The Tyrant Billionaire

Hardy had acted independently, making Giannini feel that Hardy was an unruly child, beyond his control. He thought of kicking him out, letting Hardy learn a lesson, and then, after a while, Hardy would come back humbly, begging for forgiveness, making it easier to control him in the future.

But unexpectedly, Hardy brought such information.

Now, it was no longer a matter of kicking Hardy out of the consortium; it was about how to align with Hardy, who had wisely chosen to invest in the person who should be invested in. How could he win Hardy over?

At this moment, Johnson was the most isolated and in need of help. If Hardy extended a helping hand, and if Johnson were re-elected, the return to Hardy would be countless times greater than what Dewey could offer.

As an experienced banker, Giannini could easily calculate this.

Now, Giannini was considering how to ensure that Bank of America and the California consortium could gain the most benefit from this situation.

"Hardy, what are you planning to do?" Giannini asked.

Hardy replied, "Mr. Giannini, I have a way for the California consortium to gain the maximum benefit. Would you like to hear it?"

"Of course." Giannini unconsciously sat up straighter.

"You should continue investing in Dewey, but don't invest too much—just maintain the current level. After all, these are just my speculations. If Dewey wins, the California consortium can still secure the returns it should get."

"And I will continue to invest in Johnson. If Johnson successfully gets re-elected, I believe we will gain more than if Dewey took office."

"I hope to reach an agreement with you, Mr. Giannini, that no matter who wins, we will support each other through difficult times, instead of kicking each other when we're down."

After speaking, Hardy looked at Giannini.

In essence, it was a split investment, something Giannini understood well. Hardy's proposal of a private agreement for mutual support was meant to ensure the survival of the business.

Giannini thought for a while, "Alright, I agree to this agreement."

Hardy smiled lightly.

He continued, "Mr. Giannini, this agreement is a private one between the two of us. There's no need to make it public, not even to the other companies within the consortium. My idea is that Bank of America publicly announces a disagreement with Hardy Group, making it seem like there's significant discord between us, to the point where it appears the Hardy Group might leave the California consortium."

"This way, we can appease the members within the consortium."

"But don't announce the result—keep it vague, drag it out for a few months, and wait until the election results come out. Then we'll discuss how to proceed."

Giannini looked at Hardy in surprise.

Is this really a man in his twenties?

This level of political maneuvering is even more sophisticated than that of old foxes who have been immersed in the business world for decades.

...

A few days later.

Giannini was attending a local social event when a reporter asked him a question: "Mr. Giannini, the California Consortium has chosen to support Dewey, but the Hardy Group, a member of the California Consortium, has chosen to support President Johnson. Can you comment on this?"

Giannini's previously smiling face turned serious as he responded in a solemn tone: "The Hardy Group's decision to support President Johnson's re-election was made without prior communication with us. I want to make it clear here that the California Consortium will continue to support Governor Dewey."

"Does this mean the California Consortium has severed ties with the Hardy Group?" the reporter inquired.

Giannini's expression grew darker, and he frowned as he replied, "The consortium is a collective, united for mutual development. Since a divergence has occurred, we are currently considering whether the Hardy Group should remain in the consortium. This decision will need to be made by the majority of our members."

The reporter wanted to ask more questions, but Giannini left with a heavy expression.

The next day.

An article was published in The New York Times titled, "A Split in the California Consortium: The Hardy Group May Be Expelled." The report detailed the entire situation.

The California Consortium supports Dewey, but the Hardy Group, as a member of the consortium, went to support Dewey's opponent, Johnson. Some consider this a betrayal. The consortium is a collective; if members act independently like the Hardy Group, disregarding the collective interests, there's no reason for the consortium to keep them.

After this report was released, many newspapers reprinted it, and soon the entire American public was aware of the situation.

As a rival of ABC Television, seeing its rival company, the Hardy Group, in trouble, NBC and Columbia Television naturally seized the opportunity to kick them while they were down. Both networks reported on the matter in their news programs.

And it didn't stop there.

They also invited guests to their talk shows to analyze and mock the situation. Each guest voiced their opinions, but the consensus was the same: Hardy had made a terrible move this time, and this investment would lead to significant losses for the Hardy Group.

"ABC Television recently produced a documentary praising President Johnson, glorifying his achievements, and even inviting him to appear on 'The Irina Tonight Show.' They put a lot of effort into this."

"But what I want to say is that this Jon Hardy is too young. Young people love to take risks. This may have been his method to make money in the past, but he doesn't understand politics. With Dewey's support so high, Johnson has no chance of turning things around."

"This investment is doomed to fail."

Other guests joined in with the ridicule, showing their disdain to the fullest. Some said Hardy was just a nouveau riche who couldn't recognize his limits anymore. Others predicted that the Hardy Group would soon collapse.

As these reports circulated, they also had an impact on the stock prices of the Hardy Group's subsidiaries. Several of its publicly traded companies experienced a decline in their stock prices.