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62
Furio
I was quite confused.
I knew precisely how many stock options Amber Moltisanti possessed in ACS. Such knowledge was not public, but a major investor such as myself had access to the information. Not merely for Amber, but for everyone employed by the company.
At the estimated price which Google would acquire the company, Amber would earn nearly eight million dollars. Most Americans would never earn that much money in a lifetime of work. And she will have earned it after less than a year of employment at a single company.
Such a transaction was undeniably positive. It would give Amber the freedom to go anywhere, to do anything she wanted. She would no longer be shackled to her job, collecting a paycheck to pay off student loans and property tax and all the other burdens of the common man.
It was a tremendous gift, and one which I had been working to create for quite some time.
And yet she reacted as if I had thrown a bucket of raw fish on her desk.
As I watched her leave her office in anger, I resisted the urge to follow. It was understandable that she was afraid of change. Everyone was, to a certain degree. That was as true in Italy as it was here in San Francisco. Perhaps even more so.
She only needed time to process what it meant. Tomorrow, or the day after, she would be quite pleased with the result of the sale. With time, she would understand, and she would thank me for it.
I was beginning to love Amber Moltisanti in a way that pained me greatly. I would do anything for this woman. Even if she did not come work foreTodo, this sale would make her happy, and so I would do it without hesitation.
I found the other two owners of the company in Jude’s office, hastily typing at their laptops. Neither of them looked up when I entered.
“There is much work to do before the official offer arrives, yes?” I asked.
“Lots of work,” Owen agreed. “We have financial statements to analyze and projections to run. It’s not easy estimating our company’s long-term value, and we want to make sure Google’s offer is enough.”
“I’ll have some preliminary numbers ready in a few minutes,” Jude said, fingers flying over his keyboard.
“So you are both quite happy?” I asked.
“I’m fucking thrilled,” Owen said. He paused and turned to look at me. “But… what if we didn’t take the offer?”
“Why would you not do this?” I asked.
“An offer this early means other companies recognize our potential,” Owen explained. “Maybe we should stick to our guns and hold out until we go public. Our valuation might be higher at an IPO.”
I stared at the man in confusion. Jude was nodding along as well.
“Why do you react with hesitation now?” I asked. “Is it because of her reaction?” There was no need to clarify whichherI meant.
“I didn’t expect her to be so upset,” Jude admitted. “She really enjoys things the way they are, with Owen and me in charge.”
“I’m not saying weshouldn’ttake the deal,” Owen said. “But I’m going to weigh all of my options tonight. I don’t want to rush into anything, no matter how good it sounds.”
“Maybeespeciallybecause of how good it sounds,” Jude said. Owen nodded once in agreement.
“This reaction… this is ludicrous,” I said to them. “If Google offers what Larry implied, then we will all be wealthier than we ever expected to be in our lives. There is the potential to make more if we go public on our own, eventually, but that is not for certain. This offer, whatever it will be, is guaranteed money!”
Owen stood and began pacing in front of Jude’s desk. “I hear you. I really do. But I’m wondering if money isn’t everything. We’re comfortable right now. We don’tneedto sell. We can continue doing what we’re doing, growing and expanding our customer base and continuing with the core roadmap. If we turn down Google’s offer, they might come back months from now with a larger price.”
“I’m leaning toward selling,” Jude told me. “Obviously. But if we did not sell… that would not be a terrible thing, either.”
I looked back and forth between the two men like I was seeing them for the first time. They certainly were not who I thought they were when we first began doing business together. They were letting their own personal emotions get in the way of theirbusinessinstincts. They wanted to hold onto ACS, either because it was their baby, or because Amber did not want them to sell.
“Unfortunately,” I said slowly, “the decision may not be up to you. Combined, the two of you own forty-five percent of the company. This is also the amount I purchased from you in the Series A financing. When combined with the other ten percent of shareholders, who willgladlyside with me if it comes to a vote, the sale will surely go through.”
Jude’s eyes widened behind his glasses like he had never considered this. Owen narrowed his gaze at me instead. I merely gazed back at them evenly.
