"Can founding members be this arrogant?" Malik Omar sighed, expressing his dissatisfaction.
"No, it's not that founding members can be arrogant, but rather that founding members laid the foundation for our current mobile communication network, so it is their right!" the Chairman declared righteously.
"So, founding members can disregard many standards without worrying about being expelled from the association?" Malik Omar continued to question.
"It's not that there's no risk of expulsion from the association, but rather that our association does not have that right. This is the rule and system. All members who join the association read and are aware of and agree to all policies from the outset. If they are dissatisfied with such policies, they can choose to withdraw from the association!"
"The association does not force any company to join. If Stark Company is dissatisfied with these rules and regulations, you can announce your withdrawal from the association right now!" the Chairman said impolitely.
"I would never withdraw from the guild!" Malik Omar laughed, a smile so brilliant that the Chairman felt a shiver down his spine.
Thus, the Chairman quickly announced the start of the vote, confirming that the total number of attending members exceeded 80%, meeting the basic quorum for holding a vote. They could proceed with a show of hands.
Finally, the voting results were released: 72 in favor, 26 against or abstained. The majority exceeded two-thirds, and the Chairman's face immediately lit up with a satisfied smile. This time, Malik Omar and that damned Stark were completely finished. They would soon be expelled from the association through official documents. He had perfectly completed the task assigned by Motorola, and his future job with a salary of $300,000 should be secured.
Meanwhile, the representatives from At and SP wore nonchalant expressions, as if the day's events were nothing more than a trivial matter.
"Alright, since this is everyone's opinion, I have nothing more to say, and you don't need to ask me to leave. Stark Mobile Communications Company will voluntarily withdraw from the US Mobile Communications Association!" Malik Omar stood up and said, seeing that the situation was settled.
However, his statement felt rather off. This should have been an event that would completely ruin the company's future. Upon the announcement of this news, Stark Company would likely be immediately dissolved, go bankrupt, sell off its assets, and the US Priority Group would incur losses of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Even with such a dire outcome, why was Malik Omar still smiling, as if none of this mattered? What was going on in that guy's head?
However, the Chairman couldn't dwell on these perplexing details. Seeing that the situation was decided, he turned to Malik Omar with a touch of benevolence and said, "Mr. Malik, considering that your company has also made significant contributions to the association and rendered some service, our association will not be entirely ruthless!"
"We can give you one month to process refunds for users and handle various follow-up matters. After one month, our association will begin to separate your company's communication base stations from the association's communication network. Do you have any objections?"
"There's no need for such trouble!" Malik Omar shook his head. "I think it's best to keep our base stations in the association's network. It would be too much trouble to detach them only to rejoin later."
"What did you say?" The Chairman frowned. "Malik, are you trying to act shamelessly here?"
"No, I am strictly adhering to the association's rules and regulations. Since the association has voted to expel us, Stark Mobile Communications Company will naturally leave the association obediently."
"It's just that I forgot to mention, two days ago, Stark Mobile Communications Company reached a merger agreement with another company. These two companies will merge into a single enterprise, but the Stark name will be phased out, and we will uniformly use the brand and legal information of the other company."
"All our company's assets, including communication base station equipment, will naturally be transferred to that company. So, it's better not to detach these base stations from the network. It would be too much trouble to have them come back later!" Malik Omar said with a smile.
"What kind of merger is this? It's clearly an acquisition!" everyone thought, hearing Malik Omar's words.
A merger of two enterprises allows for the joint use of all information from both series, and the name would generally be a combination of parts of both company names or even hyphenated.
How could it be that, as Malik Omar stated, the other company's entire information would be used? This was clearly an acquisition.
"Mr. Malik, has your Stark Company been acquired by another communication company?" the Chairman asked directly, as based on Malik Omar's words, that was the only possible conclusion.
