It was intended to be an exchange event organised by Silicon Valley for both emerging and established Internet firms, but the location was not in Silicon Valley; instead, it took place in a tech exhibition hall located in downtown Los Angeles.
The exchange event is set to run for three days, starting at 2 pm and concluding at 5 pm each day.
Per the schedule, a charity dinner will be hosted at a hotel at 7 pm on the evening that concludes the three-day event. Reports indicate that the mayor of Los Angeles and the governor of California are expected to be in attendance.
On the first day of the exchange event.
The tech giant IBM, software powerhouse Microsoft, computer manufacturing leaders HP and Dell, along with portal frontrunners Yahoo and AOL, all sent representatives at the vice president level or higher to participate in the summit's opening day.
That day, over 750 Internet companies of varying sizes took part in the exhibition; additionally, there were more than 3,000 invited investors, including Kyle, resulting in a bustling atmosphere in the tech exhibition hall.
Before long, Kyle made his way to the exhibition area of an Internet company.
"Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the Bitju exhibition space!"
"As you can see, our firm specialises in providing internet equipment. OK? Maybe our name isn't as renowned as Cisco's, but our devices are undoubtedly among the world's best. We firmly believe we will become the next Cisco. Or, to put it differently, we intend to outdo Cisco."
A middle-aged white man in a blue suit enthusiastically introduced his company.
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd, whether in agreement or not, erupted into polite applause.
"Alright, now I will showcase our latest technological innovations: America's new generation of server equipment."
For the next period, the middle-aged man began to extol the virtues of his company's devices.
No, to clarify, he was rambling!
"Damn!"
"Is this guy from a mental institution?"
"Even someone like me, an outsider, can see that he's completely misleading people for their money, right? The servers he mentioned are supposedly more advanced than the top models from 2020. How can that be possible?"
"Unbelievably deceitful!"
Kyle felt a wave of complaints rising in his mind and doubted that many people would believe his words.
However, the reality stunned Kyle!
After the middle-aged man's presentation, more than a dozen investment firms and individuals among the spectators expressed an interest in engaging in private discussions.
In an instant, Kyle felt a mix of emotions.
He wondered whether these supposedly interested investment groups and individuals genuinely wanted to discuss this device or if they were simply hired by Bitju.
Regardless, Kyle had no interest whatsoever.
"Yes, I am not an expert in the Internet field, so I can't identify which companies and projects are truly worth investing in. But I happen to be a time traveller, and I only invest in businesses I know will succeed in the future. Surely this way, I cannot lose money?"
This encapsulates Kyle's investment philosophy.
The Internet landscape of the 1990s was chaotic, both for business operators and individual investors. Especially towards the close of the 1990s, can you imagine that a person without a fixed office location, any registered capital, or unique technical expertise, armed only with a planning document and their words, could earn hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars?
Absolutely!
And it happened frequently!
If it weren't for this, the Internet bubble of the early 21st century might have faced its onset a bit later!
Who else can make a profit? They are all currently facing losses! They are all spending wildly and expanding crazily!
To be blunt, they don't even value Kyle's millions of investment funds!
"You'll come to regret this!"
Kyle found himself cursing inwardly: "Damn it, just wait until the internet bubble bursts, and then see how I handle you!"
By the end of the first day of the conference, Kyle unexpectedly came across a rather surprising company.
——Amazon.com.
The full name is Amazon Web Services, Inc.
The representative from Amazon at the summit was none other than founder and CEO Jeff Bezos himself.
"Mr. Bezos, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Kyle Page, the proprietor of a Hollywood firm and here as an investor," Kyle said, introducing himself.
"Pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Page."
The two exchanged a handshake.
The Jeff Bezos of this time hadn't yet assumed the iconic "Bald Bezos" look.
Reflecting on his journey, Jeff Bezos embodies both hardship and fortune.
At just 5 years old, his parents separated. Fortunately, his stepfather treated him wonderfully, providing a fantastic upbringing. As a student, he excelled, always serving as class monitor and valedictorian, highlighting his business acumen, earning a degree with honours from Princeton University, one of the top universities in both America and the world.
In adulthood, he continued to stand out.
Bezos worked at high-tech firms and trust companies on Wall Street, overseeing computer systems that managed assets totalling $250 billion. He made history by becoming the youngest vice president in this bank and trust company when he was just 25.
This is beyond unfair!
Between 1990 and 1995, Bezos co-founded a cutting-edge hedge fund trading management firm, and in 1992, he rose to the position of youngest senior vice president.
Thus, although Amazon was a relatively new entity and not yet on the scale seen in the future, it certainly wasn't short on funds!
"Damn wealthy individuals!"
Well, Kyle engaged in conversation with Bezos for quite some time, but he still turned down Kyle's investment offer.
In his own words: "I came to the summit today not in need of funding, but simply to take a look."
Damn wealthy individuals!
Bald Bezos, he's incredibly clever!
Kyle felt a bit disappointed looking at such a lucrative opportunity he couldn't grasp.
On the second day of the summit, Kyle failed to identify a single company worth investing in.
Either they were deceitful, irrational, or suffering from paranoia.
In any case, they could forget about receiving a dime from Kyle!
By the conclusion of the third and final day of the summit, Kyle had not succeeded in securing any investments and felt somewhat disheartened.
Now, Kyle felt he regretted not having read more books when it was necessary!
Kyle is indeed a time traveller, but honestly, he was merely an average person in his prior life, preoccupied with mundane tasks and occasionally catching up on the news. He only recognised the names of major corporations, so how would he know about other American internet companies?
Feeling a bit downcast, Kyle followed the venue's regulations and left the exhibition hall along with the throng.
"Hey man, these three days were incredible!"
"Yeah, I think it's time we made some changes!"
"Vesig, Wadi, I believe that by next year, when our ICQ comes out, we will be as successful as Microsoft, Netscape, and Cisco, and will be the focus of everyone's attention!"
A young man of Middle Eastern descent spoke to the other two.
Icq?
Oh shit!
In an instant, Kyle was startled!
Isn't this the chat software ICQ of the future?!