Money Keeps Piling Up No Matter How Much I Spend

Chapter 167

Translator: Dreamscribe“CEO-nim. The Republican Party has submitted another bill targeting Wizney.”

“Again? Is it even okay to keep submitting bills aimed at a single company like this?”

It was already well-known that the Republican Party and Wizney were arch-enemies.

But no one expected the Republicans to loathe Wizney to this extent.

From the start, both the media and Congress were openly denouncing Wizney as a satanic corporation. Because of such deeply rooted hostility, they had been relentlessly attacking Wizney ever since they came into power.

“On top of that, they’re even holding a hearing, summoning the Wizney CEO and key executives for questioning.”

“On what grounds?”

“They’re citing anti-national behavior. According to the current rhetoric, the Republicans are sharply criticizing Wizney, claiming they’ve committed crimes close to treason.”

“Wizney has...?”

“Apparently, they have plenty of justification to use. Things like Wizney producing content aimed at the Chinese market and allegedly instilling wrongful ideologies in children through animation.”

From Wizney’s perspective, this would feel unfair.

Going after profits in the Chinese market is something every company does.

After all, China’s massive population has always made it an attractive market for businesses.

“But what can they do? Right now, it’s the Republicans who control the United States. Even Wizney probably didn’t expect things to turn out like this.”

When Wizney initially clashed with the Republicans, the Democratic Party, which leaned progressive, was still in power, so there was little concern.

The Democratic Party supported Wizney’s embrace of diversity, and at that time, the Republicans didn’t hold much power.

But then the world flipped overnight, and the Republicans had now grabbed Wizney by the leash and started shaking them down.

“Also, hasn’t Wizney acquired a huge number of studios? In the past, Wizney had such a prestigious standing and was considered a representative American company, so the government didn’t really touch them. But it seems the Republicans don’t care. They’re even threatening to launch an antitrust investigation.”

"They're really going all out to beat them down."

“Yes. That just means they’ve been grinding their teeth for a long time. Wizney has done everything the Republicans hate most.”

When running a company, it’s inevitable that someone will resent you.

And most of the time, it just blows over without much issue.

But Wizney got caught in a really bad situation this time.

The ones they pissed off just happened to be the most powerful force in America right now, the Republican Party.

“As a result, Wizney’s stock price is swinging wildly. It had already dropped a bit when the Republicans came into power, but it seems they didn’t expect to be attacked this fiercely. Now, everyone is jumping ship.”

Wizney, which had fallen from $400 billion down to $160 billion, was already facing heavy criticism from shareholders.

But now, under the latest Republican pressure, the stock price was plummeting even further.

With the barely-maintained market cap of $160 billion breaking, it was now heading down to $100 billion.

“On top of that, board members at Wizney are dumping their shares and stepping down, so there are reportedly not many executives left now.”

“What about Paul Iger, who just joined our Netflix external board? Weren’t there talks about him returning to Wizney?”

“Yes. Some opposed his return, but with everyone rushing to escape due to the Republican attacks, they’ve now asked him to return as soon as possible.”

“Will he still maintain his position on our external board?”

“Yes. External board members are allowed to work at other companies anyway. That’s how he was brought on in the first place. However, if Paul Iger returns to Wizney, there’s a possibility of project collaboration between Netflix and Wizney.”

In other words, Netflix and Wizney may gain a chance to cooperate and create better productions.

For that to happen, Paul Iger needs to serve as the connecting bridge.

A collaboration between Netflix and Wizney would be an unprecedented event in studio history.

If Netflix’s planning ability is combined with Wizney’s production quality, wouldn’t that create tremendous synergy?

“But aren’t activist funds shaking up Wizney right now? Especially with regard to management rights. That’s something Netflix is also concerned about. If they really end up taking control of management, Paul Iger might have to step down soon. If that happens, the collaboration with Wizney that every creator wants will vanish.”

“So someone needs to back Paul Iger?”

“Yes. That’s why Netflix has hinted that if Kwangwoon were to purchase shares in Wizney and side with Paul Iger, it would allow for worry-free project planning.”

However, acquiring shares in this situation had to be done with great caution.

“If we suddenly buy a large number of shares, won’t it be seen as a hostile takeover?”

“Yes. There’s a legal obligation to disclose holdings once it reaches 5%, so it is risky. And right now, the Republican Party in the U.S. is relentlessly attacking Wizney and even bringing up antitrust issues. If we’re not careful, we might get caught up in that as well.”

So if a purchase were to be made, it had to stay within a reasonable limit.

Because if we even got close to 5%, the Republicans, who were currently out for blood, might open fire on our side.

“.......”

I took a deep breath and posed a question inwardly.

I was asking my intuitions whether buying Wizney’s shares was the right move.

