Chapter 36

Bear Soup is Now My Dish 36

036 The Super Rich of the Future / The Legend of the Real Estate Market

Sergey Brin was well aware of the situation in Russia.

Perhaps because he was of Russian origin.

"My parents graduated from Moscow University, and I was born in Moscow. We immigrated to the United States when I was six."

His father, who immigrated to the United States, became a professor of mathematics at the University of Maryland.

His mother worked as an aerospace engineer at NASA.

Don't scold your children for not studying well.

The biggest factor in determining whether someone is good or bad at studying, unfortunately, is...

genetics.

"But you didn't forget Russian, did you?"

"I used to speak Russian at home since I was a child."

Sergey Brin is Jewish but is relatively free from religious influence, so he is not overly bound by formalities.

"I know the Unicorn Group well. Mr. Nikolai sent me an email before, so I did some research. But why did you come all this way to see me?"

"Oh, my brother only asked me to relay this message."

"…?"

"He said he is developing a program that can perform internet search services and would like to show it to you when he comes to Russia."

"Understood."

Dennis, who expected Sergey Brin to be quite surprised, was puzzled by his lukewarm reaction.

In fact, there was a reason why Sergey had to react this way.

The person who first started creating Google was not Sergey but Larry Page.

They met as Ph.D. students at Stanford University and became friends.

So, this was a year before they started seriously developing Google.

If it were Larry Page, he would have shown interest as he had already conceptualized the basic model of Google. However, Sergey Brin was not particularly interested in search services at this point.

Still, Nikolai judged that it would be more natural to build a relationship with Sergey Brin, who was of Russian origin, rather than approach Larry Page, who had no connection to him.

Now that Nikolai had made his presence known and dropped a hint, all he had to do was wait for him to come to Russia.

Ideally, with Larry Page.

"Before you come, I'll help with the Russian visa issues. But you said you had something to say earlier…?"

"Well, it's not that. My parents want to go to Russia, but they can't easily enter due to the relationship between the U.S. and Russia."

"That's great. Come with them. I can also help with their visa issues."

"Is that really possible?"

When talking about the search service, he was lukewarm, but his eyes widened at this.

"My grandfather has a very close relationship with high-ranking government officials, so I can help you with that."

"I thought your invitation to come to Russia was just a casual remark."

"Haha, no, I can definitely help you, so please come. But around the end of next year."

This was also part of Nikolai's instructions, so as a colleague, Dennis did not forget his task and completed it well.

"Sure. My parents will be very happy. Thank you."

"No problem. I have an appointment, so I'll see you next time. I'll be going now."

When they first met, their relationship was awkward, but by the time they said goodbye, they had become quite close.

* * *

When Dennis visited Stanford University, he was able to meet the second person Nikolai had mentioned.

He was, as his brother had said, an East Asian.

"How did you know about me from a British investment company?"

"I became interested in startups, so I found out about you by chance."

"Wow, you have great timing."

"What…?"

"I was planning to start a company in March, two months from now."

"Oh, have you decided on a name for the company?"

"Yes, 'Yahoo!'"

"That's a unique name."

The second person Dennis met was Jerry Yang, the co-founder of 'Yahoo!'.

"So, you said you want to invest?"

"Yes. As I mentioned, our company mainly invests in startups, although we do invest in established companies as well."

When the topic of investment came up, Jerry Yang's focus increased significantly.

When someone starts something, they naturally feel a lot of anxiety and a bit of self-doubt.

But being recognized and invested in by an external party must feel great.

Jerry Yang felt exactly that way.

"Do you have any companies that have already expressed interest in investing?"

"I did receive a call from a company called Sequoia Capital, but I haven't heard from them since."

"Then why don't you accept our investment?"

At this moment, Dennis looked like a true representative of an investment company, with his eyes shining.

"…How much are you willing to invest?"

"We want 30% of Yahoo!'s shares."

"30%? That's a lot."

