Age of Dreams

Vol 2 Chapter 2671: Waves rise

"Jingle Bell……"

The phone's ringtone kept ringing.

Xiao Qi was holding his wife in the warm bed, and didn't want to respond, but after making the phone call again and again, Xiao Meiji also woke up.

Then Tang Mingxiang punched her husband on the shoulder with a powder punch and asked him to get up to answer the phone, but he went to sleep wrapped in a quilt.

Xiao Qi walked over and picked up the phone to take a look. It was only 5 o'clock in the morning, and it was a call from Anthony.

"Boss, it's not good!" Anthony's tone was flustered. "There is news from the European Union that they will investigate our skype, saying that spype is involved in national security issues."

"Huh?" Xiao Qi frowned, "I can't tell you on the phone, you come to my house immediately."

"Yes!"

Anthony hung up the phone in a hurry, and within an hour, he rushed to Tang Mingxiang's manor.

Drinking the coffee made by the servant, Anthony told Xiao Qi the story in detail.

In the first two days, the telecommunications and mobile communications departments of the European Union gathered together during the annual meeting of EU foreign ministers and summits to discuss some related issues.

What I didn't expect was that yesterday afternoon, this morning in Eastern Time, the Germans suddenly mentioned the rapid development of Skype in Europe.

After skype was acquired by Xiao Qi in January this year and put forward five important development plans, it entered the rapid development channel.

By the end of November, Skype had more than 500 million European and American customers, which is almost 50% more than that in May and June!

Moreover, the number of minutes of Skype calls per day has increased by 180% compared to May and June. The sales quota of call charge cards in November has reached a jaw-dropping US$1.5 billion! The overall various operating incomes add up. It is more than 2.3 billion US dollars.

Although this sales rate was completed in more than 30 countries, the sales rate in Europe accounted for 60%, posing a huge threat to the European telecommunication industry.

According to their data, after Skype entered Europe, mobile phone bill consumption in the UK dropped by 3%. France is 5%, Spain is also 5%... Germany is at most 8%.

Although it has not yet reached the point where it is broken, if Skype is allowed to develop, it will inevitably be a huge blow to the communication industry of these EU countries.

In which country, the costs of mobile phones, telecommunications, and Internet access are very profitable, and those who can master the communication company will not be ordinary companies. They are usually inextricably linked to the government.

Once they find that their cake is passive, they will definitely ask the government for help to put pressure and blow on competitors.

If you want to talk about American companies, the European Union dare not make it so obvious, but you are a Chinese company. Although you are the world’s richest man’s company, what about it?

So after a group of EU ministers and ministers in the communications industry had a meeting, they immediately decided to suppress Skype.

How to suppress it?

Of course, the tried-and-tested communications industry is a matter of confidentiality. It may involve the disclosure of citizens’ police, the disclosure of state secrets, etc.—these are vague things, the government says it doesn’t. It just doesn't. The government says it has it, then it does.

Once you use "citizenship", "national security", etc. as excuses, then this issue is not a commercial issue, and you can't use your influence.

Even a giant like Mario Law Firm can't use it.

Because national security is above all else!

Due to time issues. The specific plan has not yet been decided, but the specific tone has already been decided.

Fairy Company has hired consulting companies all over the world. One of the functions of these consulting companies is to inquire about the gossip of Fairy Company.

The same is true for Mario Law Firm, as lawyers naturally have to have a good relationship with government departments. Those who are reckless and think that they are really the "government nemesis" have long never known where they are going.

Therefore, under the usual large sums of U.S. dollars to open the way, naturally there are many people in the European Union who have a good relationship with Mario Law Firm. This time, it is one of the deputy directors who participated in the meeting. After arriving at the hotel, he will give Mario Europe. People from the law firm called and told them to prepare quickly.

Anthony is usually a very stable person, but when he heard this news, he was a little at a loss.

He is now one of the top powerful people in the lawyer industry, but he is still far behind the entire country and even the entire European Union.

Not only him, he knows that his boss is not qualified. If it is one of the countries such as Britain, France and Germany, it can barely be regarded as equal, but now so many countries are in trouble together, the world's richest man doesn't have any use anymore. .

After all, what skype moves is everyone's cake, and everyone pools their strengths, which is not something that a Chinese company can contend.

