[The characters, places, organizations, incidents, and so forth appearing in this work have no connection whatsoever to reality and are entirely fictional creations of the author’s imagination.]
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“Editor-in-chief Gerunwald, I have a high opinion of the modern, refined style you’ve been giving [The Time]. But now it’s time to touch the secret places beyond formality.”
Henry lightly propped up his chin and gazed at him.
“Right now, our magazines are buried only in grand discourses like corporate performance or national affairs. But what is it that the public truly goes wild for? People. And people combined with a very concrete ‘amount of money,’ at that.”
Gerunwald’s eyes sharpened. Henry did not miss the opening and drove in the wedge.
“Corporate rankings are boring now. And what has that produced? I’m asking what our magazine’s actual circulation is like, even if it has symbolic value. Third place! Last year, we even got overtaken by [Pobos] and fell to third place. I know this will provoke countless objections, but from now on, rank individual wealth. Strip away the bubbles hidden behind trusts and family assets, and line people up by tracking only the real assets held in their individual names.”
Strength entered Henry’s voice.
“We will officially certify who the true masters of America—no, the world—really are. Build the kind of authority that makes people lobby to get on that list, and feel ashamed if their name is left off. That will become the magazine’s sales, and our power. Pressure will be unavoidable, of course, but if we don’t do it, someone else will steal the idea anyway. Let’s seize it first.”
This was a decisive move. In his previous life, [Pobos] had used this single idea to rise in one stroke from a second-rate business magazine to a first-rate one, and later gained a powerful weapon that allowed it to recover even amid management difficulties. If [The Time], already a name in current affairs and economics, played this card first, then in this life, [Pobos] would likely go bankrupt and vanish into history, let alone gain any authority.
Of course, carrying it out would be hell. Fierce opposition and pressure from old-money families like Henry’s, noncooperation during the initial investigation stage, and lawsuits from the rich plus media noise pouring in with every publication. But Henry intended to push it through.
‘That way, later, when I hit number one, I’ll be able to massage the size of my fortune into a suitable figure for public display.’
Henry had no intention of grinding himself down to make money. Wasn’t he the sort of person who, even now, during the golden early days of his businesses, maintained his “work-life balance” (work negligence) and painted pictures? But the advantage of regression was bound to turn even such a Henry into an incomparable tycoon. After all, the power of regression was such that simply continuing venture investment could bring forward Elon Musk’s one-trillion-dollar record by decades.
However, Henry had suddenly realized something yesterday. Since he had intervened, the butterfly effect was unavoidable, and the advantage called future knowledge would expire with the passage of time. Once he judged that it was impossible to force himself into a fixed timeline and only pocket money, he decided to shake the board entirely in his favor. The results were the “China threat theory,” and this “world’s rich ranking.” Without such a decision, Henry too would likely have hesitated over this card until around 1982, when it was first published.
A heavy silence flowed for a moment. Henry smiled again and smoothly changed the subject.
“And while it’s true that [The Time] is the undisputed number one in current affairs and economics, from the outside it has become too firmly entrenched as the exclusive property of the necktie crowd. Fashion, trends, women, and high culture. Those fields are empty. Starting with intellectual magazines like [The New-Yocker], we aggressively acquire the magazines leading the greatest trends of the era.”
Henry finished as if making a declaration, his voice full of conviction.
“My goal is simple. From the moment Americans wake up in the morning until they fall asleep, only magazines from our [The Time] Group will be in their hands. Whether they read current affairs or look at fashion, I will make the beginning and end of information come from us. Editor-in-chief Gerunwald, you must become the chief architect of this vast media ecosystem.”
President James Shapley somehow looked dazed, as though his soul had left his body, but editor-in-chief Henry Gerunwald and Andrew Harkel nodded vigorously and looked at Henry with sincere eyes.
“That is why I want you to keep a close eye on [The New-Yocker]. I’m not telling you to buy it immediately. Right now is the time to pour money into building our logistics network. But the groundwork for the acquisition must begin now. We need an elaborate design that does not offend their pride, yet makes them naturally come into our arms when their management crisis reaches its peak.”
[The New-Yocker] was an expensive asset even now, its price moving between three hundred and five hundred million dollars. Henry decided to lay the bait first, then looked straight at President Shapley and put strength into his voice.
“But [Fairchild Publications] is different. Pursue that acquisition immediately, and as aggressively as possible. That company, which owns the fashion magazines W and WWD, is now at the cheapest point in its history. There is no reason to hesitate. In step with the speed at which we take control of the logistics network, we must make their content power ours.”
Ordinary people might only know it as a fashion magazine, but to industry insiders, WWD was practically a Bible. Moreover, the magazines operated by this company had such powerful influence in each specialized field—furniture, housing, grocery distribution, electronics, and so on—that they could be called the [The Time] of their respective sectors.
‘When they introduce products in specialized magazines and take mail orders, what if our logistics company handles the delivery? There’s no way it’ll fail. If we only do distribution, it’ll actually be hard to make money. This is how we add synergy through vertical integration.’
When Harkel and Shapley fell silent, overwhelmed by Henry’s momentum, Henry instead went a step further.
“Besides that, put [Rulling Stone] and [Robe Reporter] on the shopping list as well. [Rulling Stone] symbolizes the rebellious culture of the younger generation. If we own their spirit, we will grip the public opinion of the youth, who will be the main players of the future. Conversely, [Robe Reporter] deals with the secret desires of the ultra-high-income class. Current affairs and economics will be handled by [The Time], fashion and trade publications by [Fairchild], youth by [Rulling Stone], and high-end luxury by [Robe Reporter].”
