A Wall Street Genius's Final Investment Playbook-Chapter 67

Prescott seemed to ponder my proposal for a while.

Is he going to grant permission?

Just as I began to harbor a sliver of hope,

He suddenly widened his eyes as if realizing something and shouted.

“Absolutely not! Making the first move from our side is forbidden!"

"Why?"

When I asked with a puzzled expression, Prescott let out a frustrated sigh and continued.

“What you really want to know is whether FDA approval is possible, isn’t it?"

“That’s correct."

"We cannot raise such questions under the name of the Heritage Group!"

His intense opposition was evident in his eyes.

It seemed he had figured something out.

‘As expected, experience cannot be underestimated.'

Well, as a CEO himself, such insight was probably only natural.

Prescott continued his warning in a grave tone.

“No good result will come even if we step in. Regardless of the truth.”

It was a valid point.

No matter how my question was answered, the board members would inevitably look foolish.

If they were deceived by Holmes’s lies?

Those supposedly distinguished board members would appear ignorant, as if they didn’t even know the basic fact that FDA certification is essential for medical devices.

But if they knew and still overlooked it?

In that case, the entire board would become accomplices in this ridiculous and absurd fraud.

“Even the act of asking would insult them. It would only foster unnecessary animosity and bring us no benefit.”

The board members are individuals who have risen to the pinnacle of their respective fields.

If handled poorly, it could result in tremendous damage for Prescott.

He could never afford to take such a risk.

Still, I decided to try persuading him one more time.

"You never know. If the board truly didn’t know, they might even appreciate being warned in advance."

"Nonsense!"

Prescott scoffed and looked down at me.

“You’re too naive.”

Naive?

It was an evaluation I had never heard before.

As I tilted my head at the fresh perspective, Prescott continued with a bitter smile.

“There are more people in the world who refuse to admit their faults. When criticized, they’ll only get defensive and try to justify themselves.”

He was absolutely right.

Humans are beings who feel pain when they realize their mistakes or errors.

A psychological pain comparable to physical suffering.

People get worked up and engage in keyboard battles over trivial internet comments. Imagine how much worse it would be if national-level figures had their managerial competence questioned.

“The older one gets, the harder it becomes to admit faults. Even if their knowledge of new technologies is lacking, they pride themselves on the wisdom born from experience.”

Yes, stubbornness increases with age.

And many of the board members are in their 80s and 90s.

“Even if they inwardly acknowledge their mistakes, these are people who would never voice such thoughts.”

Right, they are the figures who ended the Cold War.

If such individuals admitted to being duped by a shallow scheme?

It would be a national disgrace.

“I will approach it as cautiously as possible.”

“I said no! I’ll probe the situation lightly, so don’t get involved in this matter!"

Leaving me with a warning, Prescott walked towards the helm with heavy steps.

The liveliness he had when we first met was nowhere to be seen.

About an hour passed after that.

I found myself enjoying some leisure on an unoccupied yacht.

Prescott only reappeared after setting foot on land, delivering strict instructions.

“Do not act independently under any circumstances. Don’t contact Professor Carrington either.”

He even revoked his earlier permission for me to meet the professor.

Though mildly annoyed, I forced a smile.

"Understood. I will do as you say."

For now, I needed to appear obedient.

Only then could I seize the next opportunity.

After parting ways with Prescott, I quickly hastened my steps.

‘Should I go to the office…?'

It was only a five-minute walk from North Cove Marina to Goldman’s headquarters.

With so much to do, returning to the office to work seemed like the rational choice.

However,

As I glanced at the surrounding scenery, my motivation to head to work quickly dissipated.

The vibrant atmosphere of a sunny Sunday afternoon was all around.

Every park I passed was bustling with families and couples out on excursions, while tourists busily snapped photos along the streets.

Of course, I wasn’t in a position to leisurely spend my time like that.

But neither did I feel like heading straight to the office.

Eventually, I decided to take a walk along the Hudson River before heading to work.

A sort of compromise, I supposed.

As I strolled by the river,

Bzzzz!

My smartphone buzzed noisily.

It was a call from Raymond.

[You mentioned wanting to meet the board?]

Prescott must have informed him.

So that’s what he had been doing in the helm, making calls left and right.

[There’s absolutely no issue with Theranos’ certification.]

Raymond conveyed the official stance in a firm tone.

He insisted this was definitely not a scam.

Of course, he probably wasn’t being sincere.

Perhaps he feared I might be recording the conversation, so he was resolutely declaring, “I do not believe this is a fraud.”

“What exactly makes it free of issues? I need a detailed explanation.”

[I don’t know the specifics either. I just heard that’s what the board said.]

Even the board hadn’t disclosed the details of the certification to Raymond.

If he pressed them for answers, he might face backlash from his esteemed clients, so he couldn’t dig deeper.

Thus, I had to meet the board myself.

Since I had no personal ties to them, I could freely ask questions without concern for repercussions.

However, there was no way to meet them.

“Is there any way I can personally meet the board members?"

Though it seemed unlikely, I decided to ask anyway.

It was a request for Raymond to introduce me.

[They are figures from the highest echelons of society. You can’t meet them just because you wish to.]

