Rebirth of America, this is my era

Chapter 179 Attention
[As a magazine founded in 1930, we have witnessed the emergence of countless histories and the birth of countless myths in the past 48 years.]

[The 1930s was the era of Walt Disney, who brought happiness to the world with his animations and dispelled the shadow of the Great Depression that enveloped people. At the same time, Walt Disney himself also gained a lot of wealth from the listing of his company.]

[The 2s was the era of Boeing. During WW29, they became our country's largest supplier of military aircraft. The B- they developed not only witnessed victory, but also made them a wealth legend in that decade, creating countless millionaires. ]

[The 701s was the golden age of our country. Electronic technology developed during the war was rapidly promoted after the war. Television, telephone, semiconductors, artificial satellites... these crazy emerging technologies directly changed our lives. The most famous company of that era was IBM. Their commercial computer IBM and the world's first hard disk drive laid the foundation for the development of computers, and made them the most well-known company in the world in an instant.]

[In the 1960s, the social situation in our country might have been somewhat chaotic, but the development of aerospace technology made countless companies become stars. The space revolution led by NASA made it the brightest sun in the sky, and it was also the best employer of that era.]

【In the last decade, our country has suffered from severe economic stagflation, and almost all industries have stagnated. Just when we all thought that this kind of hardship and confusion would bring social development to a standstill, in 1972, Professor Ralph Bell appeared with his MILO Odyssey. When he demonstrated the table tennis game he invented in front of the world, we all thought that we saw the next Walt Disney. Because Professor Ralph Bell provided us with a new way of entertainment, and we all know that the explosion of the entertainment industry and economic development are always inversely related. The worse the economy, the better the entertainment.】

[However, no one expected that the MILO Odyssey did not shock the world like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs did. What really caused a sensation was the arcade machine made by Atari founder Nolan Bushnell. The cheap and convenient entertainment method brought great happiness to people, and the scene of being sought after by the masses also made Atari a well-deserved star.]

[Just when we all thought that Nolan Bushnell and his Atari would be the wealth legend of the 1970s, they appeared like a meteor and streaked across the night sky as fast as a meteor. In 1975, they swept across the entire America with a small green snake, and at the same time, they brought us a new face - Ethan Jones.]

[No one knows what is in Ethan Jones's head, but we all know that as the creator of "Snake Game", he broke the sales record of the previous most popular video game "Pong" in just half a year, just like a comet hitting the earth. ]

[Then, the following year, he brought us Pac-Man.]

[The fascinating puzzle-solving whirlwind spread like a virus to every corner of America. Almost in an instant, the yellow figure became a hot topic among people and the best playmate for children. Before it appeared, no one thought that video games could be played like this! Before it appeared, no one expected that video games could be played like this! ]

[Although we still don’t know how many levels this game has, the endless map with new levels after completing one level still amazes us! ]

[What amazes us even more is that this game has leveraged a market of over 500 million in just half a year. When the jingle of coins rings out on the American continent... that crisp metallic sound must be the wonderful movement of economic recovery.]

[At that time, we thought that Pac-Man might be the limit of Ethan Jones, but no one expected that in the third year of his entrepreneurship, he brought us a more interesting game. ]

[Perhaps space-themed video games have long been popular in colleges and universities, but the game "Star Wars" still made history and brought space fantasy to the world. ]

[Since the end of May last year, "Star Wars" video arcades have been everywhere in America. We can no longer count the exact number of times people have played the game, but according to rough calculations, this game has created a guaranteed 800 million in wealth in the first six months of last year.]

[Although Destiny Games is a private company that does not need to publish financial statements, according to our magazine's careful research, the shipment volume of "Star Wars" arcade machines has exceeded 50,000 units! Calculated at US$2,000 per unit, Destiny Games' main business income last year was guaranteed to be more than 100 million! ]

[At the same time, they also sell their games overseas. In the past few years, their "Snake" and "Pac-Man" have ignited the entire Japanese electronic game market. The total shipments of the two games last year should exceed 100,000 units. When the price of Japanese arcade machines remains unchanged at 2,000 US dollars, the overseas revenue of the Destiny game should exceed 200 million! ]

[After simply adding up the North American and overseas revenues of the Destiny game, we have come to an astonishing fact - Ethan Jones! Born in 1955! Currently only 23 years old! He already controls a Fortune 500 company! ]

[Because the year before last, in 1976, the threshold for our Fortune 500 was only 300 million, and Foxboro, which was at the bottom, became the gatekeeper of the list with an income of 327 million.]