So he hurried to report to Xiao Qi, wanting Xiao Qi to prepare early.

"On the EU side, is it possible to work harder?" Xiao Qi asked Anthony ponderingly.

"It is estimated that it will not work, because the boss, your skype is developing too fast. In less than a year, it will have such a big impact on their communications company. If this continues, they will not be able to hold it." Anthony He shook his head and said, "Even if we are willing to spend money on this matter, it is impossible to buy all the ministries and leaders, and that kind of risk is too great, once it is revealed, I am afraid that things will get worse.

"I understand."

Xiao Qi thought about it.

Since there is no accommodation on the EU side, Skype now has only two ways to go.

The first is to completely abandon the European market and only specialize in the American market and developed countries in Asia such as Japan and South Korea. Because Spkpe is based in the United States and employs mostly Americans, it will naturally work in these places.

The second is to split the European branch of Skype and partner with European communication operators, so that they have no excuses to stop Skype, but there is no doubt that at least half of the shares must be split out, which allows Xiao Qi was quite unwilling.

But leaving half of the shares is better than nothing.

In fact, Xiao Qi had long planned for the situation that Skype would encounter, and even Xiao Qi was prepared to sell it when Skype reached its peak.

The reason is that Xiao Qi is not from European and American countries.

This kind of experience is not only aimed at Xiao Qi. If you change people from Europe and the United States to China to develop this kind of free online communication, you will also be subject to the most stringent supervision... Well, in fact, Skype has not been allowed to enter from the beginning to the end. Of course, the reason is the same when I traveled to China.

However, it is still far from the time to sell Skype.

The previous life skype, which has not reached the height of this life skype, was bought by Microsoft at a price of 8.5 billion U.S. dollars in May 2011. In this life, it is a bit uncomfortable to sell it without a market value of 20 to 30 billion U.S. dollars. Now.

In a blink of an eye, Xiao Qi had a plan to immediately negotiate with European communication companies through this joint venture, and strive to settle the investigation bill against Skype before it is released, so as not to have a great impact on the operation of Skype.

But before he could speak, the bodyguard outside knocked on the door and walked in.

"Qi Shao, it's Mr. Ballmer from Microsoft." He said to Xiao Qi with his mobile phone, "He said he has something very important to find you."

Xiao Qi checked the time, and it was only about 7 o'clock in the morning.

After thinking for a while, he greeted Anthony and walked aside with his work phone, "Hey, Stephen, hello, this is Xiao Qi."

Microsoft's Ballmer smiled and said, "Hello Qi Shao, I heard that you are a bit troublesome lately, do you want me to help?"

"What's the trouble?" Xiao Qi asked calmly for a moment.

"Haha, it's Skype. The EU has decided to investigate Skype, right?" Ballmer didn't hide it, and smiled: "If Qi Shao doesn't go well here, Microsoft can help. Two."

"How are you going to cooperate?" Xiao Qi smiled.

"Microsoft is not taking advantage of the fairy company. We are going to buy 50% of the shares of skype at a price of 3 billion US dollars. In Europe, we will help you get it!" Ballmer said.

At first glance, Microsoft's price is a bit high.

But after careful consideration, you know that Microsoft is taking advantage of the fire.

Xiao Qi spent US$2.8 billion to buy Skype, yes~www.wuxiaspot.com~, but with commissions and other fees, it is already US$3.2 billion. Then, in the past six months, Xiao Qi invested US$1 billion. For various network construction and promotion, the total cost is at least 4.2 billion US dollars.

This is just the cost, and does not include the skype’s rapid progress over the past six months, and the great trend of future development.

Calculated in this way, Microsoft only gave a valuation of 6 billion U.S. dollars, which is purely devaluing Skype and wanting to buy a golden doll at a low price.

So Xiao Qi also said two words bluntly: "No."

"Qiao Shao, don't rush to refuse." Ballmer was not impatient. "You only get news from Europe? As far as I know, there seems to be this kind of argument on the US side. Once the investigation is carried out on the European side, Then those who can't understand the development of Fairy Company will definitely actively promote the United States to conduct investigations. By then, even Microsoft will not have that great ability to save Skype!"

Xiao Qi's heart sank.

Good guy, this is going to kill Skype! (To be continued.) u