CHAPTER 772: CHAPTER 254: THE FEELING OF HUMILIATION

Even though he couldn’t understand Chinese, he could detect the flippant tone in Qiao Yu’s livestream, showing not a shred of respect for Microsoft, only unabashed disdain.

However, after Qiao Yu uttered these words, Satya Nadella suddenly restrained his temper.

There was no need to ask those scientists at the Microsoft Research Institute; he already knew that their Majorana chip was still at a nascent stage, designed to tackle future challenges rather than present ones.

Even with the relatively mature Azure Quantum cloud service platform, it is highly unlikely that one could control the main wallet of a cryptocurrency trading platform in just ten minutes.

It was clearly unwise to engage in a direct confrontation at this moment, so he couldn’t afford to lose his temper.

Therefore, when he spoke, he set the tone for the next meeting right away: "It’s time to end this farce. Find a way to get in touch with Qiao Yu and end this livestream as soon as possible."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the meeting room exchanged looks.

Someone’s doing a livestream, and you’re going to negotiate with Qiao Yu to make them stop? How do you do that?

Of course, everyone could understand Satya Nadella’s helplessness. Qiao Yu directly targeted the stock market in the livestream. No one could tolerate that.

For CEOs of these American tech companies, one of the most crucial measures of their managerial ability is the company’s stock price. This explains why large tech companies are particularly fond of playing with concepts and telling stories.

After all, stock prices are not only linked to the interests of the investors behind the company but also to the interests of all the senior executives within the company. This includes Satya Nadella himself.

Company executives will undoubtedly hold the company’s stock, and most of it is restricted stock.

Hence, the long-term positive trend of the stock price is crucial. Ideally, when people’s equity can be cashed out, the stock price should still be soaring.

If a decision causes the company’s stock price to experience abnormal declines, or even remain in a downtrend for a long time, the CEO in question would be deemed unqualified.

There wouldn’t even be the need for a vote of no confidence from the board; a large number of executives would become disloyal to the leader.

Evidently, if this livestream continues, allowing Qiao Yu to continue his obvious targeting of Microsoft without any effective countermeasures, it will indeed affect the stock market’s fluctuations.

Having just told a story yesterday and now being confronted today, and being unable to respond appropriately, what would investors think? What about the general retail investors?

As for giving a tit-for-tat response?

Don’t be ridiculous.

Even though not every executive in the meeting room understands technology, they understand capital.

If Microsoft could really, like Qiao Yu’s team, control the server backend in just ten minutes under fully prepared conditions on the opponent’s side, even directly locating the opponent’s main wallet and transferring all the virtual currency inside, Microsoft would have long started collecting protection fees from these platforms in various forms.

Microsoft’s stock price might already have surpassed Google and the value of all other tech companies, becoming the biggest tech company in the universe.

Their quantum computing technology can only be said to be leading within a certain range, but hasn’t reached the capability to do such things.

Thus, finding a way to make Qiao Yu end this livestream is undoubtedly the best solution to prevent the damage from escalating.

Everyone feared what else might come out of Qiao Yu’s mouth and were even more afraid that comments from the Huaxia livestream audience might trigger Qiao Yu into taking action against certain markets.

Although the three major stock markets in the United States were closed, markets like futures trading were still open.

A child who hasn’t fully matured but already wields terrifying power is very frightening, frightening to the point of sending chills down one’s spine upon deeper thought.

The problem is, understanding is one thing, but how to communicate with Qiao Yu now? Who should communicate with him?

While everyone remained in mutual perplexity, Satya Nadella’s phone on the table suddenly rang.

The Microsoft CEO glanced at it, immediately stood up, and said, "You guys continue to discuss a plan, find a way to end this livestream within ten minutes."

After speaking, he took the phone and walked into the small room beside the meeting room, then answered the call.

The next moment, an unfriendly voice came over the phone.

"This shouldn’t have developed like this, it’s not in line with your promise. This makes me feel very foolish."

"Yes, some things have indeed exceeded expectations..."

"No, no, no, it’s not exceeding expectations; it’s you underestimating the disruptive power of new technology! This is terrifying! It can’t continue like this! Regardless of the potential of quantum hardware in the future, we must first have a future! I hope you understand this, Mr. Nadella!"

"Of course, we are already discussing how to terminate this farce."

"Good, it seems we have reached a consensus! Quickly make that damn guy shut up, I mean at all costs! If everything spirals out of control, it won’t just be about whether you can continue being the CEO safely."

"Understood, Mr. Gates."

After hanging up the phone, Satya Nadella resisted the urge to throw the phone out, stood at the same spot for a moment, took a deep breath, and calmed down.

Though aware the real big figures were starting to shift the blame, he had no options. Satya Nadella knew too well that his skin color dictated that his current achievements already represented his ceiling.

Just like his salary could never catch up with Tim Cook’s, even if there wasn’t that much of a gap between their abilities. Even surpassing Apple’s profit-making capabilities with Microsoft still wouldn’t grant him such possibilities.

And when it came to bearing the blame, he was undoubtedly a good choice. High in position and authority, yet not irreplaceable.

These damn, hypocritical guys...

And of course, there was also that little brat from Huaxia!

Ten seconds later, Satya Nadella regained his composure and then re-entered the meeting room.

The murmurs in the meeting room died abruptly as Satya Nadella returned.

All the executives looked toward the current leader.

"Do we have a plan?" Satya Nadella asked directly.

This was not the time to brush things off with words.

Considering the little time left for him, as long as Qiao Yu remained on camera, who knows what else he might say or what earth-shattering actions he might undertake.

It’s important to note that Qiao Yu had only been streaming for twenty minutes so far, and it had already made those behind the scenes unable to sit still. If the livestream went on for one or two hours, he couldn’t even imagine what might happen.

"Yes, Mr. Nadella. We have already communicated with the three major exchanges. Regardless of the true situation, at least the other side has admitted that this security test against the three major exchanges was by invitation.

So we hope that the exchanges will step in to coordinate the end of this livestream as soon as possible. Of course, this may require some costs. The Huaxia party might make some demands."

Satya Nadella took a deep breath, gave the speaking senior vice president a meaningful look, and thought of what Bill Gates had said earlier: "At all costs!" Hence, he straightforwardly repeated it.

"I said, at all costs, to make that young man shut up quickly! In addition, you can think of other ways. The people from Google’s previous negotiations with him, the mathematicians, or even your personal connections.

In short, any relationships that can connect to Qiao Yu now, can all be utilized. Our time is short. I hope that this farce can terminate in no more than twenty minutes! You can make promises, like million-dollar projects or investments!"

Numerous surprised glances were cast towards Satya Nadella, beginning to speculate about whose call it was just now...

To make such a promise shows the immense pressure of being in that position at this time.

Some others’ gazes subconsciously drifted towards the ongoing livestream, especially that young face animatedly speaking to the camera...

That is a feeling of humiliation.