That evening, Lin BaoCheng took Steve Jobs to the restaurant where he had arranged to meet Wade Thomas.
Since he was hosting Thomas and Jobs, Lin naturally chose a Western restaurant rather than Chinese cuisine.
"Allen!"
When Lin and Jobs arrived, Wade Thomas was already there.
"You look familiar… you're the chairman of Apple, aren't you?" Thomas asked, recognizing Jobs. He had met him once before when accompanying Lin to sign Apple's contract, but had forgotten his name.
"Yes, Mr. Thomas, I'm Steve Jobs," Jobs replied.
At this time, Jobs was still a minor figure in Thomas's eyes. Understandably so — Apple was only worth a few million USD, and Jobs wasn't even the absolute majority shareholder. For a Goldman Sachs executive, such a company wasn't impressive.
"You're early, Thomas," Lin greeted warmly. Their repeated dealings had built a friendly relationship. Thomas valued knowing a wealthy investor like Lin, and Lin appreciated having ties to a Goldman executive.
Once seated, the waiter came and the three ordered their meals.
After some casual talk, Lin turned to business.
"Thomas, I brought Jobs today because Apple wants to borrow funds from Goldman. We need your help."
"Apple, is it?" Thomas nodded. Seeing Jobs confirmed his guess.
"I recall you invested in Apple last November, Allen. How's the company doing now?"
Lin smiled: "Quite well. My investment has already paid off."
"So Apple's valuation is now over 6 million USD?" Thomas asked, surprised. "Allen, you're not using your own inflated valuation method again, are you?"
Lin waved his hand: "Of course not. This is the market's normal valuation."
"Then Apple is indeed progressing nicely," Thomas admitted. In just three or four months, the company's value had more than doubled. Still, Apple was small, so Thomas didn't take it too seriously.
"How much does Apple want to borrow? Any collateral?"
"Apple hopes for 5 million USD," Jobs answered. But when asked about collateral, he faltered. Apple had no heavy assets to pledge. Using shares would require all shareholders to agree, and Jobs couldn't decide for them.
Seeing Jobs hesitate, Lin asked: "Jobs, if you had 10 million USD instead, could you grow faster? And would every cent go into development, not management's luxuries?"
Jobs's heart leapt. He quickly replied: "Allen, rest assured. Every dollar will go into development. I'm a major shareholder too — if management wasted it, I'd lose money myself."
"Good. I trust you," Lin said. Whatever the amount, Apple would have to repay. He believed Jobs would use the funds properly.
"Thomas, I'd like you to arrange a 10 million USD loan from Goldman to Apple. No collateral — I'll act as guarantor."
As guarantor, Lin meant that if Apple failed to repay, Goldman could collect from him.
"With you guaranteeing, Allen, there's no problem," Thomas agreed immediately. He didn't even ask for collateral. Lin's assets were immense — he had 200 million USD cash in his Goldman account alone.
Seeing Thomas agree, Lin told Jobs: "Tomorrow Isabella will take you to Goldman to finalize the loan. You'll negotiate the terms yourselves."
"Thank you, Allen!" Jobs said gratefully. With 10 million USD, Apple could accelerate development and build its own production line.
Until now, Apple had no dedicated production line. They bought components externally, made some core parts themselves, and assembled — limiting capacity. With a proper line, production would surge. The challenge would then be selling the computers.
"No need to thank me, Jobs. As a major shareholder, it's my duty," Lin said. With 30% of Apple's shares, faster growth meant quicker returns for him.
"Allen guaranteed a 10 million USD loan without collateral… his wealth must be far greater than we imagined," Jobs thought privately. He and Apple's management had approached Lin hoping he had money and Goldman connections. They hadn't expected him to double their request so easily.
After business, the three chatted casually.
The next morning.
Lin sent Isabella with Jobs and Apple's lawyer to Goldman to meet Thomas.
Since Thomas had agreed, he ensured everything went smoothly. They quickly settled interest terms, drafted the contract, and by late morning Apple had its 10 million USD loan.
Jobs was overjoyed. At noon, he treated Lin and Isabella to lunch in thanks. Lin accepted.
That afternoon, Jobs returned to Apple with the funds. With 10 million USD, Apple was poised for rapid growth — faster than in the original timeline.