"Hello, Helen, what's the matter?" Henry answered the mobile phone handed to him by Sean.
"Chairman, Dell CEO Michael Dell just called. He announced that Dell is set to officially list on the Nasdaq on August 1st!"
"Okay, thanks for the update!" Henry replied.
After hanging up the phone, he turned to Sean Houston. "Drive!"
"Mr. Williams, where to?"
"Back home!"
Half an hour later, Henry arrived back home.
The night had fallen; Henry took a bath and lay in bed, dressed in his pajamas. Even though it was late—around eleven or midnight—he couldn't drift off to sleep. Thoughts of the day's events replayed in his mind, filling him with annoyance.
Getting up, he turned on the computer and started browsing random websites until he stumbled upon a post in Stanford University's BBS forum titled "FTP File Retrieval Software: Isearch."
Upon opening it, he was struck with astonishment!
Isearch is a search software developed by a few Stanford students, designed to be a searchable database of FTP file names. Users must input the exact file name to perform a search, with Isearch then providing the corresponding FTP address for downloading the specified file. Henry was amazed; although Isearch was not a full-fledged search engine, it represented the foundational concept of all future search engines!
At that time, Global Online had not yet implemented a search function, and the design similar to a search box had not even been initiated. Global Online merely displayed sites with relatively high traffic!
Henry scrutinized the post closely, noting the contact information for the individual who had posted.
The next day, he made his way to Stanford University. He felt very familiar with the campus, easily locating the address without assistance. In about thirty minutes, he found the person he was looking for.
The two college students behind the Isearch software were both undergraduate students in the Computer Science department. Although they were not in the same class, they had collaborated on a school project and both exuded exceptional talent.
The duo comprised Bill Joyce, who appeared a bit shy and less talkative, and Luke Stowe, who had a knack for conversation. Through discussion, Henry learned that Bill was a mathematical prodigy with keen algorithmic skills, while Luke was a technological genius with exemplary programming abilities. Wasting no time, Henry expressed his intentions to them.
"Bill, Luke, I want to create an internet search company and would love for both of you to join me!"
Bill and Luke were unaware of Henry's identity. They only recognized him as a computer-savvy individual with a burgeoning interest in search technology, which they found appealing. However, his youth raised doubts about his capabilities. To them, it seemed challenging to envision a profitable company based solely on search.
"Henry, I advise you against starting such a company; it could go bankrupt quickly!" Luke cautioned, shaking his head.
"It's okay! I'm not worried about bankruptcy. More importantly, this company might just become one that commands the world's attention someday!" Henry replied cheerfully.
Bill and Luke exchanged glances, clearly skeptical about a search company's potential success. They understood that while talent and interest matter, having a vision and unyielding determination are equally critical—qualities that Larry Page and Sergey Brin exhibited as founders of Google!
Henry, undeterred, produced two business cards, extending them toward the pair. To instill confidence in them, he needed more than just words.
His business cards were straightforward, displaying "Nicholas Group, Cisco, Noah's Ark Chairman Henry Williams." He also left out other companies where he held a chairman title, including a domain management company, Pixar Animation Studio, and the West German Publishing House.
Having acquired a stake in the West German Publishing House, Henry had injected capital rather than collecting fees. With time, his ownership increased to a staggering 65%, providing him absolute control! In the latest board elections, he had secured the chairman position with overwhelming support, while Edward Joe retained the CEO role.
The "Harry Potter" series had concluded, with Penguin Publishing issuing $30 million in royalties. Furthermore, "Jurassic Park" had brought him an additional $8 million!
With $60 million in deposits, Henry felt well-equipped to launch his search company.
Bill Joyce and Luke Stowe were taken aback by the sheer weight of Henry's business card. Each of the three companies listed was iconic in its own right—one an internet giant, another a leader in networking equipment, and the last a server colossus. For Henry Williams to chair all three was truly impressive!
Before they could fully process this revelation, Henry continued, "The new company is called Isearch. I'll be investing $5 million as initial capital. If you choose to join, I can offer you 5% of the shares. If things go well, stock options will also be available down the road. The choice is yours."
While 5% of the shares might seem small, Henry instinctively knew that if Isearch began attracting significant investments in the future, their stakes would likely dilute. However, he believed that if they achieved a level of recognition comparable to Google, he wouldn't hesitate to reward their contributions further.
Without hesitation, Bill and Luke accepted his proposal. The combination of Henry's prestigious name and agreeable terms left them with no valid reason to refuse.
"We are in!" Bill Joyce and Luke Stowe affirmed in unison.
Henry couldn't be happier; locking in two talented individuals like them was a significant win.
Before long, Bill Joyce and Luke Stowe—both prominent figures in Stanford's Computer Science department—decided to leave their studies and start a new venture. They established the company Isearch in Silicon Valley, beginning with just ten employees, all fellow Stanford students. As they brainstormed, Henry declared, "We have only one goal: to lead the internet search industry!"
Straying from Isearch's original focus on fetching FTP file names, Henry envisioned a full-functioning search engine capable of automatically collecting and indexing information from the web. This transformation would allow users to query accurate, high-quality information—emphasizing speed and precision in their responses.
"You can think of the internet as a spiderweb; we need to create a program that can traverse this web freely. It will follow hyperlinks, digest the content of each webpage, and store it in a database where it can be thoroughly analyzed. We'll call this program a web crawler. Therefore, our primary objective at this moment is to develop that web crawler!!!"