Chapter 78

The bold way. The feeling of coming to the Tesla factory and meeting Elon Musk was that he was an innovative genius. A person who tries to change the world makes a plan and puts it into practice. ‘I was just thinking about making a lot of money. I never thought of changing the world.’ Is it an unusual genius? While I was making money investing in the New York Stock Exchange, Tesla was making more vehicles. I was very impressed, and after the factory tour, I had a conversation with Elon Musk over coffee. “I think people have to work hard. You have to work 100 hours a week to change the world.” “100 hours?” “I think 100 hours is not enough to work. I sleep in the Giga Factory plant these days. It is to solve problems and move forward one step at a time.” Ordinary people show the appearance of workaholics who cannot be followed. “Corona is a total scam.” “Yes?” “Distancing is like fascism. PPanickingwith an infectious disease is stupid and stupid. It does not harm young people, especially children.” “… … .” I got the impression that I was talking a little carelessly. ‘It’s just as it is known on Twitter.’ I was going to hear about Tesla’s business vision, but more about SpaceX’s rockets. A genius who doesn’t know where to jump. That’s why I’ve been able to do a lot of things so far. There was a bar that I felt while touring Tesla. ‘Tesla and Nikola are fundamentally different.’ Nikola doesn’t produce and sell a single vehicle. Since Tesla announced the Cybertruck, they also announced the Badger. On my way back to San Francisco, I shared this idea with Myung-Woo Oh. “There is a point in saying that Nicola is an impostor.” “Right.” “Statistics don’t lie.” “Statistics?” “There is a saying that has been proven in Korea. You have to be careful of car dealers, phone sellers, and insurance sellers.” Used car dealers, cell phone salespeople, and insurance salespeople often cheat. Not everyone is like that, but it was true that there were many victims. I also got hit in the eye three times while buying a cell phone. Tesla is real. Then, odds are Nicola is fake.” “Does that make sense?” “Statistics don’t lie.” Even as I listened to Oh Myung-wu’s words, I thought that there was a point. Since Tesla is real, there may be companies that follow it after seeing it. Fast-follower strategy. To follow a new product or technology. Even in the mobile phone market, Lee Sung Electronics recorded tremendous sales in the mobile field thanks to following Apple quickly. The problem with Nikola is that it is a company with no production or technology base at all. ‘As expected, I have to sell everything without leaving even one week.’ I took out my cell phone and texted while riding in the back seat of the Rolls-Royce. ―Kim Shin: I am thinking of selling all of my shares in Nikola. Immediately, a reply came from Nikola’s chairman, Trevor Milton. -Trevor: What? Is that true? -Kim Shin: Yes. ―Kim Shin: We plan to sell within a week using the block deal method. I will look for a buyer, but if you find a friendly partner, I will consider it. After 10 seconds of silence. ―Trevor: Your fame is spreading in California and on Wall Street. Based on what they’ve achieved so far, they’re great investors. ―Trevor: But your withdrawal from Nicola proves that you’re not as skilled as you think. ―Trevor: If I had kept Nicola, the rate of return would have been twice as high by now. Even though I had no skills, I was lucky enough to succeed. ―Trevor: We’ll see how long it goes well. “Wow… … .” If you see them pouring out violent words in a short time, is this the American style? I also showed this text to Oh Myung-woo. “He is an honest person.” “Okay” “It’s typical of bullies.” ―Elly: An offer has come to buy a stake in Nikola. It was helped by JP Morgan in selling its entire stake in Nikola. I want to get rid of it as soon as possible, so I'm even paying a fee to dispose of it. ‘This is the end of my relationship with Nicola.’ The relief was far greater than the regret. JP Morgan was also involved in trading $500 million call options. I didn’t settle every day because various financial institutions were intertwined. ―Kim Shin: What is the amount of the call option I invested in? ―Elly: It’s about 4.5 billion dollars. Are you going to exercise your rights today? $4.5 billion. The $12 billion invested in the New York Stock Exchange continues to rise, and the return on options has reached 900%. It feels like owning a safe that never runs dry. ‘I shouldn’t be conceited.’ Even so, I didn’t feel the need to sort out my call options now. I was convinced that the stock price would rise further when the coronavirus vaccine was released. As the second clinical trial of the vaccine progressed, concerns arose. It’s something no one has ever said. ‘After passing the 3rd clinical trial to verify safety and effectiveness, I’ll have to sign a production contract.’ It takes a considerable amount of time to prepare for the production of vaccines and to produce them in earnest. The problem is that the coronavirus continues to spread in the meantime, and deaths and severe symptoms appear. South Korea and Asian countries are doing well, but the damage to the United States and Europe has been great. ―Kim Shin: If you produce a vaccine, how much do you expect the unit price to be? ―Lee Ho-yeon: I’m sorry, but I don’t know that field well. It’s not Corona, but there was an expert who knew well about this field. Seok-tae Yoo, CEO of Leons. The one who hit the jackpot with mask production by welcoming the coronavirus with a crazy expansion ability. ―Kim Shin: Boss. Long time no see. ―President Yoo Seok-tae: Wow! Who is this? Ha, ha, ha. How are you? -Kim Shin: Yes. How are you doing? Although it is a relationship between the major shareholder and the president. Since we went to Arkor, we’ve become friends by eating soup together. These