It felt like asking, “Mirror, mirror on the wall…”

“......!”

But a response came immediately.

“Let’s go ahead with the purchase.”

“Then… to what extent should we go?”

“What do you think, Department Head?”

“I think 3% is appropriate. The activist funds are targeting management control with just 2% of shares. If we go slightly above that, we can defend against them while also creating the image that we’re not attempting a hostile takeover, but rather trying to protect Paul Iger’s position and pursue cooperation.”

Our goal isn’t to acquire Wizney.

It’s simply to have Netflix and Wizney work together to create better content than ever before. If we were really considering an acquisition, we would’ve made a public disclosure and started buying shares outright.

In some ways, this is actually the perfect time to acquire Wizney.

With the Republicans’ continuous pressure, Wizney’s stock price is scraping the bottom.

“But that would only backfire. If we try to swallow up Wizney, there’s no way America will just stand by. We must not give the impression that we’re trying to take over Wizney. If we do, Netflix could be torn apart under antitrust laws.”

That was the scary part.

Right now, the Republican Party wasn’t holding anything back.

“But… we haven’t gotten on the Republicans’ bad side, have we?”

“To be honest, it’s hard to say. But given that nothing has been said so far, maybe they’re just pouring everything into crushing Wizney right now.”

If so, that’s a relief.

Of all places, I didn’t want to be targeted by the ones holding power in America.

And seeing how my intuitions also responded positively to the Department Head’s suggestion of 3%, it must mean this is the safe zone.

“Then please proceed with it.”

Apparently, the production staff at Netflix were the ones most looking forward to the collaboration with Wizney. Just imagining their joy when they hear this news brought a smile to my face.

I was already looking forward to what kind of content these two companies would create together.

***

“3%?”

“Yes. Kwangwoon officially announced that it purchased a 3% stake to protect the management rights of Paul Iger, who recently returned as CEO, and to support the Netflix-Wizney project collaboration.”

3%.

It’s an ambiguous figure.

It’s not enough to indicate a share acquisition aimed at taking over the company.

“Isn’t this clearly a message directed at us?”

Naive people might believe Kwangwoon’s stake purchase was purely to create synergy between Netflix and Wizney through their collaboration.

But Kwangwoon was not a pure-hearted place.

Isn’t it a place filled with devils crafting all sorts of vicious schemes?

Would they really have purchased a 3% stake with purely noble intentions, just to create good content?

“Thanks to us Republicans, there's been a clean sweep, so this is probably their way of saying we should stop now, right?”

“It likely means, ‘We've taken down everyone who needed to be taken down, so stop attacking the company now.’ Considering the shares were bought after we held the hearing.”

The Republican Party went so far as to hold a hearing, branding Wizney as a thoroughly anti-national company.

Public opinion was also on the Republican side.

The fact that many parents were deeply uncomfortable with Wizney’s PC ideology played a major role.

“The timing really is perfect. Just when Wizney hit rock bottom, new executives and a new CEO were brought in. And with Paul Iger returning, didn’t he say it himself? That he would bring Wizney back to its former glory.”

Had this been during Wizney’s golden age, shareholders wouldn’t have minded a collaboration with Netflix.

But in the current situation, someone needs to step up and save Wizney.

And Kwangwoon, which was said to turn everything it touched into a success, was reaching out with Netflix on its back?

Shareholders have no choice but to cheer.

“This news is spreading, and Wizney’s stock price is rapidly recovering.”

“Kwangwoon really is an incredible brand.”

“Yes. They didn’t buy up management control, but frankly, everyone on Wall Street knows. That with just 3% and Paul Iger, Kwangwoon has effectively taken over Wizney’s management.”

It was an obvious move, but that didn’t mean anyone could stop Kwangwoon.

Because this was a kind of transaction.

Kwangwoon handed the Republicans a midterm election victory, and the Republicans, by gleefully destroying Wizney, a public enemy, handed it over to Kwangwoon.

Both sides got what they wanted.

“Besides, no matter how much we hate Wizney, it’s still one of our representative studios. Letting it shut down wouldn’t be good for us either.”

“So we just leave it as is?”

“They didn’t actually acquire it, so it won’t trigger antitrust issues, and pressing Wizney further wouldn’t look good. Plus, we’ve got a mountain of other matters to handle besides Wizney. We need to start preparing for the next presidential election.”

The next election.

He was right.

Now that they had seized the moment, they needed to quickly render the current administration powerless and prepare for the next race.

This was enough to make the Republican Party’s stance clear to other companies as well.

But there was still one thing that weighed on his mind.

“But… why did they specifically target Wizney?”

***

“Congratulations on your return.”

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings smiled and shook hands with Paul Iger.

