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Chapter 126: Facebook is Going Public
🕑 Added 2024-11-28 18:05:30 +0000 UTCThe hotel suite was filled with traces of the previous night's passion. Clothes were scattered everywhere, with pieces of stockings on the floor.
In the bedroom, it was as if the designer had anticipated such scenes, providing a large bed that could comfortably fit four or five people.
Gilbert wasn't sure whose head was resting against him. A quick sniff revealed the scent of jasmine perfume—Charlize Theron's preference. It was a rare, single-flower fragrance, unlike the blended scents usually found in stores.
Another pair of legs was wrapped around his, which could only belong to Cameron Diaz, with her distinctively full and curvy legs.
And the hand on his chest could only be Naomi Watts'. Despite her petite and sweet appearance, she was fiery inside, favoring red lipstick and bright red nail polish.
Surrounded by the three women, Gilbert couldn't move. He managed to carefully slip his arm out, but doing so woke up Charlize.
"Gilbert, you were a bit rough last night," she muttered, rolling over to sleep some more.
Seizing this moment, Gilbert quietly got out of bed, dressed, and went to the bathroom to freshen up.
By the time he returned, the three women had woken up and noticed their shared predicament, a little embarrassed.
Naomi Watts was the first to speak, "Ladies, we should clean up. Imagine if room service walked in and saw this."
Only then did Cameron and Charlize snap to, quickly getting out of bed and tidying up the room.
While picking up their clothes, Cameron teased, "Gilbert, you're way too strong. These stockings were expensive!"
When Gilbert emerged from the bathroom, the room was spotless. The three women had stuffed the torn stockings and other clothing remnants into a bag, which they handed to him.
"Gilbert, take this with you when you leave."
"I'm exhausted. I need more sleep."
"Next time, let's use the estate instead. We don't want to risk getting caught here."
"What's the big deal? People already know we're all involved with Gilbert. It's no secret."
The three women laughed as they headed to the bathroom to freshen up, leaving Gilbert holding the bag, watching them with an odd sense of disbelief. But he decided to enjoy the moment nonetheless.
In the afternoon, each woman left the hotel separately, taking different cars and flights back to Los Angeles.
Though they all claimed not to care about the media, they still preferred to avoid attention if possible.
Gilbert returned to his aunt's place in San Francisco to celebrate Christmas with family.
On Christmas Eve, the Oscar nominations luncheon took place, announcing the nominees.
Gilbert's movie Real Steel received nominations for Best Visual Effects, Best Original Song, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Production Design—technical awards that didn't require his attendance at the Oscars. But considering his ambitions for the Academy Awards, he decided he should still make an appearance.
The Oscars weren't until March, giving Gilbert time to focus on the post-production of The Rock.
After the holiday, Gilbert returned to Los Angeles and threw himself into post-production work at Alcatraz Studios.
Fans care mainly about two things: who's in the cast and when the movie will come out. But maybe they're also curious about the plot and genre.
Gilbert's assistant, Anna, shared a wrap-up photo on his Facebook account, keeping fans engaged.
Facebook had added a comments feature by then, and many users eagerly commented under the wrap-up post.
"Can't wait for the movie! It's finally wrapped up!"
"Ed Harris? I love his acting!"
"Wow, Roger Moore is still so dashing. Bond, through and through."
"Nicolas Cage is a great choice. I hope working with Gilbert gives his career a boost."
Using social media for promotion was unprecedented in the film industry and caught people's attention, especially younger fans who were quick to adopt new things.
Not to say older audiences couldn't embrace this style of promotion, but movie studios took note of Gilbert's strategy. He was the first to bring a movie trailer to the Super Bowl stage, creating Hollywood history.
After The Rock began its Facebook campaign, Bad Boys followed suit with its own internet promotion.
That film, packaged by CAA and produced by Sony Pictures, was directed by Michael Bay and starred Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, and Tea Leoni.
Michael Bay, despite claiming he didn't want to imitate Gilbert, set up a Facebook account, becoming the second director on the platform.
