Chapter 132: Pangea System
Chapter 132: Pangea System
Earth Resource didn't have set working hours.
It was partly due to remote work from the coronavirus, but fundamentally, it was left up to the employees' discretion.
“Hello.”
“Good morning!”
It had started ever since Kim Shin began coming into the office.
Female employees who had been working from home started dressing up nicely and showing up at the company.
Oh Myeong-woo nodded at the sight.
“This is the Kim Shin effect!”
A term frequently used in the stock market.
When stock prices dropped or inflation concerns arose, articles would mention the Kim Shin effect.
At Earth Resource, Kim Shin's arrival had gotten the female employees to come into the office.
* * *
One thing he felt upon returning to the office after so long was how cramped the space was.
While regular employees enjoyed flexible schedules, the developers pulled all-nighters like it was nothing.
The place was buzzing with employees from early morning, and there weren't many good restaurants around the building.
Lunchtime was sacred for office workers... This was unacceptable.
“Jong-yeop, how's the progress on that San Francisco headquarters I asked you to scout?”
“Earth Channel's content division is relocating to Los Angeles—can't we push it back a little?”
“Why?”
“San Francisco real estate prices are insane. The buildings cost a fortune.”
“Yeah? How much we talking?”
Lee Jong-yeop had been checking in with real estate contacts whenever he had time, but he still hadn't found anything suitable.
“A nearby 25-story new build is listed for $2.2 billion.”
“That's steep.”
“Yeah. But it's pretty sizable. Hasn't even been three years since completion.”
Commercial office space had been shunned by investors due to the coronavirus, driving prices down to this level.
If it had been for himself, Lee Jong-yeop might have recommended it, but he knew this was meant for Oh Myeong-woo.
‘If a professional executive had delivered Earth Resource's results, what kind of reward would he have gotten?’
Stock options and other bonuses—easily tens of billions in extra pay.
It was a company I'd founded, but Oh Myeong-woo more than qualified as a co-founder.
He wanted to turn the guy into a landlord, letting him pocket monthly rent at least.
“Let's go check out the building first.”
“Yes, CEO.”
He toured the building with Lee Jong-yeop.
San Francisco jutted out like the top of a beer bottle.
The city had no room to spare, and to the southeast lay Silicon Valley, born from Stanford University and Hewlett-Packard.
Further east was San Jose.
Apple's spaceship-like headquarters, Intel, Cisco, eBay—they were all clustered there.
Software was centered in San Francisco, while hardware trended further southeast.
‘Headquarters need to be in the city.’
No plans to leave San Francisco without a massive factory.
For internet and software, top-tier developers were the core competitive edge.
The company needed to be in a city that could attract elite talent and constantly inspire them with fresh ideas.
Environment mattered.
That's why he nodded immediately at the building Lee Jong-yeop showed him.
For the price, it didn't lack in size or design compared to the Los Angeles one.
“Push for a better price in negotiations, then go ahead and buy it.”
“Really? I thought we were gifting it to Brother Myeong-woo. This place alone will mean massive tax issues.”
“I'll handle the taxes too. To me, Oh Myeong-woo is worth a building like this.”
You couldn't just hand over $2 billion-plus to a friend because you had money to burn.
But Oh Myeong-woo had proven his worth time and again.
Wasn't withholding deserved pay from someone who earned it basically theft?
Lee Jong-yeop's eyes sparkled oddly.
“Brother.”
“Yeah?”
“I'll pledge my loyalty from here on out.”
* * *
The cloud gaming system that Eddie and the development team had built.
If Source Coin pulled resources from other people's computers, the cloud gaming system provided corporate resources.
A give-and-take that maximized efficiency for both sides.
‘If we could link up all the computers on Earth, couldn't we get ten times the performance?’
Around 20,000 consumer PCs could match supercomputer levels.
Earth Resource's computing power, boosted by Source Coin, exceeded 1 exaFLOP.
That was like having 25 supercomputers at 40 petaFLOPS each.
And capacity could scale with Source Coin issuance.
“Eddie, so we're keeping Source Coin as is and running the cloud gaming system off data centers?”
“Yeah. With current tech, we need them to avoid bottlenecks.”
That was not a major problem.
Earth Resource on Source Coin offered unbeatable cost-performance, but data centers had to be built or acquired nonstop.
“People hear ‘cloud gaming system’ and think it's just games. Mind if we rename it?”
“To what?”
“Pangea. Sound good?”
The name from 200-300 million years ago, when all continents were joined.
“Pangea System. I like the ring of it.”
