Chapter 439: Self-Destructive Business Tactics

"Chairman, I've told you so many times it's urgent, it's a matter of life and death!"
Jesse's voice was practically crackling through the phone, clearly on the verge of exploding.
On the other end, Bezos's voice was like stale soda straight from the fridge, utterly flat:
"Really? I've told you more than once I'm busy. If you have something to say, say it now, otherwise, we can do it another day."
This unyielding attitude sent Jessie's blood pressure soaring to her head. She clenched her fists tightly to keep from letting out a roar.
"You've seen the report, haven't you? Our 'Asia' ship is practically being kicked in the backside! We're being attacked by those lunatics from Fang Huan Shipping!"
"I saw it, just glanced at it. But aren't you overreacting a bit?" Bezos's tone remained calm.
"Those Fang Huan Shipping guys are just bored, suddenly coming to bite us? It doesn't make sense, what's their motive?"
Bezos had indeed "glanced" at the report.
The content was simple:
It simply stated that several cargo ships supplying "Asia" had been attacked by pirates at sea, leaving them stranded in port, and the supply chain was on the verge of collapse.
In his view, it was all trivial matters.
“Besides, the report says it, not all the ships are broken down. There are still two swaying back, almost there!”
“What good are those two?” Jesse finally snapped.
“What can that little bit of cargo do? Our meticulously planned promotional event is going to collapse! It's all going to be a waste!”
“Didn’t Fang Huan say they’d offer compensation?”
“Compensation? That’s for the delayed cargo ships, not for the loss of our entire strategic plan! How can you confuse these two things?”
Bezos remained calm, as if listening to a weather forecast.
“So what are you trying to say? You mean Fang Huan Shipping is bored and deliberately hired a bunch of pirates to shoot their own cargo ships with gunboats, just to cause us trouble?”
“That’s highly likely!” Jesse said decisively.
"I think you've watched too many Hollywood blockbusters; your brain's gone mad."
"Chairman!" Jesse emphasized,
"Have you forgotten how 'FaceWeb' fell into Fang Huan's hands?
Those lunatics, their thought processes are on a completely different level from normal people. The evil they're capable of is always beyond our imagination!
Nothing is impossible!"
Despite saying this, Bezos still felt the whole thing was absurd.
Hiring pirates at a huge expense to rob their own priceless cargo ship?
What kind of trendy self-destructive business tactic is this?
Even if it hurts the enemy a thousand, the self-inflicted damage... would probably be ten thousand!
"Besides, didn't Fang Huan promise? As long as the ship is repaired, all our cargo will be delivered to us intact. Isn't that settled?"
Indeed, the cargo ship was damaged, but the cargo inside was still "Asia's."
Fanghuan Shipping not only had to pay exorbitant penalties for breach of contract, but also had to deliver the goods back to their door intact.
No matter how you look at it, Fang Huan's deal was a complete disaster.
"But this is a fatal blow to 'Asia'! And the chips too!
To sabotage our BWS project, they deliberately used a chip shortage as an excuse to cut off our supply!
I checked, other companies at most reduced their supply volume, but this is the only one that hasn't given us a single grain!"
"They're probably trying to raise the price. Send someone to negotiate, offer a reasonable price, and the problem will be solved in no time."
"The problem is they don't even give us a chance to negotiate, they don't even give us a damn!"
Jesse felt like he was about to have a heart attack.
“Then keep trying, keep trying until they’re willing to talk!” Bezos sounded impatient.
“How much of a chip do we buy every year? Do you really think they’d pass up such a huge business opportunity?
Besides, is your so-called big sale really that important?
Isn’t Black Friday just a few months away?
Why not just have a big sale then? Why steal the spotlight now?”
Jesse’s heart sank.
She finally understood: this old man Bezos didn’t care about this trivial matter of “Axon” at all.
His mind was elsewhere, far away in outer space.
“Chairman, I know your mind isn’t on Axon right now,” Jesse’s voice turned cold.
“But no matter what, this is still the company you founded!
Now it’s under siege. If you, the founder, act like it’s none of your business, what will the shareholders think?
They’ll sell their shares like rats fleeing a sinking ship, and then…”
“Young man, watch your words. Don’t make it sound like I’ve abandoned Axon.”
“Isn’t that right?” Jesse went all out, laying his cards on the table.
“You’re completely focused on your personal ‘Blue Origin’s Space Program.
To fill that bottomless pit, you’re secretly selling Axon shares to cash out. Don’t think I don’t know!”
“…”
Bezos fell silent.
Because every word Jesse said was true.
Driven by that elusive space dream, he founded Blue Origin Space, a cash-guzzling behemoth completely separate from Amazon and yet to be publicly traded.
Hundreds of billions were poured in, yielding nothing, and the subsequent losses were unimaginable.
To raise funds, he was indeed secretly reducing his Amazon shares little by little.
"It's just temporary cash flow," Bezos argued. "Once Blue Origin is on track, I'll naturally buy back the shares I sold."
"On track? For Blue Origin to become profitable and stop being a money-burning black hole, it'll take at least five years, right? No, I doubt it'll be ten!"
"It won't take that long," Bezos said, but he himself wasn't sure.
Blue Origin Space was a money-devouring beast.
Everyone knows that in the distant future, the space industry is a gold mine.
But the problem is, how far away is that "distant future"? Nobody can say for sure.
This means that money must be continuously poured into the company before dawn arrives.
Even a billionaire like Bezos can be emptied out eventually.
But he's like a gambler on a whim, still relentlessly betting.
"Chairman, you need to understand one thing," Jesse's voice came softly,
"If you want to continue selling shares for cash, the company's stock price has to stay stable.
If 'Aaron' collapses, your shares will be worthless."
"..."
"Furthermore, I don't think Fang Huan's attacks will stop here. If those lunatics really have some scheme, the next step will definitely be soon..."
Before he finished speaking, the office door was flung open, and the secretary scrambled in.