fictionpage Chapter 213 Appealing to the Crowd
Chapter 213 Appealing to the Crowd
Chapter 213 Appealing to the Crowd
In San Jose, the sunshine should be as vibrant and exuberant as the innovative spirit of Silicon Valley, but inside PayPay's headquarters, the atmosphere is even more frigid than an Alaskan winter.
Ernst looked somber, while Peter Thiel beside him crossed his arms, his usually refined face now etched with a knowing seriousness.
The two men's eyes were fixed on the television in the office. On the screen, a man wearing an ill-fitting suit and with hair combed as if he had used ten pounds of hair gel was standing on a makeshift stage set up outdoors, spitting as he spoke.
The stage was so rudimentary it looked like scaffolding borrowed from a construction site next door, even the backdrop was crooked, but the man's aura was comparable to that of a presidential candidate. He gripped the microphone so tightly it seemed to be deformed, and every word he uttered sounded like it was carrying sparks.
"Look at the era we live in. Computers have just entered every household, and people haven't even figured out whether they are square or round yet. PayPal is like a vampire, already quietly eyeing our wallets."
Ernst's brow furrowed instantly, but the voice on the television continued, with a chillingly provocative tone: "I recently did some in-depth research, and the results were horrifying. Since PayPay came along, phishing websites have sprung up like mushrooms after rain."
"Criminals use fake emails or fake websites to trick users into entering sensitive information such as bank card numbers and passwords. If users are not careful, their funds will be seriously threatened."
Peter Thiel couldn't help but cough lightly, trying to break the oppressive atmosphere: "This guy probably can't even tell the difference between a phishing website and a fishing net, yet he's going to investigate so thoroughly?"
Ernst didn't respond, but his gaze grew even colder, and the criticism on television continued to escalate.
"What's even more terrifying is that those hackers hiding behind the screen could break through PayPal's defenses at any time and steal everyone's payment information. Moreover, I have reason to suspect that PayPal itself has ulterior motives. They may have already secretly collected massive amounts of user data. Once hackers break through, everyone's privacy will be completely emptied, like a safe with the door open."
The man on TV seemed to think it wasn't exciting enough, and suddenly raised his voice: "So Ernst, the owner of PayPay, is a thoroughly evil capitalist. PayPay is just a tool for him to plunder the wealth of the people. This is simply blatant robbery."
"It will suck our hard-earned money like a mosquito without us even realizing it. The government must act immediately to shut down this harmful software and even seize all of Ernst's assets..."
The passionate speech was still playing on TV. Ernst turned off the TV, took out his phone, found a number, and dialed it.
The phone was answered after only two rings, and a somewhat languid voice came through the receiver, as if he had expected the call: "Ernst? Is it about that guy on TV named Jack Thompson?"
Jack Thompson, the champion of justice who was just spitting on TV.
There are many such opportunists in the United States; they want to gain more voter support so that, once elected, they can complete a transformation in their social status.
Ernst tightened his grip on the phone, his tone devoid of emotion, uttering only a short but authoritative sentence: "He crossed the line."
Jeff Skilling, on the other end of the phone, was sitting in his luxurious office at the Houston headquarters, seemingly oblivious to Ernst's anger, his tone relaxed.
"Don't get so worked up, my friend. He's just a nobody trying to ride the coattails of someone else's fame to get attention. It's not worth taking him seriously."
Ernst had no time for playing games with him. This was the first time he had ever been so disrespectful to Anran. The coldness in his voice almost spilled through the receiver. "A nobody? He's now directly targeting PayPal's security and my personal assets."
"If Anran can't resolve this matter and give me a satisfactory answer, then I'll have to handle it my own way. Don't blame me for not informing you beforehand what might happen then."
He's holding back a lot of anger. He's not cursing you, but he's directing his anger at me. You've retreated into the background as if nothing happened. Are you living too comfortably?
The languid tone in the receiver vanished instantly, and Jeff Skilling's voice finally became somewhat anxious: "Hey, Ernst, don't be impulsive, let's talk this out."
He was all too aware of PayPal's importance to Enron. Ever since Enron partnered with PayPal to conduct market-making business, its stock price had taken off.
In just one week, the stock price surged by 17%, adding more than $140 billion to its market value, and the upward trend continues.
At this moment, what he feared most was that Ernst would lose his temper and do something that would give Ernst a handle to use against him.
If PayPal runs into trouble, Enron's stock price will inevitably plummet, and then he, as CEO, will be in big trouble.
"Listen, I've already had my men investigate," Jeff quickly explained, trying to calm Ernst down. "According to our information, this Jack Thompson isn't someone those Wall Street giants put in place."
"He's just a speculator trying to ride the wave of popularity. I don't know where he got the idea that Wall Street was trying to stop Enron's growth, and he wants to increase his own exposure by attacking you and PayPal."
Over the past week, the entire American financial and technology circles have been abuzz with two events.
One reason was Enron's booming market maker business and its soaring stock price, making it the brightest star on Wall Street.
Another thing is the emergence of PayPal, an online payment software that completely overturned people's understanding of payment methods.
PayPal, in particular, generates a lot of news almost every day.
