Chapter 18 Some people are born in Rome.
An hour later, in Exidy factory office.
Ethan crossed his legs and leaned on the simple sofa. On the coffee table in front of him was a cup of steaming coffee.
Samuel Hawes, who had been wild when playing the game "Snake" before, was sitting aside with a dark face and stiff muscles, while Peter Kaufman, who was in contact with Ethan, was holding his hands. He put his elbows on his knees, hunched over his body, and looked embarrassed.
"Mr. Jones, we have never done anything like licensing production and sales before."
"You can learn from it if you haven't done it before."
Ethan smiled nonchalantly: "After all, no one can walk as soon as they are born. "
But the problem is, no one is doing this kind of business in the market now, and we don't know what the standards for cooperation are."
Peter Kaufman pursed his lips, opened his hands and swayed unconsciously, and said: "What we know so far is actually the salary of a game developer, which is two hundred dollars a week, ten thousand, four hundred dollars a year..." "
Oh! Mr. Kaufman! If you tell me this, that's a little bit There is no sincerity!"
Before Peter Kaufman could finish speaking, Ethan Jones interrupted with a smile: "Mr. Kaufman, you have to know one thing. In this world, human power is the least valuable. Things. In 1970, our country conducted a census. There were 200 million people in the country. Among these 200 million people, there were at least hundreds of thousands who could make electronic arcades, but only those who could come up with fascinating game ideas. Only me.
Ethan Jones smiled and said, "Only One."
The eyes full of himself made Peter Kaufman instinctively tilt his head.
He glanced at his partner Samuel Hawes, whose brows were already twisted
"We need to discuss it." Samuel Hawes got the help meaning in Peter Kaufman's eyes, so he said decisively: "Mr. Jones, please wait here for a while." "
Please." Ethan Jones is in no rush.
He nodded kindly and watched the two of them leave.
In fact, when Samuel Hawes angrily protected the joystick and yelled at Peter Kaufman, everyone present realized that something was wrong. After they recovered, they turned their attention to When I saw Ethan, all I saw was a confident smile.
This fact made it clear to them that they were at a disadvantage in the negotiation because they had shown great interest in the game "Snake"! So they invited Ethan to the office and discussed cooperation matters.
Exidy idea is to offer a price to buy out Ethan's "Snake."
Their target price is US$20,000, US$30,000, US$40,000, and up to US$50,000.
But how could Ethan accept this price?
Although in this era, the median income per capita in America is only more than 5,000 US dollars. The price of 50,000 US dollars is already the income of a normal person for ten years, but even for a hundred years! A thousand years! That's not even a fraction of the value of "Snake Game"!
Even if Ethan gets his brain kicked by a Texas donkey!
There's no way he can sell it!
It can only be authorized!
And for such a request...
"Authorization? Is anyone doing the licensing business now? Won't this spread make people laugh at us?"
After leaving the office, Peter Kaufman, who had been suppressed for a long time, immediately released his emotions. mood.
"Everyone in the industry is plagiarizing now! No one will pay for the copyright of video games! Even magnavox! They can only seek legal help by filing a lawsuit! In this case, he thought Negotiate a share with us? Oh! Oh my God! It's a mercy for me to give him fifty thousand dollars! That's fifty thousand dollars! Fifty thousand dollars!! Fifty thousand dollars!!!"
Peter Kaufman He kicked out angrily
The iron door of the factory suddenly made an overwhelming clanking sound.
This movement made Samuel Hawes frown suddenly, and he glanced inside the warehouse. After confirming that there was nothing unusual in the office, he waved to his employees, telling them to keep an eye on the room.
And he himself pulled his good brother and walked further.
"Oh! Sxxt! Is your special code mentally ill? Even if you don't want to give him money, there's no need to shout so loudly, okay!" "
Because I'm very angry! This is obviously blackmail!"
Peter shouted angrily: "He just stared at me and said Only One! Who does he think he is? Tesla? That's what I'm saying! No matter how powerful Tesla is! It can't defeat Edison! No matter how powerful alternating current is! He can't do it!" You won't get a penny!"
"Then you want to plagiarize?" Samuel Hawes asked, frowning.
"Is there any problem? Everyone is doing this!" Peter Kaufman spread his hands and said: "We already know how to play the game. We will copy it as soon as he leaves and we can launch it on the market in five days at most! "
Peter Kaufman shouted: "What did he just say? Manpower is not valuable? This is really naive! Since he dares to push the game in front of us, we must teach him a lesson! In electronics In the game industry, the most valuable thing is inspiration! All developers are not worthy of money! Who can make an electronic arcade! Who can make the owners of entertainment venues buy game consoles! Whoever is the winner!"
At this point, the scene There was silence.
Peter Kaufman gasped and stared hard at Samuel Hawes.
Samuel Hawes looked at his companion seriously, and then slowly closed his eyes.
The frown between his eyebrows seemed to represent confusion in his thoughts, but his pacing back and forth was actually assessing the safety of his actions.
After a moment, he shook his head again.
"Pete, since this guy named Ethan Jones dares to come to us, it means that he has registered the copyright! And he said that he came from magnavox, so it is impossible for him not to know that Atari plagiarized The fact that magnavox made a fortune!"
"So what?"
Peter Kaufman said indifferently: "Even if we have the copyright, we can copy it! As long as this game can make us a lot of money, what does it mean to lose a little money? You You know, this is America! The loser gets nothing! The winner takes everything!"
Oh! Sxxt!..." Samuel Hawes wanted to say something else.