days, I feel more appreciative of people who treat me so comfortably. ―Kim Shin: You know that the company I invested in developed a coronavirus vaccine, right? ―President Yoo Seok-tae: Yes! How many times have you been in the news? I watch YouTube while working in a factory. There were so many YouTube videos about the coronavirus vaccine and me. ―Kim Shin: If you manufacture a corona vaccine, how much do you think the unit price will be? If it were Leon's, which produced OEMs for various medicines, it would have been enough to know. ―President Yoo Seok-tae: You say that is a protein recombinant method? -Kim Shin: Yes. ―President Yoo Seok-tae: It wouldn’t be easy to make a vaccine that quickly. It’s amazing technology these days. ―President Yoo Seok-tae: Pfizer and Moderna are great, but in the end, the protein recombinant method is considered stable. ―President Yoo Seok-tae: Anyway, the production price depends on the quantity. You’ll have to do the exact math, but if a drug costs 5 million dollars to make 1 million, it could cost 7 million to make 2 million. ―President Yoo Seok-tae: The cost of setting up the factory equipment, the complexity of the process, the collection of raw materials, and the amount of production. Because this is what determines the price. -Kim Shin: You can be wrong. Can you give me a rough idea? ―President Yoo Seok-tae: I don’t know, but wouldn’t it be $8 each? -Kim Shin: That’s right. $8 each. The cost of producing 100 million units is about $800 million. ‘When the vaccine is completed, 100 million will not be enough.’ Wouldn’t we need at least 300 million? It’s not accurate because it’s a rule-of-thumb calculation, but it says that we need a fund of about 2.4 billion dollars. Before passing the 3rd clinical trial. What will happen if I place an order for the production of 300 million vaccines from now on?’ Having a lot of money on my own, a bold thought crossed my mind. If vaccine production had started even a day earlier, many people could have been saved. Of course, the risk was greater than investing in stocks. ‘What if I fail in the 2nd and 3rd clinical trials?’ The order of 300 million vaccines becomes useless. That’s like $2.4 billion flying out of thin air. It was a problem even if Pfizer or Moderna’s vaccine was judged to be more stable and effective. It was a natural way in the pharmaceutical industry to pass the 3rd clinical trial of the vaccine and produce it after the efficacy was revealed. Rеаd at ոоbӏеmtӏ.соm Vaccines or new drugs were highly likely to fail. However, when an infectious disease is such a serious threat, I thought it might be okay to take a quick look. It will be I alone who suffers the loss, not others. Investing 2.4 billion dollars, if it goes well, we can save a lot of people. If I fail, will it become 0 won?’ It’s a way you don’t have to do if you’re calculating with money. It could have saved hundreds of thousands of lives. The goal that Dr. Lee Ho-yeon has dedicated his life to. I thought it might be the most valuable investment I could have made. ―Kim Shin: Dr. Lee Ho-yeon. -Lee Ho-yeon: Yes. ―Kim Shin: Vaccine production will begin. Get ready for production. -Lee Ho-yeon: Yes? I first told Lee Jong-yeop, who always sticks by my side, about the plan to produce a coronavirus vaccine. “Are you crazy even thinking about it?” “No. If it were my brother, I knew it would be like that. That is why I decided to follow you to America.” Lee Jong-yeop smiled proudly for no reason. Okay, then, pull out a list of vaccine consignment manufacturers around the world.” “Do you do it right?” “Yes. Let’s get it done as soon as possible.” He also told Ellie the plan. I thought I could get help in getting to know and contracting with several vaccine consignment manufacturers. ―Ellie: It’s a very dangerous method. -Kim Shin: You think so? ―Ellie: Yes. Even if you don’t, or why not ask the government for subsidies? It is said that subsidies may come from the White House or the US Congress. ―Kim Shin: Will the subsidy come out right away? ―Elly: It’s a government budget, so it will take some time, right? Still, if it’s a coronavirus vaccine production, I’ll handle it urgently. Nothing was free in this world. I thought that if I received government support, I might have to be interfered with vaccine production and distribution. ―Kim Shin: Since it is a high-risk method, it seems that it will be controversial if the subsidy is blown. ―Kim Shin: I’ll just do it with my own money. ―Ellie: You seem to tend to enjoy risky investments in secret. -Kim Shin: Yes. That’s me. In the meantime, I haven’t had anything to be stimulated by seeing someone. I thought I was bold after meeting Elon Musk. ‘I’m doing what I can. If I just hesitate, nothing will happen.’ I can fail, but in my case, isn’t it better than doing nothing, thinking about failure? India is the country where the world’s vaccine consignment producers are concentrated. Recently, Korean pharmaceutical companies have built pharmaceutical production plants as future food sources. ―President Yoo Seok-tae: If you give it 6 months, it is possible to produce up to 1 billion doses in Leon’s. Whether it’s changing factory equipment or acquiring another vaccine producer. ―Kim Shin: Unfortunately, I can’t wait that long. ―President Yoo Seok-tae: Yes. I can’t help it because time is money. Let me introduce you to Isung Biologics. I will also tell DK Bioscience. ―Kim Shin: All. Can you contact me there, too? I’m not ignoring Leons, but the difference in company size was huge. ―President Yoo Seok-tae: Yes. We met and shook hands at the Pharmaceutical Bio Association. ―President Yoo Seok-tae: You probably know my name as well. Still, if it’s from me, it’s hard to talk to the representative, but if you say you have something to do, won’t we be able to connect? Lee Sung was the largest group in Korea.