Almost every day, banks sign cooperation agreements with PayPal, allowing users to link their bank cards from these partner banks and transfer money directly to their PayPal accounts on their computers.
In just one week, PayPal partnered with more than forty banks, each of which is a major bank in its respective state, covering the entire United States.
What's even more dazzling is the financial services on PayPal. Wall Street giants, like sharks smelling blood, have been flocking to it, eager to move all their financial products to the PayPal platform.
Futures, securities, stocks, insurance—you can find almost any financial product you can think of on PayPai, and you can easily compare interest rates and services from different institutions, which is very convenient.
Some analysts predict that, given this trend, PayPay will eventually become a super gateway to the US financial market.
But Ernst knew that this was all just Wall Street's flattery.
As the saying goes, the taller the tree, the more the wind will blow against it. Along with the overwhelming praise, negative news also came flooding in like a tide.
These negative news stories are not unfounded; they are real, actual cases.
One of them was a 14-year-old boy from New York who used his mother's bank card to spend money on Counter-Strike. By the time his mother received the mailed bank statement, the amount spent had exceeded three thousand dollars.
Most Americans don't have the habit of saving money, and three thousand dollars is not a small amount for an average family.
Others complained that their linked credit cards, because they had the automatic payment service enabled, caused them to fail on Google AdWords. After the amount they had deposited into PayPay was used up, the system automatically started deducting the credit limit from their credit cards.
Although business improved significantly, he also incurred substantial GG (Game Generator) fees, leaving his net profit almost unchanged compared to when he wasn't using GG.
He felt this was a trap set by PayPal, allowing Google to reap all the profits.
Ernst knew very well that behind these negative news stories, the giants of Wall Street were undoubtedly pulling the strings.
Just a few days ago, the relevant departments had contacted Peter Thiel and asked him to explain PayPal's measures to protect user funds.
But anyone with a discerning eye knows that this is all bark and no bite. The Wall Street giants are also working hard to develop their own online payment systems. The reason they are causing trouble for PayPal is simply to buy time and give their own products more preparation time.
Once their online payment system is officially launched, these negative news stories about PayPal will definitely be deliberately downplayed, replaced by a deluge of propaganda promoting the security and reliability of online payments.
Ernst didn't take these petty tricks seriously at first, since such smear tactics against competitors are all too common in business competition.
But Jack Thompson crossed the line by bringing up the sensitive topic of privacy breaches.
The United States has always touted itself as a country with a high degree of protection for personal privacy. Although it is often just lip service, the public is extremely concerned about privacy issues.
Jack Thompson's raising of the issue of PayPal potentially leaking user privacy will put enormous public pressure on PayPal and even the entire internet industry.
This is also a natural disadvantage of online payment compared to traditional banks. Traditional banks have closed systems, and user information only circulates within the bank, making them relatively secure.
However, as an online payment platform, PayPay must connect to every user's computer and bank account via the Internet, which means it is always vulnerable to hacker attacks.
This problem exists not only with PayPal, but with any online payment platform.
Therefore, Wall Street giants have deliberately avoided this topic, fearing that once the public realizes the privacy risks of online payments, the nascent online payment industry will be stillborn.
The negative news stories from before were essentially problems that could have been solved by improving the rules, and the responsibility does not lie entirely with PayPal.
Privacy and security leaks are different. This is a fundamental issue involving technical vulnerabilities and industry risks. If it is amplified, it could cause the public to lose trust in the entire online payment industry and even the entire internet industry.
Jack Thompson was the first person to dare to bring this unspeakable secret to the forefront and criticize it openly. This is not just a simple attempt to gain attention, but a real overstepping of boundaries.
For Ernst, dealing with a minor character like Jack Thompson wasn't difficult; he had plenty of ways to shut him up.
What truly angered him was Enron's indifference.
Since partnering with PayPal, Enron has made a fortune through market maker business. However, when faced with PayPal's public relations crisis, Enron has always stayed behind the scenes, neither speaking out in support nor helping to solve the problem, pushing all the pressure onto PayPal.
Ernst knew perfectly well what was going on and was content to sit back and watch the show.
If PayPay can withstand the pressure and continue to grow and expand, we can all benefit and continue our cooperation.
Even if PayPal really collapses, they won't be afraid. Other Wall Street giants will soon launch their own online payment systems. Enron can simply switch to cooperating with those giants and continue its market-making business without affecting its own interests.
That sounds nice, but Ernst won't let Anran have it so easily.
Enron must step down. Only when Enron steps down will Congress waver between Wall Street and Enron.
Only in this way can PayPay focus on developing its user base, firmly occupy a dominant market position, and establish itself as the leader in online payments before the online payment systems of Wall Street giants are launched.
Jeff Skilling on the other end of the phone seemed to realize Ernst's attitude: he wanted Anran to make a statement.
Enron can only be tied to PayPay now, and its market maker business cannot be stopped.
"Ernst, give me three days. Jack Thompson will shut up, and the negative publicity will decrease."
He was genuinely scared now; he dared not gamble with Ernst.
Ernst can lose PayPay; he's still one of the richest people in America.
However, if Enron's favorable situation is disrupted, its stock price may experience a flash crash.
Ernst smiled; this was the solution that instantly came to mind after seeing the report about Jack Thompson.