"We believe that 30% is necessary to invest in a startup. How much do you think 30% would be worth?"

Jerry Yang realized that this was a crucial moment in his life.

It was true that Yahoo! needed investment to upgrade.

However, he couldn't sell it too cheaply.

After much deliberation, Jerry Yang slowly opened his mouth.

"30% for $1 million…"

At that moment, Dennis inwardly gasped.

'30% of a company that hasn't even hung up its sign for $1 million? What a highway robber.'

"Are you serious?"

Nikolai had told him to buy it no matter the price, but as someone in charge of an investment company, Dennis found it hard to accept.

"That much is necessary to sustain the company in the future."

"Hmm…"

"…Actually, I can't make this decision alone. I have a friend who co-founded the company with me."

"Then why don't you discuss it with him and call me at this number?"

Jerry Yang, who received the business card politely, said positively.

"I want to accept the investment, but I can't ignore my friend's opinion. Please understand."

"No, please feel free to contact me."

As Dennis stepped outside, he frowned and said,

"Why are you telling me to invest in a company like this? Did you really do your research? I'm worried we might lose $1 million."

Nikolai knew that Yahoo! would do well for a while but would eventually decline.

However, he could just sell all the shares before that happened.

Buying before it went public and making a huge profit was enough reason to target Yahoo!.

* * *

Dennis arrived in Washington by plane.

The third person he met was already running a business, so the conversation went smoothly.

"I never thought a British company would invest in me."

"I never thought I would invest in an American company like this."

"Really?"

"Because it's such a good company."

"Oh, I see."

"30% of the shares for $1 million, is that okay?"

The terms were the same as with Yahoo!.

While Dennis thought this company was slightly better than Yahoo!, he had to follow orders, so he proposed the same terms.

Jeff Bezos, in response to Dennis's question, awkwardly scratched his nonexistent fringe.

$1 million was too much.

He avoided answering the question directly.

"I'll work hard to be a great help to your investment company."

"Then why don't we formalize the contract tomorrow at this time? I need to prepare as well."

"Sure."

"The company's name is unique, so I'll remember it well."

The company's name was 'Cadabra'.

This name would later be changed to 'Amazon'.

"There was a bit of that intention. Haha."

Thus, Dennis had the opportunity to meet the great leaders of the three companies that would become the top three in the IT industry.

* * *

- Hey, are you swimming in money?

"Did you do well?"

- You did well with all three, but from what I saw, the people were a bit off. Did you really do the right thing?

"For now, just do what I told you. You don't want to mess it up and lose everything."

- I think you'll be the one to lose everything. That Jerry Yang, when he was writing the contract with his friend, he was so happy he almost burst. I think it's all weird. They won't last three years.

"Which company?"

- Both. When will they make money selling books? That bald guy seems like he's just running a neighborhood bookstore.

"Bro, you need to make a good impression on those people."

- What do you mean?

"They'll be our source of funds. Even if we meet them again, we need to be as polite as possible."

- I did what you told me, but... I don't know.

After hanging up the phone filled with Dennis's complaints, Nikolai smiled as he looked at the large buses entering the apartment construction site.

"Are all these people here to see the apartments? Even from Moscow?"

"They came by plane in a group and landed in Vladivostok. From there, they came by bus."

"Wow, I've never seen so many people come to see apartments."

"These are our Unicorn Bank and state-owned bank's top-tier customers. We need to sell a lot to them, so just follow the plan. Got it?"

To make a strong impression on the customers, the support team had to be smooth and efficient.

"Got it. You're really something. How many do you think we'll sell?"

"Let's see. But I don't think these people will leave without buying. What are you waiting for? Go and guide them!"

Nikolai warmly welcomed the customers getting off the buses.

Most of the construction site was dirt, but the workers had laid down carpet-like material in preparation.

He even had a large map and a situation board made for the final briefing.

"Please follow me. I'm Nikolai, the CEO of Unicorn Construction. Let's go to the small auditorium over there. Follow this person."