But Peter Kaufman was the first to say: "Samuel! Don't refuse! His game is obviously very interesting! It will obviously cause a sensation when put on the market! As long as we can make 10 million from it! We will be the richest people in America!" "
You know what? Now we are only one step away from success!"
"As long as we dare to do it like DuPont!"
"No! Our job is not even half as dangerous as DuPont! You have to know that Nolan Bushnell is alive and well now!"
Peter Kaufman's words made Samuel Hawes choke.
He took out a box of Marlboros from his pocket, took one in his mouth and lit it vigorously.
After much thought, I was finally convinced by the green Franklin.
"MFXXK!"
"Okay!! I know what you said is the truth, but before copying, we must at least find out the background of this guy named Ethan Jones? If he is just an ordinary engineer, then we Just give it a fucking vote!"
The right choice of companion made Peter Kaufman very happy.
After returning to the office, they wanted to know if Ethan Jones could call the shots on the "Snake" machine on the grounds of better cooperation.
Ethan Jones, who had been working in the financial industry for many years in his previous life, had seen a lot of problems like this. He leaned on the sofa and said with a smile: "Oh! Of course I didn't build this machine alone. What I provided was just a little bit. Inspiration!"
'He didn't make the machine? '
This fact made the two bosses of Peter eyes light up.
"Then I want to know, who is the engineer who makes the machine..." Peter Kaufman wanted to express his thoughts in a more tactful tone, "With all due respect, Mr. Jones, if the copyright is not in your hands alone, Cooperation is out of the question."
"I know this." Ethan Jones nodded and said, "If you are sure that you want to cooperate, I can call her over this afternoon, my partner, and let's sit down together. Come down and discuss the specific treaty."
'She? Or a woman? '
The two bosses of Exidy looked at each other, and both of them felt that plagiarism was a good idea.
Because so far, they have never heard of a female figure in the video game industry.
Judging from Ethan Jones's current statement, the women he talks about are still very idle.
If this is the case...
then these two guys should be amateurs with no background?
"Is this trouble?" Peter Kaufman rubbed his hands.
He could hardly hold back his laughter.
However, just when he was about to see off his guests, he boldly plagiarized the Game behind closed doors.
Ethan Jones added: "It's not troublesome, after all, Stanford is only a few dozen minutes away from here."
'? ? ? '
As soon as these words came out, Peter Kaufman and Samuel Hoyston froze.
"What?" Samuel Hawes couldn't believe his ears, "Mr. Jones, what did you say?" "
Your partner is from Stanford?"
"Yeah~ Stanford's graduate student this year."
"She is because I'm busy with my studies, so I asked me to commercialize this game arcade machine."
Ethan Jones spread his hands in an elegant manner and asked with a smile: "Is there any problem?"
This is a big problem!
Peter Kaufman and Samuel Hawes looked at Ethan Jones with twinkling eyes.
Trying to find flaws in him.
But that integrated self-confidence made them defeated.
As guys who open a company next to Stanford, they know better than anyone how much the university next door supports its students in entrepreneurship!
They know better how much Stanford spares no effort to ensure that students can succeed!
They know better that since Stanford launched the school-enterprise co-construction plan, Stanford has not made any obvious achievements in the past two decades. At this moment, Stanford urgently hopes that a new HP can be born in the campus! Even if it doesn't reach the heights of HP and is only a gimmick in name, that doesn't matter! Because even if it is a gimmick, it can still provide hope to students in chaos!
Under such circumstances, any smart company would not provoke the somewhat crazy Stanford!
And now, "Sanke Game" is a commercial work by Stanford students?
FXXKYOU!
At this moment, Peter Kaufman and Samuel Hawes instantly understood why Ethan Jones, like a brainless young man, directly approached businesses like them to cooperate with his precious inspiration!
Outside of California, Stanford may not be able to help, but at Stanford, he is not afraid of being plagiarized at all!
Plagiarism failed?
That's no loss to him at all!
Did the plagiarist succeed?
Let the Stanford partners go to school and cry, and the law school teachers will send letters!
No!
There is an 80% chance of directly filing a lawsuit!
After all, Fred Terman, who proposed the school-enterprise co-construction plan, is still alive in the world!
Every year at the graduation ceremony, the old president of Stanford would encourage students to go for it bravely!
Half an hour later, Peter Kaufman and Samuel Hawes, who still had not reached a cooperation agreement, watched Ethan Jones leave.
Looking at the increasingly distant car taillights, Peter Kaufman said gloomily: "Do you think what he said is true?"
"I don't know." Samuel Hawes shook his head .
Peter Kaufman said with some reluctance: "Don't you know someone from magnavox? Give me a call and ask?"
"I only know their sales staff." Samuel Hawes emphasized There was a sound, but after seeing the frowning expression of his partner, he still shook his hand and said: "Okay, I'll go."
Then...
about ten minutes later, he came back with a tense expression.
"Damn! Put away your plagiarism ideas! This guy named Ethan Jones is not an ordinary person at all!!! His family has more than a hundred acres of land!!! It is an orchard!!! It can solve dozens of people every year It's a job problem!!! It's in Santa Clara County!!!"
"If we confiscate his stuff! We don't even need Stanford to do anything! The officials in charge of agriculture can ask the police to raid our house!!!"
"Aha?"
This fact surprised Peter Kaufman.
"More than a hundred acres of land? OhFXXk! Is this guy actually a landlord?"
The next second, he slammed the table again and shouted unwillingly: "Danm!!! Why are these people from such good backgrounds!! !"
(End of chapter)