Chapter 343: The Obstacle That Cannot Be Avoided
Shirakawa Electric's stock price hit the daily limit less than an hour after its listing, and it wasn't just the parties involved in the East Stock Exchange who were excited.
The Shirakawa Electric Factory, also located in various places, was also a scene of jubilation.
As stakeholders with direct interests in the company, many workers not only bought the original shares, but also bought some of the issued shares.
Their idea was simple: Shirakawa Electric was going to go public, so it was only right for them to provide some support.
It has to be said that at this time, Japanese workers had a very strong sense of belonging to their own company.
In the context of the lifetime employment system, they generally regard the company as the destination of their future career.
In addition, Shirakawa Electric has formulated a series of policies that are actually very considerate to the workers.
Therefore, out of gratitude and a strong sense of belonging, many people buy new shares.
Now the share price of Shirakawa Electric has directly hit the top and reached the upper limit price of 1,300 yen. Of course, everyone has reason to be happy.
You have to know that as internal employees, they purchased the original shares at a price of only 200 yen per share.
The current stock price is 1,300 yen, so this calculation means a price difference of 1,100 yen.
Even though each person only had a quota of 1,000 plants, the net profit in just half a day was almost one million yen.
1 million yen, that’s more than half a year’s salary for them.
How could the lower-class wage earners not be happy with such a huge sum of money?
Having made a fortune, they were so excited that they jumped up and down in the meeting hall. Some even raised their fists and shouted, "President, get on board!"
After this listing experience, it goes without saying that the employees of Shirakawa Electric cherish their jobs even more.
At the same time, I was secretly thinking that I could buy more employee shares within the company in the future.
This is a benefit provided by Shirakawa Electric to its own employees. For every purchase of 10,000 yen or more, 20% more stock will be given.
Many large companies have such equity incentives, the purpose of which is to encourage employees to support their own stocks.
Not to mention the jubilation at Shirakawa Electric, Yamauchi Hiroshi, who was far away in Kyoto, was also feeling extremely complicated at this time.
Shirakawa Electric's stock price hit the daily limit, and to be honest, Nintendo, which acted quietly, also made a lot of money.
But when he thought about his competitor Shirakawa Electric making more money, Yamauchi Hiroshi felt uncomfortable.
Yes, his idea is so simple. It would be great if he could make money while Shirakawa Electric suffered losses.
Especially the share price of 1,300 yen, it is really eye-catching.
Nintendo's stock price is still hovering below 200 yen, not even a fraction of Shirakawa Electric's.
Not to mention the total market value, Nintendo is only 200-300 billion, while Shirakawa Electric is close to 110 billion...
Sour, really sour.
Feeling unhappy, Yamauchi Hiroshi thought about it and asked someone to call Masayuki Uemura from the second R&D department to his office.
"How's the development of our home game console going?"
That’s right, Nintendo is also developing its own home game console, and even the project was launched at about the same time as Shirakawa Electric.
This idea came to me around November last year.
It has to be said that as opponents of each other, although both sides did not reveal any information at the beginning, their actions were surprisingly consistent.
However, Shirakawa Electric wanted to develop a home game console because Shirakawa Kaede gave the order himself.
However, Nintendo was influenced by Coleco in developing home game consoles. In the US market, Coleco's home game console obtained the license for Nintendo's "Donkey Kong".
Later, the "Donkey Kong" cartridge game developed by Coleco sold more than 1 million copies in just one year.
As the copyright owner of the game, how could Nintendo not be jealous? Would Yamauchi Hiroshi have no ideas?
Thinking of making money, he gave the order to develop a home console without hesitation and took the prototype from Coleco as a reference.
Masayuki Uemura, who is currently in charge of the development of home game consoles, looked a little embarrassed when he heard Yamauchi Hiroshi's question.
"Other issues are being resolved, but the processor has not yet been finalized."
After several years of deep cultivation in the field of game consoles, Nintendo has also accumulated some of its own technologies.
But when I actually used it, I felt it was not enough, because home game consoles, handheld game consoles and arcade machines are completely different platforms.
The handheld game console is too simple, and its development experience cannot be applied to home game consoles at all.
The arcade machine was too huge, and the circuit board inside was a complete behemoth.
It is not a small challenge for Nintendo to miniaturize them and fit them into a small home console.
However, these are not the problems, the most critical thing is the processor.
It is the core component of a home game console, and its selection determines the machine's hardware cost, operating conditions, and development difficulty.
Masayuki Uemura and other members of the team also went to semiconductor companies to study design plans, but the results were not ideal.
Upon hearing that the development of home consoles encountered difficulties, Yamauchi Hiroshi subconsciously frowned.
"Is there no processor on the market that can meet the needs of home console development?"
"Yes, there is, but due to cost or other reasons, no decision has been made yet." Masayuki Uemura looked embarrassed.
"Tell me in detail." Tyrant Yamauchi Hiroshi was ready to personally determine the selection of the processor now. The development progress at Shirakawa Electric also put a lot of pressure on him.
Masayuki Uemura thought for a moment and then answered.
“The Z80 used in arcade machines can also be used as a processor for home game consoles, but it is an older model and the price is a bit high.
MOS6502 is also OK, Atari's home game console uses their chip, but its price is similar to Z80, which is a bit tight on the budget.
But there is another type of chip on the market that is the best choice in terms of performance and price, and it is also a processor designed by a local Japanese company..."
"Oh~ Which company produces the Japanese chip?" Yamauchi Hiroshi's eyes lit up.
It’s good to be local. With my own connections, it shouldn’t be difficult to make this deal.
