The Wolf of Los Angeles

Chapter 385: The Manhattan AI Project

[Chapter 385: The Manhattan AI Project]

In the conference room 2 on the 16th floor of Coastal Building, Silicon Beach, FBI technicians were dismantling one of the listening devices.

Operations Director Caroline and Security Chief Austin were seated in the HR office, coordinating with HR personnel and security to bring in the relevant employees based on the list provided by the FBI.

In the adjacent room, another team of FBI agents waited.

At the end of the hallway, a conference room featured a one-way glass door, allowing a view of the ongoing situation.

Employees were brought into the office and subsequently escorted out by FBI agents.

...

Jennifer Huey sat in a chair, stating, "We are interrogating the two groups of eavesdroppers, and they are cooperating."

The FBI's methods in handling the espionage case were quite obvious.

She informed Hawke, "Three employees from Twitter were involved in this case. They took advantage of the renovations and office supplies purchases to bribe personnel to secretly install the bugging devices."

Such activities were difficult to prevent, which was why Hawke had conducted a thorough investigation before the company's relocation.

"What about the others?" he asked.

"The FBI is in the process of making arrests," Jennifer quickly replied.

"As I mentioned earlier, we detained Eugene and temporarily held Anderson. The tech team is rapidly running fingerprint comparisons, and all of Anderson's prints were found on the voice recorder and tapes. However, this isn't enough; we still need Eugene's testimony."

Hawke smiled slightly, "You must have a plan. I have always trusted the FBI."

With no outsiders around, Jennifer spoke candidly, "If this were overseas, Eugene would have already confessed. Unfortunately, this is California, and even the FBI has their considerations, so it may take some time."

She felt confident, "Eugene will hold out until at most tonight."

Hawke nodded slightly, asking, "The press conference is scheduled for tomorrow?"

Jennifer confirmed, "If all goes well, tomorrow morning." Then she inquired, "How about ?"

When Hawke received the news, he was already considering that issue. He replied, "We should hold the individuals in question, right? That shouldn't be a problem?"

"Right now it's being treated like an espionage case," Jennifer defended. "The evidence is indisputable; they won't be going anywhere."

Hawke checked his watch, saying, "I need to go to that meeting, let's keep in touch."

Jennifer responded, "I need to head back too."

...

Hawke came to the first large conference room, where attendees had gathered.

Twitter didn't have too many shareholders, aside from the independent board members, there were a few executives who had acquired a small stake during the last round of funding.

Caroline sat on one side of the table, saying to Hawke, "Everyone's here."

"Then let's begin," Hawke signaled to Edward.

Edward distributed the prepared documents to Peter Thiel, Reid Hoffman, Mary Ferguson, Caroline, and Harland.

Hawke took the head seat at the table, stating, "The first agenda item today is about the espionage incident the company experienced. Let me update you on the current situation."

He detailed Jennifer's feedback regarding the situation, focusing mainly on matters concerning the BlackRock Film Foundation.

Peter Thiel, who owned a significant portion of his wealth in Twitter's shares, straightforwardly stated, "This isn't merely a corporate espionage case; it also involves national security. Eugene, the culprit, is of Russian descent. The FBI found evidence in his office linking him to the Russian Embassy!"

Hawke looked at Caroline, saying, "We will get to the bottom of this case; you will be responsible for it."

Caroline gleamed with determination, her sharp features visibly showing under the light.

"Besides criminal liability, there are also civil liabilities. I'm pushing for the law firm we're cooperating with to assemble a legal team and file a civil lawsuit against BlackRock to hold them accountable for the leak of the AI project and secure necessary compensation!"

She coldly added, "The internal pests will find themselves behind bars!"

Mary Ferguson asserted, "I will pressure the judicial system from my end."

Peter Thiel, having worked in California for years, commented, "Soon, there will be state and federal legislators speaking on this matter."

"Since the original AI plan has leaked, we must make adjustments," Hawke added, referring to the strategy he'd previously devised during a meeting.

He instructed Edward to start the projector and present the plan draft.

...

"Ladies and gentlemen, the future of artificial intelligence is not limited to being a driving force in the development of computer and internet industries; it will impact various sectors across the board. I've mentioned this multiple times in the past, so there's no need to elaborate further."

Harland raised a hand, gaining agreement as he stated, "This will require long-term, significant investments, possibly needing over a decade to yield results."

Hawke nodded, confirming, "Exactly. Therefore, solely relying on Twitter is challenging. We need federal support for this."

This was also part of what led to the espionage case.

"Last month at the inauguration ceremony, I struck a deal with George Walker's team. The Office of Technology Policy will officially initiate a 'U.S. AI Re

Another individual added, "The chairman and the assistant were placed in black hooded bags."

Haas felt the strain; such treatment was reserved for serious cases.

A seemingly calm middle-aged man said, "I was on the third floor and heard some remarks. It sounded like... it sounded like the leading FBI officer mentioned that they were involved in an espionage case."

Haas frowned, "Espionage case?" Suddenly he recalled the bugging plan and asked, "Did they mention anything else?"

The middle-aged man shook his head, saying, "I think they searched their offices."

Haas asked, "Didn't you contact the FBI to inquire for details?"

"The lawyer made contact," the middle-aged man continued, "but the FBI refused to allow the lawyer to meet with them, stating it was a matter of serious confidentiality and they had activated special regulations."

Haas pressed a few more questions but didn't gain further information and ultimately dismissed them.

He pulled out his phone to call headquarters.

...

Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps resounded, followed by the panicked cries of women, and someone burst into the conference room.

A team clad in FBI jackets stormed into the meeting.

Haas happened to have his hand in his pocket.

This action made the FBI agents on high alert, immediately drawing their weapons and shouting, "FBI! Show me your hands!"

"Put your hands up and lay on the ground with your hands on your head!"

"Hurry! Do it now!"

Haas slowly withdrew his hand from his pocket and placed his phone on the table, saying, "It's just a phone; I am unarmed."

Once his hands were on his head, two imposing FBI agents immediately pounced on him, forcing him to the ground.

The leading FBI agent presented credentials and a subpoena, stating, "Haas Rosado, you are suspected of involvement in an espionage case that jeopardizes National Security. We are legally summoning you for an investigation..."

At once, someone approached and placed a black hood over Haas's head.

*****

/Sayonara816.