Chapter Twenty-Two: The Conflicted Giant

With the high-profile entry of Wang An Computers, the two IT giants found themselves in a dilemma. Their vast corporate structures made change anything but easy. The Blue Giant, in particular, was at a loss, uncertain whether to enter the personal PC market at all.

They understood the utility of White Software—perhaps not yet powerful, but certainly impressive. While their minicomputers were still spinning in database circles, others had already sparked a revolution. Many of their own customers had begun to explore personal PCs, making it impossible for the giants to remain idle.

Had this happened after the year 2000, the solution would have been simple: just acquire Apple and White Software. If your offer was high enough, success was all but guaranteed. If the companies resisted, you could squeeze them in a hundred ways, poach their core talent—for takeovers at that scale, not only the employees but even the founders might flee.

But in this era, things were different. The Justice Department was no pushover. Any such moves would see your company torn to pieces.

Unable to buy their way in, the Blue Giant had to forge a new path. In truth, they already had a plan; they would simply have to accelerate its timeline.

While the giants hesitated, smaller companies like Tandy and Commodore wasted no time. With Wang An Computers already diving into microcomputers, any further delay would spell their doom.

Before the debut of White Software, software companies held a weak position in the IT hierarchy, far less important than hardware manufacturers. Now, the situation had improved. No one dared call software dispensable unless they wished to brand themselves a fool.

Previously, so-called microcomputers suffered from poor market positioning and unclear target customers, leaving salespeople adrift. That problem was gone. Now, you could just go door-to-door, with many clients calling in themselves. If you still couldn’t sell the product, it was time to find another job—sales was not your calling.

Accurate market positioning was crucial. When Apple first started, personal PC enthusiasts were their focus, not corporate clients. Clearly, this was a mistake. Even before White Software, small and medium-sized businesses were their main customers; now, more than ever, clinging to the original stance would be sheer stupidity.

Though the Great Joe was proud, he had no beef with money; after all, the Apple II wasn’t his pet project—profit was all that mattered. In this era, he was a vanguard of counterculture, unimpressed by White Software, seeing its founder as someone who simply got lucky. Changing the world, in his eyes, was still his task.

Joe was a quintessential figure of the “beat” generation, not much liked by the old guard—especially the Wall Street elite, who found him insufferable. They had no taste for countercultural products, but the Apple II was a fine thing—a solid piece of work.

Joe, however, was not appreciative. He saw it as a compromise with the mainstream, wanting something even cooler. He was reluctant to ramp up promotion for the Apple II, believing that the current level was sufficient and that developing new products was more important.

Unfortunately, his opinion didn’t count for much. The likes of Markkula were in charge: Joe’s talents would be put to use developing new products, but he would be kept away from marketing.

“Foster, let’s return to Texas. There’s nothing much left to do here for now. Time for a break, and we can settle the silver business as well.”

“Very well, sir. I’ll book the tickets.”

“Good. I’ll sort out Tom’s tasks, and that’s about it.”

Tom, true to his roots as a salesman, executed William White’s plan perfectly. White Software quickly established its reputation; insiders knew they were a young company, but the public already regarded them as an industry benchmark.

Investment banks hoped to get in, but were rebuffed. White Software wasn’t against cooperation, but not yet—the investment window would open in a year, with 10% of shares expected to be offered.

Price? Valuation? Sorry, you’re vastly underestimating our worth. We have no interest in your current offers. In a year, you’ll see just how wrong you were.

Meeting such an arrogant boss left the bankers weeping inside. They had never seen anything like it: he wasn’t even interested in hearing their offer, showing no intention of negotiating.

William White wasn’t mad. The current valuation was in the $20 million range—a figure that held no appeal for him. He didn’t need a million or two in capital.

With the company doing well, it was time to secure a patch of land. Real estate in Silicon Valley was still cheap; wait too long and prices would soar, and the prime areas would be gone. When the plans for White Software’s premises were unveiled, all anyone could do was marvel. Why would a software company need so much space?

A swarm of reporters descended on San Francisco, all hoping for an interview. Unfortunately, they were too late—William White had already returned to Texas. They had to make do with interviewing White Software’s CEO.

After more than a month away from the ranch, little had changed—except for some new farming machinery. The vineyard needed to expand; though the reason was unclear, growth was always welcome. Neighboring farms could scarcely maintain the status quo, let alone expand.

Returning to his own ranch, his mood was naturally buoyant. It had been a hectic period, and he needed time to reset.

“Sir, the Bush boy is coming tomorrow. Will you be receiving him?”

“Hah! The drunkard’s on his way? Of course, I’ll see him.”

“Very well, sir. I’ll inform them.”

“Foster, make it a lavish affair. It’s been a while since I saw him.”

Foster departed. The Bushes were close family friends—when his own family faced hardship, they had not kicked them while they were down.

Texas ranchers were a close-knit bunch, fiercely independent. If relations soured, they’d settle it with their fists, not by underhanded tricks like the Hunter family.

Though the Bushes were a political dynasty, their economic power was formidable, with extensive farmland and lucrative oil interests. Economically, they couldn’t match the Whites, but as a political family, too much wealth could be a burden.

William White already had a sense of their intentions. Texas was elephant country, but the Whites were never on the elephants’ side—an unaligned family that never joined in their battles.

This was tradition: the only time they had taken sides was during the Civil War, and the result was a disastrous defeat. From then on, the White family never participated in either camp.

If William White were a typical second-generation heir, no one would care. But now, the situation was clearly different. No one would underestimate his influence again.