Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Some People Are Born in Rome
An hour later, in the office of the Exidy factory.
Ethan Jones sat with crossed legs, leaning back on a simple sofa. On the coffee table in front of him, there was a steaming cup of coffee.
Samuel Hoyt, who had shown wild enthusiasm while playing the "Snake" game earlier, now sat with a grim expression, muscles stiff, while Ethan's contact, Pete Kaufman, leaned on his elbows with a troubled look.
"Mr. Jones, authorizing the production and sale of something like this is something we've never done before."
"If you haven't done it, you can learn. After all, no one walks right after birth," Ethan said nonchalantly.
"But the problem is, no one in the market is doing this kind of business. We have no idea about the standards for collaboration."
Pete Kaufman pursed his lips, unintentionally moving his open hands, and said, "Currently, what we know is the salary of game developers, $200 per week, $10,400 per year..."
"Oh! Mr. Kaufman! If you're going to tell me that, then there's no sincerity at all!"
Before Pete Kaufman could finish, Ethan Jones interrupted with a smile, "Mr. Kaufman, you need to know one thing. In this world, manpower is the least valuable thing. In 1970, our country conducted a census, and there were two hundred million people in the country. Among these two hundred million people, there are at least hundreds of thousands who can make electronic arcade games. But only I have the captivating game ideas."
Ethan Jones grinned, "Only One."
The confident gaze made Pete Kaufman instinctively tilt his head.
He glanced at his partner, Samuel Hoyt, whose forehead had already creased into a frown.
"We need to discuss this." Samuel Hoyt got the plea in Pete Kaufman's gaze and decisively said, "Mr. Jones, please wait here for a moment."
"Please." Ethan Jones wasn't in a hurry.
He nodded kindly, watching the two leave.
In fact, when Samuel Hoyt angrily defended the joystick and Pete Kaufman shouted a few words, everyone present realized something was amiss. When they regained their senses, they turned their eyes to Ethan, who was the only one with a confident smile.
This fact made it clear to them that they were at a disadvantage in the negotiations because they showed great interest in the "Snake" game! So, they invited Ethan into the office to discuss collaboration.
The idea from Exidy was to propose a price to buy the rights to Ethan's "Snake" game. Their target price was $20,000, or $30,000, or $40,000, and a maximum of $50,000.
But how could Ethan accept such a price? Even though the median per capita income in America in this era was just over $5,000, $50,000 was a normal person's income for ten years. Even if it were a hundred years! A thousand years! It still wouldn't match the value of the "Snake Game."
Even if Ethan's brain were kicked by a donkey in Texas! He could never sell!
Only authorization was possible!
And for such a request...
"Authorization? Is anyone doing authorization business now? Won't it be a joke if this gets out?" Pete Kaufman asked.
After leaving the office, Pete Kaufman, who had been suppressed for a long time, suddenly released his emotions.
"All the people in the industry are copying! No one will pay for the copyright of electronic games! Even Magnavox! They can only seek legal help through lawsuits! In this situation, he wants to talk about a partnership with us? Oh my God! I can give him $50,000, and that's already generous! That's $50,000! $50,000!! $50,000!!!"
Pete Kaufman angrily kicked the door, and the factory gate made a sound of unbearable weight.
This movement made Samuel Hoyt frown suddenly. He glanced at the warehouse, confirmed that there was nothing unusual in the office, and signaled his employees to keep an eye on the room.
Then he pulled his good friend and walked a bit further.
"Oh! Sxxt! Are you crazy? Even if you don't want to give him money, there's no need to shout so loudly! Why shout so loudly!" Samuel Hoyt said.
"Because I'm angry! This is clearly extortion!"
Pete Kaufman shouted, "He just stared at me and said, 'Only One!' Who does he think he is? Tesla? I'm telling you! No matter how amazing Tesla is, he can't surpass Edison! Even if alternating current is amazing, he can't get a penny! "
"Are you thinking of plagiarizing?" Samuel Hoyt asked with a furrowed brow.
"What's the problem? Everyone is doing it!" Pete Kaufman shrugged and said, "We already know how the game works. Once he leaves, we can replicate it. At most, it will take five days to push it to the market!"
Pete Kaufman shouted, "What did he just say? Manpower is not valuable? That's naive! Since he dared to present the game to us, we need to teach him a lesson! In the electronic game industry, the least valuable thing is inspiration! Developers don't deserve to get paid! Whoever can make electronic arcade games! Whoever can make those entertainment venue owners buy game machines! That's the winner!"
At this point, there was a sudden silence in the room.
Pete Kaufman, panting heavily, stared fiercely at Samuel Hoyt.
Samuel Hoyt seriously assessed his companion, then slowly closed his eyes.
The furrowed brow seemed to represent a chaotic mind, but the pacing behavior was evaluating the safety of the action.
After a moment, he shook his head again.
"Pete, this guy named Ethan Jones dares to come to us, which means he has already registered the copyright! And he said he came from Magnavox, so he must know the fact that Atari copied Magnavox to become successful!"
"So what?"
Pete Kaufman said indifferently, "Even if there is a copyright, we can still copy! As long as this game can make us a big profit, what's the harm in losing some money? You have to know, this is America! The loser has nothing! The winner takes it all!"
