A Business Story

There was a man everyone called Director A. He had a friend known in the business world as Boss B.

Boss B started as a small merchant with no money, no technology, no team, no reputation, and no brand. But he was close friends with Director A. Now, Director A is very cautious—he would never do anything that violates regulations, let alone overstep boundaries. Yet Director A introduces Boss B to everyone, praising his company, saying how good it is, this and that.

What is this actually? It’s endorsement.

With Director A’s endorsement, a powerful large company took an interest in Boss B. The big company said: “You have no money; I’ll invest in you. You have no technology; I’ll provide technical support. In short, I want to become a shareholder of your small company.” Thus Boss B gained both capital and technology, and his business grew better and better.

From this turning point, the story can go two ways.

In the first ending, Director A violates regulations and awards projects to Boss B that shouldn’t have been given, or accepts bribes from him during collaboration. Years later, Director A is investigated and ends up behind bars.

In the second ending, Director A never violates any rules whatsoever. Every project awarded to Boss B is one that, by the book, Boss B deservedly wins.

And Director A himself never takes a single dime from Boss B.

But years later, after Director A retires, Director A’s daughter marries Boss B’s son. The marriage is short-lived, lasting only a few years before ending in divorce.

After the divorce, Director A’s daughter walks away with a large sum from Boss B’s son—equivalent to 50% of Boss B’s company equity.

In other words, Boss B transfers assets to his son, his daughter-in-law divorces the son, and the daughter-in-law takes half those assets.

From a full-information perspective, Director A is effectively Boss B’s partner.

Because what’s most critical for a company in its early stage? Certainty. And that certainty comes from Director A’s endorsement—his “equity stake” in Boss B’s company.

Capital investment and technical support are visible on the surface, but the value goes far beyond just money and tech. Isn’t market access a form of value? Isn’t endorsement a form of value?

So the fact that Boss B’s son marries Director A’s daughter and then divorces her is simply a way of returning to Director A, through impeccably legitimate channels, the “shares” that originally belonged to him. Director A has the right to speak—he can praise any company he wants, his mouth is his own. Boss A and Boss B also have the right to intermarry, especially since the wedding happens only after Director A retires. Boss B’s son has the right to inherit his father’s property, and Boss B’s daughter-in-law has the right to claim half of her spouse’s assets upon divorce.