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As the saying goes, dogs will jump over walls when anxious, and rabbits will bite when cornered. Any normal person will harbor grudges—and Ethan was no exception.
Don Valentine and Nolan Bushnell had both put metaphorical knives to his neck. If he could still act calm, there must be something wrong with the way he had transmigration. He shouldn't be in San Francisco; he should be in Manhattan—not in a big house, but in a sewer.
Therefore, when the infringement lawsuit was settled, Ethan did not enjoy life as before. Instead, he went into the study of his new home, sat at the table, spread out a sheet of paper, clutched a pen, and began writing and drawing.
Although he had not yet been in this timeline for a full year, Ethan had already drafted three career plans for himself.
The first two plans were somewhat superficial, because at the time he only wanted to make money. Any industry that could allow him to achieve financial freedom was fair game. But now… he had a new goal: he wanted to reclaim what he had lost.
Because of this, a few lines of text appeared on the paper:
Don Valentine – Sequoia Capital Nolan Bushnell – Atari (Warner Bros.) Magnavox
Don Valentine was listed first because Ethan considered him the most dangerous and the person who required the most focus.
In Ethan's memory, Valentine had seemed unremarkable, because his fortune's growth mirrored the rise of Silicon Valley itself. But after asking the "fat guy" Steve Wozniak to help gather information about Valentine, Ethan realized he still knew too little.
After graduating college, Don Valentine joined Raytheon. Though he didn't stay long, his starting point was already impressive. He then transferred to Fairchild and worked there for seven years, before moving to National Semiconductor as marketing director.
Previously, Ethan had assumed Valentine's success was inevitable—simply riding the wave of the times. Now he realized Valentine had significant connections. He wasn't at the very top, but compared to ordinary people, he was a level above.
However, although Valentine was dangerous, he was relatively easy to target.
Venture capital emphasizes the project itself. Without projects to invest in, what's the point of venture capital?
Therefore, as long as Ethan could invest in all the key companies in Silicon Valley before Don Valentine…
Eh! Sequoia Capital couldn't even see the taillights of his car!
Ethan immediately wrote the words "investment company" after Sequoia Capital. He wanted to enter the same track as Sequoia Capital—and crush them in their own field!
Apple was just the beginning. What about EA? Cisco? NVIDIA?
Cisco came out of Stanford, NVIDIA was founded by Mr. Huang, who had sold gas stoves, and EA who was the founder of EA?
Holy crap, why couldn't he remember? Forget it. It didn't matter. If it happened, he would hear about it eventually.
"I'm going to get all these companies. Let's see what I can invest in!"
Of course, to invest, one first needed money.
Although Ethan already had millions on hand, it was still not enough.
And when it came to money. Ethan lowered his eyes and thought of Nolan Bushnell and Magnavox.
To be honest, the combination of these two entities was giving him a huge headache.
Magnavox, which owned the patent for video games and training devices, and Atari, which had the patent authorization, were in the field of video games.
After being tricked by them, Ethan understood why North American game companies in his previous life had moved so heavily into computer games. When they couldn't bypass patent licensing, they had no choice but to find another track and make money into computer games.
And why could Nintendo and Sega manage it?
Ethan figured it out. Although they didn't have long-term licenses for the video game and training device patent, that patent was only valid in North America. As companies, they only had to pay patent fees for products sold in North America.
North American companies? Due to their structure, they had to pay patent fees to Magnavox when selling products in North America—and when exporting overseas, they had to pay fees again, because the overseas sales were still transactions of a U.S.-based company.
With such nonsense, no one in North America wanted to make video games!
Although Nintendo's later royalty system was also exploitative, compared with the massive scam of Magnavox, it was relatively mild.
In his previous life, North American companies that ventured into computer games… it wasn't easy at all.
Ethan's eyes flickered as he held his chin, feeling a twinge of emotion. This was an area he didn't want to touch for the time being. The reason was simple: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom had already been released on PC.
Computer games—or software—were incredibly easy to pirate. Moreover, piracy in this era spread almost as fast as it did in the Internet era.
In Ethan's memory, there was one particularly unlucky company harmed deeply by piracy: Microsoft.
Although Bill Gates and Paul Allen had founded the predecessor of Microsoft by porting BASIC to the Altair 8800, the software hadn't made them much money. When their BASIC reached the market, engineers of the era quickly cracked it.
