NOVPUB
Chapter 110: Yahoo!
"Another player?" Richard let out a tired sigh as John called to inform him that O’Neill was requesting yet another reinforcement—this time, a midfielder.
"Coordinate with O’Neill," Richard said. "If possible, try to find a loan deal so we can keep the club’s expenses dow—" He paused, a thought crossing his mind.
"John, check my scouting database. Look for a French player named Patrick Vieira from AS Cannes and send the details to O’Neill. He’s currently playing in France’s Division One."
"Division One? Do you really think they’d let one of their players go to our club?"
Richard replied calmly, "Just try. Patrick and I already know each other. You know me—I always keep tabs on players I’ve had ties with. Besides, I’ve heard AS Cannes is under investigation by the DNCG."
DNCG or Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion, the organization responsible for monitoring and overseeing the accounts of professional association football clubs in France.
"I understand," John replied briskly before ending the call.
Click.
With that, Richard hung up and stepped out of the taxi he was sharing with Adam Lewis.
Just yesterday, Lewis had brought promising news: the founders of Jerry and David’s Guide to the World Wide Web had finally agreed to meet with him.
Even better, during their last call, Lewis mentioned catching a spark of excitement in their voices—an encouraging sign. It suggested that they still hadn’t secured funding and might be in desperate need of investment, giving Richard the perfect opportunity.
Currently, the future founders of Yahoo were still electrical engineering students at Stanford University. Their website, Jerry and David’s Guide to the World Wide Web, was only a concept—Yahoo! had not yet been born.
That’s why they were rejected at the WWW conference the day before. Their idea was still very basic—a human-edited web directory, not the powerful search engine Yahoo! would later become.
"Many startups don’t survive their early stages. You’d better be careful when investing in them," Lewis warned, remaining cautious as always.
"I know," Richard replied, undeterred. "As long as they’re willing to talk, and as long as they still need funding, then I know we’ll succeed. This time, we’re going to make a fortune," Richard said with quiet confidence.
"Let’s hope you’re right," Lewis replied. "At the end of the day, the decision’s yours."
With that, Richard packed his bags for Silicon Valley, with Lewis once again accompanying him as his legal counsel.
Thanks to California’s convenient air travel, it took them only about an hour and a half to get from Los Angeles to San Francisco—just a short drive away from Silicon Valley.
Taking a stroll around San Francisco could wait—Silicon Valley was just a few dozen kilometers south. In no time, they were on the road, heading straight into the heart of the tech world.
When it comes to high-tech innovation—artificial intelligence, the internet, and computer systems—Silicon Valley instantly comes to mind. Known globally as the epicenter of technological advancement, it’s home to some of the most powerful and successful companies in the world.
Apple, Google, Facebook—many tech giants have established their headquarters here. It’s not just the favorable environment; Silicon Valley’s real strength lies in its ability to attract world-class talent. For companies competing at the cutting edge of innovation, establishing a base here isn’t just a choice—it’s a necessity.
Lewis made a call to the founders. Once the call ended, they didn’t waste any time. Without delay, they headed straight to the Stanford campus, where the two founders were temporarily based.
It wasn’t long before Richard and Lewis arrived at the campus gates. After a brief check-in with security, they were cleared to enter. Navigating the grounds with the directions they’d been given, they made their way toward their destination
After several twists and turns, they finally found the place and walked toward the small portable trailer, in lieu of official offices.
Stanford had a long history of supporting student-run projects that may or may not evolve into startups. At the very least, they were generous enough to host the current ’Yahoo’ team—providing traffic, content, and a trailer for office space and ’sleep,’ all free of charge.
Obviously, the location isn’t the best, but it is definitely understandable since they currently have no funding to get a better place yet.
Inside the trailer, Jerry Yang and David Filo, both with youthful faces, were dressed in casual business attire. The atmosphere was charged with a mix of nervous energy and anticipation, as everyone recognized the significance of this meeting.
An investor was coming to evaluate their company, and they knew they had to make a strong impression. It was crucial to show respect, make the investor feel comfortable, and convey the potential of their venture.
"Don’t expect it to take two months to finally meet you guys," Richard teased as he walked up to them, reaching out to shake their hands in greeting.
Both Jerry and David’s eyes lit up. Even in America, news of Richard’s acquisition of the Rover Group had made waves—especially since the deal was worth over almost billion pounds!
Still, they remained reserved. After all, to be honest, Maddox Capital wasn’t even on their list of potential investors. They preferred American venture capital for their guidance and connections.
They both sighed at the thought.
Negotiating with an American venture capitalist is like trying to have a heart-to-heart with a snake—slick, smooth, and always sizing you up and down. One wrong move, and boom, you’re lunch. Now, the two founders could only pin their hopes on the man in front of them—otherwise, it wouldn’t be long before their systems stopped working altogether.
They smoothed their clothes before greeting Richard.
"Haha, you jest, Mr. Maddox. By the way, first, welcome to our company! I’m Jerry Yang, and this is David Filo."
