Nick picked up a ballpoint pen and started toying with it, smiling as he said, "I'm well aware of that. However, if you truly owned technology like this, I don't think you'd be generous enough to share it with other logistics firms."
"If you feel like that's a deal-breaker, we could always use this tech as a foundation to launch a brand-new logistics company. Of course, you'd still hold the controlling stake."
Bezos shook his head fast. "That's out of the question. We aren't going to sink more money into starting a new logistics company from scratch. It would tank our partnerships with other firms and could even blow back on our e-commerce business."
Nick set the pen down and leaned back, looking at him calmly. "I don't think we need to rush this. You should stay in Tampa for a few more days."
Bezos's face twitched. Telling him there was no rush and suggesting he play tourist was just a polite way of saying "think it over before you give me a real answer." It was clear this kid wasn't sweating it, which meant a lot of people were hungry for this tech.
Though he was on edge—knowing other logistics giants had already sent scouts to Tampa—Nick's price tag was just too high for him to greenlight. This was a "call the home office" type of situation; he was just the boots on the ground.
Thinking it over, Bezos nodded and gave Nick a smile. "I've actually wanted to spend some time at the beach. This is a perfect excuse to spend a few days of relaxation. Nicholas, let's catch up in a few days. I'll tell you all about my trip then."
"Sure, I'm all ears," Nick said, standing up with a laugh.
Bezos and his team followed suit, exchanged a few quick pleasantries, and headed out. They were moving fast, clearly in a hurry to get to a phone.
Bezos was right; representatives from all the major logistics players were flooding into Tampa, including big names like UPS and FedEx.
However, for Nick—whether it was a business calculation or just a gut feeling—he was still leaning toward working with Amazon.
First off, he liked Bezos. Like he'd mentioned, compared to some other players, Amazon's industry reputation was solid.
Secondly, once this tech hit the logistics world, it would require massive capital, an area where Amazon clearly had the upper hand.
As for his demands, they weren't actually that crazy; in the grand scheme of things, they were pretty fair. Besides, this was just the opening move, and the price was just his first offer; the bargaining hadn't even started yet.
After cycling through meetings with a few more companies, Nick finally saw a familiar face.
This time, the guy from DJI wasn't the VP, Aaron, but the lead engineer he'd met before, Ryan.
The project Ryan brought to the table was bizarre, leaving even Nick scratching his head at first.
"Wait, you're inviting us to partner on a project with you?" Nick asked, confused.
Ryan nodded. "To be precise, it's a collaboration for a massive drone light show."
Seeing Nick's blank stare, Ryan kept going. "This show is part of the Fourth of July celebrations in Miami. The city's tourism department wants a spectacular drone show right over the downtown skyline."
"On one hand, it's a tribute to the holiday, showing off the country's tech gains. On the other, it's a huge PR move for Miami. A drone light show is high-tech, futuristic, and looks incredible on camera."
"The thing is, the bidding is fierce. Aside from some boutique light show crews, the big dogs have jumped in—Intel, Tesla, you name it."
"Now, we aren't exactly underdogs in this field, and we were confident we could take them. But we want a total breakthrough to prove DJI owns the drone space."
"The light show sector is red hot right now, and every company wants to flex, including Google and Microsoft."
"The number of drones in these formations is skyrocketing—going from hundreds to thousands. The record set just this spring was 10,860 drones."
"As the leader in civilian drones, it's time we showed what we're really made of."
"During your demo, you said your tech could scale the swarm size to 'N'. Want to put that to the test? We can push that number to a height nobody else can touch—or just make the headcount irrelevant from here on out."
"I'd love to show off the tech, obviously," Nick said, looking at Ryan. "But you're doing this for the PR, the brand image, and to stay on top of the drone world. What's in it for us? We can't just do this pro bono."
Ryan laughed. "The Miami tourism board is going all out to boost the city's image, so they've set aside a massive budget for the show."
"If you jump in and our pitch wins the bid, we'll split the fee fifty-fifty. You know our goal this time isn't the paycheck."
"In that case, why not just give the whole fee to us? You guys aren't exactly hurting for cash," Nick joked.
Ryan was stunned for a second. He hadn't expected this kid to be so cutthroat, skipping the small talk and asking for the whole pot.
He waved a hand dismissively. "No way. Our drone costs are through the roof; you have to at least let us break even."
"Look, there's no such thing as a free lunch—you want an ad campaign without spending a dime. After the show, you guys get the fame, and nobody is going to remember the behind-the-scenes tech provider. If we aren't in it for the glory, what's left? Seventy-thirty; that's my floor. That leaves you a little something for the labor."
"Impossible. Fifty-fifty, tops. We're already doing this for the exposure and basically taking a loss," Ryan said, shaking his head like a bobblehead.
Seeing this, Nick slammed his hand on the table. "Fine, let's meet in the middle. Sixty-forty—you take forty, I take sixty. That's a fair deal. You already own the drones; it won't cost you that much."
Ryan had a bit of a headache, but he finally nodded. "Fine, sixty-forty. But only if we win the bid."
"Don't worry, I've got total confidence in the tech," Nick said with a grin.
Ryan smiled back. "So, just how many drones can your system actually handle in a swarm flight?"
Nick gave him a cool look and said flatly, "That depends on how many drones can actually fit in the Miami skyline."