"Oh! Sxxt!..." Samuel Hoyt wanted to say something more.
But Pete Kaufman preempted, "Samuel! Don't refuse! His game is obviously interesting! It will definitely cause a sensation when released to the market! As long as we can earn ten million from it, we will be the millionaires of America!"
"Do you know? Now, we are just one step away from success!"
"As long as we dare to act like DuPont!"
"No! Our job is not even half as dangerous as DuPont's! You know, Nolan Bushnell is doing well now!"
Pete Kaufman's words made Samuel Hoyt pause for a moment.
He took out a pack of Marlboro from his pocket, lit one up forcefully.
After much thought, he was finally convinced by the shiny green Franklin.
"MFXXK!"
"Okay! Okay! I know what you said is true, but before we copy, we need to at least find out about this guy named Ethan Jones, right? If he's just an ordinary engineer, then we can screw him!"
For such matters, Ethan Jones, who had rolled in the financial industry for many years in his past life, had seen a lot. Leaning back on the sofa, he smiled and said, "Oh! Of course, I didn't create this machine alone. I only provided a tiny bit of inspiration!"
'Machine not created by him?'
This fact caught the attention of the two bosses from Excite.
"In that case, I want to know, who is the engineer behind the machine..." Peter Kaufman wanted to express his thoughts in a more tactful manner, "Forgive me for being straightforward, Mr. Jones, if the copyright is not solely in your hands, cooperation is out of the question."
"I understand that," Ethan Jones nodded and said, "If you're determined to collaborate, I can call her over this afternoon, my partner, and we can all sit down to discuss the specific terms."
'Her? Another woman?'
The two bosses from Excite exchanged glances, both thinking that plagiarism might be involved.
"That's not a problem, right?" Peter Kaufman rubbed his hands.
He was on the verge of bursting into laughter.
However, just as he was about to show them out, confidently preparing for shameless plagiarism, Ethan Jones spoke again, "Not a problem at all, after all, Stanford is just a few tens of minutes away from here."
'???'
With these words, Peter Kaufman and Samuel Houston stiffened.
"What?" Samuel Houston couldn't believe his ears. "Mr. Jones, what did you say?"
"Your partner is from Stanford?"
"Yeah, she's a graduate student at Stanford this year."
"She asked me to commercialize this arcade game for her because she's busy with her studies."
Ethan Jones casually shrugged and asked with a smile, "Any problems?"
This is a big problem!
Peter Kaufman and Samuel Houston stared at Ethan Jones, attempting to find a loophole.
But his unwavering confidence made them back down.
As guys running a company near Stanford, they knew better than anyone how much support the university provided to its students for entrepreneurship!
They also knew that, since the launch of the school-enterprise joint construction plan, Stanford hadn't achieved any significant results in the past twenty years. At this moment, Stanford urgently hoped that the campus would give birth to a new HP! Even if it didn't reach the heights of HP, a nominal gimmick would be enough! Because even a gimmick could provide hope for students in the midst of chaos!
In this situation, any company with a brain wouldn't mess with the somewhat crazy Stanford!
And now, "Snake Game" is a commercial product created by Stanford students?
FXXK YOU!
At this moment, Peter Kaufman and Samuel Houston instantly understood why Ethan Jones, like a brainless youth, had directly approached them, businessmen, with his precious inspiration!
Outside of California, Stanford might be helpless, but within the boundaries of Stanford, he wasn't afraid of being plagiarized at all!
Plagiarizers fail?
For him, there's no loss at all!
Plagiarizers succeed?
Let Stanford's partners go to the school and cry a little, and the law school teachers will send letters!
No!
There's an 80% chance of a direct lawsuit!
After all, the one who proposed the school-enterprise joint construction plan, Fred Terman, is still alive!
Every year at the graduation ceremony, this old president of Stanford would encourage students to be brave!
Half an hour later, Peter Kaufman and Samuel Houston, who still hadn't reached a cooperation agreement, watched Ethan Jones leave.
Looking at the increasingly distant taillights, Peter Kaufman said with a gloomy expression, "Do you think everything he said is true?"
"I don't know." Samuel Houston shook his head.
Peter Kaufman unwillingly said, "Aren't you acquainted with Milowa? Make a call and ask?"
"I only know their salespeople," Samuel Houston emphasized, but seeing his partner's frowning expression, he sighed and said, "Alright, I'll go."
And then...
After about ten minutes, he returned with a tense expression on his face.
"Damn! Drop your thoughts of plagiarism! This guy named Ethan Jones is not an ordinary person at all! His family owns over a hundred acres of land!!! It's an orchard!!! It solves the employment problems of dozens of people every year!!! In Santa Clara County!!!"
"If we plagiarize his stuff, Stanford doesn't need to act! Those officials in charge of agriculture can send the police to raid our home!!!"
"Huh?"
This fact surprised Peter Kaufman.
"Over a hundred acres of land? Oh, FXXk! This guy turns out to be a landlord?"
The next moment, he slammed the table forcefully and shouted, "Damn! Why are these people born with such good backgrounds!"
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