"Just call me Richard. Can I also call you Jerry and David?"
American greetings are more relaxed and friendly. People often use first names right away and have a more informal tone in meetings or even in professional settings.
"Sure, make yourself comfortable, Mr. Ma—I mean, Mr. Richard."
"Haha, no worries. I have great expectations for the future of this company, and I hope that I can be a part of it," Richard said casually.
Both Jerry Yang and David Filo glanced at each other, their eyes lighting up. Things were already looking favorable.
Soon, they invited Richard and Lewis into the room.
Inside, the trailer was messy, and as expected, it was only about half the size of a small studio—just enough for a few people. Yet, from the books and sheets of paper neatly arranged in the corner of the table, it was clear they spent most of their time there.
"It’s fine. Don’t worry. I understand that everything has its starting point. It’s the same for me. Everyone will face their own problems and challenges. Soon, you’ll be able to relocate to a bigger and better office. I believe that," Richard said, sensing their slight embarrassment.
"You’re right! This is only temporary. Once we have some funds, we’ll move to a better office and buy several key types of equipment. This is only a tiny setback!" they replied enthusiastically.
Richard smiled, satisfied with their enthusiasm. Naturally, he didn’t forget his purpose. He wanted to be a huge part of Yahoo’s success and benefit from the great returns it could give him, all while leaving his name in the history of Yahoo... until he sold it.
"This is all the documentation about our company, including key information about our website," Jerry Yang said as he handed several files to Richard.
Lewis, in charge of the legal documents, stayed quiet while Richard focused on the company plans. He needed to understand their current state and overall direction to get a clearer picture of how to present an offer they couldn’t refuse.
As he expected, it was still "Jerry and David’s Guide to the World Wide Web." However, he was also interested in the new Yahoo! Directory concept that they had included in the files they provided.
"Is this the idea for the future?" Richard asked, pointing to the Yahoo! Directory files.
"Yes, our plan is to rival DMOZ," David stated confidently.
DMOZ, or DMoz, was a multilingual open-content directory of World Wide Web links. It was owned by AOL but constructed and maintained by a community of volunteer editors. Think of it as the father of Wikipedia.
Jerry and David were not inexperienced entrepreneurs who had developed Yahoo! on a whim. If they were already thinking about the Yahoo! Directory, it wouldn’t be long before they were able to build a full-fledged Yahoo! as people know in the future.
After all, no matter what happened, Yahoo! was bound for success—even without him. Richard had no doubts about the company’s potential.
The current problem they faced was the same as any startup: money.
How to get money? How to generate sustainable revenue for the company?
Profit means everything to a company. It can determine whether they’re heading toward a bright future or down a path of gloom. At the moment, they had no revenue—no income at all.
This was the idea behind the creation of Yahoo! Directory: advertising.
They are obviously one of the most important revenue streams for internet companies, which would become an integral part of future internet giants. Luckily, the internet was not a mature industry yet, and companies were just experimenting with new business models to discover the next big thing.
They had no idea what the future held, much like the current tech enthusiasts out there. They genuinely believed in the internet’s infinite potential, but they still didn’t know how to make it a reality.
"Hmmm." Richard rubbed his chin in contemplation.
At first, he had wanted to make a direct investment to buy shares in their company. But then, what if he could offer them an exchange of ideas for shares?
After all, their current Yahoo! Directory was still just a concept. It wasn’t too late, right?
As Richard read through the documents and listened to the founders explain their situation, he nodded, understanding the challenges they were facing and how to make a breakthrough.
His current weapon was clear: They hadn’t yet found their unique edge in the market. Companies that continue to lose money without a business strategy or future plans are doomed to fail and disappear into history.
Of course, he also needed to build their momentum and be fast.
Both Jerry and David were smart people, and they understood that the real issue was the lack of funding. After securing investments, they would then figure out a way to generate revenue.
"Have you thought about how you’re going to generate profit other than advertising? You know, AOL, WebCrawlers, Spiral, or Archie also do the same thing."
Both Jerry Yang and David Filo were silent before answering, "To be honest, we’ve already thought about making it a premium dir—"
"Premium? You mean a pay-to-use service like Lycos? Why? Why would people pay for Yahoo when DMOZ is currently free? What do you mean by ’premium’ here—quality content or something else?" Richard cut in.
"..."
Both were stumped, their minds racing for answers and Richard nodded, satisfied with this.
’Hahaha, just imagine bombarding Yahoo’s main banner with Ronaldo, Campbell, Ole, Cafu, and the rest. This is the perfect place to boost City’s visibility,’ Richard smirked, licking his lips.
It was practically a shortcut—something that had taken Manchester United years to achieve in building global recognition. At the very least, Richard had found a way to keep City in the spotlight for as long as possible, with minimal cost—especially with him positioned as a future stakeholder in Yahoo.
The momentum was finally on. He then glanced through the files, realizing that he wouldn’t be able to go through them in just a few hours.
"That’s all for today. We’ll meet again next week. Until then, I hope you have an answer."
