CH22 - Steve Jobs

Ethan Jones???

Ethan repeatedly glanced at the business card, finally confirming that he hadn't misspelt any words.

With this realization, the next second, he suddenly looked up, his eyes widening even more than when he was looking at the girl!

His gaze shifted, assessing from top to bottom. The invisible force seemed capable of piercing through people! This sharp look puzzled Mr. Hippy.

He looked at Ethan in confusion and said, "Sir, did I say something wrong? If there's any offence, I apologize."

Ethan ignored him and continued to observe.

Although Mr. Hippy in front of him wore a cowboy hat, a frog-shaped nose ring covering most of his facial features, Ethan could still identify his true identity through his facial contours.

This guy was definitely Steve Jobs! Absolutely!

Because of the broad jaw and prominent chin, Ethan found it too similar to the image of Jobs in his memory!

And that high and slender hawk-like nose was unique to Jobs!

Moreover, at this moment, Ethan recalled Jobs' personal history. Before co-founding Apple with his friend Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs indeed had a legitimate job. He worked for Atari, not only as an employee but also as an electronics engineer. In the field of electronic games, he had impressive achievements, co-developing "Breakout" with Steve Wozniak.

And now, such a legendary figure appeared in front of him in a hippie manner?

Oh! My! God! —

"Mr. Jobs?"

Although excited, Ethan Jones quickly composed himself, smiling and saying, "Oh, sorry for my rudeness earlier. I'm glad to meet you here."

With that, he extended his right hand for a handshake and introduced himself, "I'm Ethan Jones."

At the same time, he pointed to his temple, explaining, "When I saw your name, I felt like I'd heard it somewhere, but my mind suddenly went blank. So, I thought maybe I could get some inspiration or insight from your appearance."

"If it caused you any trouble, I apologize."

"Really? Then I'm relieved." Ethan's words eased Mr. Hippy's tension.

He then took off his sunglasses and asked with a smile, "Now, do you feel anything?"

"That's it!"

The young face strengthened Ethan Jones' confidence in his judgment. However, he didn't admit it verbally, saying, "No, I don't feel anything now."

"Hahaha~" Steve Jobs burst into laughter, shaking hands with Ethan Jones, "Luckily, you didn't feel anything. Otherwise, I would doubt if I came to the wrong place, Mr. Jones."

Although the young Jobs' words were ambiguous and might cause a stir among the LGBT community if heard, Ethan didn't mind because he had a flexible moral compass.

"In fact, I also think it's better not to be too explicit here."

Ethan nodded, saying, "After all, the atmosphere here can easily distort some words."

"Oh! I think we share the same view."

Steve Jobs raised his eyebrows, pointed at the "Snake" machine, and straightforwardly asked, "Mr. Jones, if I'm not mistaken, are you waiting for customers here? Just not sure if you're selling the machine or the game. If it's the game, have you found a partner? If it's the machine, how many people have ordered it today?"

Precise and powerful inquiries were an unspoken agreement between peers. While asking, the future Apple leader also glanced at the table in front of him, where Ethan Jones had just taken out a coin in front of him.

Ethan Jones noticed this subtle hint.

He smiled and said, "Mr. Jobs, your intuition is right. I'm here to sell games, and currently, I don't have a partner."

This answer made Steve Jobs laugh.

Standing up, he pointed towards the exhibition hall's entrance, "Shall we talk outside?"

"Sure." Ethan nodded.

Of course, before leaving, he didn't forget to call back Mr. Foster, who was enjoying himself.

When Frank learned that there was a buyer interested in "Snake," he genuinely felt happy for Ethan.

But when he found out that the potential buyer for "Snake" seemed to be a hippie...

He immediately pulled Ethan's arm and said, "Brother, are you sure he's a normal person? Not a scammer?"

"Of course! I'm sure!" Ethan nodded confidently, expecting this timid reaction.

"Alright, take care of yourself then."

Frank waved his hand, saying, "You go ahead; I'll keep an eye on your machine. It won't be lost."

With Mr. Foster around, Ethan Jones had no worries about the machine being lost. Or perhaps, with the appearance of Steve Jobs, Ethan's main focus at the moment was to have a good chat with this guy.

In reality, when Ethan decided to learn from independent film companies in Hollywood and collaborate with industry giants, Atari, the undisputed market leader, was actually the ideal collaboration target in Ethan's plans.

Because they published the well-known "Pong" nationwide! In the field of electronic arcade games, they were like the Disney of the world!

If they agreed to release "Snake Game," it would be a real shortcut to success for Ethan Jones!

But...

When planning, Ethan Jones did not include Atari in his sales list.

The reason was simple.

Atari was currently embroiled in a copyright lawsuit with Magnavox over "Pong." At this time, an ex-Magnavox employee coming to Atari with an electronic game for distribution seemed strange, right?

Anyone with a bit of brain would think that this might be a trap set by Magnavox!

So, even though Ethan understood that Atari was actually the best distributor on the market, he didn't want to invite unnecessary trouble.

But now...

Since those medium-sized companies were extremely greedy and had no intention of making concessions, and Steve Jobs, an Atari employee, appeared in front of him, Ethan had no choice but to try his luck with this Atari giant.

When Ethan Jones and Steve Jobs left the exhibition together, sitting down at a nearby McDonald's, and after a brief introduction, Ethan suddenly realized that his previous judgment might not apply now.

Because when Ethan Jones told Steve Jobs that he was a former Magnavox employee, this seemingly calm guy suddenly showed surprise.

"What? Wait! What did you say? You're a former Magnavox employee?"

"Oh! This is really a surprise!"

"Brother! I'm glad to see you here!"

Steve Jobs knocked on the table.

TL Note:

Steve Jobs was the fortieth employee at Atari.