Chapter 2693 Bad News

While Feng Yiping was still discussing the future development of subprime loans and the impact it would bring with future leaders of the United States, in some other countries, subprime loans were profoundly changing their original traditions that had lasted for hundreds of years, and brought unexpected changes to their future development and direction.

It can even be said that many of their future social problems are inextricably linked to this crisis caused by Wall Street greed.

Shiodome District in Tokyo Bay, the original birthplace of Japanese railways, has become a high-end business district where large companies gather today.

At noon, Inoue Shoji, who had just turned 40, stood in the sun in front of the company building with a cardboard box.

Although today's sun is also the strongest in the year, although he is still meticulously wearing a full set of formal clothes, and although the vehicles passing by on the road next to him are constantly emitting heat, Inoue Shoji feels like falling into an ice cave at this time, so cold that he doubts his life.

Or it can be said that it is because of doubting life that he feels bone-chilling cold.

But originally, there was no doubt that Inoue had lived a traditional mainstream life in the country for the past 40 years.

Such a life can be described in a few words. When he was a teenager, he went to school like everyone around him, then he was admitted to a university that was either ordinary or extraordinary. When he was young, he graduated from university and successfully found a job in a large company. When he reached middle age, he got married and had children, and then lived his life in a conventional manner...

He had no thoughts of pursuing so-called ideals, challenges, or starting a business, which were unrealistic and non-mainstream things.

Even more non-mainstream was resignation and job hopping.

Inoue Shoji and his peers, as well as their predecessors, have always accepted the idea that in their country, work is a longer-lasting relationship than marriage, and a company is a more stable home than one's own family.

So the idea they have always adhered to is to treat the company as home and become one with the company.

Since graduating from university and joining the workforce, Inoue Shoji has not only thought so, but also strictly followed this path. He has devoted himself to treating the company as his home, worked diligently and conscientiously, and willingly worked overtime according to the company's requirements. He has never thought about overtime pay - since the company is his home, why should he work overtime?

The biggest diversion is the few glasses of wine after get off work, and the regular and irregular visits to Shibuya to find some fresh student girls...

In any case, in the past few decades, he has lived a successful life in line with the people's words. Although he did not hold a high position in the company, he still has a good family, a good house, and enjoys good benefits provided by the company.

This is also the path his parents have taken, and the common state of many of his peers.

On the streets of Shibuya at night, which seem a bit bizarre because of various neon lights, middle-aged people like him who are accompanied by a high school girl in school uniform, and middle-aged people who sit on a bench in a small wine shop on the side of the alley and do not say a word during rush hour... One person can represent a large group.

Although they look different, were born in different places, went to different universities, and had different jobs, they actually have the same life trajectory and experience.

But they are still very satisfied. Isn't life like this?

Until noon today, with a notice from the human resources department and a rare bow from the supervisor, Inoue Shoji's well-behaved, mainstream and happy life came to an abrupt end.

The company he treated as a writer fired him.

At the same time, many of his familiar and unfamiliar colleagues were abandoned by this family.

In the bustling streets of Tokyo in July, the sun was scorching, but Inoue Shoji, who was over 40 years old, felt frozen in his heart. He felt that his entire life, including himself, was like a dream and unreal.

He was not confused in his youth, but now he was as confused as an adolescent child when he encountered setbacks...

…………

In the SoftBank headquarters building covered with grass-green glass not far from Inoue Shoji, the short Masayoshi Son stood in front of the window with his arms folded. He didn't need to look closely, just a glance at the small black dots standing still downstairs, and he could roughly estimate how many people were fired by the surrounding companies today.

The overall economic situation is really getting worse.

It is indeed getting worse.

Since the end of last year, their 71-month economic expansion period has ended.

Faced with the dual pressures of economic recession and inflation, SoftBank's experts also predicted that, optimistically, their GDP growth rate this year will drop from 2% in 2007 to 0%.

If it is not optimistic, then this number may be negative.

Now it seems that it is undoubtedly not optimistic.

Since last summer, the yen has been passively appreciating, but this is not good news for most companies. The economists under his command concluded that for every yen appreciation of the yen against the dollar, the average current income of Japanese companies will fall by 0.5%.

Last year, the average exchange rate against the dollar was 117.76, but now it has only hovered around 100, which has appreciated by at least 10 yen.

The sharp decline in income is precisely because these companies have to break the traditional tradition and start laying off employees while recruiting temporary workers and interns who can reduce expenses.

Son Zhengyi himself hates such unconventional behavior, but facing the current situation, especially the oil price, which is still rising and will soon break through $150, he really has nothing to say.

He hurried back to the headquarters from the United States to deal with and solve some problems of SoftBank in China.

The main problem is still the funding problem.

Although the Bank of Japan has made a lot of efforts to improve liquidity, this cannot change the "cautious market" behavior of major banks under the current circumstances.

The shortage of US dollars in the international market has aggravated this trend.

For many banks, in the United States and Europe, more and more banks are in trouble or even bankrupt. The first thing they need to consider is their own survival and security.

At this time, the more funds you have in your hands, the higher the chance of safely surviving this crisis.

Such a trend inevitably affects several financings that Son Zhengyi has already negotiated.

At least the banks are aware that one of the main reasons for the current crisis is high leverage, and Son Zhengyi's acquisition of Yahoo at this time is undoubtedly a typical high-leverage acquisition.

In the past two days, he has personally met with the senior executives of several financing banks and tried his best to dispel their doubts. Despite this, several financings that have been negotiated have inevitably been cancelled.

Some bankers have not forgotten the huge losses suffered by Masayoshi Son and his SoftBank in the last Internet crisis.

Many friends have kindly and sincerely reminded him of this move. Is it appropriate to acquire an Internet company at this time?

Masayoshi Son himself also thinks that it is at least not too cost-effective.

When the stock prices of high-tech companies in the United States have fallen one after another, Yahoo, whose revenue performance is actually average, has risen sharply against the market recently. This is naturally due to their bidding.

And Yahoo's rising stock price naturally greatly increased their acquisition costs.

But he did not waver because of this. His ambition has always been to become the number one Internet company in Asia. Because of some reasons - mainly because of Feng Yiping, he has been ashamed to mention this ambition for a long time.

And he believes that now is the best opportunity to realize his dream.

"Knock knock," someone knocked on the door twice.

"Hmm?" He squeaked without turning his head.

"Sir, Mr. Zhang is coming soon," the secretary reminded softly.

"Okay," Masayoshi Son nodded, and his frown relaxed a little.

Mr. Zhang is the representative of a Chinese bank. Chinese banks can be said to be the least affected banks in this crisis. Masayoshi Son guessed that they should not change their original intention.

It is even possible to let them further increase the amount of financing.

However, thinking of another problem, his brows frowned again.

He has received news that Feng Yiping has arrived in Silicon Valley, which always makes him feel a little uneasy.

Therefore, his proposal, and the advantage that Yahoo has finally formed, will change again because of Feng Yiping?

It is difficult for him to put his mind at ease.

Fortunately, he did not worry for long. While he was still warmly greeting the Chinese bankers, the assistant told him a news that Microsoft and NEXTDOOR once again increased their acquisition offer, this time, by 1.2 billion US dollars!

Like Inoue Shoji, Masayoshi Son suddenly felt that it was a little cold at noon in this hot summer.