“I watched your speech as well. Hearing you say that Wizney’s creators had lost their way, and that you would bring Wizney back to its former glory, it really helped me get back to my own roots too. Haha.”

But Paul Iger didn’t look very pleased.

“What happens now?”

“Excuse me?”

“Kwangwoon has essentially swallowed up Wizney, haven’t they? And in the end, the name ‘Wizney’ will probably disappear too.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. There’s no way the Wizney name will ever vanish. It’s just that its influence will be reduced compared to before. In the end, Wizney will revolve around Netflix.”

That stung.

On the surface, Wizney would appear intact, but in truth, it was no different from having been taken over by another company.

“Please don’t look at me like that. I had no idea Kwangwoon would come out like this either. I’m just following orders from above. Besides, the amount of investment going into Wizney from now on will be massive, you can look forward to it.”

One of the keys to Netflix’s success was, after all, its investment.

Thanks to Kwangwoon’s aggressive investment in Netflix, they were able to continuously release great works.

“But what’s the secret?”

“Pardon?”

“Everything Netflix puts out is a hit, right? It’s because of that insane planning ability that Netflix shot to number one in the world. What’s the secret behind it?”

"The secret......."

Reed let out a small chuckle and shook his head.

“To be honest, I don’t really have a secret. We just send a list of project ideas to Kwangwoon, and we only produce the ones they select.”

“Wait a minute. Then all the successful projects so far...”

“Yes. They were the ones chosen by Kwangwoon.”

“No way. Th-That can’t be real.”

“It’s hard to believe, but it’s true. Of course, Kwangwoon guarantees us creative freedom, so sometimes we go ahead and make a project on our own. And nine times out of ten, they all flop. So ever since then, unless Kwangwoon picks it, we never proceed with a project.”

Paul Iger couldn’t believe it.

How on earth was Kwangwoon able to identify quality content and succeed with every investment?

“I don’t know either. But I’ve heard Kwangwoon has a company motto: ‘Abandon your ego’.”

“What does that even...”

“But there hasn’t been a single loss when following that motto. You’ll get used to it soon, too.”

Honestly, he still wasn’t convinced.

Who in the world could tell, just by reading a synopsis, whether a work would be a hit or not?

He was certain Reed was exaggerating.

“But there’s one thing I’m really curious about. Why did Kwangwoon want to take over Wizney in the first place? I mean, let’s be real, Kwangwoon already has everything, don’t they?”

“They didn’t take over Wizney.”

“I can hear things too, you know. That Kwangwoon deliberately handed the Republicans their election victory and, in return, took over Wizney. That’s all Wall Street’s been talking about. But no matter how many times I think about it, it doesn’t make sense. Netflix alone is more than enough. So why Wizney?”

At that, Reed twitched the corner of his mouth.

“I understood right away. Why Kwangwoon took control of Wizney.”

“Because of our theme parks?”

“No. It’s not something that trivial. There’s a much bigger plan behind this. What is Wizney? Despite all the criticism lately, it’s still a brand loved and watched by countless children all over the world. And that, that is Kwangwoon’s true goal.”

Paul Iger tilted his head.

What was he even talking about?

“Kwangwoon’s objective isn’t simply to create good content. What they want is the children watching Wizney now, and the ones who will be born in the future. Think about it. The content Kwangwoon produces will soon spread across the world through Wizney. Do you know what that means? It means the ideology they inject will influence every child.”

“W-What did you just say!?”

“And those children, without even knowing it, will be saturated in the ideology Kwangwoon has implanted.”

Paul Iger shot to his feet.

“W-What are you saying right now? If that’s true, I can never go along with it!”

Flushed with anger, Paul turned to leave immediately.

“Paul. Think carefully. The moment you walk out that door, I can’t guarantee your future.”

“Are you threatening me right now?”

“It's not me, Kwangwoon. This is a company that took down the once-mighty Democratic Party and turned the current U.S. government into a shell, all by acquiring a single game company. Do you really think a company like that would hesitate to erase one man’s life?”

“!?”

Paul Iger’s hands and feet trembled.

Conspiracy theories about Kwangwoon that he had heard in passing suddenly flashed through his mind.

“Just accept it, like I did. It’s hard at first, but once I did, I found peace. I even feel proud to be part of the new empire Kwangwoon is trying to build.”

“.......”

Reed patted Paul’s pale, trembling shoulder.

“I don’t think you’ll make the wrong choice. For people like us, going with the flow is our fate, isn’t it? Following the trend is how great works are born.”

Leaving those words behind, Reed smiled and exited the room.

Only then did Paul’s legs give out beneath him, and he sank into his chair, realizing something.

Without even knowing it…

He had stepped into a terrifying blueprint.