‘Even all of this combined won’t cost a hundred million dollars right now. The retained earnings piled up inside the company will be more than enough.’
“And once the acquisitions are complete, find and recruit a young editor active in Britain named Anna Waltour. She may not look like much now, but she will turn the fashion magazines we acquire into the world’s greatest authorities in one stroke. Trust my eye. She is the talent who will become the face of our fashion empire.”
As of June 1979, Anna Waltour was merely a thirty-year-old fashion editor. But Henry, who had devoured more than ten novels about media, knew very well that she would one day become a figure akin to the pope who ruled the fashion world.
And with Anna Waltour, there was no risk even if he singled out a specific person like this. Since she was already known in the industry as a conspicuously promising talent, a single line—“I looked into the industry in advance and found a real thing”—would secure all plausibility.
Henry swept his confident gaze over the three key executives and handed down his final order.
“Let’s summarize. For [The New-Yocker], the symbol of intellect, we wait elegantly for the right moment and aim for the point where their noble pride breaks. But [Fairchild], the symbol of desire, [Rulling Stone] of youth, and [Robe Reporter] of greed—snatch them up immediately like beasts.”
Henry rose from his seat and drove in the wedge once more. His firm voice, filled with conviction, rang through the office.
“We are not simply a company that sells bundles of paper. From the heads of Americans to their toes, we will become a ‘lifestyle empire’ that controls all their tastes, and even the delivery network that brings those tastes to them. Now, get moving. Unless you bring me an atrocious plan, I will take responsibility for persuading the board and getting approval. I look forward to seeing your bold execution plans on my desk.”
‘It’s a board where I hold sixty-nine percent of the shares, so as long as I persuade myself, that’s the end of it. In reality, it’s an approval with the answer already decided.’
.
.
.
A few days later, [The Time]’s expansion plan arrived on Henry’s desk. Henry carefully looked through the documents, then signed without hesitation. Since he had personally laid out the board and given the instructions, there was no reason to reject it unless the execution plan had a fatal hole.
‘Originally, prestigious magazines like these aren’t things you can buy at the market like meat just because you have money. Internally, the family may grip and shake it as they please, but externally, they have [The Time]’s patented policy of “separating editorial and management” as a shield, so there won’t be much resistance to acquisition. More importantly…’
Henry looked at the monitor on his office desk and smacked his lips. Since he had built enough plausibility by actually using it, it was finally time to stick a straw into [Orange]. Henry opened his notebook and once again checked the investment targets he would fit into his schedule for California.
‘Hollywood is too much right now. Silicon Valley is only just beginning, so hmm… [Uracle], that one is good. Aside from that, the guys who’ll make names for themselves in the future haven’t even founded their companies yet… [Microsofter / MS]—I saw on NewTube that those guys don’t take investments at all. There’d be no answer even if I poked them. Ah? Right, those guys later bought QDOS from [Seattle Computer Products (SCP)], the foundation of their operating system, and supplied it to [IBN], which is how they hit it big with operating systems! I should buy that before then and play hardball.’
Henry wrote the wicked(?) plan “before fall of 1980—buy QDOS first” in his notebook, then thought again. No matter how much he considered it, the only things worth investing in at this time were [Orange] and [Uracle].
‘I have absolutely no intention of acquiring either and running them myself. I should give them voting rights and tear off a huge chunk of equity. Ah, and what happened with [Nike]?’
Since it had come to mind, he immediately called Gilberto.
“Good morning, Gilberto. How did the [Nike] matter I instructed you on last time wrap up?”
“Good morning, Boss. I was just about to report to you. Perhaps because they’ve been expanding aggressively lately and then dried up on funds due to the customs dispute settlement, [Nike] accepted the investment with open arms. We offered them the ‘insane condition’ of concentrating even the voting rights in the founder’s hands, so they would have been fools not to accept.”
“You attached anti-dilution terms in exchange, right? And you secured plenty of equity?”
“We invested ten million dollars and secured fifteen percent equity. They were so adamant about anti-dilution that we substituted it with a preemptive investment right. But Boss, to be honest, I’m not sure that sneaker company is worth such a large investment.”
At Gilberto’s skeptical reaction, Henry snorted. Even just a fifteen percent stake was practically no different from winning the lottery.
‘Even if Nike only goes public next year, its market cap will hit four hundred million dollars, and once Brother Jordan makes his entrance, the graph will pierce the ceiling. Not sure? We’ll see later.’
“Good work. I tried it myself, and it’s quite the thing. The machine itself is excellent, so we’ll invest there too, and the technology handling the data inside it seems like it’ll become a real money printer. From what I hear, a program made by a place called [RSI] is so unrivaled it’s even been adopted by the CIA. I’m thinking of proceeding with the investment under the trust’s name. The terms are the same as with [Nike]. Voting rights to them, equity to us. I’ll go in person and stamp the papers while getting some California air, so set up the schedule.”
“From their perspective, it will feel like an angel has descended. No interference, no use of voting rights, and you only give them money. Haa… Understood. I’ll finish the preliminary coordination and set the schedule.”
After hanging up, Henry stretched pleasantly. Now it was time to bind the legends of Silicon Valley to the Debenjeo Trust.