If it had been just about cracking, it wouldn't have been so bad. What was truly troublesome was the culture of sharing. Once the first cracked version appeared, it was shared widely, and the trend continued, driving Bill Gates crazy.
Altair 8800 shipped about a thousand units per month—but Bill Gates' BASIC? The total sales were just over 100 copies!
This obviously unreasonable growth rate made him extremely angry.
And this, Ethan knew, was an accurate reflection of the market environment in this era.
Of course, even when they got this far, things weren't over yet. When Bill Gates discovered that his software had been stolen, the young and energetic man did something very bold: he bought space in a magazine and sent an open letter to computer enthusiasts.
Although the wording wasn't outright scolding, Bill Gates labeled the sharing behavior as plagiarism.
For those with higher education, this vocabulary was simply shocking. Many people angrily criticized Bill Gates, claiming he and Paul Allen were the real thieves!
After all, the BASIC language had been invented by Dartmouth College Dean John Kemeny and mathematics teacher Thomas Katz. When they released it, they stated it was free, meant for education and popularizing computers—not for making money!
But Bill Gates and Paul Allen began charging for it after minor modifications.
This, according to critics, was outright plagiarism. When this backlash started, no one bought the BASIC sold by Altair. When MITS, the manufacturer of the Altair, paid Bill Gates, he became even more frustrated—because in one year, he only earned $20,000.
This amount wasn't even as much as the pocket money his father gave him! Who was insulting whom?
The story gets more interesting. At first, to better sell BASIC, Bill Gates established his company in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where MITS was located. After revenues remained extremely low, Gates moved the company with Paul Allen to Seattle and said harsh words:
"Even if I starve to death! Die outside! Jump from here! I no longer do personal services either!"
Then, this tough guy remained silent for two years, eventually receiving an IBM order in a way everyone understood. Later, he even developed a business model that directly licensed hardware manufacturers to use their own operating systems.
Only when business conflicts arose with other companies did he reluctantly provide personal services.
When someone with a prominent family background like Bill Gates struggles to handle piracy, it's even less likely Ethan could use technology to change human nature.
Therefore, if possible, before the advent of the Internet era, Ethan didn't want to make any computer games.
If he wanted to make money through games and defeat Atari and Magnavox, he would have to use some magic.
First, he needed to contact Ralph Bear. Show him the 6502 and prove his sincerity in making video games. Get a patent?
With his plan set, Ethan went straight to the kitchen with the paper in hand, turned on the gas stove, and burned it. Then, he went to the supermarket and bought a crazy amount of groceries. After returning home, he cooked a big meal for himself.
As the aroma of the meal spread, he went outside to invite his sister, who had just finished school, to join him.
"Wow Are you inviting me to dinner? Why is it so extravagant?"
Looking at the table filled with pasta, pizza, steak, French fries, salad, and mushroom soup, Evelyn hummed appreciatively.
"You're not asking me for anything, are you?"
"But… didn't someone say a few days ago that you wouldn't listen to anything?"
Ethan's expression froze for a moment at the strange words. He quickly filtered out the negative part and forced a pained expression.
"Oh, Evelyn~ Am I really such a utilitarian person in your eyes?"
Evelyn shook her head firmly.
"How could that be? In my eyes, you're a very kind person!"
Ethan smiled happily. Then Evelyn asked: "So you just want to treat me to dinner tonight, right? We're not talking about anything else?"
Hmm? Evelyn winked at Ethan, clearly implying, "If you don't agree, I won't eat."
Trapped, Ethan quickly admitted defeat. "Oh, Evelyn You're right I do have something to ask you tonight. Okay?"
The sudden change of expression made Evelyn laugh heartily. She raised her eyebrows, showing her skill, and filled a bowl with mushroom soup, the milky aroma making her shiver.
"Okay, tell me. What do you want me to do for you?"
Now that Evelyn had asked, Ethan, unable to show off, didn't hesitate to make his request.
He asked her if she could help him find out whether Vinton Cerf and Professor Ralph Bear knew each other. If she didn't know directly, she could ask an acquaintance to help make contact.
That's right—Ethan wasn't going to go straight to the door himself. After all, meeting someone through friends would have a much better effect.
If he went directly, he could only introduce himself like this:
"Hello, Professor Bear, I am the inventor of Snake Game. Nice to meet you."
