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Half an hour later, the rich aroma of coffee filled Nolan Bushnell's office.
Ethan Jones sat on the sofa with a pleasant smile. Across from him were two people—one was Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Atari and a long-time acquaintance, and the other was a middle-aged man in a suit, his hair styled into an impressive pompadour.
The moment Ethan's eyes landed on the stranger, he narrowed them, struck by a vague sense of familiarity.
When Nolan made the introduction, Ethan nearly sprang to his feet.
The man's name was Donald Thomas Valentine—Atari's investor, founder of Sequoia Capital, and a bigshot in the world of venture capital.
Realizing that he was in the presence of someone destined for future financial textbooks, Ethan feel his heart pounding. But when Valentine offered a warm handshake, expressed genuine pleasure at meeting him, and even played a round of Snake on the spot, Ethan found his heartbeat returning to normal.
In Ethan's past life, these people might have been bigshot—names etched in history books, discussed for decades.
But now? In the tide of history that had only just begun, everyone was still just an ordinary person. At this moment, whoever seized the right opportunity could ascend to greatness.
In that light…What's there for me to get excited about? I'm a cheat user.
Ethan looked at the two men with a polite smile, feeling no stir of excitement in his heart.
His attitude did not escape their notice. After a moment of silent observation, Nolan Bushnell spoke first.
"Ethan, since you already know Atari's current situation, I'll be direct. Yes—Atari can't release its own developed games for the next year, not until May. But that doesn't mean Atari will decline. The other arcade companies in the market aren't even close to challenging us."
Bushnell's confidence was palpable, his smile easy. "It's not arrogance. I just don't see them as a threat. According to our investigation, the traditional arcade manufacturers still want to play the spinach game—merging electronic games with their… gambling expertise. I think you've seen that for yourself today. And frankly, their plan is doomed, at least for now.
Because unless you turn an arcade machine into a computer, normal optoelectronic feedback can't manipulate a game's outcome. Without control over the result, you can't build a gambling game. At this stage, electronic games can only be pure entertainment."
He leaned back, his smile widening. "And when it comes to entertainment…After our settlement with Magnavox, they went on the offensive—filing lawsuits against every company that's produced a Pong-style game. Until those lawsuits are resolved, none of them will have the bandwidth to release anything new."
Yes—when Magnavox realized they couldn't touch Atari, they went after everyone else instead, suing their way through the market to claim profits from the infringers.
On the way to Atari, Steve Jobs had already told Ethan that companies like Exidy and Sega had all been served court subpoenas. If things went as expected, their executives would be shuffling in and out of courtrooms for months, maybe years.
Their earlier arrogance had vanished. Because everyone knew—no matter how much Bushnell had "borrowed" from others—he had real technical prowess. He'd broken free from conventional thinking and opened the door to a new era for engineers. Ralph Baer's respect for him made perfect sense.
As for the them? They were mere imitators. Ethan felt relief that he hadn't partnered with those people.
And now… "So?" Ethan said with a faint smile. "Mr. Bushnell, what are your conditions?"
"Our conditions are simple."
Before Bushnell could answer, Donald Valentine—Sequoia Capital's founder—spoke up.
"Mr. Jones, we'd like to form a long-term partnership. Let's say… ninety-nine years? We'll give you a fixed payment—maybe a few thousand, maybe tens of thousands—and in return, we'll have the rights to release Snake Game for the next ninety-nine years. Of course, you'll also receive a percentage of the game's revenue during that time."
A businessman was still a businessman. You couldn't expect them to simply leave money on the table.
With Atari barred from releasing new games under Magnavox's pressure, and with other companies tied up in lawsuits, Valentine's "solution" to seeing Snake Game was to lock it down in a near-century-long deal—skirting Magnavox's licensing restrictions entirely.
Oh, this was really—profit-driven. In this situation…
"Okay, I can feel your sincerity," Ethan said, "but I can't accept such a result."
He clapped his hands lightly, as if closing the matter. "From what I see, our negotiations can't continue. Let's leave it here. If there's a chance, we can talk again."
He started to rise. His sudden move caught both men off guard.
"Ethan? We're not continuing?" Nolan Bushnell asked.
"Mr. Jones, what's going on?" Donald Valentine said, feigning confusion. "We've only proposed a preliminary cooperation plan. We haven't even discussed the details."
"Sorry," Ethan replied with a pleasant smile, "but I don't see the need to go further—it would be a waste of time. Maybe it's because my vision is too narrow, or because I never went to college and my knowledge is lacking, but after hearing your proposal, I can't shake the feeling our expectations are parallel lines—always on the same plane, but never crossing.
If that's the case, talking more will only sour the mood. Better to part now, with a good impression on both sides."
His bluntness made both men frown. Yes, their offer was a little outrageous—but that was the nature of negotiation. Push and pull. Each side testing the other's limits.
But They hadn't even started—and Ethan was ready to walk?
