[Chapter 18: Reactions]
As the Yahoo! banner went live on the website, the news of their funding quickly spread. The entire Silicon Valley and venture capital scene felt like a bomb had dropped into the deep end.
A $400 million valuation -- this was absolutely insane. Even for investments of several hundred thousand or a few million dollars, investors had to be extremely cautious. Getting a $400 million valuation right in the first round? What would the second or third rounds even look like?
The first responses popped up right under the Yahoo! banner on their website -- comments flooded in nonstop.
"Oh my god!!! Oh my god!!! Oh my god!!!" Clearly, that commenter was stunned speechless.
"Yahoo! Rules!! Yahoo! Rocks!!" An over-excited fan.
"Is today April Fools' Day?" Someone not believing it.
"Unbelievable Yahoo! Congratulations, Yahoo! How can I work for Yahoo?" Maybe a job seeker, who knew?
"The internet really looks promising; I've decided -- I'm going to start investing in internet companies." This one sounded like a seasoned pro.
...and so on.
...
As the news spread, Silicon Valley was the fastest to react. From that day on, Yahoo! was the talk of the town. Many folks in the tech industry started calling it "Yahoo! Day."
"Unbelievable that such a high valuation actually went through. Have these venture capitalists all lost their minds?" That was the sour grapes crowd, doubting from the sidelines.
"Hey buddy, that's why you're just an employee, and they're the big shots." That was probably someone dreaming of playing in the big leagues.
"Looks like internet startups are the future; we should keep a closer eye on internet businesses." This guy was probably from a VC firm -- Silicon Valley never lacked people like that.
...
Meanwhile, in Silicon Valley, some guy named Marc Andreessen was shouting inside Netscape's office.
"Oh my god... Next, it's Netscape's turn. The Internet's boom is here!"
But as he was yelling, little did he know that others had already set their sights on his company. Just as he was celebrating, a sudden chill ran down his spine -- a sense of anxiety he couldn't shake.
---
"Jerry, and everyone here -- I believe from today on, Yahoo! is no longer just a small startup; it has become part of the greats. All of America will cheer for Yahoo! So I hope everyone is ready -- Yahoo! is about to face many challenges and obstacles."
As they said their goodbyes to the big shots, Andy Grove shook Jerry Yang's hand firmly and said earnestly.
...
Back in the quiet Yahoo! garage office -- a modest space of just over 1,000 square feet -- John couldn't help but sigh, "Looks like we're going to have to say goodbye to this place now."
"Yeah," Jerry Yang and the others nearby nodded, feeling the weight of the moment.
"All right, everyone, things are about to get busy.
First up is the work environment. We need a place to accommodate hundreds, maybe thousands of employees. We're going to need to hire a ton of technical talent. Tim, that's your job to arrange.
Next, we'll need to solidify the English-speaking market, set up European offices, and create localized versions in various languages.
We're also opening offices in Australia and Canada -- these will be our first expansion steps. This is the focus for this year.
Once we make the first step into global expansion, we can truly become a company with worldwide influence," Jerry Yang smiled, addressing the team.
"Yes, Boss!" the employees responded enthusiastically.
After chatting casually for a bit, John left the office and headed back to his hotel to rest. It had been a tiring day mentally, and he just wanted some quiet time.
Jerry and the others were used to this by now -- they could only smile and shake their heads as they watched John leave.
---
"Zach, how does it feel to be a millionaire?" John asked with a grin as they rode in the car.
"Wow... John, I really am a millionaire now! I love it -- it feels like a dream, so unreal. The internet is incredible!"
"Wow... haha..." Hearing Zach's awe, John chuckled heartily.
"All right, Zach, easy on the excitement."
"Man, why are you always so calm?"
"Well, it's natural -- I'm a born genius!"
"Bullshit, man. So this is just dumb luck?"
"No way. I saw the direction the internet was headed and took you to Yahoo! This is talent, you know. Others can't just learn it." John bragged confidently.
He thought to himself, 'Zach, if you could be reborn like me, you'd be a genius, too.'
"Man, your ego is getting out of control."
"Impossible, Zach. I'm going to be the richest man in the world someday -- it's just it's still early."
As their voices faded, they slowly left Yahoo! behind.
---
"Boy, you're so calm. Do you realize all of America is going crazy? Here, take these newspapers from the past few days." Zach walked into the hotel room holding a stack of papers. He smiled at John, who was quietly sitting on the balcony.
"Really? Well, I guess that makes sense," John replied coolly, hardly trying to hide his swagger.
It had been three days since the funding deal closed, and Yahoo! had moved into a proper Silicon Valley office building. Jerry and the team were busy recruiting to handle the company's rapid expansion.
The funding had been successfully wired into the company's account. Representatives from various firms had taken seats on the board. Yahoo! was officially a big company -- worth $400 million was no small feat.
Top industry elites also poured into Yahoo!, bringing with them a broad pool of talent.
John, however, entrusted the voting rights to Jerry and David for the time being. This way, he stayed relaxed and earned their gratitude.
After all, voting rights meant control of the company -- having John's support allowed Jerry and David to firmly take the reins.
...
"All right, let me see what the media is saying first." John picked up the top newspaper from the stack.
"Oh wow, this is a well-known paper," John joked. Zach rolled his eyes -- he knew exactly what paper John had picked up: The Wall Street Journal.
[The Most Insane Company in the World -- Yahoo!] The Wall Street Journal ran Yahoo! on its front page.
As a financial paper, a front-page story made perfect sense.
The article said: [Yahoo!, a company just over two months old, is the fastest growing company in history. From an initial angel investment of $500,000 with a $5 million valuation to now $400 million -- an 80-fold increase in just over two months. Is there any business more profitable than this?]
The piece also analyzed market prospects and the internet's potential, calling it one of the wildest investments by Silicon Valley's so-called "West Coast Wall Street" venture capitalists. The outcome was yet to be seen.
It even predicted the dawning of the internet era and the coming gold rush of online ventures.
Next, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, and The New York Times all ran front-page finance stories lauding Yahoo!'s funding triumph. Within three days, Yahoo! had gained nationwide fame and was stepping onto the global stage.
Of course, praise came with skepticism. Not everyone thought the VC firms had made wise choices -- some said they were crazy to go so high.
At the same time, the media frenzy catapulted Yahoo!, Jerry Yang, and David Filo into the spotlight. They were dubbed the "fastest multi-millionaires."
Why wasn't John mentioned? That was by design -- he was intentionally keeping a low profile due to his youth. Of course, he only planned to keep it under wraps for so long.
Jerry often complained on the phone that the media circus was so intense, he couldn't even work or rest.
John would always tease, "You complain, sure, but why do I hear excitement and pride hidden in your voice?"
...
Some tabloids even claimed Yahoo! represented the entire internet, saying that with Yahoo!, no other internet companies were needed -- almost making Yahoo! synonymous with the internet itself.
In truth, when the internet first took off, online entertainment was lacking, and Yahoo! had filled the basic needs of early internet users. That's why, in this life or the previous one, Yahoo! was beloved by so many.
If John had heard such praise, he probably would have scoffed and said, "Yahoo!? What about Amazon, Google, or Facebook?"
Well, that was the biggest advantage of being reborn -- wasn't it?
*****
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