Rebirth of America, this is my era

Chapter 144 The Master is Here!
Now that the company's new headquarters had been decided, Ethan Jones moved decisively.

It took several days for Julis Noble to purchase a batch of new office equipment for the new company. Michael Blanco was hired to bring people to move all the project data from the original company. After asking Alan Massey to pay and customize a new logo for the company...

Since July 1977, 7, the base of the Destiny Game has moved from the ordinary Stanford Industrial Park to the high-end Stanford Research Park.

The metallic Kismet sign sparkles in the sunlight.

The office building was even more crowded.

"Oh! Sxxt! Was this building specially approved by the old principal?"

"Of course. Didn't the school say this before? Starting this year, the Stanford Research Institute and our school will be officially separated and become two independent entities. Even the current president cannot interfere with the operation here. In this case, only President Terman, the founder, can influence this place!"

"MFxxk! Does that mean the rumors in school are true? Senior Johnson really knows Principal Terman? And they have a very good relationship?"

"Oh - isn't this something everyone knows? Weren't you there when our company launched Pac-Man last year? The launch party was held in the school auditorium!"

"Uh... I just came this year..."

"What? I see. Then I have to tell you something! When our company launched Pac-Man last year, many bigwigs came. Principal Terman attended in person, and his student, the founder of HP, was also there. Wow, that day was really amazing. Many people who lived in textbooks showed up. It was a big loss if you didn't see it..."

Since Ethan recruits based on the principle of getting the most out of every possible effort, more than 70% of the employees at the headquarters are from Stanford. So when the company officially moved, they naturally exclaimed in amazement at the clearness of the facts after knowing the specific differences between the research park and the industrial park.

Although they all knew that the school encouraged entrepreneurship, they had never imagined that the school could provide such strong support to companies with better development prospects?
Want money? Give money.

Want someone to give to someone?

Want land? Give it to me.

Damn it, with this kind of support, even if you are a pig, you can fly to the sky, right?
Oh, that's not right.

They didn’t mean to say the boss is a pig!
Because their boss is super handsome~
Ethan actually knew what the employees were thinking because he looked in the mirror every morning.

But as a man of action, he would not waste time on such trivial matters. And after he sat in his new office, the visitors who came to him left him no time to care about anything else.

Yes.

Since the game of fate moved to the campus of Stanford Research Institute, many professors of physics and optics have come to visit. After a brief exchange, they all showed their willingness to cooperate.

At first, Ethan was still sighing that President Fred Terman's title was really useful, but after Evelyn put the mainframe research and development aside for a while and took some time to have serious discussions with the professors who came to inquire... the girl immediately punched Ethan on the arm.

"Why did you hit me?" Ethan, who was talking about the good things about the old principal, was a little confused.

"Because you are stupid!" Evelyn said bluntly after putting down the document handed to her by the professor.

"..." This answer left Ethan speechless. He really didn't know where he was stupid.

Evelyn, who was leaning back in her chair, patted the table and said, "Oh, Ethan, you don't really think these professors are here because President Terman has special support for us, do you?"

"That is one of the factors, but it is definitely not the key factor!"

"The reason they came here is because you are here."

"What?" Ethan didn't understand.

Evelyn rolled her eyes and said, "How many professors have we met so far? Five or six? During the interviews, every one of them mentioned Chuck Petrus, Ralph Baer, ​​and even Steve Wozniak, right?"

"Before launching MOS 6502 on the market, Chuck Peteau and his team were just unknown researchers. To be more precise, they were just engineers in the chip field. But since you solved the legal issues of MOS 6502 and made it impossible for Motorola to pursue their infringement liability, the widespread launch of MOS 6502 has instantly made Chuck Peteau and his team the focus of the scientific research community. The professors we met with have said that in the past year alone, Chuck Peteau and his team have received many invitations to join associations, asking them to give speeches and reports."

"It's the same with Ralph Baer. Odyssey was not a successful product, but after he joined us, our Pac-Man and Star Wars made his video game patent a breakthrough success. When you repeatedly stated in front of the media that video games were invented by Ralph Baer and that his original intention was to bring happiness to the world...his reputation in the scientific research circle has been rising at a speed visible to the naked eye! How many people in the whole United States have not heard of his name now?"

