Take Marvel Comics, for example. Ever since Mavi announced a $200 million investment in filming Spider-Man 1 and Spider-Man 2, Marvel's stock price has been soaring. It has been generating approximately $11 million in stock market revenue for him every week. Additionally, online sales of merchandise easily exceed $15 million per week.
Aside from Marvel Comics, the valuation of Google has skyrocketed from the original $600,000 to $78 million! In just nine months, its value has increased 130 times! (With the bankruptcy of the Excite search engine company, Google has become the largest search engine in the U.S., and the market has naturally reevaluated its worth.)
The key point is that this valuation is still rising. Many investors who recognize the company's potential are lining up to offer Mavi funding. However, he is considering partnering with two well-connected American companies to ensure Google maintains its dominant position and prevents emerging search engines from surpassing it.
As for Mavi's Blizzard Entertainment, there's not much to say—Counter-Strike has launched worldwide, and the company's monthly profits have reached tens of millions of dollars! The company's valuation has surged from the initial $12 million to $380 million!
Considering the overwhelming excitement among the employees, Mavi decided to reveal all the remaining prizes at once.
Taking a deep breath, he addressed the audience:
"The third prize will be awarded to five people, the second prize to three, the first prize to one, and the grand prize to one."
"As for the prizes, they are as follows… Five times the annual salary, a Ferrari of your choice, $3 million in cash, and a $5 million luxury home!"
The moment he finished speaking, the hundreds of employees in the audience went absolutely wild with excitement!
"What!? Did I hear that right? Five times my annual salary? That means my $250,000 salary becomes $1.25 million!?" A senior executive at Marvel calculated excitedly.
Mavi's five-times-salary reward was unprecedented. For senior executives, it was even more enticing than the second, first, or grand prizes!
"A Ferrari of choice, $3 million in cash, and a $5 million mansion!? How much is all that worth in total? Ahhh, I can't even calculate it!" Nearly every employee, from executives to regular staff, was on the verge of losing their minds with excitement.
Seated in the audience, Mavi's 18 business partners were dumbfounded. Watching him hand out money like this, they couldn't help but feel awed by his generosity.
The total cost of the fifth-place prizes alone was $4.5 million. Adding in the fourth-place $5 million in gold, the third-place five-times salary (an estimated $5.5 million), the second-place Ferraris, and the first and grand prizes worth $8 million…
That amounted to at least $25 million! Equivalent to 200 million yuan! Just given away at an annual company event…
There was no doubt—Mavi was the undisputed "Best Boss of the Year 2000" worldwide!
Looking at the ecstatic employees in the audience, Mavi maintained a smile on stage. While $25 million might seem like an enormous sum, for him, it was just a drop in the bucket. He could earn that amount in just over a week.
However, for the long-term growth of his companies, most of his earnings were reinvested to expand operations, ensuring his companies maintained their industry-leading positions without being overtaken.
(At present, Mavi's savings are close to $500 million. With the aircraft carrier order incoming, his wealth is about to skyrocket even further. Spending a little money like this has no impact on him.)
That night, some employees uploaded the Ma V Group's 2000 annual event prize list online, showing off their boss's generosity:
"Our chairman is absolutely insane! He casually handed out $25 million in prizes! A $5 million mansion, $5 million in gold, $7.5 million in cash…"
These posts, along with photos of the prizes, quickly went viral, sparking envy and admiration from netizens and even competitors.
"Oh my god! Is your company hiring? I want to switch jobs immediately!"
"Your boss is amazing! Meanwhile, our boss gave us cooking oil as our annual bonus… so stingy!"
"$25 million in bonuses? Your boss is way too generous. I'm so jealous!"
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Amidst the employees' joyous celebrations, Ma V Group wrapped up a successful 2000 and looked forward to an exciting 2001.
Meanwhile, a mysterious nation's aircraft carrier order was officially placed with the Ukrainian government, totaling $2.9 billion!
However, considering their future cooperation, the Ukrainian government decided to personally send tugboats to transport the Varyag aircraft carrier from the Black Sea Shipyard to [classified location].
Additionally, Ukraine secretly planned to dispatch scientists and engineers to the East to assist in completing the remaining 33% of the aircraft carrier's construction. (The Varyag's hull was already complete and capable of floating.)
This arrangement not only ensured the transaction was completed but also strengthened their alliance by helping [classified nation] accelerate its independent aircraft carrier development. It was a win-win situation.
Once the 50% down payment for the Varyag was received, Mavi's Black Sea Shipyard secured the majority of the funds. The remaining portions were distributed to the Ukrainian Naval Research Institute, the shipyard, and their ally, Russia.
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With his bank balance now at $800 million, Mavi no longer had to worry about his savings dropping below nine figures. This was a fantastic start to 2001.
"Now that I have more and more money on hand, where should I invest it next?" he pondered, considering various business opportunities. But after reviewing the options, nothing seemed particularly urgent.
Instead, he thought—why not accelerate the development of Russia and Ukraine's defense industries and economies? If these nations could stabilize and become global powerhouses, his future would be secured as well…
However, just as Mavi was contemplating this strategy, the first bad news of 2001 arrived.
Ukraine's tugboat, which was transporting the Varyag aircraft carrier, was forcibly detained while passing through Turkish waters!
The reason? Turkey claimed that the massive size of the aircraft carrier would severely impact its maritime economy during transit…
"Hello, Mr. Mavi, this is urgent! The Ukrainian tugboat towing the Varyag from the Black Sea Shipyard was forcibly seized by the Turkish government while passing through the Dardanelles Strait!"
(End of Chapter)