kvmb Chapter 54: Not a Single Negotiation Skill
Chapter 54: Not a Single Negotiation Skill
June 18, 1996, a seaside café in Santa Monica, Los Angeles.
The sea breeze, carrying a salty, damp scent, caressed the parasols of the outdoor seating area, while sunlight dappled the azure surface of the Pacific Ocean. However, two young people sitting at a corner table seemed completely out of place in this relaxed Southern California atmosphere.
Nelson González and Alex Aquila, the future co-founders of Alienware, are experiencing the classic "death moment" of a startup. They flew from Boston to Los Angeles, the airfare nearly draining their last bit of credit card credit.
Nalles wore a slightly oversized, worn-out dark suit, clearly a "battle robe" pulled out for this important meeting, perhaps no longer fitting his physique perfectly. His face was pale, with heavy bags under his eyes—the result of long hours of sleep deprivation, malnutrition, and immense stress. His fingers unconsciously and repeatedly rubbed the now-cold glass of water in front of him, as if drawing strength from it. When a waiter passed by, he subconsciously avoided eye contact, seemingly worried they might ask for something else. His unease, like an invisible film, shrouded the professionalism and confidence he tried to project.
In contrast, Alex is more like a typical tech geek, wearing a wrinkled plaid shirt and with bloodshot eyes, but his gaze shines with a unique light when he talks about technology—an almost obsessive passion.
When Ling Yun arrived on time, accompanied by Richardson, Nelson practically sprang from his seat, reaching out his hand so eagerly that his movements were almost distorted.
"Mr. Ling! Mr. Richardson! Thank you so much for agreeing to see us!" Nelson's voice was slightly hoarse from nervousness.
Alex also stood up and nodded awkwardly in greeting.
The two sat down. After a brief, awkward silence, Nelson took a deep breath, deciding to stop hiding his true intentions and get straight to the point with a desperate frankness:
"Mr. Ling, as you know, we... our company, Alienware, are in a very difficult situation right now." He began with difficulty, his voice low. "Our initial startup capital came from our own savings and... some credit card cash advances. Now, all that money is gone. We owe about 13,000 dollars in debt, and we haven't even paid for this month's utilities and warehouse rent. Frankly, if we can't get investment, we might... we might not make it to next month."
He raised his head, his eyes filled with a desperate fervor and a sense of resignation: "But we believe in what we're doing! We believe in the value of our products! So, we came here, with all our heart and soul and our hopes."
Ling Yun didn't speak, but calmly looked at him, signaling him to continue.
Nelson seemed encouraged, took a deep breath, and exchanged a glance with Alex. Alex immediately bent down and carefully lifted a computer tower from a rather heavy-looking box wrapped in shock-absorbing foam at his feet.
When the "prototype" was placed on the table, Ling Yun's eyes were immediately drawn to it.
It stands in stark contrast to the common off-white, boxy PC cases on the market. The case exterior is painted a matte black, with futuristic silver lines outlining the sides, forming an abstract and mysterious pattern (an early prototype of the alien head logo). The front panel isn't flat; instead, it features aggressive angles and an air intake grille design, even revealing glimpses of an additional fan installed for cooling. It's also larger than a typical desktop PC, exuding a powerful presence.
"This is our prototype, which we internally call 'Blade'." Nelson's voice became fluent and confident as he introduced the product. "Mr. Ling, please take a look. What we pursue is not just the stacking of performance, but an ultimate user experience and a sense of identity. We serve hardcore gamers, graphic designers, and tech enthusiasts who are not satisfied with the performance of ordinary PCs."
Alex took over the conversation, speaking quickly and meticulously, full of technical details, yet with clear logic:
"Mr. Ling, please allow me to give you a detailed introduction to the core technology configuration of 'Blade'." He pointed to different parts of the chassis as if reciting a familiar list:
1. Processor (CPU): "We have equipped it with the most powerful Intel Pentium Pro 200 MHz processor currently available in the consumer market. Compared to the regular Pentium, its core architecture is more advanced, and it is particularly good at handling complex 32-bit applications and the multitasking environment that will become the mainstream in the future, which is crucial for high-end games and professional graphics rendering."
2. Graphics Subsystem (GPU): "For the graphics card, we chose the Diamond Multimedia Monster 3D II, which uses the 3dfx Voodoo2 chipset." Alex's voice carried an almost reverential enthusiasm. "Mr. Ling, this is absolutely revolutionary! For the first time, it truly achieves smooth 3D graphics acceleration! It supports the proprietary GLIDE API, providing unparalleled game visuals at high resolutions. The experience of playing Quake and Tomb Raider on these devices is a completely different world compared to a regular PC! This is one of the core selling points of our product!"
3. Cooling System: "To suppress the enormous heat generated by such high-performance components, we abandoned Intel's original, inexpensive heatsinks." He pointed to the ventilation holes on the side panel of the chassis and the faintly visible copper heatsinks inside. "We designed and hand-assembled this enhanced air-cooling system ourselves, using larger, silent fans and pure copper heatsinks to ensure the system remains stable even under prolonged high loads, preventing performance throttling or crashes due to overheating. In the future, we even plan to introduce water-cooling technology."
4. Audio System: "We integrated Creative Labs' Sound Blaster AWE64 sound card, which supports wavetables and provides surround sound effects comparable to professional equipment. Every gunshot and engine roar in the game delivers an immersive auditory experience."
5. Chassis and Appearance: Nelson added, "Mr. Ling, the chassis you see is also part of our philosophy. It's not just a shell, but a declaration of brand personality and user attitude. We believe that computers shouldn't all be generic 'white boxes'; they can be cool and represent the user's taste and aspirations."
After introducing the technology, Nelson once again took control of the conversation, his eyes burning with enthusiasm as he began to paint a picture of the future:
"Mr. Ling, we believe the personal computer market is segmenting. Ordinary users are content with browsing the internet and typing, but there's a rapidly growing high-end group that craves ultimate performance, cooler designs, and more unique status symbols! This group is our target!"
"The gaming industry is booming! Companies like id Software and Blizzard are releasing 3D games that demand increasingly higher hardware specifications! Multimedia creation, CAD/CAM design, and other fields are also placing endless demands on computing power! Large companies like Dell and Compaq operate on a large-scale, standardized model; they cannot, and are unwilling, to, tailor products for such a niche but demanding group! This is our opportunity!"
"Alienware is positioned as a top-tier brand focused on high-performance, personalized PCs! We don't make cheap products; we only make the best! Our market isn't just North America; in the future, we can expand to any place in the world that pursues cutting-edge technological experiences! The future is bright; the only thing we lack is the fuel to make it all work."
After Nelson finished speaking, he let out a long sigh of relief, as if he had used up all his strength. He and Alex stared intently at Ling Yun, their eyes filled with longing, tension, and the determination of a final gamble.
A sea breeze blew, and soft music drifted through the café. But in this corner, time seemed to stand still. Two young men from Boston, on the verge of despair, staked their entire future on this meeting, on this calm-looking young man from the East.
Lingyun's fingers tapped lightly on the table, his gaze falling once again on the "Blade" prototype, which exuded power and unique aesthetics.
Ling Yun looked up at the two men. These engineering students had no negotiation skills whatsoever. No wonder they ended up selling themselves despite having such good skills.