The people were already showing deep interest as they looked at the building that had already reached the fifth floor.

Nikolai's lips curled up at the sight.

* * *

"As you can see, we are building apartments that you can't find in Russia."

"Is it certain that the apartments will be built as described in the brochure?"

"Of course. If anything in the brochure is not built or included, we will refund you in full."

"Well, if that's the case…"

"Unicorn Construction is a subsidiary of the Unicorn Group, so our credibility is solid. Also, if you buy three or more units, you will receive a special discount. Remember that. The rest will be handled by my staff."

The handsome and beautiful assistants specially selected from U-Mart were dispatched to the construction site.

The uncles and aunts were amazed when they saw them.

The same product can be perceived differently depending on who explains it.

Companies don't use popular celebrities in commercials for no reason.

The handsome and beautiful assistants, who had received Spartan training from Nikolai in a short period, were doing well.

The training was not difficult as it was done by department.

After listening to a one-hour explanation, the customers toured the site and had a short break to satisfy their hunger.

"The food is good."

"What is this? I've never seen it before. What's its name?"

"It's called 'japchae,' a Korean dish."

"What about this?"

"It's 'braised short ribs.' Try the rice cake on the side as well."

The food, a mix of Russian and Korean cuisine, was prepared so that they could enjoy it without any resistance.

The Korean food was made by an aunt who cooked for Korean employees in the industrial park.

Nikolai knew that the contract rate varied greatly depending on whether a person was full or hungry before signing a contract.

That's why he prepared such a grand event.

His strategy paid off.

In the afternoon, it was finally time to sign the contracts….

"I want to bring my parents here because it's close to the sea and the apartment has good welfare facilities."

"There's also a business site in Vladivostok. I want to use it for employees. I'll take three units."

"I want to rent some units to the industrial park employees."

"Oh, for rent? Then you'll need quite a few, right?"

"Ten units should be enough."

"Ten units. Sasha, bring more contracts!"

The real estate experts hired from outside were so busy writing contracts that they had no time to rest.

'Thank you, Moscow! I love you, investors!'

50% pre-sale complete!

Kirill, who watched the entire process with his own eyes, was almost in a daze.

"Father, it's me."

- How's the situation there?

"Hundreds of customers came from Moscow today."

- From Moscow to Ussuriysk? For what?

"To buy apartments."

- What do you mean?

"Nikolai contacted the top-tier customers of the Unicorn Bank and the state-owned bank."

- Huh? How did Nikolai get the list… Did you give it to him, Father?

"That's not important right now. Nikolai sold nearly 2,500 units to those people."

- 2, 2,500 units? 50%? In just one day? That's...

"I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes."

- Ha...

If it weren't for what his son said, Yegor would have found it hard to believe.

"Next week, people from St. Petersburg will come. Uncle Ivan has been working on the mayor to introduce wealthy people."

- Understood. As I said before, pretend to help Nikolai for now.

"Yes. I need to go print the contracts now. I'll call you later."

- Why are you printing the contracts?

"I wrote over 300 contracts today, sitting next to Nikolai. I've been told to take responsibility for printing the contracts from now on."

He couldn't bring himself to say that he was also in charge of cleaning the office and inspecting the restaurant's cleanliness.

- ...Alright. Get to work.

Nikolai was organizing the contracts with Sasha.

"Tell the daily workers to have dinner at the restaurant today. We'll pay them double today. Give the handsome and beautiful assistants a generous bonus. I wish every day was like today."

"Will next week be the same?"

"Yes, just like today. And advertise again in the industrial park, Ussuriysk, and Vladivostok. We don't want them to come back later and complain about not getting an apartment."

"Got it."

By attracting these customers, Nikolai sold 50% of the apartments in just one day.

He made a legendary record while selling the apartments that would later be called the "legendary apartments," and he would be remembered as a legendary figure in the real estate market.