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Musk wasn't as angry and flustered as Ron had expected. Instead, his eyes lit up with even more curiosity.
"So I'm guessing you've got something you think is worth big bucks. Why don't you show me what's in that briefcase of yours? Let me take a look and maybe I can give you a ballpark figure."
Ron didn't keep Musk waiting any longer and placed the kid's notebook from his briefcase on Musk's desk.
"This notebook might look a little beat up, but I guarantee you'll be blown away by what's inside. I think it's a fair trade for shares in your company."
Just a notebook? A kid's notebook at that! Are you kidding me? Musk had some choice words he was biting back.
But he stayed polite and picked up the notebook to flip through it. Once he started reading, though, he couldn't tear his eyes away.
Ron sat quietly and waited.
This notebook had been Sheldon's when he was nine years old. That year, he'd asked, "If space travel is so damn expensive, why don't we just recycle the rockets?"
NASA's PR guy had tried to brush him off with a stupid sticker. Pissed off, Sheldon had spent an entire month meticulously calculating everything from launch to recovery.
In other words, this notebook contained a completely workable reusable rocket design!
It was essentially the Falcon 9 that SpaceX would develop in Ron's original timeline. While Musk might not have come up with such a brilliant and audacious concept on his own, he'd definitely fallen in love with it just the same.
As for how Ron got his hands on the notebook—Sheldon had originally left it behind at NASA when George Sr. took the family on that tour, but Ron, being thorough, had gone back and retrieved it.
More importantly, when Sheldon had gotten into trouble, Ron had offered to help him out in exchange for full ownership of the notebook.
So Ron could honestly say the notebook was now entirely his property!
"Tell me, kid—who came up with this genius idea? This is incredible! If we built a rocket exactly like this, the cost per launch would be dirt cheap!"
Musk exclaimed.
"Doesn't matter whose idea it was originally. What matters is that it's completely mine now. So, Mr. Musk, what do you think it's worth in company shares?"
Ron asked casually, like he was asking what was for lunch, but inside he was pumped.
Are you kidding? These were SpaceX shares, and by 2020, the company would be worth $40 billion. Even if Ron just sat on his ass and sold at the right time, he'd make enough to set his family up for life.
Thanks, Sheldon!
However, Musk didn't rush to make an offer. Instead, he closed the notebook and slid it back toward Ron.
"I'll admit it's a brilliant concept, but who says I'm buying it? You might not realize this, but I've got plenty of scientists on my payroll.
And the idea itself isn't rocket science—pun intended. Won't take me long to reverse-engineer this thing."
As a businessman, maximizing profits was obviously the priority. Since he'd already seen the concept, he could just develop it himself. Why pay for something he could copy with his own team's skills?
It was a solid argument, Ron had to give him that.
Ron didn't show a trace of panic. Instead, he asked, "That's fair, but I've got a question."
Musk gestured for him to go ahead.
"You realize what I'm offering is a thoroughly tested and validated design, right? Sure, you could copy my concept, but I'm betting it'll take your team quite a while to work through all the technical validation, won't it?"
"Yeah, maybe a month or two, but I can definitely wait that long," Musk said smugly, acting like he held all the cards.
Ron continued, "Sure, but I'm thinking if I take this to Mr. Bezos instead, maybe he could save himself a month or two, don't you think?"
Ron slipped the notebook back into his briefcase, but he didn't rush to leave. Instead, he settled back in his chair, sipping the coffee that attractive secretary had just brought him and twirling Musk's cigar between his fingers.
Musk certainly wasn't the only player in the American space game. In fact, Blue Origin, another space exploration company, had been founded even before SpaceX.
That company belonged to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, and both companies were currently competing for NASA's launch contracts for the next decade.
It was a hell of a lucrative deal! And right now, Musk was losing.
Musk's expression shifted from cocky to stone-faced, his mind clearly racing. Ron, meanwhile, was getting bored waiting.
This goddamn pre-smartphone era meant he couldn't even kill time with a mobile game.
How the hell did other people who got transported back in time adapt so quickly? God knows how long it had taken him to adjust to life without smartphones!
Fortunately, next year Apple would drop the first iPhone, kicking off the smartphone revolution. Then the year after that, the first Android phone would hit the market, starting the epic battle for mobile dominance. His trusty Nokia would eventually become a museum piece.
With that in mind, Ron wasn't quite as obsessed with getting pure SpaceX and Tesla shares anymore. He'd be happy with a mix of equity and cash.
Picking up some Apple and Google stock right now seemed like a pretty smart move, right?
"Alright, you got me. How much equity do you want?" After a long silence, Musk finally caved. "I still want to maintain controlling interest in the company, so if you're willing to take some cash instead, I'd really appreciate it."
"Absolutely, Elon. Mind if I call you that?" Ron stood up with a grin. Musk just shrugged at the informal address. "Also, I don't know how long this'll take to finalize, but can we move fast on this?
The quicker we close, the more cash I'm willing to accept."
For a moment, Musk had considered agreeing, then stalling while secretly getting his scientists to develop the design before Ron could cut a deal with Bezos.
Ron caught his eye, and Musk smiled ruefully, realizing yet another of his schemes had been busted. As expected, any agent good enough to work at that level was no pushover.
"At first, Sean told me you were the sharpest young guy he'd ever met. I didn't quite buy it, but now I'm a believer."
Ron grinned. "Not just Mr. Tuohy—Mr. Buffett said the same thing. Trust me, Elon, you made a smart choice."
End of Chapter
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