Since Bay wasn't famous yet, he had limited reach. So, he invited Will Smith and Martin Lawrence to register on Facebook as well, drawing more attention.
Seeing this, Gilbert noted with amusement that Bay had learned quickly.
In response, The Rock soon followed with its own stars, Roger Moore and Nicolas Cage, joining Facebook, sparking a trend of celebrities signing up on the platform.
While top-tier stars were less involved, many B- and C-list celebrities saw it as an opportunity to boost their popularity and followed suit.
To top it off, a few adult stars from the San Fernando Valley joined Facebook, sharing risqué photos that generated even more clicks than The Rock and Bad Boys.
The influx of stars joining Facebook was a boon for the platform's growth, with users increasing exponentially across North America. By mid-January 1995, as Gilbert was deep into post-production, Facebook's user base had already passed one million.
This rapid growth spurred the venture capital firms to push for an IPO, and Gilbert, as the chairman, had to support this move.
In a board meeting, Facebook's CEO Mark enthusiastically presented the company's current status and plans, highlighting user growth, future ad revenue, and financial health.
Gilbert, although lacking in corporate knowledge, listened attentively, trying to grasp the essentials.
Overall, Facebook was thriving as a startup, full of youthful energy, perhaps because it was run by young entrepreneurs, including the daring director Gilbert himself.
With the older, experienced board members to temper the team's enthusiasm, Facebook had a good balance of energy and caution.
It was worth noting that in the B and C rounds of financing, Bill Gates had acquired a bit over 10% of Facebook's shares for $40 million, making him the second-largest external shareholder after ADG Fund.
As Facebook moved towards an IPO, Gates had sent a team of experts to assist in the process, aiming for a potential June listing.
When the time came to go public, Gilbert would need to sell some of his shares to gain liquidity for his other ventures, like acquiring Marvel Comics, funding new projects, or expanding Melon Studios.
With Facebook's IPO set in motion, Gilbert's other company, Banana, also entered the process.
Initially, Banana lagged behind Facebook and even relied on Facebook for support. But when Yahoo emerged as a competitor, Banana managed to outperform it using strategies Gilbert vaguely remembered from Google, coupled with Yahoo's own blunders.
After Facebook's board meeting, Gates' representative approached Gilbert for a private discussion.
"Mr. Gates would like to acquire more Facebook shares if you're open to the right price," the representative proposed.
It seemed Gates was confident in Facebook's potential and was seeking a backdoor deal before the IPO.
Gilbert responded, "I recall that the financing terms were clear: shares can't be privately traded without board approval."
The representative smiled, "With nearly 44.3% of shares, you're the largest shareholder. There's no need to worry about the smaller stakeholders."
But Gilbert held firm, "Didn't Gates say I was just a lucky beginner?"
Caught off guard, the representative chuckled awkwardly, knowing Gates had indeed expressed such an opinion.
Gilbert continued, "Please tell Gates that if he wants more Facebook shares, I'd consider swapping for Microsoft shares."
He remembered that Windows 95 was set to launch, propelling Microsoft's value even higher. Gilbert had been investing in Microsoft stock, though it wasn't easy to acquire much due to its popularity.
The representative could only reply, "That's a decision only Gates himself can make."
"Then have him come speak with me," Gilbert said, effectively ending the conversation.
With both Facebook and Banana preparing for IPOs, Gilbert's role as a founder felt surprisingly demanding, even as a hands-off figurehead.
After returning to Melon Estate, Gilbert recounted the week's various meetings over dinner with the three women, who had now practically moved in after the recent events in San Francisco.
Living together in Malibu's affluent neighborhood brought privacy and a certain peace. Even if reporters caught wind, they'd likely be cautious about intruding.
Hearing about his busy week, Cameron suggested, "Gilbert, maybe you should take a course at Harvard Business School, just to get a handle on company management."
"Are you an expert, then?" Gilbert asked with a grin.
Cameron laughed, "I know a little! Actually, my original plan wasn't acting—I wanted to work in an office."
"Great!" Gilbert joked. "Maybe when you're done with acting, you can help me run things."
Cameron, pleased, replied, "Deal!"