With Eddie's approval, preparations for the Pangea System proceeded steadily.
Earth Channel had surpassed 400 million subscribers, but data center capacity had plenty of headroom.
In Earth Channel's early days—Top Gun, octopus games, etc.—users binge-watched content like mad.
Now they were in a stable phase.
Data centers had expanded relentlessly with new subscribers and services.
“Launch Pangea System in April, prioritizing games.”
“We've got time. I'll make sure it's flawless by then.”
“Sounds good.”
He spent just a week in San Francisco, then booked a flight to New York.
He left Lee Jong-yeop behind to handle the headquarters purchase and arrived with his security detail.
“Welcome. CEO Kim Shin.”
This time, he stayed at a hotel.
The general manager had spotted him ahead of time and personally escorted him from the lobby.
A top-floor penthouse happened to be available; nightly rate was $40,000.
Not just crashing there—it was business necessity—so he gritted his teeth and booked it.
“Right this way to your suite.”
Staff handling luggage was a given.
A private elevator took him directly to the penthouse on the fifty-second floor.
Manhattan sprawled out the windows, with a duplex layout, library, even a garden.
‘Worlds away from those business hotels with just a lone bed.’
Even most rich folks couldn't afford to stay here regularly.
Being able to sleep here proved he wasn't just any rich guy anymore.
“Thanks for the escort.”
“Rest well. Call if you need anything.”
He thanked the general manager, but tipped the bellhops $100 each.
Generous for simple work, but as a supposed ultra-rich, he couldn't bring himself to hand out $10 bills.
* * *
The flight to New York took five hours.
By the time he reached the airport and hotel, it was evening, so he crashed hard that night and reached out the next day.
―Kim Shin: Long time. I'm in New York now—want to grab some work? Would love to meet you and some JP Morgan execs.
―Kim Shin: Sorry it's so sudden.
―Ellie: Wow, it's been forever. Work?
―Kim Shin: Yeah. 100% investment-related, that's why I'm hitting you up.
―Ellie: I'll check with the executive office.
Things with Ellie were sorted emotionally, so reaching out felt natural.
Few trustworthy contacts in finance, and handing her some performance wouldn't hurt.
He figured “executive office” meant a VP or managing partner.
Ten minutes later, a reply.
―Ellie: Chairman says he's free today.
―Kim Shin: The Chairman?
Was JP Morgan's chairman really that available?
―Ellie: Had a meeting with the deputy mayor, but he canceled to see you.
* * *
That afternoon at 4 PM, JP Morgan's chairman, managers, and Ellie arrived at the hotel.
“I'm Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan.”
“Kim Shin.”
He shook hands lightly, going down the line: JP Morgan's chairman, managers, Ellie.
Shaking Ellie's hand brought back old memories for a flash, then gone.
She looked sharp in a suit, perfect for finance.
They sat on the large sofa in the library, with simple refreshments from room service on the table.
Jamie spoke first.
“Great to meet you. I heard you met Goldman Sachs Chairman David Solomon recently.”
“Yeah, he had time. Nothing more to it.”
“Haha. I know. I just wanted to meet you a day sooner myself. Last year's returns? Legendary in Wall Street history.”
He thought he'd built some name as a businessman in America, but Wall Street respected him far more as an investor.
Either way, respect wasn't bad.
“Thinking of investing through JP Morgan.”
“Yes. Go ahead. I brought only trusted people, eager for your proposal.”
He nodded.
The fact that she had come with the chairman meant that the company was fully committed.
Ellie rising like this was impressive too.
“Companies I'm eyeing: AMD, Intel, Nvidia, Micro Technology, Texas Instruments, AMAT, ASML, Wolfspeed, etc.”
“Lots of computer and semiconductor plays.”
“Yeah, exactly.”
The market caps of those he listed meant even huge sums could flow in.
“Seeing this as the bottom for semis and buying in?”
Not just Jamie—the managers looked curious too.
It was the middle of the pandemic.
People stuck home drove massive sales in computers and electronics.
Related stocks had soared, so his interest puzzled them.
“Opposite.”
“Opposite...? Shorting them?”
Jamie leaned in, eyes wide.
Short selling.
A thrilling, electric word.
The magic that woke sleepy investors and financiers.
But he knew an even cooler one.
“Thinking put options on those names.”
“Put options?”
It carried the greatest risk, but it also promised the sweetest rewards.
Last year, with the NYSE booming, derivatives volume exploded.
Daily options trading on single stocks topped $500 billion in notional value.
Corporations and countries made bank, but finance moved in different leagues.