It meant that one of the companies in the association had acquired Stark Mobile Communications, and all of Stark's communication base stations would be transferred to that company. Then, indeed, there would be no need to detach them from the association and then reincorporate them, which would be a self-inflicted hassle.
But Stark Company was doing so well, and Malik Omar was the focus of all the news. Why would he be willing to sell the company at this time?
Could it be that he had received intelligence in advance and made a hasty move?
If that were the case, it would be understandable. But which company in the room had the boldness to swallow Stark in one go!
With this thought, almost all the members began to look at each other, especially the major companies like At and SP. Their harsh glances swept across the room, leaving many feeling battered.
At and SP were orchestrating Stark Company's expulsion, and then they immediately acquired the company. This was indeed a clever plan.
"Who did this good deed? Come out and let me see which of my peers did this!" the representative from SP Company, known for his fiery temper, questioned in the conference room upon hearing the result.
After a long time, no representative voluntarily came forward to admit it. The SP representative became even more displeased. "What, you have the guts to do something like this but not the guts to admit it?"
"Fine. If you don't admit it today, will you never admit it in the future? Then I'll see whose name Stark's communication base stations have been transferred to!" the SP representative said angrily, but still, no one responded. Only Malik Omar maintained his smile.
"What are you laughing about?" The SP representative, unable to find anger in others, turned back to question Malik Omar.
"Nothing. I'm just happy that I'll be able to work with all of you in the future!" Malik Omar said with a smile.
"Oh, so you've also been taken in by that new company? Then that company really has no class, hiring someone like you, a little guy who only knows how to find his older brother." the representative taunted coldly.
Upon hearing the words "older brother," Malik Omar's smile instantly vanished. After a moment, he snorted, "Yes, I am certainly happy because the president of this new company is still me. I will see you all here again!"
"What!" Everyone was shocked again. While Stark being acquired was within reason, as they couldn't possibly handle so many base stations if they didn't sell them. But to acquire Stark and still have Malik Omar serve as the president of the new company was somewhat unbelievable.
Did this company buy not leftovers, but a master?
"Which company in this room bought you, you blackie? Dear Mr. President!" the SP representative asked again.
"How should I put it? None of you are here. Today, I actually came on behalf of both Stark and this company. No other representatives have come!" Malik Omar said.
"So, it's one of the companies that didn't attend the meeting today!" the other party asked, even listing the names of five absent companies.
"No, they're too small to even qualify to swallow my Stark!" Malik Omar said.
"Don't try to toy with us here. All the companies in the association are here. Did you perhaps have a communication company that isn't part of the association buy it?"
"Whatever. Whether you say it or not, I, representing SP Mobile Communications today, will make this promise: whichever company acquires you, I will have that company expelled!" the representative said in an extremely commanding tone.
SP Communications was actually a multinational communication enterprise from Fusang, backed by one of Fusang's seven major financial groups, possessing immense power.
And this representative happened to be one of the heirs of this financial group, so he was indeed qualified to utter such an imposing statement. If he wanted to expel someone from the association, he had a very high probability of success.
"Oh really? But I guarantee you, you won't be able to expel our company!" Malik Omar retorted without any courtesy.
"Alright then, why don't you tell me the name, so I know which company it is that even I can't expel!" the other party said with a forced smile.
"Fine, allow me to introduce myself. I am Malik Omar, and I am now the president of the US Atari Mobile Entertainment Group!" Malik Omar finally revealed the name of the company behind him.
As soon as the name of this company was uttered, the entire conference room erupted with the sound of clattering. At least over ten representatives knocked their wine glasses onto the table, while many more widened their mouths in astonishment, unable to close them.
Atari – a name that every American could not forget. Over 70% of the representatives present had their childhoods accompanied by Atari.
However, few people knew that besides being the oldest and once the dominant force in the gaming console industry, Atari was also one of the initiators and founding members of the US Mobile Communications Association.
That's right, among the seven founding members of the association, Atari was one of them.
In other words, no one present had the ability to expel Malik Omar from this conference room.