Apple Inc. headquarters conference room.
The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive. Around the conference table, the suited directors all had their eyes on Cook at the head of the table.
Apple Inc.'s stock had fallen again and again. They were losing enormous amounts of money every moment, and their net worth was shrinking.
This was not good news.
"Cook, what did you gain from your trip to Huaxia?" A bespectacled middle-aged man seated across from Cook asked.
Anyone in the industry who knew him held him in high regard.
Back then, he had joined Genentech as a scientist and transformed it from a small company on the verge of bankruptcy into a biotechnology giant with annual revenue of 13 billion US Dollars and a market capitalization exceeding 100 billion US Dollars, creating a Wall Street legend.
He was Levinson, chairman and CEO of Genentech, America's largest pharmaceutical company. He was also the Apple Inc. board member known to hold the most shares and currently served as chairman of Apple Inc.'s board.
The moment Levinson spoke, Cook immediately pulled himself together. Although Apple Inc. was managed by him, he was still constrained by the board.
"Levinson, to be honest, I didn't gain much of use from this trip to Huaxia. Instead, I did a whole lot of foolish things," Cook said.
"We have no interest in hearing about your foolishness. We only want to know what you gained." An elderly man close to seventy spoke from his seat.
The moment he opened his mouth, everyone in the conference room straightened up.
Shugar, former CEO of Northrop Grumman Corporation. This was the world's third-largest arms dealer, and the famous B2 Stealth Bomber, Global Hawk Drone, and Nimitz-class Aircraft Carrier were all products of this company. No one outside knew exactly how many Apple