September 30: A Spectacular Launch!

September 30.

Starship Technology's second product, Skype, was finally launching today after a massive publicity blitz by Zucker, Google, LinkedIn, and Amazon.

Countless people were eagerly waiting to get a look at it, but not everyone felt the same way.

American Telephone and Telegraph Company.

It was the first company in the world to offer telephone services and sell telephones. Founded in 1877, it had long held a monopoly on America's long-distance and local telephone markets. It had also undergone several breakups and reorganizations. Though a host of challengers had emerged, it remained the largest local and long-distance telephone company in the United States.

The company's predecessor was the Bell Telephone Company.

That's right!

It was the company founded by Bell, the "father of the telephone." Bell's legacy wasn't just the telecommunications giant American Telephone and Telegraph Company, but also the monopolistic giant General Electric Company.

At that moment, a host of shareholders and executives sat in a spacious conference room at American Telephone and Telegraph Company. Some looked composed, some were furious, some wore disdainful expressions, and others looked positively ferocious...

Each face showed a different emotion.

"Everyone, don't forget why we're meeting today. We're here to prepare for Skype's upcoming launch," Hutchins said gravely.

Hutchins's full name was C. Michael Armstrong. He was the current chairman of American Telephone and Telegraph Company, as well as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and vice chairman of the Brookings Institution...

From 1992 to 1993, he also served as a senior adviser on government transition.

From 1993 to 1994, he was a special adviser to the White House on economic and healthcare policy.

His résumé was dazzling.

The other executives present were also business titans with impressive résumés.

Current CEO: Richard Fisher.

From 1997 to 2001,