"Happy Birthday!"
"Quick, Gilbert, make a wish and blow out the candles!"
At Melon Manor, a birthday party was in full swing, and Gilbert's friends had all gathered. Naomi Watts had decorated the entire party and even hired a chef from an Italian restaurant to cater the birthday dinner at the manor.
"Alright," Gilbert said, looking at his friends' expectant faces, he put his hands together, closed his eyes, and made a wish: "My first wish is for everyone here to have thriving lives and successful careers."
Leonardo DiCaprio chuckled, "I didn't expect your first wish to be for us."
"Shush, don't talk, Gilbert, keep going," Sofia Coppola told Leo to be quiet and urged Gilbert to continue.
"My second wish is for the company's IPO to be successful this year and for the stock to soar."
"Great! What about the third one?"
"I'll keep the third one to myself," Gilbert silently made a wish in his heart, then took a breath and blew out the candles.
"Congratulations, Gilbert, you're twenty-five!"
"Twenty-five! Time really flies!"
---
His friends presented their gifts. Leo gave him a set of fishing gear, which looked quite expensive. A fishing enthusiast might come back empty-handed, but their equipment must be top-notch. Matt Damon gave him a bicycle, so they could ride together along the beach boulevard for exercise when they had free time. Sofia gave him a set of clothes she designed herself. This year, she had opened a fashion design company with a friend, and she wanted Gilbert to wear the new clothes and give her feedback. The most interesting gift came from Scarlett Johansson—a cat! Scarlett herself loved cats, but Ms. Sloan didn't allow them, so Scarlett gave the cat to Gilbert to raise, so she could come to Melon Manor to pet it.
"Scarlett," Gilbert said, stroking the kitten, which purred contentedly, "Does this cat have a name yet?"
"No, you should name it!" Scarlett replied.
Gilbert thought back to a cat he had in his past life named "Naitang" (Milk Candy), so he suggested, "How about Milk Candy?"
"Milk Candy?" Scarlett repeated twice, finding it charming. "Alright, Milk Candy it is!"
And so, the kitten Milk Candy officially became a member of Melon Manor, settling into its new home.
---
Later that night, after his friends had left, it was time for some relaxation. This time, Naomi Watts dressed as a teacher, Charlize Theron as a judge, and Cameron Diaz wore a Catwoman costume from DC Comics, providing Gilbert with another thrilling experience. Knowing Gilbert's preferences, the three women pulled out all the stops, almost making him forget to leave his comfortable paradise.
However, the next day, Gilbert still woke up from his blissful slumber to head to San Francisco for a pre-IPO meeting for Facebook.
---
Since 1995, Facebook's performance in the first and second quarters had been outstanding. With the massive growth of internet users in North America, Facebook's user base also began to grow exponentially. Currently, North American internet users have reached 25 million, while Japan, in second place, only has two million. The combined total of the next few countries still doesn't surpass the number of North American internet users. It's undeniable that Washington's proposal for the Information Superhighway in 1993 was incredibly farsighted. While internet users in other parts of the world were still relying on dial-up connections, North America was gradually transitioning to broadband. This was like a rocket booster for Facebook, propelling the company toward rapid development.
---
By the end of the second quarter, Facebook had become the largest photo-sharing and social networking site in the United States, widely popular among young people, with its user base exceeding five million.
After the meeting, Facebook held a special press conference, attracting not only tech and financial media but even entertainment media. The tech and financial media were curious why entertainment media were involved, but their surprise faded when they saw Gilbert on stage. It was no secret that Gilbert was Facebook's largest shareholder, and those following the story were already speculating how much Gilbert's wealth would reach after Facebook's IPO.
The press conference was hosted by CEO Mark Roul, who presented various data to prove Facebook's promising future to the public.
---
"Since the first quarter of 1995, after its initial development, the company has entered a phase of rapid growth, and all company shareholders are very optimistic about the company's prospects. Facebook, as the most popular social networking site, has already created a storm on the North American internet. Its high interactivity and real-name social networking have become a social phenomenon."
Facing the media, Mark Roul was full of vigor and confidence.
"As of now, Facebook's users have exceeded five million, with monthly visits reaching eight million, and total visits having long surpassed one hundred million. User activity is quite high; on average, a user visits more than ten times per month, Browse nearly fifteen pages each time. By any standard, Facebook's achievements are enough to make all company employees proud and reassure shareholders."
Holding a press conference was essentially an act of showing off. It also signaled to the market and shareholders that the company was performing well, encouraging active purchasing. This strategy proved highly effective. After the press conference, influential tech and financial newspapers like Silicon Valley Tech and The Wall Street Journal extensively covered the event. The Wall Street Journal even declared, "This July, the entire Nasdaq will surely go wild for Facebook."
---
In Hollywood, the focus shifted to Gilbert It turned out that Gilbert was not only successful in film but also achieved remarkable results in investment and entrepreneurship. Many people in Hollywood couldn't succeed outside of it, but Gilbert thrived, which earned him admiration. Given Gilbert's background, some media outlets began to hype his "Squid" (Jewish) heritage. The Washington Post even bestowed upon Gilbert the title of "Son of God."
