Wall Street Legend

The directors do not need to stay in the company for a long time, and can occasionally supervise and manage the company through conference calls. These independent directors were not present when Ye Dongqing came to Apple.

The so-called "independent directors" refer to directors who are independent from the company's shareholders and do not hold positions within the company, and have no important or professional connections with the company or company managers, and who make independent judgments on company affairs. Their wishes are not entirely the same. In the opinion of Ye Dongqing, the major shareholder, they could live in peace before, but this time, in his opinion, the group of independent directors who took both money and equity rewards but opposed him had crossed the line and asked him to Very unhappy.

It is true that these board members of Apple have relatively strong professional abilities, at least in other business fields. Among them are executives from Disney and Boeing. But when it comes to specific abilities, they are really just that. Otherwise, before Ye Dongqing intervened, Apple's performance would not have been so dismal and its market share would have continued to decrease.

If this incident had not happened and the transfer of power at the highest level had been successfully completed according to his wishes, Ye Dongqing might have given those people a smile. But this time, for unknown reasons, several independent directors actually joined forces. Going against him was unbearable. There were still many major decisions that needed to be made by the board of directors in the future. He didn't want to be stabbed in the back at a critical moment. This was not in his interests and would not save his face.

If the shareholding exceeds 35%, and the independent directors can lead the way, Ye Dongqing will probably become a joke in others' mouths. He doesn't want this to happen...

I went directly to Mr. Steve Jobs’ office and asked the female assistant I met in the corridor to call Mr. Tim Cook. Recently, Jobs was about to take a leave of absence to recuperate. It was important to whom the CEO power would be transferred. The most important thing is directly related to whether Apple's current projects can continue and whether it will delay time.

If he gives in this time, he will be unable to hold his head high in front of other independent directors in the future, so Mr. Cook must be the interim CEO. Ye Dongqing is even ready to break up and tell one or even two independent directors to get out. The idea is that the executives of Boeing and Disney are just salarymen. He is the largest shareholder of Apple. The two titles of "senior professional manager" and "super rich" are separated by a whole Mississippi River. the gap.

The female assistant probably knew what happened in the morning. She was acting as a stenographer in the conference room at that time. Combined with the presence of the major shareholder Ye Dongqing, she immediately guessed that there was something important to talk about, so she did not hesitate at all and answered him: : "Mr. Cook is preparing for internship recruitment this year. I will call him over now. Is there anything else you need my help with?"

"No, just buy me a sandwich and the rest will be considered as a tip."

Ye Dongqing was about to pay for it when she shook her head and said, "There's some in the staff lounge. Can you have hot dogs? I'll heat them up and bring them over for you."

"It's okay, thanks."

Pushing the door open and walking in, it turned out that Steve Jobs was standing by the window looking out. The CEO of Apple, who was suffering from psychological torture due to another serious illness and whose face was slightly pale, turned to Ye Dongqing and smiled, telling him: " The doctor doesn't let me drink, but I may have to be hospitalized for a period of time for examination. I probably won't have a chance to drink again. When I saw your car coming by, I couldn't help but open this bottle of wine. It was given to me by a friend in a barrel. Mature for sixty years before bottling.”

"Macallan 1926, the 1939 that I drank once before is already very precious. So you still have a bottle of such good wine hidden here. Where was it hidden before?" Ye Dongqing cooked it himself, took a cup and put some ice in it, and then He poured a small half glass in. This old whiskey that had been stored for many years was very spicy, so he was not in a hurry to drink it. He waited for the ice cubes to melt, dilute it slightly, and put the glass under his nose. The smell was very strong.

"Of course, put it in the cabinet. After all, there are only forty bottles in the world. If anyone takes a fancy to it, I will feel very sad."

"It's a little early to drink now. We should wait until Mr. Cook successfully becomes CEO before celebrating. What I want to know is whether your desire for him to take over is as strong as mine. How could they take a fancy to Mr. Cook?" That deputy? I don’t believe they would support him for no reason. This is not just about who will be the CEO, it feels like it’s being targeted at me.”

After taking a sip of wine, I can’t tell whether it’s good or bad. I just know it’s all about money. A bottle of wine that costs tens of thousands of dollars is full of charm derived from history, just like a box that costs millions of dollars. The taste of the cigars is not much different from the cigars costing several hundred dollars each, but the feeling of smoking them is different.

"...Maybe you're right. It's not just for you, but also for me. It has nothing to do with Cook. His ability is obvious to all, and he is indeed the best candidate for interim CEO. But everyone has their own ideas, and it can't be so fair. If you had supported others, maybe Cook would have been able to confirm this position directly. Several people on the board of directors expressed concerns about your shareholding. You threatened their interests. This was not the case before. I was often criticized by them. Trapped, and you are out of control and above them.

If you said you would not continue to increase your stake, maybe they would be a little more relieved, but you are not. Everyone knows that your Danshui Investment Group is still in contact with those small shareholders who hold Apple shares. This has nothing to do with me. Well, I cleared out all Apple stocks back then, leaving only one share, and later added more, but I think your ideas are very consistent with mine. You are very welcome to join our company. You are a smart person. In fact, I think Apple really needs to be led by a smart, major shareholder with the right to speak. If I hadn’t rashly raised funds and bought all my friends’ shares, I wouldn’t have been treated like trash. After I got out, I will always remember this humiliation. "

Jobs held back nothing and told everything he knew.

He still doesn't know yet whether he can survive this cancer, so he has nothing to worry about, because he may die at any time. Although the doctor said that the survival rate is relatively high, it is not absolute.

When considering the reasons why the independent directors joined forces, Ye Dongqing thought about this. It was not surprising at the moment. He also had other ideas, but Jobs was a member of the board of directors after all, so he did not say it out yet. He has made up his mind to continue to increase his holdings at all costs, and then promote company reforms so that shareholders can regain their say. This is the most beneficial outcome for him...