Late August
The Silicon Valley Internet Summit was no longer a simple conference. It was a gold rush.
The air in the convention center was electric, a buzzing, frantic energy fueled by caffeine, ambition, and the smell of absurd amounts of money. This year was different. The number of exhibitors had exploded, a seven-fold increase from the year before. The place was a sea of 4,700 booths, the vast majority of which were brand-new, pop-up internet companies, all hoping to be the next big "internet legend" like Yahoo, Amazon, or ICQ.
Zane Blackwood walked through the madness, a small, calm smile on his face. He was an island of calm in an ocean of hype. Beside him was Jeff Weiner, the president of his own internet company, LinkedIn.
"Jeff, I've got to say," Zane said, his voice warm and genuine as they navigated the crowd. "I read the report yesterday. You're killing it."
"Thanks, boss," Jeff replied, though his expression was still all business. "But we're not there yet. I believe by the end of the year, we'll be at a whole new level."
Zane clapped him on the shoulder, a charming, easy gesture. "I have no doubt. But still, 1.5 million daily visits? 600,000 registered members? You've built the only significant player in the online recruitment game. It's a hell of a foundation, and you did it."
LinkedIn was still technically losing money, but Zane knew that in this new world, traffic and members were the real currency. He was cultivating his team, and he knew a little praise went a long way.
The summit officially kicked off with a speech from a local government official. It was the usual, dull political speech, but the data he was reading from his script was insane.
"At this year's summit, we have 4,700 exhibitors, a seven-fold increase from last year!"
A roar went up from the crowd.
"As of one month ago, the number of companies in the entire internet industry has exceeded 15,000, that's 3.9 times more than last year!"
The roar got louder.
"And industry leaders like Microsoft, Yahoo, and Cisco saw their turnover in the first half of this year increase by 5.2 times!"
The place exploded. The official data was like pouring gasoline on a fire. The passion from the crowd was a physical wave of noise and excitement. Money, beauty, dreams... this was the new religion, and everyone here was a true believer.
The moment the speeches ended, the "exchange" part of the summit began, and the place descended into pure, unadulterated chaos. Investors, their eyes wide with greed, were literally running from booth to booth, frantically trying to find the next billion-dollar idea.
Zane just stood back and watched the circus.
"Uh, your company... it's in 'internet office equipment'?" a portly, sweating, middle-aged man yelled at a few kids in t-shirts. "Great! It's great! I want to invest. Tell me, how much money do you need? A million?"
A few booths down, another investor was in a deep, serious negotiation.
"What?" the investor said. "You said your company was established two weeks ago? And you don't... you don't have an office?"
He paused, then shrugged, a massive grin on his face. "It's fine, young man! I, Howard, love supporting dreams! As long as you can convince me, I'll give you a million. Hell, if your plan is good enough, I'll put in ten million right now!"
And then there was the real show. A kid, maybe 20 years old, was standing on his flimsy chair, screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Ladies and gentlemen, invest in my company! Invest in my ideas! I guarantee you'll make a fortune!"
Someone in the crowd yelled, "You're a liar!"
"You fool!" the kid screamed back, his face red with passion. "Don't use your shallow thinking to tarnish my great dream! My company will surpass Yahoo! and Microsoft! I promise you a billionaire's return! My God, what are you waiting for?!"
And the most insane part? A group of investors, their faces glowing with enthusiasm, were actually pushing forward, trying to give him their cards.
Zane just watched it all, a cold, analytical smile touching his lips. He wasn't caught up in the frenzy. He was a predator, and he knew a bubble when he saw one.
This wasn't business. It was hysteria.
He remembered the data from his past life. The Super Bowl ads. In '97, companies paid $1.6 million for a 30-second ad. By 2000, it would be $2.2 million. And then, in 2001, the bubble would burst. The crash would be so total, so devastating, that only three internet companies would be left to buy ads.
All these "dreamers" and their "great ideas" would be vaporized.
He was disappointed. He'd come here hunting. He'd found ICQ last year, a true diamond. This year, the place was just full of... noise.
"Damn," he muttered to himself. "Looks like I'm out of luck this time."
He turned to leave the main hall, scanning the aisles one last time. And then... he stopped.
His eyes locked onto a small, unremarkable, almost sad-looking booth in a corner, completely ignored by the frantic crowds.
The banner was simple.
"McAfee Internet Security Software"
A jolt, sharp and hot, went through Zane. McAfee.
He felt a slow, triumphant smile spread across his face. The name was unfamiliar to this crowd, but he knew it. He knew it would one day be an antivirus giant, a name spoken in the same breath as Symantec and Kaspersky.
He hadn't been out of luck after all. He had just found his target.
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