He is Already a Tycoon at a Young Age! - Chapter 12



Only Krnovel

Episode 12

Episode 12 – The Wizard of Electricity

“Mr. Adolf Hitler, please come this way.”

Richter and I entered the forest under the man’s guidance.

“Wow, I didn’t know we would meet like this.”

“It’s a letter of introduction written by the famous Chairman Morgan.”

There are plenty of ways to meet someone even without a letter of introduction.

As we entered the forest, we saw a car parked in an empty lot.

Ford’s Model T.

The tires are worn down from a lot of off-road driving.

What’s underneath is…

“Henry Ford?”

No matter how I look at it, it looks like it’s a Ford. Are you fixing it yourself?

“Oh, Alf. Why is Ford here? Didn’t he come to see Edison?”

“Ford worked for Edison before starting his own automobile company. They remained close friends afterwards.”

It was Edison who encouraged Ford to start an automobile company.

As we approached, Ford stood up and greeted us.

“It’s nice to meet you both. Mr. Edison said we had a guest coming today…”

We shook hands with him in turn.

“Henry Ford.”

“There is no one who does not know the Ford automobile. I am Adolf Hitler. This is Ernst Richter.”

I whispered softly to Richter.

“Please don’t tell anyone you’re Jewish.”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“Just do as I say.”

Henry Ford’s anti-Semitism was famous.

He went so far as to publish anti-Semitic articles in the newspaper he ran.

Then he was even punished by the administrative authorities.

The only American mentioned by Hitler when writing Mein Kampf.

After coming to power, Hitler placed a picture of Ford in his office and even awarded him the Order of the Eagle.

‘Was it the highest medal that could be given to a foreigner?’

It can’t hurt to be careful.

“Mr. Edison is probably checking the road ahead right now. Let’s go together in my car.”

After expressing our thanks, we got into the back seat of the Model T.

Amazingly, Ford himself drove the car without a driver.

Model T.

The best-selling model that turned Americans into car enthusiasts.

The most mass-produced national car of its time.

‘Fordism is what made that possible.’

Mass production system through standardization of production process.

“It is an honor to meet the founder of Fordism.”

“Fordism. The method I applied was something I learned from Mr. Edison.”

Ford said with a laugh.

“When the Edison company first made the light bulb, it cost $1.25 each. They sold it for 40 cents.”

“Well, then it must have been a deficit.”

Ford nodded at Richter’s words.

“The next year, the cost of production dropped to 70 cents. The third year, 50 cents. The fourth year, 37 cents. Finally, it was 22 cents. I made a fortune selling it for 40 cents. I just followed suit.”

He said.

“If you want to get rich, I recommend you buy Ford stock. The price of the Model T will go down every day. More people will have cars.”

At that moment, my body was thrown forward.

I looked up and saw deer crossing the road.

“I almost bumped into you.”

Ford muttered.

It was only then that I noticed there was no seat belt.

Come to think of it, side mirrors weren’t even used much in this era.

These are things that are taken for granted in the 21st century, but not anymore.

“Sales won’t continue to increase simply by lowering prices. New innovations will be needed.”

I said.

Ford’s heyday continued until 1925.

But since then, they have been chased by GM and have lost the lead.

Henry Ford focused only on lowering the price of the Model T and did not allow the development of new models.

‘The success of the Model T actually ended up being a hindrance.’

Let’s try to score some points with Ford here.

“For example, what about seat belts? To protect the occupants in the event of a car crash…”

“A car is not an airplane. Why would you need one?”

Ford said in a curt tone. Did he not like my answer?

How much advice is this?

Seat belts could save tens or even millions of lives.

The same goes for baby seats.

When a car accident occurs, infants and toddlers have a much higher mortality rate than adults.

Especially in this day and age.

“Or, you can install a side mirror on the passenger seat to see the rear view more conveniently…”

“The Model T is a perfect model. It took dozens of experts months to complete. Of course, you can add various equipment, but the unit price will go up accordingly.”

Ford intervened.

A tone that sounds like a flare-up.

“Can’t consumers do that themselves?”

“I’m not a car designer, so I guess Mr. Ford is right.”

It wasn’t for nothing that GM was pushed aside.

It’s so blocked up.

It’s meaningless even if I feed it to you.

Should I look for someone else?

Richter coughed in the tense atmosphere.

at that time.

Someone’s scream echoed.

“Over there! Be careful!”

A car stopped in front of us. It looked noticeably different from the other cars.

How can an engine be that small?