"Steve Wozniak is even more so. Apple computers are an excellent product, and Steve Wozniak is indeed very capable, but the knowledge of the industry and the knowledge of the whole world are two different things, right? When you give them $50,000 to sponsor them to start a company, let them use the game Snake to promote their products, and keep saying in newspaper columns and TV shows that I use Apple, I use Apple... Who in the whole industry doesn't know that the Wozniak kid is a big star in the field of personal computers?"

"Reputation is the most important thing in the scientific research circle!"

"The promotion of patents and the transformation of research results are the 'money' that professors desire most!"

"These things may not be very touching to you, but I have a real understanding of them."

Evelin looked at Ethan with emotion, "How much can a person research in his lifetime? Normal people can only research a few. Given the small base, how many of those patents can be transformed into products? And after those products are launched on the market, how many of them can become a big hit?"

"No."

The girl shrugged. "Many people will never be able to stand on the podium to report their achievements in their lifetime."

"Because the chances are slim, many talents choose to cooperate with enterprises. The enterprises provide the demand and they do the research. In this case, they may really be researching something they are not interested in, but at the same time, the chances of success will be greatly increased."

"But there is another problem in this process. In order to promote their own brands, companies hide reports on those R&D personnel and keep them active only within the circle."

"Although these things are enough to make countless people envious, you are different, right?"

“You like to tell the outside world who made our product.”

"What developer doesn't want people to know that a well-known product is the product of their own creation? Being known by the world for their products is different from how they introduce themselves to the outside world, right?"

Evelyn raised her eyebrows at Ethan.

Ethan smiled and shook his head.

Ok!

Ethan understood what Evelyn meant.

The prosperity of the world is for profit; the hustle and bustle of the world is for profit.

As long as people are alive, they will have some pursuits to a certain extent.

For capitalists who are driven by interests, money may be everything, but the way things are played in the academic circle is obviously different. Money is only a part of what they want to obtain, not a necessity. The recognition of their peers, the approval of universities, invitations to various seminars, and the list of senior expert groups after social cases occur are the treasures they desire most.

Ethan is not from this circle, but he did everything an employer should do, even better than most employers in the world. When one, two, three actual examples are put in front of you, and four, five, six guys have become famous figures in America...

Ethan felt that with Stanford as his backer, he would be able to get the upper hand.

Those professors with more ideas would think that it is easier for flowers and trees to bloom in spring when they face the sun.

"So we are in the initiative now?" Ethan asked with a smile.

“Hmm.” Evelyn shrugged. “These professors all have impressive resumes.”

"Then I'll leave this matter to you. Are you sure who we should use in the end?" Ethan was ready to leave.

How could he understand any technology? He didn't even know how long a CD could store content. Asking him to organize the screening of project candidates was just nonsense!

"Oh - are you trying to tire me to death?" Evelyn said helplessly, "I have to draw the circuit diagram of the host computer while helping you find out which professor's team is more likely to produce results?"

"You really want to keep me busy!"

"And I studied computer science, not physics."

Despite the complaints, Evelin still took the job.

"Okay, okay, I won't talk to you about this anymore."

"I'd rather work than argue with you here."

As she said this, she walked out with the professors' information.

However, not long after she went out, she came back again.

"Step aside."

She kicked Ethan's boss chair and said, "This office is for me. I don't like the one outside. It's too close to the stairs. When someone wants to see you, they always pass me by. It's really noisy and uncomfortable."

Just like before, Ethan also turned the entire fifth floor into an office for the two of them.

Because the building provided by the research park has a straight tube structure with only one staircase at the very edge, the layout will have a corridor passing through each office.

Ethan didn't like the sound of footsteps, so he hid in the innermost part.

And Evelyn...

"Okay, this office is yours."

Ethan took the initiative to stand up, "You are the boss, and everyone in the company listens to you."

"Humph! Get lost!" Evelin didn't bother to pay attention to him.

Before, she did think that it was a bit stupid for Philips to promote optical storage products while tinkering with magnetic storage, but when Ethan told her that Spielberg had made it clear that Philips had found MCA to tinker with optical storage as early as the late 1960s, the girl believed Ethan's analysis.

And in this situation, they were beaten for no reason? Then she naturally wanted to fight back.

Let Ethan go, just to think about the problem in a quiet environment.

As the office door closed, the girl continued to look through the professors' self-recommendation materials, and Ethan breathed a sigh of relief when he walked out of the office. When the product effect has been established and the technical support is provided by Stanford, all that is left is to spend money on experiments, which is exactly what he is best at.