[But the most legendary thing is not here. According to our interviews with professionals, we were surprised to find that the profit margin of the video game industry can generally reach 30%, and all transactions are cash-for-goods transactions. In other words, last year, Ethan Jones used his video games to sweep away nearly 100 million in cash wealth from the world market! ]

[You read that right, it’s 100 million! Cash! ]

[This result would have put them at number 156 on the 1976 list! ]

[There are only 155 companies in the world that can make more money than the game of fate, and those companies are either Procter & Gamble, DuPont, or ExxonMobil...]

[Ethan Jones completed a century-long leap in just three years! ]

【Under his influence, video games have become the most popular industry at the moment! 】

[If we were not sure whose era the 1970s were before, now we can officially declare that the 1970s were the era of Ethan Jones! ]

[He and his video games are the wealth myth of this era! ]

[Of course, earning hundreds of millions of cash a year may not be his true strength, because as far as we know, Apple, the leading player in the current computer industry, is also his incubation project. According to the latest news we have received, Wenlock, a well-known company in the field of wind, has invested in Apple. The pre-investment valuation recognized by both parties is 300 million. ]

[Although we don't know how many shares of Apple Ethan Jones owns, we can estimate from his past publicity that he may own no less than 30% of the shares, so the wealth he controls may be higher.]

[We are very curious about what new legends Ethan Jones will write for us in the new year, and we are even more curious about whether the Apple company he is involved in will become a new trendsetter.]

[If Apple succeeds again, it is very likely to break the inertia of history and surpass all legends such as Walt Disney, William Boeing, and Thomas Watson, because before this, no one has ever been able to discover the pulse of wealth for two consecutive decades. ]

…………

"Fake news! Fake news! All of it is fake news!"

"This Fortune magazine is just talking nonsense. How did I make 100 million? Game development doesn't cost money! Game production doesn't cost money! Game sales and transportation don't cost money! Employee salaries don't cost money! I lose so much money every day that I cry in bed! I wake up every day because I'm suffocating! Because I don't know how to pay out the weekly salary!"

"This is a rumor! This is a fabrication!"

"Prosecute them! Prosecute them!"

When Ethan finished reading the article written by Fortune magazine, the thousands of words made him purse his lips and tremble, and then he suddenly raised his head and roared wildly.

That crazy behavior made Steve Ballmer, who came to report the good news, look confused. After looking at his boss with wide eyes for a while, he immediately lowered his head and agreed, then got up and left.

As the bang sounded, Ethan, who was still angry, quickly stood up.

After lying on the door and listening for a while, he confirmed that the footsteps had disappeared, then he immediately opened the door, rushed out in one step, then turned around and twisted into Evelin's office.

When the girl sitting behind the desk raised her head with a puzzled look, looking at the boy rushing in as if he were a fool, Ethan immediately slapped the Fortune magazine in front of her and said excitedly, "Look! We're on the list! We're on the list! Fortune 500!"

He showed the girl himself on the cover, then flipped to the homepage of the article and poked it with his finger, "They say I'm better than William Boeing and Thomas Watson!"

"Although this is a fact..."

“But they’re still pretty discerning, right?”

That's right!

When Ethan found out that Fortune magazine called him a legendary figure in the 1970s, he tried his best to control his facial muscles and tried not to laugh out loud!

Although this kind of false reputation is not as real as the green dollars, people live their lives for fame and fortune. A surge in income is just one of Ethan's dreams, and showing off in front of others...

Eh!
This Fortune magazine still has a keen eye!

He hadn't even fired yet, but this guy had already started licking!

This made him feel a little embarrassed about his accurate shooting skills! As for the lawsuit he mentioned in front of Steve Ballmer?

That's what needs to be done, right?

Their Destiny Game is not a listed company and does not need to disclose financial reports to the public. They only need to connect with the tax department. Under this circumstance, they were prepared to report a negative net profit last year, but Fortune said they made 100 million???

This is just a rumor!
You can brag about my ability, but you can't brag about my income!

You can brag about my influence and vision, but you can't count my assets!
Since you're already licking someone, why not try harder to lick them a little more properly?
While Ethan raised his proud little head, showing his big nostrils to others, waiting for Evelin to praise him, the girl who quickly read the report pouted.

"Business tycoon Ang?"

"hey-hey--"

"Is this what you wanted to show me?"

"hold head high!"

"Well, you are excellent, you are awesome!"

