"Welcome, my friend! Steve—Steve Jobs—welcome to my party!"
Hi, Madam Barbara~ I'm so glad to see you~ Your dress looks lovely today, and it really suits your hairstyle"
"Oh~ Are you Mr. Vinton? Nice to meet you! I'm Ethan Jones… Ah, yes, yes, Evelyn is my sister… Is this your wife? Oh~ Mrs. Cerf, hello…"
"Hello Chuck We meet again~ Oh… why do you look so well? Is it because the matter has been resolved?... Hahaha I didn't expect the law could cure diseases too~"
Saturday, August 16, 1975.
The clear, sunny weather lifted everyone's spirits. The blue sky seemed to invite people to show off. But what was stirring people more than the weather was a three-story villa in Palo Alto, in the Bay Area, which at this moment was buzzing with guests.
Men and women of all ages, dressed in different styles, had gathered—some at the invitation of Ethan Jones, others at Evelyn Johnson's—to celebrate the success of Snake Game.
Although several months had passed since its release, a party was still in order.
For Ethan Jones, this was an excellent opportunity to build and maintain connections. For Evelyn Johnson, it was simply another chance to enjoy life.
The siblings might have had different motivations, but it didn't matter. As long as the process was the same, they could celebrate together.
And why Palo Alto? Well, that was more coincidence than planning.
After receiving nearly two hundred thousand dollars from the first batch of Snake Game dividends, Evelyn wasn't eager to hand most of it over to the IRS. Tax avoidance became the obvious solution. But with only limited ways for individuals to avoid taxes—either by investing or buying property—she decided that, with no good business projects available, buying a house near a university was the best option.
The villa she chose turned out to be an excellent pick. With 6,000 square feet of living space, it easily met all her needs. A front parking area and a back garden gave it charm, making it one of the most attractive homes in the downtown area. Most importantly, the price was only $160,000.
"$160,000? That cheap?" Barbara said in disbelief. She looked around from the sofa and exclaimed, "Mine cost $180,000—and it's not even as big as this!"
"That's because you live closer to Stanford!" said Vinton Cerf, his hearing aid catching the light as he spoke loudly. "How long does it take you to drive from your home to Stanford? And how long from here?"
"But still, twenty thousand dollars is too big a difference, isn't it?"
"Why not?" Cerf countered. "Don't you always tell your students that a lawyer's time is money?"
"Oh—Vinton—we're not in class right now! And please, lower your voice, I can hear you just fine!"
The professors' booming exchange made Ethan laugh. Vinton Cerf had suffered from hearing problems for years and relied on hearing aids. His wife, also hearing-impaired, could only catch limited sounds even with her device, so the couple's daily conversations often turned into full-volume exchanges. Over time, their way of speaking resembled constant quarreling, which gave others headaches.
Evelyn had once explained this little story to Ethan and even reminded him to raise his voice when speaking with Vinton so he wouldn't accidentally scare him.
Barbara, however, clearly disliked this manner of shouting. A naturally soft-spoken woman, she found it grating.
Ethan turned his gaze elsewhere—only to be surprised by another scene.
Woz, the chubby fellow, was surrounded by several of Evelyn's colleagues. They leaned in eagerly, peppering him with questions.
"Wow! Woz, do you actually know Evelyn's brother?"
"Uh… yeah… we're friends…" Woz muttered shyly.
"Oh! Then you can't keep selling those little toys at school through her anymore…"
"I can't, I can't!" the fat man waved his hands frantically.
The exchange amused Ethan, and he stepped closer, curious to know whether Woz had some kind of shady backstory.
He didn't expect several Stanford Prof. s to immediately spill the truth: this guy, taking advantage of his position at HP, often sold prank gadgets to students—things like electronic chickens, electronic dogs, even electronic "bombs."
Since everyone knew he had been personally brought in by President Fred Terman via Lockheed, they usually turned a blind eye. Whenever Woz's pranks went too far, no one really punished him; at most, they'd pull him aside for a chat.
There was no other choice. You couldn't hit him. You couldn't scold him. The most you could do was offer kind advice.
This revelation made Ethan laugh. He patted Woz on the shoulder, gave him a big thumbs up, and praised him for being awesome.
After enjoying himself there, he turned to listen in on a conversation between Mr. FBI and Chuck Peddle. Half an hour later, Thomas—
"Guys! The fire's ready! Come over for the barbecue!"
The crowd eagerly streamed into the back garden. Parties in Los Angeles might be extravagant, but ordinary gatherings weren't nearly so flashy. Eating, drinking, singing, dancing—that was the usual rhythm.
By eleven in the morning, the party was in full swing. During the barbecue, Ethan performed a few songs, playing guitar—a skill he'd picked up in his "previous life." His music caused a stir; even Evelyn, Thomas, and Linda were surprised, wondering when he had learned to play.
To their questions, Ethan only chuckled and said he had picked it up during his "three years of silence." Evelyn accepted this answer without doubt, while Thomas and Linda didn't even bother to ask—their daughter hadn't pressed him, so why should they?
Ethan's performance also inspired others to show off their own talents. Mr. FBI whistled a lively tune. The Wozniak cracked jokes that had everyone laughing. jobs suddenly pulled out a harmonica and played a Beatles melody. And Evelyn herself sang a few Barbra Streisand songs.
The group carried on merrily until the evening sun began to set, only then saying their goodbyes.
