Chapter 18

An hour later, in Exidy's factory office.

Ethan crossed his legs, lounging on a shabby sofa. A steaming cup of coffee sat on the table before him. Across from him, Samuel Hoyce, who had earlier been wildly enthusiastic while playing "Snake Game," now sat stiffly, his expression darkened. Peter Kaufman, who had been in contact with Ethan, leaned forward, elbows on his knees, his face troubled.

"Mr. Jones, we've never done anything like licensing production and sales before."

"Well, there's a first time for everything."

Ethan smiled nonchalantly. "After all, nobody's born knowing how to walk."

"The problem is, no one in the market is doing business this way. We don't even know what the standards for such a partnership would be."

Peter Kaufman bit his lip, his hands gesturing absently. "What we do know is the salary of a game developer—$200 a week, $10,400 a year..."

"Oh, Mr. Kaufman! If you're bringing up numbers like that, then you're not showing any sincerity at all!"

Ethan interrupted with a laugh before Peter could finish. "Mr. Kaufman, you have to understand something: in this world, human labor is the least valuable asset. In 1970, during our national census, we had 200 million people. Of those, there are at least tens of thousands who can make arcade machines. But as for someone who can come up with an idea as captivating as mine? There's only one."

Ethan flashed a grin, baring eight teeth. "Only One."

His confidence caused Peter Kaufman to instinctively glance away. He shot a quick look at his partner, Samuel Hoyce, whose brows had furrowed deeply.

"We need to discuss this," Samuel Hoyce said, reading the silent plea in Peter's gaze. "Mr. Jones, if you'll excuse us for a moment."

"Take your time," Ethan said, unhurried.

With a nod and a friendly wave, he watched the two men leave.

The moment Samuel Hoyce clutched the joystick in anger and exchanged heated words with Peter Kaufman, everyone present knew something was off. As their gaze shifted to Ethan, all they saw was his confident smile.

This fact made it clear: they had already lost the upper hand in the negotiations. They had shown too much interest in "Snake Game," and now Ethan had been invited into the office to discuss a potential deal.

Exidy's idea was simple: offer a sum to buy out Ethan's "Snake Game."

Their target price? Anywhere between $20,000 and $50,000, with $50,000 being the absolute maximum.

But there was no way Ethan would accept such an offer. Though the median income in America at the time was only about $5,000, and $50,000 was ten years' worth of wages for the average person, not even a hundred years, not even a thousand years could match the value of "Snake Game."

Even if a Texan mule kicked Ethan in the head, he still wouldn't sell.

Licensing was the only option.

But as for that proposal...

"Licensing? Who's doing licensing in this business right now? We'd be the laughing stock of the industry!" Peter Kaufman's long-suppressed frustration erupted as soon as they left the office.

"Everyone in the industry is copying each other! No one pays for video game rights! Even Magnavox has to take legal action to protect its games! And in this environment, he wants to talk about profit-sharing? Oh, my God! I'm offering him $50,000 out of kindness! That's fifty thousand dollars! Fifty thousand!!" Kaufman kicked the warehouse door, making it rattle under the impact.

The noise made Samuel Hoyce frown as he glanced back towards the office. Satisfied that nothing was amiss, he motioned to his staff to keep an eye on the room, then dragged his companion further away.

"Oh, s***! Are you out of your mind? Even if you don't want to give him money, could you at least keep your voice down?"

"I'm angry! This is outright extortion!" Peter Kaufman shouted back. "He stared me down, said 'Only One!' Who does he think he is, Tesla? Well, I'll tell you this: no matter how great Tesla was, he couldn't beat Edison! No matter how powerful AC power is, he didn't get a dime from it!"

"So, you want to steal it?" Samuel Hoyce asked with a furrowed brow.

"And what's the problem with that? Everyone else is doing it!" Kaufman spread his hands. "We already know how the game works. As soon as he leaves, we'll replicate it. Within five days, we could have it on the market!"

Peter Kaufman's voice rose in pitch. "What did he just say? Human labor is worthless? That's naive! Since he dared to bring his game here, it's up to us to teach him a lesson! In the video game industry, inspiration is the least valuable thing! Developers aren't worthy of being paid! Whoever builds the arcade machines, whoever gets the machines into the hands of arcade owners, they're the real winners!"

Silence followed his outburst.

Peter Kaufman, breathing heavily, glared at Samuel Hoyce, who scrutinized his partner for a long moment before closing his eyes. His furrowed brow reflected the turmoil of his thoughts, his pacing revealing his assessment of the risk.

Finally, he shook his head.

"Peter, this guy, Ethan Jones—if he had the nerve to come to us, that means he's already registered the copyright. And he mentioned Magnavox, so he knows full well how Atari got away with copying their ideas!"

"So what?" Peter Kaufman said dismissively. "Even if there's a copyright, we can still copy it! As long as the game makes us a fortune, what does it matter if we have to pay some damages? This is America! The loser gets nothing, and the winner takes it all!"

"Oh, s***!" Samuel Hoyce began, but Peter Kaufman cut him off.

