
Each time he achieved a goal, he felt a sense of accomplishment, but soon another higher goal and comparison target came into view.
It might have been the same even if he had become the chairman of a group.
He would have thought he had to compete and win against bigger groups.
But not now.
Understanding Tim Connor’s anxiety, Lee Hyun-woo wanted to guide him to the right path while matching his feelings.
“In the end, I realized that it was tough to do it alone. So I asked Joe Murphy. To recommend an experienced CEO who knew finance well. That alone wasn’t enough, so I held onto you to design the future. Because I thought if we had technology and vast data, we could start in a better situation.”
“Ah… so that’s why you contacted me.”
“In conclusion, letting go a little wasn’t a bad choice. I have ambitions too, but once in a while, taking a break and learning from a capable CEO’s management is beneficial. After all, we are young, aren’t we?”
Gradually changing from “I” to “we,” Lee Hyun-woo.
Unconsciously, Tim Connor also nodded.
Lee Hyun-woo, who was in his 20s, was ten years younger, but Tim Connor was also in his 30s.
However, looking at more impressive latecomers like 【Yahoo】, his confidence had slightly waned.
Maybe learning from Joe Murphy and using it as a recovery period could turn things around.
Here, Lee Hyun-woo started adding content that would stimulate his ambition.
“I have no ambition for the next CEO position of 【Jungle USA】. I think I have more days to learn than you, Tim.”
Tim Connor’s eyes wavered.
This meant that Lee Hyun-woo wouldn’t covet the CEO position if Joe Murphy ever stepped down.
It had to be this way.
Lee Hyun-woo had already fully experienced the taste of 【Jungle Japan】.
Since it would grow and earn money on its own without much interference, why live a tiring life by getting deeply involved?
Although Joe Murphy and Tim Connor didn’t know, there was a very simple truth hidden.
- The bear performs the tricks, and the king’s servant takes the money.
In reality, he was creating the content and know-how in Korea’s 【Jungle】 so they could perform the tricks, and they shared the profits, but Lee Hyun-woo had nothing to lose.
“This is the future I’ve dreamed of.”
Drawing that picture, he smiled with satisfaction, and Tim Connor, seeing that smile, had a perfect misunderstanding.
He thought Lee Hyun-woo was a living Bodhisattva.
This feeling wasn’t unfamiliar.
In the past few days, representatives and team leaders from outsourcing companies had the same thought.
After Tim Connor returned to the US, the launch of 【Jungle USA】 proceeded smoothly.
When several people come together to do business, shares are the most important thing.
Lee Hyun-woo boldly conceded that part.
Thus, the investor 【Natural Standard Fund】 took 35%, 【AltaVist】, which poured everything in and even gave up its name, took 33%, and lastly, 【Jungle】, which would provide the technology and content, took 32%.
Although the share was low, Lee Hyun-woo was the real winner.
Why? He secured a high share without investing a single penny and obtained the name 【Jungle USA】.
From anyone’s perspective, it looked like 【Jungle】 had absorbed and merged with 【AltaVist】.
For this reason, Lee Hyun-woo tried to treat Tim better.
Because what’s needed now is empathy.
Anyway, since they had to sign the final contract, Lee Hyun-woo went back to the US.
After signing, he simultaneously worked on soothing Tim’s mind and instilling ambition before returning to Korea.
Even this took up a lot of time.
“Somehow, it feels like I’ve been working only recently.”
Although he was filled with joy, he worried about falling into work addiction again as he looked at the calendar, which showed May 4th.
“Huh? Parents’ Day is coming soon?”
Time really flies.
Spring had already passed, and the season of heat was approaching.
In this flow of time, Lee Hyun-woo reflected on whether he was maintaining his balance.
The goals of his current life flashed through his mind.
Work-life balance, a life with evenings, filial piety, a good husband, a respected father.
Maybe because Parents’ Day was approaching, the word “filial piety” struck his heart.
So he called his younger brother to ask.
“Hey, what should we do for Parents’ Day to make it well-known as a good deed?”
“Oh? Right. Parents’ Day is just a few days away?”
“Kid, what’s with you?”
“Ah, I’ve been so caught up with work lately that I didn’t even think about it.”
“Cluck, cluck, cluck, are you a workaholic?”
“I never imagined I’d hear that from you. Seems like it.”
“Take it easy, okay? I even made an agreement with the outsourcing company to lighten your workload.”
“That’s true… I’m really thankful for that. But why do I keep thinking of new ventures?”
What’s the reason?
Because his DNA wasn’t different from Lee Hyun-woo’s.
Without much hesitation, he spoke aloud his idea for a Parents’ Day gift.
“Hyung, our parents aren’t ones to get moved by surprise gifts. And since it’s Parents’ Day, they’ll surely expect us to do something. They always tell us not to spend money every day, but since they have sons who earn well, matching their expectations can be tricky.”
“That’s why I’m asking you, because it’s difficult.”
“So let’s just ask them.”
“Huh?”
“Since it’s not a surprise gift anyway, let’s ask what they want. What do you think?”
It wasn’t a bad idea.
So when they directly asked their parents what gift they wanted later that day, they gave a really unexpected answer.
“Your marriage.”
“A daughter-in-law.”
A sigh escaped from Lee Hyun-woo’s heart.
“Sigh…”
The goal of filial piety was not something to be taken lightly.
