Chapter 160: SNS Launch
Chapter 160: SNS Launch
Earth Channel was creating a global sensation.
It swept through the OTT market at an astonishing speed, expanded into a video platform business, and even ventured into messenger services on app stores and SNS.
“Earth Channel is growing at an incredibly rapid pace in the mobile market.”
“And the effect of us excluding them from our app store?”
“It seems to have had an impact initially.”
“And now?”
“Since Earth Channel expanded into SNS and messengers, that influence has diminished, and there's now a backlash in public opinion.”
A strategy meeting was underway at Google, whose business areas overlapped significantly with Earth Resource.
〈Google’s In-App Payment Tyranny Kills Both Developers and Consumers〉
〈Arrogant Mega-Platform’s Rampage: What’s the Alternative?〉
〈New York Times: “US Government Should Take Notes from Korea’s Apple and Google Regulations.”〉
〈Biden on Trial: Earth Resource or Google—Which Side Will He Take?〉
The media and public opinion were not favorable toward Google.
Back when mobile operating systems were being distributed and the app store culture was taking root, the 30% commission wasn’t an issue.
But as the app store market grew and companies started raking in billions from single apps, it became unreasonable for them to hand over 30% of their revenue to Google just for providing a download space.
“We created the smartphone market. Yet the media seems to undervalue our contributions.”
Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s words drew nods of agreement from the executives.
“Earth Channel’s app store has low usage but only takes a 10% cut.”
“It’s a tempting deal for developers.”
“And just recently, their paid subscribers surpassed 700 million. The low price point combined with the all-in-one platform approach is proving highly effective.”
“They’re aggressively targeting the populous Asian market.”
From Google’s perspective, dealing with Earth Channel felt deeply unfair.
They had cultivated the market, only for latecomers to swoop in and reap the rewards.
Whenever Google expanded into new ventures, critics labeled it as a mega-corp dominating the market.
Earth Channel, meanwhile, was freely spreading its tentacles, even minting coins daily.
With excess liquidity and speculative funds flooding in during the COVID era, Source Coin’s popularity had skyrocketed.
“Amazon, Microsoft, Apple—we’ve devised plenty of strategies against platform and software giants. We’re prepared to stay ahead. But competing against a company that prints money...”
Sundar Pichai shook his head.
The U.S. government showed no signs of regulating Earth Resource.
“If we can’t touch the company, what about Kim Shin himself? Any personal weaknesses?”
“Personal...”
“Drugs, women, gambling, that sort of thing.”
Journalists and private investigators tracking Kim Shin had proliferated.
Through them, Google had gathered a substantial amount of information.
“He’s known to be completely clean when it comes to drugs or gambling. He drinks cola and eats hamburgers, but he loves working out.”
“And women?”
Sundar Pichai asked with a glimmer of hope.
In America, a single man’s womanizing scandals rarely had the power to topple someone.
Earth Resource’s success stemmed partly from Kim Shin’s personal popularity, so dragging in women could spark controversy.
“He’s reportedly dating a woman he met while working at a company in Korea, though it’s not public knowledge.”
“Any others?”
“None. He’s squeaky clean.”
Even the one weakness every man might have—women—was spotless.
* * *
The scene shifted to Wall Street.
The southern tip of Manhattan was a hub for major financial institutions.
“Word is Goldman Sachs hit a massive jackpot.”
“Some guy bet over $40 billion and pocketed more than $10 billion in profit.”
“Which family’s money? Middle East? Asia?”
Rumors about Investor A spread rapidly through Manhattan.
In the financial world, rumors were notorious for their speed and accuracy.
“The investment was bold as hell. Dumped $40 billion in at once, sold off in two days, and locked in the gains.”
“Heard the dedicated trader was Ellie.”
“Ellie? The blonde?”
“Yeah.”
“She’s the one who handled Kim Shin’s trades.”
Wall Street knew Kim Shin’s name well and had analyzed him extensively.
Investments typically had rational reasons for profits or losses.
“Kim Shin’s an expert in the pharmaceutical sector.”
“He spotted COVID early and anticipated the crash. That’s how he nailed it with put options.”
“Post-crash, stocks were dirt cheap. Then the U.S. government and Fed started pumping money, so he bought calls.”
“Pulled out at year-end when valuations hit highs.”
Finance pros dissected his decisions and timing.
Kim Shin’s reputation and influence were quietly spreading.
“Investor A... gotta be Kim Shin, right?”
“Ellie’s got killer connections.”
“But she’s a newbie—barely three years in the industry?”
“She wasn’t managing any other big investors besides Kim Shin at year-end.”
Circumstantial evidence pointed strongly to Investor A being Kim Shin.
Goldman Sachs stayed mum but didn’t outright deny it.
In finance circles, that was as good as confirmation.
“We need to watch Kim Shin’s moves closely.”
“Follow the guy who understands money flows.”
* * *
Managing both businesses and investments brought me a flood of new proposals.
―Alison: Miami resort chain is requesting a $500 million investment.
―Kim Shin: Oh? I’ll take a look.
―Alison: Yes, sir.
He invested in steadily profitable ventures with strong asset values.
Two big changes stood out.
First was exercise.
Earth Channel regularly posted videos introducing Earth Resource companies and their operations.
―This CEO’s mukbang skills are on point.
―At some point, he started eating like VP Oh lol scary
Shocked by the comments, he kicked off personal training.