Gilbert was surprised when he saw this title. "Am I now on par with Jesus?" he thought. But upon closer reflection, it wasn't surprising. While Western religious sentiment was indeed strong, and there were devout believers, more often than not, religion was merely a tool. People used religion to achieve various goals, like the Crusades, which, ostensibly aimed at punishing infidels, ultimately became wars of plunder.
Gilbert was of "Squid" (Jewish) descent, and this era happened to be a period when the "Squid" (Jewish) people's narrative was highly prevalent. Having Gilbert as such a prominent example, the "Squid" (Jewish) community would naturally use him as a positive example for promotion. For Gilbert, this was actually a good thing.
---
As Facebook prepared for its IPO, Gilbert received many invitations from "Squid" (Jewish) elite groups, including those supporting the region on the Mediterranean coast. For Gilbert, if he had to identify as a "Squid" (Jewish) person, he would definitely adhere to liberalism and advocate for world peace. Therefore, Gilbert declined invitations from extremist "Squid" (Jewish) elite groups. Within the "Squid" (Jewish) community, there were also factions, and now the liberals could proudly declare, "Gilbert belongs to our liberal faction!"
The divergence between Gilbert and those extremist groups was something other North American capital groups were pleased to see. As for the trouble caused by extremist groups, Gilbert entrusted his father, Old Gilbert, to mediate. It wasn't as if they would assassinate Gilbert with eight gunshots to the back just because he didn't support Zionist groups, right? Of course, some might ask, if you don't support these groups, will the "Squid" (Jewish) establishment still promote you?
At the very least, the liberal faction would support Gilbert He could even become the leader of the liberal faction, leading them in opposition to the extremist groups, much like the Democratic and Republican parties in North America. As for the media, there was no need to worry. Much of the "Squid" (Jewish) establishment's media power was controlled by "Squid" (Jewish) capitalists who supported extremist groups.
---
However, the next few decades would be a time of massive upheaval in global public opinion, as the internet would eventually replace traditional media like television and newspapers. Gilbert's布局 (strategic deployment) in the internet, starting with Facebook and Banana, would allow him to fully control social networking sites, creating Twitter and video-sharing sites, thus dismantling traditional media. Of course, controlling such a powerful propaganda machine would undoubtedly make Gilbert a thorn in the side of certain groups, requiring him to be extremely vigilant and cautious.
---
That said, if Gilbert, who had become a super-rich individual in the U.S., were to die mysteriously, given his status and position, it would cause severe social unrest. In the structure of North American society, no matter how chaotic the lower classes became, it wouldn't matter much; there would always be an endless stream of immigrants coming to supplement the cheap labor force. If something happened to the middle class, it would only be a minor disruption, not affecting the fundamental foundations. However, if something happened to a super-rich individual at the top of society, it would instantly trigger widespread panic. Once paradise was no longer paradise for the wealthy, who would dare to transfer their wealth here? How could North America remain the center of the world? Without these wealthy individuals, society would collapse in an instant.
---
Gilbert could hardly have grasped these concepts in his previous life in China. Only after experiencing life in North America firsthand did he realize that for Western society, capital meant everything; it was the very foundation.
Of course, many things are hard to say. Perhaps Gilbert would follow in Elon Musk's footsteps and make a public declaration that he would "never commit suicide," letting the whole world know. For now, it's too early to consider these matters. Currently, Gilbert and the major capital groups, especially the "Squid" (Jewish) capital, are still on good terms.
---
In July 1995, with everything ready, Facebook executives collectively headed to Nasdaq to ring the bell and go public. Gilbert personally rang the bell. The moment it chimed, investors who had been ready immediately rushed into trading, beginning to buy Facebook shares.
---
Generally, for a company's IPO, there are usually roadshows and promotions to boost investor confidence. However, Facebook needed none of that. The moment the market opened, the North American Securities and Exchange Commission website crashed due to the massive number of visitors, infuriating investors. When the website came back online, investors discovered that Facebook's stock price had soared from $3.80 per share to $11.70. This made investors even more frantic, and a continuous influx of investors pushed Facebook's stock price higher. By closing, the stock had risen to $15.30 per share. This IPO was on such a massive scale that its momentum even surpassed that of Netscape last year.
---
Thanks to Facebook's IPO, Mark Roul and Honey Mars both became multimillionaires. As for the largest shareholder, Gilbert, although he cashed out some shares, he still held a significant amount of Facebook stock, valued at $500 million. The total market capitalization of Facebook, after closing, reached $1.3 billion. But this wasn't the end. Facebook's stock still had significant room for growth, with its price changing almost daily and rising very quickly.
---
And that's not all. After Facebook went public, Banana successfully listed in August, causing Banana's market capitalization to exceed $800 million. With shares in both companies, financial media estimated that Gilbert's personal wealth had surpassed $1.5 billion. The Wall Street Journal listed Gilbert as the richest individual under thirty, surpassing the heirs of the Hilton and Estée Lauder groups. Most importantly, Gilbert was not like those who relied on their parents; he was almost entirely self-made, adding another legendary figure to the American Dream narrative.
---