CHAPTER 44: 107.8 MILLION

Google’s board sat for their third meeting this month, the subject being one they had discussed twice already.

OmniTech and Sentinel.

This individual came out of nowhere, discovered fifteen vulnerabilities in their systems and offered them first bite of a golden cake known as Sentinel but they had hesitated.

No, they didn’t hesitate, they got greedy. They wanted the whole cake, including its recipe, for themselves and now, there was a chance that even the offered slice could be snatched away.

Eric sat with both elbows on the table and both hands clasped above his lips as he watched OmniTech Corp’s market valuation rise by the minute.

The company, with only a single product, was now worth 100 million and rising. Compared to Google’s hundreds of billions, OmniTech’s worth was nothing to be considered.

But one had to remember that this was a company that was unknown until a week ago and only the promise of what their product could do had skyrocketed their value.

Well, it was more than a promise since OmniTech Corp had more than proven the capabilities of Sentinel during the launch announcement, so it made sense that everyone wanted a piece of it.

Eric’s eyes moved to the stock ticker again, noticing the value had changed again.

OmniTech Corp: $103.2 million.

With a sigh, he turned to Amelia who, for the first time since the previous two meetings, was sitting just like the executives.

Although she wasn’t exactly a share holder, she was an important enough employee for the other executives to not have an issue with her sitting there.

Besides, she had been one of the few who opposed Project Requiem, and now that replicating Sentinel had proven nearly impossible, although they’d never admit, many wished they had heeded her warnings.

Even if they could replicate the software, it wouldn’t matter now since Sentinel had built up enough hype to overshadow any clone inferior to it and from what their team had achieved so far, ’an inferior clone’ might be an understatement.

"Did OmniTech contact you again?" Eric asked.

"Not since he sent us a message informing that he knew what we were trying to do to his demo," Amelia shook her head as she answered.

Eric went silent again, contemplating the weight of their situation.

This wasn’t ideal in the least bit, their deal with the government was still pending and Sentinel being released now as a better option would jeopardize said deal.

"Every major enterprise is waiting for the public release," one of the executives suddenly said, as he looked at the ever changing numbers through his tablet. "Hell, even some of our subsidiaries are on the waitlist."

Eric closed his eyes briefly, pressing his knuckles against his mouth.

Of course they were.

What company wouldn’t want a cyber security software capable of preemptively identifying breaches before they even occurred?

Sentinel was, software of the future, the next big thing and everyone knew it, so they were all rushing for that single slice.

"What if we try.... absorbing them?" Mr. Grayson suggested.

It seemed like he hadn’t completely given up on his idea of Sentinel Google’s property. So what if they couldn’t copy the code, all they had to do was offer enough to buy OmniTech out.

His thinking was simple—offer OmniTech Corp a sum they couldn’t refuse, acquire Sentinel under Google’s banner, and watch as the company’s valuation soared, boosting both the worth of his shares and the dividends he collected.

But unlike the previous meeting—where Nathaniel, who held significant sway over some board members, had been present—this one was held in his absence, allowing most of the board to finally think for themselves.

"I advise we drop that idea Mr. Grayson," Mrs. Patel, as usual, denied Grayson’s suggestion, "we all saw how your previous idea turned out, project Requiem ended up being a waste of money and resources."

Mr. Grayson frowned at her words. Sure, he had supported the idea of copying Sentinel’s code, but so had Nathaniel, along with most of the board members sitting. So why was it suddenly being painted as his idea?

It had been just as much their idea as it was his.

"Mrs. Patel is right," Amelia cut in. "Besides, if OmniTech were willing to sell, they wouldn’t have bothered going public in the first place."

"Everyone has a price," Grayson scoffed. "We just need to offer one high enough that they can’t refuse."

For a man who had strongly opposed paying $5.7 million for vulnerabilities that could’ve potentially crippled Google, you’d think he’d be more cautious with money.

But apparently, his frugality was situational, now he was more than willing to throw a blank check at buying out OmniTech Corp.

Or maybe, his greed was what dictated his actions as they previously had for project Requiem’s decision.

Amelia was about to respond to his words when Eric suddenly asked, "can you get in touch with him?"

She paused and turned to him before shaking her head, "the link to his software we last used to communicate has been completely erased along with the software itself."

Eric sighed at her words. Being CEO had never felt more stressful. No wonder the two founders had stepped back and handed off the role. Still, he couldn’t exactly complain, the compensation more than made up for the pressure.

Now, they could just forget about OmniTech Corp and continue doing what they had been for the previous years, but Eric knew they couldn’t afford to.

They needed to keep up or stay ahead of the competition, and Sentinel was an edge they couldn’t afford to lose.

"Find a way to get in touch with him," Eric simply said, "tell him we’re willing to accept a licensing deal."

This caused Mr. Grayson to frown, clearly against the idea. "We’re Google, Eric," he said firmly. "One of the most influential tech companies in the world right now. Accepting a licensing deal with OmniTech Corp would only boost their credibility, and give them the springboard to catch up or even surpass us."

"We’d be paving the road to our own obsolescence."

"And what exactly is your suggestion?" Amelia snapped. After Nathaniel, Mr. Grayson was easily her least favorite person in the boardroom.

"Keep pouring money into Project Requiem even though it could take us years to replicate Sentinel? Try to strong-arm the company into selling?"

"As you said, Mr. Grayson, we are Google, not some back-alley conglomerate that bullies innovators into submission." Amelia leaned forward now. " We are known to nurture talent, not stomp on it."

Her words made several executives shift uncomfortably in their seats, many exchanging glances as if they had just been silently judged.

Now they could chalk up their previous decision to Nathaniel’s influence as a convenient excuse. But deep down, they knew it was just that, an excuse.

"And after he found out that we tried to copy his code," Amelia continued, "accepting his licensing deal might be our only path forward that doesn’t completely burn the bridge between us."

"And if we do it right," Mrs Patel added,"we show the world that even Google can recognize a superior innovation and support it."

Grayson scoffed but didn’t argue further. Even he knew that arguing further would only make him look more self-serving than strategic.

Eric sighed again, judging by the looks on the faces of the executives, it seemed everyone had come to a unanimous decision...well everyone who wasn’t Grayson.

He then turned back to Amelia before saying, "reach out to him. Use whatever channels you can, direct or otherwise. And if he won’t talk to us, find someone from the company who will, maybe their COO."

"Understood." She nodded.

The meeting ended a few minutes after and the executives slowly shuffled out of the board room. Mr Grayson showing Amelia a deep frown before walking out the door.

Amelia stayed behind, standing by the window as she watched the sun dip lower over the buildings. The reflection of the stock ticker was still faintly visible on the glass.

OmniTech Corp: $107.8 million.