As expected, his rejection was firm.

Well, it made sense.

Even in a small country like South Korea, it would be nearly impossible for an ordinary employee to meet a minister.

In a powerful nation like the U.S., meeting not just a minister but a Kissinger-level figure, treated as a hero, would be beyond imagination.

[In fact, I once mentioned you. I told them about a promising newcomer at Goldman who had designed an innovative algorithm and shared the Genesis case as well.]

Yet, they still showed no interest.

While Raymond might have some ability to mediate, arranging an actual meeting would be difficult.

After all, they weren’t personally close; their relationship was strictly professional between a client and lawyer.

At the end of the call, however, he mentioned an intriguing piece of information.

[In two months, Theranos is scheduled for a private equity round.]

“Already?”

[Yes. It seems they’re in urgent need of funds and are expediting the process.]

Theranos had recently been burning through cash as they ramped up their operations.

As a result, they had decided to begin raising funds from major investors and institutions through a private equity round.

[There isn’t much time.]

“Understood.”

After ending the call with Raymond, I quickened my pace.

The beautiful scenery no longer caught my eye.

My head was filled with a flurry of complicated thoughts.

‘Time is tighter than I expected…’

Private equity rounds usually take about six months.

If it starts in two months and stretches out for six, that makes a total of eight months.

I had to bring down Theranos within that time.

Right when people were captivated by Holmes and throwing $10 billion at her.

At the exact moment when everyone’s expectations hit their peak, I had to expose the entire truth.

Just before the investment funds were sucked into Holmes’s pockets.

I must expose everything at that exact moment.

If I wait until after the investments are made, it will be too late.

The reason for this is simple.

It’s much quicker to prevent a swindler from taking the money in the first place than to try to reclaim it once they’ve already pocketed it.

‘Eight months, huh!’

It’s not impossible.

As long as I can overcome my first hurdle.

That is, the challenge of meeting the board directly.

They are figures from the highest echelons of society.

I stopped in my tracks and instinctively looked up.

In front of me stood the towering Goldman headquarters building.

The grand glass structure loomed over me.

From the vantage of those at the top, I likely wouldn’t even register in their view.

Let alone the Theranos board—they would probably look down on even the pinnacle of Goldman.

To them, Goldman was nothing more than a hired hand.

No matter how exceptional a young Asian employee within Goldman might be, expecting any reaction beyond a scoff would be unrealistic.

I must make them notice me.

Within the two months before Theranos' private equity round begins.

There is only one way.

‘Reputation.’

The fact that they fell for Holmes’s charm means that fame is their weakness.

All I need to do is build a reputation comparable to Holmes’s within the next two months.

Then, leveraging that status, I can push for another meeting with the board.

‘This might actually work out better for me.’

First impressions matter.

Instead of bowing and scraping before them as just another investment consultant, it would be far more impressive if they were the ones requesting a meeting with me.

That would lend me some credibility, making it easier to persuade them.

The strategy is flawless.

The only question is whether it’s possible to build such a reputation within two months…

A chuckle escaped my lips.

Well, why not?

There are two main ways to gain fame.

First, you can invest time in building credibility and proving your worth.

This is a stable but reliable method.

But what I lack most right now is time, so this approach is out of the question.

Second, you can involve yourself in an attention-grabbing incident.

This is the strategy I must pursue.

If timed well, this strategy can generate immense recognition in a short period.

Fortunately, I had the privilege of choosing my projects.

Thanks to an old agreement with Pierce, I had earned the right to designate one project per month as I wished.

Until now, I had used this privilege to network with individuals who might be useful in the future.

For example, fund managers destined to run renowned investment clubs or people with strong connections to influential funds.

But this time, it’s different.

This month, I plan to devote that privilege to an incident.

However, this led to another problem.

‘There doesn’t seem to be any noteworthy issue around this time…’

A few major events that had shaken the biotech industry came to mind, but none fit the timeline.

I needed an event that would erupt within the next two months.

And to my knowledge, no such event existed.

In that case, the choice was clear.

‘I’ll create one myself.’

It wasn’t a particularly difficult task.

All I needed to do was expose the scandals of companies that had caused trouble due to past corruption.

But the question was whether such actions would achieve the desired effect.

For example:

“Do you happen to know a company called Genesis?”

On a sudden whim, I asked the owner of a hot dog stand on the street.

The only response I got was a confused look.

“Genesis?”

“Oh, it’s the company that was at the center of that scandal that shook Wall Street recently…”

“Ha! Then of course I wouldn’t know.”

I tried asking the same question while ordering coffee at a café and making payments at convenience stores, but the responses were always similar.

“There was such a scandal?”

“This is the first time I’ve heard of it!”

Although the Genesis scandal is legendary within investment circles, the general public knows little about it.

This is a common occurrence.

Wall Street events often stay confined to Wall Street.

This is likely why the Theranos board rejected my meeting request.

The fact that they reacted indifferently to the Genesis scandal indicates that their awareness level is not much different from that of the general public.

Therefore, an incident that only circulates within Wall Street won’t suffice.

If I were to create a scandal, it must be one that captures the attention of the entire United States—an event that draws the public’s eye.

All within the two-month timeframe.