An old man got out of the driver’s seat.

I got out of the car and walked over to him.

“Is it powered by electricity?”

“Oh, I didn’t know there would be someone who would recognize you at first glance. Are you the customer that Mr. Morgan introduced you to?”

“Hitler. My name is Adolf Hitler.”

Damn, this name doesn’t sound familiar.

Maybe we should change our name to Schicklgruber, Hitler’s father’s original surname.

It’s a cycle groover.

That doesn’t have much impact.

‘Hey, Cyclegruber!’

It’s still awkward.

While I was lost in thought, Edison came up to me and asked to shake my hand.

“When I first started my business, I borrowed money from Morgan Sr. But his son never lends me any money.”

He said with a cheerful smile.

It’s hard to believe that he’s in his 70s with such energy.

“I guarantee you that electric cars will soon surpass internal combustion engine cars. It will be possible once the battery issue is resolved.”

“I think it will take some time.”

I said with a smile.

The transition to electric vehicles only began slowly in the 21st century.

Even after that, the battery was always a problem.

“I guess you came here to invest in my electric car. So, what brings you here?”

Edison looked at me and asked.

“You don’t seem like the engineer type.”

“Yes, I mainly invest.”

“Investment. I don’t know much about stocks or anything like that, and I’m not interested in it. I’m sorry for disappointing you after coming all this way.”

“I didn’t come here to talk stocks with Mr. Edison.”

What I need is you.

Thomas Edison.

Father of the light bulb.

In fact, Edison was not the first to develop the incandescent light bulb.

But the commercialization of incandescent light bulbs.

The generators, transmission lines, control devices, measuring instruments, etc. required for it.

Edison designed the entire electrical industry.

Not to mention the film and music industries.

Edison was the one who developed the projector and the phonograph.

It is no exaggeration to say that Hollywood was created by Edison.

Above all…

‘The man who ran the world’s first modern corporate research institute.’

That was exactly the kind of system I needed.

A system that develops technology and produces products.

“Mr. Edison, what do you think is the biggest challenge inventors face?”

“Did you say that was the biggest difficulty?”

Edison put his hand to his ear, as if he couldn’t hear well.

“Of course it’s money. Most inventors are fresh out of college or work during the day and do research at night.”

Edison said.

“If you don’t have money, you can’t experiment. If you can’t experiment, you can’t create any technology.”

“What if that worked out?”

Now it’s time to throw the bait.

“Promising inventors from the U.S. and around the world will be provided with the funding they need to conduct their research. They will also be provided with a location, tools, and materials.”

“What a story of an inventor’s paradise.”

Edison chuckled.

“Are you planning on creating a place like that? A kind of machine shop?”

Richter came up to me slowly.

“Hey, what’s a Machine Shop?”

“A place that provides equipment and facilities to poor but talented inventors.”

It’s a machine shop.

That’s where I got the idea.

“Yes, but it will be on a much larger scale. We don’t intend to accept just anyone. We will review the applicants and select promising projects, and give them full support.”

Actually, it wasn’t a concept I came up with.

Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.

Although it was a purely academic research institute and not an invention institute, the operating method was similar.

‘Once selected, there was no need to receive separate research funds.’

Commuting hours and research areas are also up to the scholar’s discretion.

Einstein, von Neumann, Oppenheimer, etc.

Many famous scientists have attended the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.

What I came up with was the inventor version of Advanced Research Institute.

As Edison said, it could be called a utopia for inventors around the world.

“So you’re saying you’re going to start a corporate research institute? Like the one I run in West Orange?”

“Similar but different. The biggest difference is autonomy. Selected inventors can freely research and develop whatever they want for a set period of time. They are also supported with the necessary manpower and materials.”

I said.

“If a patent is obtained through this research, my company will have the right of first negotiation and support the start-up and production.”

“What if your company doesn’t buy that patent?”

“At that time, you can freely contract with other companies.”

“Then it seems like you’re only doing good things for others with your money? You’re just doing research for free, and other companies can eat the results. If someone heard you, they’d think you were doing charity work.”

“Of course it could be, but I think it would be more beneficial for society as a whole.”

I smiled faintly.

Edison’s point is correct.

Because you can end up losing money even after pouring a lot of money into it.

That’s exactly why it can attract attention.

An investment close to charity?

It looks like that only on the outside.

‘But I know which technology will succeed.’

Radio, television, stockings, etc.

Venture investment is making a lot of money by investing in dozens of companies and only needing one to succeed.