"Uh," Uemura Masayuki stammered, "It's SIC's SIC8089A processor."
When it comes to selecting chips for home computers, Masayuki Uemura has tried most of the processors on the market.
SIC8089A is one of the few chips he likes.
In terms of performance, it is even better than Z80 and MOS6502, and its price is only a dozen dollars, making it the cheapest processor on the market.
It is said that as long as the order volume reaches 1 million pieces, the price will drop by one third. This quotation is very tempting.
Compared with the other two chips, it will definitely save a lot of cost.
I just don’t know how the president will choose. Masayuki Uemura looked up at Yamauchi Hiroshi behind the desk.
When Yamauchi Hiroshi heard Masayuki Uemura announce the name of SIC, his brows, which had just relaxed, began to frown again.
If it was before, maybe he wouldn't have thought too much about it.
But after the briefing by Shirakawa Electric, how could he not understand who the capital behind SIC was? You know, he was at the scene at that time.
After much deliberation, Yamauchi Hiroshi rejected SIC's chips in his heart. It would be too risky to use competitors' products for core components.
Thinking of this, he picked up the phone on the table and started dialing the number.
After a while, the call was connected. Yamauchi Hiroshi said a few words and then hung up.
"Go to Ricoh, they have the license for MOS6502 and developed their own chip based on this technology.
I just contacted them and they should be able to offer a good discount.”
"Ha!" Masayuki Uemura nodded to show that he understood.
Ricoh Semiconductor and Nintendo also have a certain cooperative relationship. Their arcade machines were commissioned to be developed by Mitsubishi Electric, and the chips they use are from Ricoh.
With this kind of relationship, they can be considered to have some friendship with each other.
Looking at Masayuki Uemura's departing back, Yamauchi Hiroshi sighed tiredly.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to deal with Shirakawa Electric now.
Before, they could still trip up their opponents with LCDs, but in less than a year, Shirakawa Electric's LCD factory had already gone into production.
Now it’s even more amazing, as all other competitors are eligible to get a piece of the processor chip pie.
Compared with Shirakawa Electric, Nintendo's technological accumulation is far behind.
The only area where Nintendo still has an advantage is its stronger content development team and related talent pool.
I just don’t know how long this advantage can last.
Yamauchi Hiroshi looked towards Tokyo with concern, lost in thought.
Shirakawa Kaede, who was far away in Tokyo, was being enthusiastically sought after by the media at this moment.
"Mr. Shirakawa, what do you think about the stock price hitting the daily limit on the first day of listing?"
"Shirakawa Electric's market value has exceeded one trillion, and it has officially become a super giant enterprise. So what strategic adjustments will your company make in terms of operations next?"
"Mr. Shirakawa, now that you have become a trillionaire, what are your plans for your personal life? "
Everyone's questions are varied, but most of them are focused on wealth issues.
Either it's about Shirakawa Electric or it's about personal life.
Everyone thinks that if one's wealth suddenly increases, can one arrange for a plane and a yacht?
After all, the public pays attention to these things and likes to read gossip about them.
Baichuan Feng was at a loss whether to laugh or cry at these strange questions.
However, as it was a media appreciation meeting after the listing, he could only try to answer as formally as possible.
The audience are all business people, how can they speak without restraint and do whatever they want?
If you ask me urgently, I can only reply with a private jet or something, but I have no plans for the time being.
"Shirakawa-san, Nintendo's Yamauchi Hiroshi said the other day that if Shirakawa Electric's home game console sales exceed one million units, he will walk upside down.
What do you think of Mr. Yamauchi's response? Are you confident that Shirakawa Electric's home game console can sell 1 million units?
The media, who love to watch the fun, will certainly not miss this explosive news.
At the press conference after Shirakawa Electric went public, he directly asked Shirakawa Feng for his opinion.
As soon as this question was asked, the eyes of the reporters around lit up. They were really enjoying eating melons recently.
"I don't have much opinion on this issue. But Mr. Yamauchi is old, so there is no need for him to walk upside down.
As a junior, no matter how Shirakawa Electric's home game consoles perform in the future, I will personally visit them."
After hearing Baichuan Feng's answer, the reporters automatically ignored the second sentence.
The first sentence is the sex scene. The reporters around are writing furiously, with indescribable satisfaction on their faces.
Listen, this answer is really wonderful.
It seems like he is considering Yamauchi Hiroshi's status as a senior, but isn't the other implication that Shirakawa Electric will definitely win?
However, unlike Yamauchi's big mouth, even if Shirakawa Denki wins, it will not really let Yamauchi walk upside down.
Look, both sides have confidence and grace, and the difference in their responses is obvious.
Well, in front of the media, you still have to say some nice words.
Of course, Shirakawa Kaede had heard about Yamauchi Hiroshi's previous remarks about his own game console. After all, someone called him that day.
But he is too lazy to talk nonsense, it's too low.
At least with my current status, I no longer need to rely on big talk to gain fame.
But since this question has been asked, it's okay to give a brief response.
Don’t you see what the situation is now? It’s the Tokyo Stock Exchange, but how can it give confidence to shareholders and investors?
Just after the media meeting of Shirakawa Electric ended, people from IBM found him again.
After the Blue Book jointly released by Shirakawa Electric and Sony was officially launched, Louis, who was sitting on the Diaoyutai, could no longer maintain his previous composure.
I wanted to contact Shirakawa Electric yesterday to discuss the standardization of optical drives, but he was busy with the listing and had no time to talk to him.
Now that the listing has ended, the other party can’t wait to come to us.
Well, the CD storage issue that has dragged on for so long should finally be put to an end.