"Samuel, don't refuse! That game is clearly a hit! If we put it on the market, it's going to cause a sensation! If we make a million dollars, we'll be millionaires!"

"Do you realize? We are just one step away from success!"

"All we have to do is be bold, like DuPont!"

"No! This isn't even half as risky as DuPont! Look at Nolan Bushnell—he's doing just fine!"

Peter Kaufman's words left Samuel Hoyce momentarily breathless. He pulled out a pack of Marlboros, lit one, and took a long drag.

After a few moments of reflection, he let out a curse.

"MFxxk!"

"Okay, okay. I know you're right. But before we copy anything, we need to dig into this Ethan Jones character a bit more. If he's just an ordinary engineer, then we'll go ahead with it."

Peter Kaufman was delighted by his partner's wise decision.

Upon returning to the office, they attempted to inquire if Ethan Jones had full authority over the "Snake Game" machine, under the pretext of discussing better cooperation.

Ethan, who had spent years in the financial industry in his previous life, leaned back on the couch with a smile and said, "Oh, of course, I'm not the sole creator of the machine. I merely provided a small spark of inspiration."

'He didn't make the machine?'

This revelation caused the two Exidy bosses' eyes to gleam.

"I'd like to know," Peter Kaufman ventured cautiously, "Forgive me, Mr. Jones, but if the rights aren't solely yours, we can't proceed with the negotiations."

"I understand," Ethan Jones nodded. "If you're serious about collaborating, I can call her over this afternoon—my partner. We can all sit down and discuss the specifics."

'Her? A woman?'

The two Exidy bosses exchanged glances, both sensing a potential opportunity to imitate the design.

Until now, they had never heard of any woman involved in the video game industry.

And based on Ethan's words, it seemed that this woman wasn't particularly busy.

If that were true…

Perhaps these two individuals were simply inexperienced nobodies?

"Is this going to be troublesome?" Peter Kaufman rubbed his hands together, barely able to suppress his grin.

Just as he was about to send Ethan off and close the door, ready to proceed with their own plans, Ethan added, "It's not troublesome at all. After all, Stanford is only a short drive from here."

'What?!'

The moment these words left his mouth, both Peter Kaufman and Samuel Hoist froze in place.

"What?" Samuel Hoist couldn't believe his ears. "Mr. Jones, did you just say… your partner is from Stanford?"

"Yeah, she's a graduate student at Stanford this year."

"Due to her academic workload, she entrusted me with the task of commercializing this arcade game," Ethan said nonchalantly, spreading his hands with a relaxed smile. "Is there a problem?"

A massive problem!

Peter Kaufman and Samuel Hoist exchanged frantic glances, desperately searching for any flaw in Ethan's composure.

But the unwavering confidence radiating from him quickly subdued them.

As businessmen operating next to Stanford, they were well aware of how fiercely the university supported its students' entrepreneurial endeavors.

They also knew that, to ensure their success, Stanford spared no effort.

They were even more aware that since Stanford launched its university-enterprise collaboration program, it had not achieved significant success in the past twenty years. Now, Stanford was eager for another Hewlett-Packard to emerge from its ranks. Even if the company didn't reach those heights, as long as there was a semblance of success, it would still give hope to students struggling in the industry.

In such a context, no sane company would dare to provoke the fiercely protective Stanford!

And now, "Snake Game" was the commercial product of a Stanford student?

FXXKYOU!

At that moment, Peter Kaufman and Samuel Hoist immediately understood why Ethan Jones had approached them so brazenly with his precious idea, confident in seeking a partnership.

Outside of California, Stanford might not offer much help, but within its territory, he had no fear of being copied!

If the imitators failed?

It wouldn't cost him anything!

If they succeeded?

He could simply have his Stanford partner cry foul at the university, and the law professors would start sending letters.

No!

There was an 80% chance they would go straight to court!

After all, Fred Terman, the man who proposed the university-enterprise collaboration plan, was still alive!

Every year at the graduation ceremony, this former Stanford president would encourage students to be bold and venture forth!

Half an hour later, after failing to secure a partnership, Peter Kaufman and Samuel Hoist watched as Ethan Jones drove away.

Staring at the receding taillights, Peter Kaufman's face darkened. "Do you think what he said was true?"

"I don't know," Samuel Hoist shook his head.

Peter, unwilling to let it go, pressed, "Don't you know someone at Mirco? Give them a call and find out?"

"I only know their salespeople," Samuel emphasized, but seeing his partner's furrowed brow, he finally relented with a wave of his hand. "Fine, I'll do it."

And so…

Ten minutes later, he returned, his face pale.

"Damn! Forget your plans to imitate. This Ethan Jones is no ordinary man! His family owns over a hundred acres of land! It's a fruit orchard that employs dozens of people annually—right here in Santa Clara County!"

"If we copy his work, Stanford won't even need to intervene! The agricultural officials will have the police at our doorstep!"

"What?"

Peter Kaufman was astonished by this revelation.

"Over a hundred acres? Oh FXXk! So, he's a landowner too?"

In the next moment, he slammed his fist on the table, shouting in frustration, "Damn it! Why are people like him always born with such advantages?!"