Isearch has taken both the United States and the world by storm overnight!
"I search, you can know!" This catchphrase swiftly permeated the globe!
A week later, in a bid to accelerate Isearch's growth, Henry made the decisive choice to utilize pop-up windows in the Netscape browser. Despite having used this strategy less frequently of late, he realized its power was undeniable. If used sparingly, pop-ups can spark curiosity; however, constant implementation leads to user fatigue, causing individuals to dismiss the content entirely. But by withholding pop-ups for a while—then suddenly reintroducing them—Henry knew they would provoke intrigue!
It had been some time since the Netscape browser had featured pop-up ads...
Though Henry had stepped back from the arena, his reputation continued to ripple through it! Each time the Netscape browser displayed a pop-up, it ignited significant attention, and this occasion was no exception!
An explosion of curiosity arose among users regarding the Netscape browser's pop-up content. Once they clicked, they discovered something truly remarkable. The web interface was elegantly simple, displaying only a search box accompanied by a button labeled "Isearch." Beneath the search bar appeared a small instruction: "Enter your search query and click Isearch to find what you're looking for!"
Users were left awestruck after trying it out!
They searched for a myriad of topics, receiving instant feedback on their queries from Isearch.
Many users, captivated by curiosity and entertainment, continuously sought out various search results, rejoicing in their findings! University students particularly found search functionality to be a delightful amusement. They searched their school's websites, forums, papers, and even their own names, classmates, and professors. Some "quirky" students posted their search results on forums, gaining instant notoriety!
Celebrities, too, embraced Isearch, eagerly monitoring articles or posts related to them and keeping an eye on their standing in the Isearch celebrity rankings.
People found it nearly impossible to detach from search capabilities!
With Isearch's launch, Global Online's portal grew increasingly formidable, claiming an astonishing 95% of the portal market share! This development dealt a severe blow to AOL and other portals, which were now on the brink of collapse!
However, the timing was particularly critical for AOL to go public. A misstep at this juncture could spell disaster. If they stumbled post-listing, the fallout would be severe!
In response to the impending crisis, AOL quickly organized a press conference. During the event, Steve Case proclaimed, "AOL will launch its own search engine!!!"
Steve Case mustered every ounce of confidence to inspire reassurance among investors; he had to proclaim, "We will also have a search engine! ! !"
AOL launched an aggressive public relations campaign in response. Beyond hosting a press conference, they ambitiously recruited technical talent for their search engine initiative, raiding academia and industries alike with promises of lucrative salaries and equity packages in a bid to outmaneuver Isearch. What Henry despised most was "staff poaching," so he preemptively ensured competitive salaries and options for his employees. Moreover, he ingrained in their contracts strict clauses promising that employees who voluntarily resigned wouldn't engage in any search-related work for three years. Breaching this contract would bring hefty liquidated damages, ranging from $1 million to $10 million depending on position and salary!
AOL's poaching efforts thus met a resounding failure!
With a resounding thud, they came up empty-handed!
Their attempts to lure away Isearch talent were unsuccessful, compelling them to fill roles anew. Within a week, AOL formed a 20-member technical team dedicated solely to developing their search engine!
This time, AOL learned from its mistakes. Rather than infringing on Isearch's patents, they reached out to Isearch to negotiate patent licensing fees. In such a pivotal moment leading up to their IPO, the last thing they needed was a patent infringement lawsuit dampening their prospects.
Regardless of Steve Case's knack for mischief, he understood the need to tread carefully!
Henry found that, while lifetime contracts for the basic Internet patents related to web crawlers could not be circumvented, he maintained control over the PageRank patent—a critical component that AOL must not leverage! PageRank differed from basic patents; various algorithms exist, and bypassing it is feasible. Isearch hadn't even publicly disclosed patents yet!
AOL was entirely ignorant of Isearch's search principles and mechanisms.
AOL's technical team worked tirelessly, often late into the night, determined to complete the search engine by the end of December in time for their public offering.
Henry observed their ambition to launch in less than a month, shaking his head in disbelief—how could Steve Case even fathom accomplishing such a feat?
Amazingly enough, by December, AOL unveiled its search engine. Yet, the search results were pretty off-base; responses took an infuriating five or six seconds! When users searched for popular topics, the results were considerably valid, but many queries returned irrelevant outcomes.
AOL launched its search engine one day before going public!
That evening, AOL declared, "The AOL search engine is officially live, resulting in significant increases in portal traffic!!!"
Understanding his adversaries was essential for Henry, so he decided to test AOL's search engine, nearly causing him to lose his composure!
Searching for "Ford Motors" yielded results mentioning carriages, trains, and other unrelated topics—finding relevant information was a drawn-out ordeal. It took far too long to piece together adequate data! Even worse, a random search for "beauty" resulted solely in AOL content, providing no alternative information!
Henry then attempted searches using keywords like "guo", "zai", and "line"—only to be appalled by the nonsensical results, each one mirroring an AOL link!
The next day, despite a storm of user complaints regarding the search engine's inadequacies, AOL's mere existence as a competitor was enough to impress investors! Furthermore, AOL provided dial-up Internet access services, reaping substantial success. Their dial-up software—popping up frequently—lured in countless confused users.
Many newcomers, unfamiliar with the Internet, clicked on pop-up windows and unknowingly entered the AOL ecosystem, utterly unaware of its shortcomings.
America Online methodically countered the encroachment of competition.
Nevertheless, today's novices would inevitably evolve into seasoned users.
This model meant AOL consistently shed users. Moreover, their services only operated in Virginia, making it difficult to expand.
Yet despite everything, AOL exhibited considerable growth potential, drawing significant interest from investors.
On the day of their listing, AOL's stock price skyrocketed! By the close of business, they boasted a market cap of $2 billion! While AOL's market share remained low—primarily a website company—it still paled in comparison to the Netscape browser, which dominated the Internet. Nonetheless, the rapid ascent of AOL's stock greatly shocked both the United States and the global arena!
First, Netscape created a Nasdaq miracle; then, AOL took center stage, igniting the entire Internet industry!
Witnessing AOL's impressive market value of $2 billion post-IPO, many onlookers became envious and began strategizing potential moves within the tech sector!
Just two days after AOL went public, Cisco made its own entrance.
Cisco, the proverbial predator, entered the Nasdaq arena with begrudging confidence!
In comparison to Cisco, AOL was merely a small player.
As soon as Cisco debuted, it surpassed AOL's market value. It was evident that AOL had already lost the game!
Cisco issued 20 million shares, equating to 20% of their total stock, with an initial price of $20 per share. The stock price catapulted at breakneck speed, climbing to $60 by day's end. By this point, Cisco's market valuation topped $6 billion—with more growth expected in the following days!
That night, a worldwide sensation unfolded.
Cisco's remarkable gains sparked a frenzy of media attention surrounding their IPO.
At this moment, one name reverberated across the globe!
Henry Williams—14 years old, with a quarter Jewish ancestry, a quarter Chinese ancestry, and half British ancestry—had become the controlling shareholder of Cisco, holding 53.6% of shares (though that would diminish post-listing), and was now recognized as the youngest billionaire in history! In addition, this individual was suspected to be the author behind the critically acclaimed "Harry Potter" and "Jurassic Park!"
A stunning 99% similarity!