“Three more reps. Three, two, one. Alright, just two more!”
He resumed the CrossFit routine from Korea.
The difference now? America had tons of workout diehards, and as CEO, he couldn’t show weakness.
He was exercising in the company gym.
With trainers and staff watching, he pushed to hit his targets.
“Huff. Huff.”
“Good work. You’ve got real talent for this.”
The trainer stopped just shy of him passing out.
The most hated, resented person on earth.
“Your recovery’s quick, so we can ramp up the intensity next time.”
“...”
Exercise was brutal, but the post-shower refresh was divine.
He even shared the locker room with the male employees.
“Oh!”
When they thumbed up his stripped-down physique, satisfaction surged.
A precious inheritance from Dad—hard to build naturally.
Second was SNS.
“Shin-ah, we’re launching SNS at the company, but you don’t have one? Doesn’t that look weird?”
“You’re right.”
Myeong-woo had a point, so he set up an official account.
Life’s full of wastes anyway—how many live without any?
[I’ve started an SNS. Looking forward to connecting.]
A simple greeting post drew tens of millions of welcome comments and friend requests.
―Big bro, been waiting forever.
―Greetings from a Korean stock ant.
―Would love investment tips on SNS. Seriously grateful.
―So cool.
―When you coming to Korea?
―3 days, 40 million views? His fame is insane.
―Bro, thanks! Bought a house thanks to you.
―Oppa Kim Shin. I’ll drop by whenever I can. Student life means not daily, but I’ll stamp in every day.
Regular folks were followed by celebs.
[Tom Cruise: Haha. Looks like I’ll be seeing you more on Earth Channel.]
―Tom Cruise commenting ㄷㄷㄷ
―Hollywood connections
―Kim Shin bro invested in Top Gun, duh.
―Super stoked.
[Jennifer: Welcome! CEO!]
―Blackred’s Jennifer!
―1-billion-sub queen dropping by.
―Kim Shin bro uses the phone Jennifer designed?
―Jennifer’s ideal type is VP Oh Myeong-woo lol
[MrBeast: Welcome aboard. Let’s be friends.]
―YouTube king joins in
―He’s uploading to Earth Channel now too
―Trend master. Switched his main to Earth Channel.
―Streamers can’t resist Source Coin’s sweetness.
[White House: We welcome CEO Kim Shin’s SNS launch.]
―WTF????
―Official White House account ㄷㄷㄷ
My SNS debut blew up online.
A-list Korean celebrities, Hollywood actors, and hip-hop stars all left comments.
spurred by the White House, the UK, France, Germany, and Japan governments congratulated my launch.
[IBM: We welcome CEO Kim Shin’s SNS launch.]
[Intel: We welcome CEO Kim Shin’s SNS launch.]
[AMD: We welcome CEO Kim Shin’s SNS launch.]
[Isung Electronics: We welcome CEO Kim Shin’s SNS launch.]
[Qualcomm: We welcome CEO Kim Shin’s SNS launch.]
IT firms’ official accounts piled on.
Corporate trend confirmed.
[CBS: We welcome CEO Kim Shin’s SNS launch.]
[Bloomberg: We welcome CEO Kim Shin’s SNS launch.]
[Activision Blizzard: We welcome CEO Kim Shin’s SNS launch.]
[Riot Games: We welcome CEO Kim Shin’s SNS launch.]
[Walmart: We welcome CEO Kim Shin’s SNS launch.]
[Best Buy: We welcome CEO Kim Shin’s SNS launch.]
[Estée Lauder: We welcome CEO Kim Shin’s SNS launch.]
[Nike: We welcome CEO Kim Shin’s SNS launch.]
[Calvin Klein: We welcome CEO Kim Shin’s SNS launch.]
Broadcasters, game devs, sports brands—diverse companies amplified the buzz with official comments.
[Friends: 39.73 million]
From everyday people to governments, corps, and celebs—friend requests poured in.
Even on the second day, the attention showed no sign of dying down.
[Goldman Sachs: We welcome CEO Kim Shin’s SNS launch.]
[Citi Group: We welcome CEO Kim Shin’s SNS launch.]
[Visa: We welcome CEO Kim Shin’s SNS launch.]
[PayPal: We welcome CEO Kim Shin’s SNS launch.]
[McDonald’s: We welcome CEO Kim Shin’s SNS launch.]
[Del Monte: We welcome CEO Kim Shin’s SNS launch.]
Finance joined, then food giants.
The list included automakers such as Tesla, GM, and Ford; oil companies such as ExxonMobil and Chevron; and shipping firms such as UPS and FedEx.
Even Boeing and Lockheed Martin aircraft makers welcomed me.
―Kim Shin bro’s network is insane ㄷㄷㄷ
―Thought he was just a rich dude hyped by nationalism... but his connections are emperor-level.
―Companies seem more wary of him.
―Last year, Kim Shin bro was a major shareholder in Nasdaq blue chips.
―Gotta bow to major shareholders.
One company sparked unintended drama.
Earth SNS drew users worldwide, with solid translation features.
[National Geographic: We welcome CEO Kim Shin’s SNS launch.]
―Docu channel saying hi too.
―Officially launched on Earth Channel recently.
―Uploading all sorts of docs. Earth Channel’s homepage promo shot them to top channel instantly.
―Clothes!
―Huh?
―National Geographic is a Korean clothing brand.
―??????????