"Hahaha--"

"So, what about the game? The whole world is waiting for you to create a new myth."

"..." Ethan retracted his neck, which was almost sore.

When he found that Evelin was looking at him sideways with her left hand on her chin, he immediately snorted.

"It's boring."

He picked up the magazine on the table, turned around and left.

The girl pursed her lips at the regretful look, and when Ethan was about to leave, she added, "I'm waiting for your new game - today -"

"I know—I know—I'll think about it now—"

"pat-"

Ethan closed the door.

“Puchi—” Evelin laughed out loud as she looked at the tightly closed door.

"Your head is almost parallel to the sky, and you still want me to praise you?"

"Hmph—I won't—"

Just as Ethan was hanging his tail and regretfully wanting to show off the Fortune magazine review to others, the east coast of America was now bustling with activity.

As one of the world's most famous business magazines, Fortune has a very high status in the business field. As a magazine that judges the performance of other companies based on operating income, they have a strong credibility in the industry.

Because anyone who has worked in finance knows that market value and profit are highly variable. The former is highly manipulable and does not reflect the true strength of the company; the latter, the consolidation of accounts to squeeze out profits is the basis of accounting practice and is very confusing.

In this case, it is more difficult to falsify, and the operating income with comprehensive attributes has become a relatively objective standard for judging whether a company is excellent.

When the guys on Wall Street understood this key point and realized that the so-called industry hot spots and current hot topics are nothing but hype topics specifically used to fool other people out of their money, the relatively objective reports of Fortune magazine became their supplementary channel for gaining trust.

When they discovered that, with the advent of 1978, the Game of Destiny had already appeared on the front page of Fortune before the Fortune 500 list was released, the astonishing operating income and jaw-dropping profit margins made the guys who played the number game open their eyes wide.

"The operating income of Destiny Game last year was 300 million? Is that so outrageous?"

"The selling price of an arcade machine is two thousand dollars, right? This means that their global shipments have exceeded 150,000 units? This number is too incredible, isn't it?"

"It is true that video games make money, but I always thought that the entire industry is very profitable, and individual merchants cannot make money, because all the video arcade machines on the market are sold at a fixed price, and the money spent by players flows into the pockets of countless small and medium-sized merchants. With a large total volume and an even larger number of people sharing, the profit margin of this industry is very limited, but now... Ethan Jones sells 150,000 video arcade machines a year? The revenue of the Destiny game exceeds 300 million? How big is this market? Three billion?"

"Wow... the profit margin in the video game industry is far higher than in any other industry... 30 percent profit? How is this different from robbery?"

"One hundred million in cash? This is a reserve that countless companies cannot afford! This industry is the current gold mine! Oh! Sxxt! No wonder there was a rumor that Destiny Game would not accept any investment! Who would be willing to share with a company with such money-making ability? Isn't that a donkey kicking your head?"

With the release of the latest issue of Fortune magazine, Game of Destiny and Ethan Jones suddenly became hot topics in many investment companies on Wall Street.

Just when most people thought that this intense attention to the gaming industry was the envy of these unsophisticated people, because even if they worked in the digital field of finance for a hundred years, they probably wouldn't earn as much as Ethan Jones, who worked in the real industry, in a year. At that time, on the top floor of 85 Wall Street in Manhattan, two white old men in their fifties were huddled together and looking down at everyone.

"Have you read the latest issue of Fortune magazine?"

"Looked."

"Is there anything you want to say?"

"Yes, but not much."

"Hmm?" This answer made John Weinberg, who had a buzz cut, tilt his head slightly. He looked at his old friend beside him with a smile and said, "Do you have any news?"

"I guess so." John Whitehead laughed at his old friend's gaze and said, "The inclusion criteria for the Fortune 500 is that a company must disclose its financial statements to the public. If the company itself is unwilling to do so, then Fortune magazine will respect their wishes and give up including them."

"So, after seeing the latest magazine report, I asked someone to look for past data in our archives. We found no evidence that Destiny Game had released any public financial reports. The only thing we found was a simple statement made by Ethan Jones when he criticized Warner Communications. So, according to Fortune's inclusion criteria, their Destiny Game would not appear in the magazine, let alone on the front page."

"You mean, someone leaked the news on purpose?" John Weinberg asked with a smile.

"Probably." John Whitehead nodded slightly, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

"Who do you think it is?" John Weinberg asked.

"Who else?" John Whitehead shrugged. "An old friend."

(End of this chapter)