Donald Valentine's expression darkened. He had rushed over the moment he'd heard about Snake Game.
Watching Ethan move toward the door, he called out, "Mr. Jones, I'll say it again—if you have ideas, say them. If there are differences, we can work them out slowly. But I'll be honest—if you think our conditions aren't good, you won't find a more sincere company in this world than ours. If you walk out today, you'll regret it."
"Who cares?" Ethan stopped.
The answer made Valentine's frown deepen. Ethan turned, his usually calm face breaking into a dazzling smile—one that made both men in the room uneasy.
Before they could speak, Ethan cut in. "Mr. Valentine, are you sure Atari is sincere? Are you sure Atari is my best choice?"
"Of course," Valentine said without hesitation.
"No." Ethan shook his head. "That's just your self-confidence talking. Atari isn't my best choice, because for me, the best choice is Hewlett–Packard."
"What?" Valentine's brows knitted as he glanced at Nolan Bushnell.
Even Bushnell looked puzzled, and when Valentine's eyes asked for confirmation, the Atari founder silently shook his head.
Seeing their confusion, Ethan smiled wider. "So you both only know me as a former Magnavox employee? No idea about anything else? Then I think I understand why you came up with this absurd ninety-nine-year deal—you simply don't know that Snake Game isn't my sole creation. Its other inventor is at Stanford."
His tone was polite, but the meaning was sharp enough to draw blood.
"I think you two gentlemen understand what I mean."
Without pausing for a reply, he pressed on. "I brought Snake Game here not because I need Atari, but because you need me. Not because Atari is my only choice, but because you need fresh, interesting games.
I brought Snake Game not because Atari is the industry leader! If Ralph Baer can work with Magnavox for home consoles, I can just as easily go to Hewlett–Packard and ask if they want to make arcade games!"
Before the words had even faded, the pupils of the two men across from Ethan contracted. They really hadn't known the true origins of Snake Game.
"Oh, Ethan~ don't be angry. Don was just joking with you," Nolan Bushnell quickly stood, a smile blooming on his face.
"The maximum copyright term is fifty-six years! Don's mention of ninety-nine was only to lighten the mood! In his little scenario, you'd hear that number, jump up in shock, demand to know if we even understand copyright law—and then Don would shout 'Surprise!' and we'd start proper negotiations in a more… playful atmosphere. Right, Don?"
"Yeah!" Don Valentine nodded earnestly. "We're a game company! We make the latest, trendiest electronic games! Even business talks should be relaxed and fun! Ethan, you totally misunderstood me! But… I admit, my wording was poor. If that caused offense, I apologize."
"Is that so?" Ethan feigned surprise. "It was intentional?"
Nolan hesitated for a beat, then nodded vigorously. "Of course! If you don't believe me, I can bring in Steve—Steve Jobs—to tell you about Atari's work culture. The atmosphere here is very relaxed! You have to believe me!"
Ethan didn't believe a word of it. This so-called "relaxation" was nothing but a retreat after their bluff had been called.
Did Don Valentine really think Atari's market share was enough to strong-arm him? What a joke.
What's the difference between Atari, barred from releasing new games for a year, and a country bragging about its strength while under sanctions?
Bushnell had said they'd still be the industry leader without releasing games, that neither traditional manufacturers nor newcomers could threaten them—so choosing Snake Game was a show of "kindness" toward him?
Sure. The moment Ethan mentioned Hewlett–Packard, Bushnell's smile had snapped back on, and he'd pulled him to sit down again.
Valentine, ever the opportunist, produced a pack of cigarettes and offered one to Ethan. When Ethan declined, Valentine stood, muttering something about not disturbing them, and stepped out for a smoke.
Five minutes later, he returned, sat, rubbed his hands together, and exchanged a look with Bushnell.
Bushnell caught the cue immediately. "Ethan~ brother! Honestly, when I saw you earlier, I knew this was fate—God's will! He led you to Atari! And since it's under God's guidance, our partnership should be sacred! So I'm telling you now, sincerely—I want to work with you. And as for the details…" Bushnell paused, gritted his teeth, "…under God's witness, I believe He'd want this to be short-term. A sincere cooperation."
Ethan smiled. Sometimes, people are just cheap— Give them two hard slaps, and suddenly, they behave.
Note:
① After founding Sequoia Capital, Don Valentine's very first investment was in Atari. While he is celebrated as one of the most famous angel investors in venture capital, he is equally infamous for meddling in company operations. At Apple, he played a key role in forcing Steve Jobs out, and at Cisco… the results were disastrous.
② In gaming circles, Magnavox is nicknamed the Suit Stick. Although Atari survived, Magnavox relied almost entirely on the copyright and patent rights authorized by Ralph Bell.
From 1974 to 1994, the company earned over $100 million through lawsuits alone. Frankly, when it came to litigation, even Disney and Nintendo were nothing.