"Ladies and gentlemen! Ladies and gentlemen! Ladies and gentlemen!"
"You are watching WB Television Network, bringing you a live broadcast of the Microsoft news conference!"
"Just moments ago, Mr. Bill Gates, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Microsoft, personally announced that he is officially stepping down from his role as CEO, effective today!"
The female host shouted into the camera, barely containing her excitement.
If this isn't big news, then what is?!
Today's Microsoft news conference naturally attracted a large crowd of media reporters. After all, the recent Anti-Monopoly Investigation into Microsoft has been causing quite a stir. However... no one expected that Bill Gates, who holds the throne as the World's richest man, would deliver such earth-shattering news.
Report it!
They had to report it!
Furthermore, the various media outlets were all sharp; they contacted their superiors one after another to switch to a live broadcast. Now was the time to grab the news headlines—who would care about their reputation?
As for those small and medium-sized media reporters who were unable to achieve a live broadcast, they couldn't help but curse under their breath.
The entire news conference scene was a cacophony of noise!
"Quiet, please. Everyone quiet down, ladies and gentlemen," the Microsoft press officer said loudly.
It had some effect, and the scene quickly quieted down. But if you looked closely at their eyes, you would see that their eyes were red, each one desperately eager to interview Bill Gates.
However, Bill Gates did not give them a chance to ask questions. After announcing his resignation, he left the scene directly under the protection of a group of elite bodyguards.
"Mr. Gates, is your resignation as Microsoft CEO a direct confrontation with the Department of Justice?"
"According to reports, state courts in as many as 22 states across America have accused Microsoft of monopolizing the operating system and illegally bundling browser software with the Windows Operating System software. Please answer that."
"Instant messaging, antivirus software, office software... Microsoft has been accused of monopolizing them all."
...Wherever Bill Gates retreated, the media reporters followed, their desperate cries making the scene look like a zombie invasion.
Fortunately, Bill Gates' security team was strong enough; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to get out the door today.
Boom!!!
On Wall Street, outside the television screens, things were going crazy!
"Quick, quick, quick! Sell off Microsoft shares immediately, or we'll lose big!" Many investment banks were holding a significant amount of Microsoft stock.
Bill Gates stepping down as CEO of Microsoft has far-reaching implications, and a drop in the stock price was inevitable.
In just over ten minutes, many investment institutions and individuals were frantically selling off Microsoft stock to cut their losses in time.
But in this situation, there weren't many people who dared to take over!
"Damn the Department of Justice~"
"Damn the Bureau of Investigation!"
"Isn't it good for Microsoft to grow stronger? Do they have to force Bill Gates into a 'burn together' scenario?"
"Even if you're going to do this, you should at least wait until I've sold my Microsoft stock!"
Yes, everyone was paying attention to Microsoft, but in reality, they only ever cared about their own interests.
"Will Microsoft be forced to split up? Can it rise again?"
This question lingered in the hearts of all investment banks and shareholders like a tsunami...
Gale Capital.
The new president, Andy Cherop, shouted to everyone: "Guys, what are you waiting for? Get moving! Short Microsoft's stock, and we'll all get rich!"
Shorting a company with a market value of over $630 billion—arguably the number one company in the World by market cap—which of the Wall Street elites wouldn't go crazy?
This was a money grab!
From the moment Bill Gates announced his resignation until the NASDAQ closed in the afternoon, Microsoft's market value plummeted below the $600 billion mark.
In less than a day, the market value lost over $40 billion!
Almost all investment banks on Wall Street were making a move against Microsoft.
However... there were also a few investment banks that were stubborn, believing that positive news would come out of Microsoft. They chose not to short and instead held onto their Microsoft stock tightly.
"There's no way they're out of options!"
"Microsoft's Bill Gates is an old fox; he's very cunning."
"On the surface, he's resigning as CEO, but the power of Microsoft is still in his hands. This move is just to deal with the Anti-Monopoly Investigation and the Department of Justice."
Regardless of what these stubborn guys thought, they suffered heavy losses today.
Especially as they watched investment companies shorting Microsoft and making huge profits one after another, they turned green with envy.
Kyle's Gale Capital also achieved brilliant results today, carving out as much as $25 million in Fortune from this feast.
Although this profit was far from Leo's performance in the movie The Wolf of Wall Street, where he made $25 million in just 3 hours, it was still a rare achievement.
Earning $25 million in a day—do you still think it's too little?!
Snap!
With a sound, the large screen in the Gale Capital conference room lit up.
In Los Angeles, Kyle held a video conference with the senior executives of Gale Capital who were located on Wall Street.
"I've received the news. I can't say much to you all except one thing: Great job!" Kyle smiled.
Clap, clap, clap!
Immediately, a burst of cheers and applause erupted from the scene.
Kyle gestured for silence and smiled: "Today is just an appetizer. I believe that tomorrow, the day after, and even for a long time to come, Microsoft's market value will be in a downward trend. Therefore, we will have plenty of opportunities to make money."
"I have only one requirement for you: seek survival through stability!"
"Yes, boss," everyone responded in unison.
After spending time together, everyone knew that Kyle and the former president, Henry Eugenber, were almost in two different states.
Kyle sought stability and liked grand strategies;
Henry sought the extraordinary and liked taking risks and dancing on the edge of a knife!
Taking today's earnings as an example, Kyle's Gale Capital earned $25 million, while the Hurricane God Investment Company founded by Henry Eugenber harvested $32 million today.
Henry won this round against Kyle.
But... would Kyle care?
"The fuse lit by Microsoft is just a starter; Kyle isn't too concerned about it. The main thing is not to attract the attention of other investment banks."
"A period of dormancy is very necessary for the current situation!"
Kyle's heart became slightly more determined.
The Anti-Monopoly Investigation into Microsoft has far-reaching effects on America.
For giant companies like Microsoft, the Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice are a complete nightmare; they are desperate to split up large companies.
Cisco, America Online, Sony, Oracle, IBM... these global giants with market caps exceeding $100 billion all saw their market values affected to varying degrees today, with their stocks dropping by several points.
Which of these large companies didn't have monopolistic facts or tendencies?
They were also afraid of being investigated and split up!
However, the news of Microsoft's Anti-Monopoly Investigation and Bill Gates' resignation as CEO was undoubtedly beneficial for most internet and high-tech companies listed on the U.S. stock market!
Microsoft's aggressive monopolistic behavior had its tentacles frantically reaching into every industry on the internet, leaving many small and medium-sized enterprises breathless.
Now, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and was even beyond excited.
"Our opportunity has come~"
Countless people were moved to tears of excitement.
The most obvious reaction was that the market values of these small and medium-sized companies all saw significant increases today.
Visger, the chairman of ICQ, was so happy he had a couple of extra drinks today. After all, for a long time, Microsoft's MSN had put immense pressure on ICQ.
Therefore, while Microsoft's stock price fell today, and the stock prices of large companies like Cisco, Oracle, and IBM also fell, the nasdaq index suddenly grew by 90 points.
It was terrifying!
Kyle sat at home, thinking it over repeatedly.
"The fall in the stock prices of large companies like Microsoft led to the rise of small and medium-sized enterprises, fueling the boom of the NASDAQ."
"All these factors are making the NASDAQ more and more popular!"
"The footsteps of the Dot-com Bubble are drawing closer and closer!"