Hey! I have money!

After handing over the technical issues, Ethan just wanted to take a breath, but the appearance of a curious baby interrupted his idea of ​​rest. Jobs sneaked into the new building of Destiny Game like a thief, and walked all the way to Ethan's office. The guy with long hair exclaimed, "MFxxk! Ethan! Are you running a company here now?"

"Oh - this building is much cooler than our Apple headquarters!"

“Your office is so spacious!”

"Oh! Sxxt! There's a TV here?"

"What is this machine? Why haven't I seen it before?"

"Oh! No! Is this the videotape of Jaws? Why is it round? It's not a tape? It's... a CD?" Steve Jobs screamed. "Oh Steve - why are you here?"

Looking at the guy who seemed to be cosplaying as Granny Liu, Ethan had a strange look on his face.

He did inform his friends before moving, but because the move was so sudden, he decided not to have a party to celebrate, and repeatedly asked them not to give him gifts. Those people respected his idea and verbally congratulated him, and Xiao Qiao was naturally one of them.

If Ethan remembered correctly, this guy had promised at the beginning that he would not join in the fun, but now... why did that figure looking around and touching things give me the feeling of being a scout?

"Ethan, you don't want me to come, do you?"

Jobs said sadly: "As a brother, I can't even witness the relocation of your headquarters?"

"Oh - this really makes me feel so uncomfortable!"

"Also, isn't this a gift from Steven?"

"He can give you a gift and you ask me not to give you a gift?"

"Ah - my heart hurts so much -"

Jobs covered his chest and fell backwards, looking as if he had a heart attack.

Ethan was so upset by this. He scratched his head with a twitching mouth and waved his right hand, "Steven, tell me, what do you like about me?"

"Can you take it yourself?"

"Really?" Jobs, sprawled out on the sofa, opened his eyes narrowly.

"Of course!" Ethan, who couldn't stand his exaggerated performance, surrendered directly.

"Can you lend me this building? Let me experience what it's like to work in Stanford Research Park?"

"..."

Ethan stared at this smart guy for a few seconds.

Then he squeezed out two words, "Get lost."

"Oh - this is really too uncomfortable!" Jobs exclaimed.

He stuck out his tongue and fainted on the sofa.

Just when Ethan thought that this guy was going to make more trouble, he had already climbed up from the sofa.

"Okay, okay, let's stop playing. I came here today to see you and satisfy my curiosity about what Stanford Research Park is like."

"By the way, I'll bring you Apple's semi-annual report."

Jobs sat down in the chair in front of his desk with a smile on his face.

Then he pulled out a rolled-up document from his waist and handed it to Ethan.

Because of the long commotion before, the documents now look a bit like rotten pickles.

"Fxxk you!" Ethan cursed him helplessly.

"If the report doesn't look good, you're dead!"

"How can it be!"

Jobs looked very confident, "With me here, Apple's financial statements will definitely not be bad!"

What Jobs said was true. Although APPLE 2 was only sold for two weeks in the first half of the year, its sales volume increased linearly. As of June , its shipments had exceeded units. At the same time, the number of pre-orders also exceeded units, and the company's revenue exceeded million.

Based on the current momentum, the company's marketing director predicts that Apple will be able to sell at least 2 APPLE units this year, with annual operating revenue expected to reach million.

The biggest contributor here is Ethan Jones.

Just as Evelyn said, if Ethan hadn't said that the machine used in the Destiny game was an Apple, that Apple computers could be used to make electronic games, that there was no threshold for using Apple computers, and that a game code manual would be given away with every purchase, which would make you fall in love with programming from the source... then this machine would definitely not have sold so well.

"Fifty million?"

Ethan was really shocked by this number.

"Shit, my Star Wars has only sold 60 million!"

He was a little sour.

Jobs laughed and said, "Oh Ethan, don't be like that. Apple 2 and Star Wars are two completely different products. Apple 2's goal is to enter American homes, while Star Wars' goal is to occupy all public places that can be occupied."

“Family is definitely greater than occasion.”

"So Star Wars may have a fast start, but Apple 2 can also catch up quickly."

Ethan was of course aware of these facts, and his complaints were just spontaneous. He lamented that no matter how well the game sold, it could not compare to computers. As he continued to flip through the pages, he discovered a problem.