A friend had introduced me—
"Ralph, look what you've done! How many gamers did your patent kill? Everyone who wants to play video games can't get around it! This person is Ethan Jones, the inventor of Snake Game.
As soon as the game he made brought happiness to people, Magnavox sued him, causing him to lose both money and opportunity. Now, even if he wants to make new games, he can't…"
Eh! This is really moving! After listening to Ethan's words, Evelyn immediately understood and nodded in agreement. After all, she had also tasted the sweetness of the game's success.
The proceeds from the Snake Game project had been split evenly between the two of them. In less than half a year, she had received a total of $1.3 million—.
While agreeing, she asked, "Are you planning to open your own game company?"
"Certainly!" Ethan replied.
"Do you have another idea?"
"Uh… that's right…"
"Are you short on money?"
"What do you mean?" Ethan looked at Evelyn strangely. "You want to invest?"
"Yeah~" the girl said with a smile. "I think the game market is quite interesting, and investment can help avoid taxes."
Although Ethan had never considered attracting outside investment, could Evelyn's money really count as foreign investment? Obviously, it was domestic.
Moreover, after participating in Atari's sales operations, Ethan realized that in this era, the more money you have, the better your chances in gaming. If they could build production sites on both the East Coast and the West Coast, they wouldn't have to struggle with distribution.
"Of course!" Ethan agreed. "It just so happens I haven't named the company yet. How about you come up with a name?"
"Wow Give me the naming rights?" Evelyn asked with a smile.
"Yeah~" Ethan gave a thumbs up. "You're the boss!"
Evelyn said, "Then give me the positions of chairman and CEO. I'll appoint you as president, and you can do the actual work."
"Okay!" Ethan's smile brightened even more.
"Really?" The reply made Evelyn giggle.
He shook his head and said, "Okay, I won't joke with you anymore. You can think of the name yourself. Once you decide, let me know, and I'll apply for a student entrepreneurship subsidy from the school. When the time comes, I'll invite Ralph Bear to be the instructor.
This way… there may be fewer obstacles. And with the Stanford name attached, when you talk to Professor Ralph Bear about cooperation, he'll definitely be a bit influenced."
"That's right!"
This was the real reason Evelyn wanted to invest. After being beaten down by Magnavox's unreasonable legal iron fist, she realized that ignoring such matters was foolish.
Why did Don Valentine and Nolan Bushnell dare target them so brazenly?
Because they hadn't really hung up the banner. How could the real benefits come from empty rhetoric?
"Hmm" Ethan said, already such the possibilities. "Thank you."
However, these dry words made Evelyn roll her eyes. "Oh Ethan, you are so insincere."
"Not sincere? Oh, I understand~ Do you want Barbra Streisand's album? I'll buy you a vinyl collection!"
Ethan felt proud at that moment. "Eh! There's money!" Evelyn teased, giving him a playful hammer. "You're even more insincere like this."
Then she said, "Forget shopping. Do you have time tonight? Let's go watch a movie. Mike Corleone's new film is out—Dog Day Afternoon. Let's go together!"
"Oh! My classmate said Mike was handsome and funny in that movie!"
The invitation stunned Ethan for a moment. After thinking for a few seconds, he realized that the Mike Corleone Evelyn was talking about was actually Al Pacino.
The title of the movie was Dog Day Afternoon. Ethan had never heard of it, so it seemed like a good idea to go along and join in the fun.
"No problem, we'll eat for a long time," Ethan agreed.
At the same time, he couldn't help but admire in his heart the skill of translators in his previous life. They were really impressive—perfectly capturing nuance and elegance.
The literal translation of Dog Day Afternoon—"An Afternoon on a Hot Day"—was much better than a direct translation, which would have sounded even funnier.
Note:
North American game companies initially avoided producing video games because of Magnavox's lawsuits. The victim mentioned in the article, CBS, had to pay royalties when selling games overseas. They did not sell games in North America at first, preferring to test how other companies would handle lawsuits by distributing their products in Europe. Once Magnavox learned of this, they sued CBS for evading patent fees via overseas distribution, and CBS stopped. After Sega was acquired by Hayao Nakayama, the company changed its structure and moved its headquarters from California to Japan. Before the move, the SG-1000 in 1983 was only sold in Australia and New Zealand, not in North America at all. It was only afterward that it was sold in North America. What happened to Bill Gates epitomized the state of personal software in that era. Many prominent figures freely shared their software, which infuriated this young man to no end.