Since it was customary in America to bring gifts for the host, Evelyn's new villa was quickly stacked with boxes. But because this party was held to celebrate the success of Snake Game, Ethan and Evelyn had also prepared return gifts so their guests wouldn't leave empty-handed.
Ethan asked Jobs to go to Atari and order twenty Snake Game machines for him. He and Evelyn then signed their names on the panels and packaged the machines as gifts for all their guests.
This delighted people like Vinton Cerf. After all, in this era, no one doing computer research could resist video games—they were the best pastime of daily life. As for Professor Barbara—
"Oh Ethan how am I supposed to move such a big arcade machine home?"
Looking up at the cabinet that stood as tall as she did, Barbara placed her hands on her hips in mock helplessness.
"It's fine, Professor Barbara, I'll deliver it to you," Thomas quickly offered, summoning his pickup truck without hesitation.
At the same time, he turned to the others and said, "Who else can't take theirs? I'll deliver it! I may not be good at many things, but my service is first-rate! If you need anything, just say the word—you're welcome!"
Happy times are always short-lived. Once the party ended, life returned to normal.
Over the next two weeks, nothing major happened. Aside from Evelyn starting school, everything else moved along in an orderly fashion.
Chuck Peddle's 6502 was ready for full-scale production, and the first batch of two hundred chips had already been delivered to Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. With the chips in hand, the Apple I officially entered production. Of course, "Apple" was just the name Ethan had in mind; so far, Jobs hadn't thought about founding a company at all—he was still only figuring out how to sell his nameless first machine.
This kind of trivial matter wasn't important to Ethan. He was content to follow Jobs's lead. Even if the company wasn't called Apple in the end but something like Pear or Orange, it didn't really matter.
After all, the key to success lay in ability, background, and funding—not the name.
In Ethan's previous life, Jobs had been used as a negative example by many "success gurus." They claimed he couldn't make money, so he had been kicked out of his own company.
And then what? When Jobs was invited back to launch the iPod, And after the release of the iPhone 4.
Steve Jobs became the most iconic face of success itself. Beyond these thoughts, Ethan's biggest struggle was with emptiness.
Every morning when he woke up, he found himself wondering what to do next. Sigh… life like this is so boring.
On September 10, Nolan Bushnell called. He informed Ethan that the second phase of Snake Game dividends had been issued and asked him to reconcile the accounts.
That only made Ethan more exasperated—he hadn't even managed to spend the first batch yet!
But though his mouth said "no," his body was perfectly honest. The moment he hung up, Ethan rushed over.
And when he drove to Atari, the bear hug that greeted him nearly strangled him to death.
"Oh—Nolan—I can't breathe—!"
Ethan slapped Nolan Bushnell on the back, hoping he would finally let go.
Nolan shouted excitedly, "Oh, Ethan! If this hug can make you suffocate, then wait until you see the financial report—you'll get congested in the head and your blood pressure will shoot through the roof!"
Those words made Ethan look forward to it. And sure enough, when he followed Nolan into the office, the thick stack of documents made him laugh even harder. Inside was the full report on Snake Game's performance across the Central and Eastern United States over the past three months.
Although Ethan hadn't personally negotiated with regional distributors last time, after he left, Nolan still chose to cooperate with Chicago's arcade companies—Midway Games and Chicago Coin.
Of course, the final deal was different from the draft Ethan had seen earlier.
At Nolan's insistence, Midway and Chicago Coin agreed to sell Snake Game arcade cabinets for $1,300 apiece and circuit boards for $450 apiece. This prevented pricing chaos in the central U.S. and areas near Texas.
After all, when Texas merchants ordered circuit boards directly from Atari, the quoted price was $400 each. If agents sold them cheaper, how could Atari ever do business in that region again?
Therefore, pricing power had to remain in Atari's hands.
Since the agents' prices were raised, the commission ratio Nolan negotiated with them was also adjusted.
For every arcade machine sold, Atari took 18% of the selling price.For every motherboard sold, Atari took 20%.
By comparison, Ethan's commissions for Atari were 15% and 18%. On the surface, Atari now earned $39 per arcade cabinet and $9 per motherboard without lifting a finger. But in reality, Ethan's commission also went up. Before, when cabinets sold at $1,200, he earned $180 each. Now, with the new $1,300 price tag, his commission rose to $195. That was an extra $15 for free!
Since his own profits had increased, Ethan couldn't be bothered to complain about Nolan's adjustments. After all, if someone sweetens the deal, why not take the bonus?
Over the past three months, Midway and Chicago Coin sold 3,722 arcade cabinets, generating $4,838,600, and 5,899 circuit boards, generating $2,654,550.
After calculations, the dividends due to Ethan Jones and Evelyn Johnson came to $1,203,609.
When Ethan saw that number, he grinned from ear to ear. He hadn't done a thing in the last three months—and now he had over six hundred thousand dollars in dividends?
This was Too damn cool! Uh, wait…He actually had done something in the past three months.
Note:
① Physiognomy (face-reading) also existed in the West, with early theories dating back to 1598.
Jobs was initially analyzed as "unlucky"—critics claimed he wasn't good-looking, couldn't hold on to money, and was even kicked out of Apple. Later, he failed with his own computer company. But once Pixar succeeded and he returned to Apple, those same "experts" suddenly praised his face as excellent. I