The document handed over by Jobs included not only Apple's semi-annual report, but also a report on the current status of the personal computer market. It mentioned that the most popular personal computer at the moment is not the APPLE 2, but the TRS-80 launched by Tandy. According to data compiled by computer dealers from all over the country, their current market share is %, and this year's shipments are expected to reach units.

The reason for this result is very simple, that is, they sell it cheaply enough. The price of three hundred and ninety-nine US dollars can really beat all competitors.

Not only that, Apple 2 has another enemy, that is PET launched by Commodore International. Compared with Apple 2, their price is also very cheap, currently only US dollars...

These facts made Ethan nod secretly.

Although he was not clear about the initial development of the personal computer industry, he knew that at the beginning of the development of home computers, Apple, the most expensive computer, was indeed not the market leader.

To put it bluntly, the reason why they are remembered by the world is that they gained a lot of fans and successfully went public even though they sold at the most expensive price. When Apple was listed on the Nasdaq, the grassroots-born Jobs truly became the living American dream. This is the biggest gimmick that impressed people so much.

What made Apple legendary afterwards was the story of Steve Jobs' return to Apple and his comeback. If it were put in a Hollywood movie, it would be even more inspirational than the modified Forrest Gump. When the iPod and iPhone, which changed the world, appeared, Apple became the ultimate Apple in people's memory.

Of course, there is also the story between them and Microsoft’s good neighbor Xerox.

Knowing all this, Ethan doesn't care about the fact that Apple has not become the market leader despite his support. After all, as long as Wozniak is still in the company, they will have time.

After handing the report back to Jobs, Ethan smiled and said, "Steve, you are already very impressive to be the second in the market with a computer costing more than a thousand dollars."

"And I believe you can be even more powerful."

"Hahahaha——" Ethan's words made Jobs smile.

"Oh Ethan, I knew you would understand me—"

"Of course, I also believe that we can be even better!"

"Stephen is working on a five-and-a-quarter floppy disk. If he can add that thing to our computer, then we can really promote mature application tools to the outside world!"

"Instead of just providing them with codes like we do now!"

After chatting with Jobs for a while, the guy who was still keeping an eye on Apple sales decided to slip away.

Before leaving, he also took away the CD player and CDs that Spielberg gave to Ethan, saying that he would go back and study them and return them to him in a few days.

Ethan could only shake his head helplessly at this fact, and soon after seeing him off, Ethan welcomed another old friend, the general manager of Chuck Pete Company.

Like the smart guy Steve Jobs, this guy also came to submit his semi-annual report.

Unlike Apple, which ranks second in the market, Xiaomi's MOS chip has now become the number one in the world.

When Destiny Game Company used more than 6502 1977 chips in the first half of the year, Apple directly ordered chips, and many computer manufacturers in the market were eager for low costs, Chuck Petrus sold chips in the first half of alone.

Among them, Ethan and Apple's purchase price was US$12, and the wholesale price to the outside was US$22, so their total revenue was US$2.5 million.

Although this number is not as impressive as the 60 million units of Destiny, nor as dazzling as the 7 million units of Apple, as the core productivity of major companies, this shipment volume makes Ethan very satisfied.

After reviewing the financial reports of each of the companies under his name, Ethan was finally able to take a break.

I went to Thomas' orchard to relax for a few days and enjoyed a rare leisure time.

Because he knew that he had to conserve his energy now.

Next, there is another tough battle waiting for him.

And that was indeed the case. On July 27, Ethan, who was lying in the orchard, received a call from Alan Massey, "Boss, the people from Nintendo are here with the semi-annual report."

Such words made Ethan take a deep breath and asked in a deep voice: "Who is this person who came back?"

"It's still the same Arakawa Minoru." Alan Massey replied.

The name made Ethan laugh, "Okay, let him wait for me..."

"I'll come right away."

Click, Ethan hung up the phone in the orchard.

At the same time, he picked up the sunglasses hanging on his collar and pushed them up on his nose.

Looking at the handsome figure in the glass, he snorted.

'Nintendo?'

"Here comes the master!"

Correction: In the previous chapter, I made a mistake in writing that the age difference between the principal and Ethan was nearly three years. I thought one year was twenty-four years old, but in fact the difference was almost five years.

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(End of this chapter)