If you invest in 10 startups and only 1 or 2 succeed, you can make a profit.

But what if the success rate was close to 100%?

It’s literally like making money by putting money down.

Anyway, I’m the one who chooses the inventors. And I have the answer sheet in my hand.

The Advanced Invention Research Institute is a hellhole that attracts scientists and inventors from all over the world.

No, ant hell is a bit like that, so I guess I should call it utopia.

“Advanced Invention Research Institute. We would like to invite Mr. Edison as the director here.”

“…”

There was a brief silence, and Edison looked straight at me.

“What you said is certainly fascinating. But I am already old. I don’t visit my laboratory in West Orange very often. How can I possibly take on such a burdensome task?”

He smiled brightly.

“I hope your grand plan succeeds.”

“This is getting really complicated.”

Is it time to bring out the big gun? A shot to tempt Edison.

“I was going to name the laboratory Edison. Edison Institute for Advanced Invention.”

“…”

There was a brief silence.

The next moment.

“Tell me more in detail. How do you plan to run that research center?”

＊＊＊

Although many people don’t know, Edison was one of the few businessmen who understood the importance of branding.

A brand called Edison.

“I recently sued my son to change his name. That guy used the name Edison to commit all sorts of frauds.”

Edison grumbled.

“You have to be worthy to have my name attached to you. There are so many other names out there, why did you choose me?”

“Invention. The first thing that comes to mind when you hear this word is you. Isn’t it the same for other inventors around the world?”

I said with a smile.

Thomas Edison would have noticed it too.

This is a ploy to exploit one’s own fame.

There was no way that the cunning Edison didn’t know this.

But it’s a fair deal.

A world-class advanced research institute that bears its name.

An environment where promising inventors can conduct research to their heart’s content.

Edison is leading the way.

Even if it fails, Edison suffers no loss.

If successful, how high would Edison’s fame rise?

“How much do you plan to invest roughly?”

“I’m thinking of an initial investment of about $5 million. We’ll need to continue to invest after that.”

“You must have a lot of money. But it would take an astronomical amount of money to run this thing for a few decades.”

“If I didn’t have money in the first place, why would I come here?”

I said.

“And I believe that the laboratory will soon turn a profit, although I will need Mr. Edison’s help.”

From development and production to improvement and distribution.

Edison’s experience and knowledge cannot be bought for a billion dollars.

“Let me think about it for a moment and then answer. It’s such a big topic that my head is starting to spin.”

“Yes, of course.”

I cheered inwardly.

At this point, it’s almost like we’ve come this far.

Edison’s desire for recognition and honor is well known.

‘If you can just get it going for the first few months, it’s a success.’

Edison’s connections.

I guess I’ll have to absorb as much of it as possible.

We had a brief conversation after that.

Edison’s filament test repeated thousands of times while improving the incandescent light bulb.

I let out a thought about the radio.

“It’s radio. Who would pay to listen to a message that isn’t specifically intended for their audience?”

Edison said.

“Telegraphs and telephones charge users for their services, but radios can’t track their users. It’s a waste of business. What if they charge a usage fee when selling radios?”

“There is no need to charge users money. If you put advertisements in between radio broadcasts, you can make enough money.”

“Who would pay for an advertisement if they don’t even know how many people will listen to it? You can calculate the effectiveness of an advertisement in newspapers and magazines to some extent, but that’s impossible for radio.”

“But it doesn’t mean it doesn’t work.”

TV and radio.

In the 21st century, even the Internet.

These three have practically become the core axis of advertising.

“Your words remind me of a friend of mine. He said something similar to what you said.”

Edison said with a hearty laugh.

“Like allowing people all over the world to listen to the same music at the same time, or transmitting electricity wirelessly.”

Wireless transmission?

Are you really the person I think you are?

“Nikola Tesla. He would be most delighted to hear of the invention research institute you are planning to establish. I will have to contact him separately.”

“I knew the two of you weren’t on good terms.”

Edison and Tesla.

The fight over direct current and alternating current,

The so-called Current War.

“That’s an old story. And don’t reporters always exaggerate?”

Edison shrugged.

“They’re treating me like some kind of Satan just because I killed a few cats and horses. As for the electric chair, that goes without saying.”

His words made me chuckle.

As expected, this person is not ordinary.

“Anyway, I’ll write you a letter of introduction, so go see him.”

Nikola Tesla.

Why are there so many geniuses in this era?

Edison introducing his electric car (1913) – Public domain