The Facebook smartphone launch event buzzed with industry professionals, all gathered to witness the social media giant's foray into hardware. Before the presentation began, murmurs rippled through the crowd as analysts and tech insiders exchanged predictions.
"I didn't expect Facebook to jump into smartphones," one attendee muttered.
"It makes sense," another replied. "The market's still wide open. MMFork can't dominate everything—there's room for competition in the mid-to-low tier."
"Honestly, after seeing MMFork's profits, I'm tempted to start my own phone company."
A knowing chuckle spread through the group. "Good luck. MMFork's valuation is skyrocketing. Wall Street can't throw money at them fast enough."
"Then why haven't they taken more investment? With that kind of demand, they could expand even faster."
A man nearby smirked, clearly enjoying his insider knowledge. "You're missing the bigger picture."
The others turned to him, intrigued.
"You all know Myron Keyes, MMFork's CEO, right?"
"Of course. The guy's a legend now."
"But do you know where he came from?"
Silence.
The man leaned in. "Remember Red Apple? The company that bet big on gaming consoles and crashed spectacularly?"
A few nods of recognition.
"Well, Keyes was their CEO. He wanted to pivot to smartphones back then, but the board overruled him—they thought gaming was the safer bet. So they fired him, and he started MMFork from scratch."
A murmur of surprise spread through the group.
"So now he refuses to give up control," someone deduced.
"Exactly. And he's been proven right. MMFork's cash flow is insane—he reinvests everything into R&D, staying ahead of the competition. The man's a visionary."
"But doesn't that leave room for others? Facebook could carve out its own niche, couldn't it?"
"Maybe in the budget segment," the insider conceded. "But the high-end market? That's Keyes' kingdom. No one's touching it."
His tone left no doubt—Facebook's phone was doomed before it even launched.
Just then, the lights dimmed, and spotlights illuminated the stage. A hushed gasp came from the crowd as someone pointed to the front row.
"Is that… Takayuki?"
All heads turned.
The gaming legend sat calmly among Facebook's executives, his presence raising one urgent question:
What was the god of games doing at a smartphone launch?