Chapter 60: Operation Code: Eliminate Ethan

After Ethan finished reviewing the proxy's accounts, Nolan Bushnell handed him another set of documents.

"What's this?" Ethan asked, puzzled.

"This is Atari's own sales list," Nolan Bushnell smiled at Ethan Jones. "Since it's the second phase of dividends, why not distribute them all at once? A lump sum payment is much easier than staggered payments."

"Oh!"

Ethan really liked Nolan Bushnell's words.

As he looked through the documents handed to him, he discovered that in the past three months, the shipments of the "Snake Game" in the Midwest region of the United States amounted to 337 arcade machines and 1,528 circuit boards, generating corresponding revenues of $404,400.00 and $611,200.00.

Calculating based on the 15% and 18% commission rates, Ethan Jones and his sister could receive a dividend of $170,676.00.

Although the numbers on the paper weren't as shocking as before, the contents were still considerable.

It should be noted that they had already made a significant sale in the Midwest before!

At that time, Ethan and Evelyn had taken nearly four hundred thousand in dividends!

Adding the previous four hundred thousand to the current one hundred seventy thousand, the total was...

Wait a minute!

Ethan stared at the documents for a moment, trying to recall the initial dividend figures, and then he noticed a problem.

The dividends managed by Atari in the Midwest amounted to five hundred seventy thousand? Whereas, the agent-managed East and Central regions were one million two hundred thousand? Even though the agent's prices were higher, the difference in sales between the Midwest and East/Central regions was too damn significant.

This shouldn't be!

Could it be that Atari was falsifying financial reports?

Ethan's eyes flashed with doubt, and as he raised his head, a smile reappeared on his face.

"Nolan, I have a question for you."

"Go ahead," Nolan Bushnell was polite.

"Why do I feel like there's a significant gap in sales between the Midwest and the ZD regions of the United States?" Ethan spoke frankly, expressing his thoughts.

"Oh, this question? It's simple!" Nolan Bushnell seemed not to have caught Ethan's implied meaning and said with a smile, "Because they have a larger population than us. There are a total of thirty-two states, with a population exceeding one hundred million."

"Although California and Texas on our side have a large population, enough to rank in the top three in the population list of America, states like Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming don't contribute much to the overall population. On the East side, the population of New York and Florida alone can match our California and Texas. If you add populous states like New Jersey, our customers are significantly fewer than theirs."

"Since there's a population gap, the product sales naturally differ. After all, games are meant for people to play..."

"Is that so?"

Ethan felt that something was not right, but he couldn't put his finger on it right away.

Because in his memory, the population gap in the United States didn't seem to be that big—right?

While he was frowning and pondering the issue, Nolan Bushnell continued, "Oh, Ethan, I called you today not just to settle the dividends but also to ask you something else."

This statement interrupted Ethan's thoughts.

He blinked, smiled, and said, "Nolan, we're friends. Just tell me what's on your mind."

"Oh, I like the way you address me!"

"Yes! We are friends!" Nolan nodded excitedly and then his face showed endless anticipation. "So, I want to know, in the past two months, do you have any new ideas?"

He rubbed his hands together.

"You used to work at Magnavox, so I think you should know how long the money-making period of electronic games lasts."

"The first three months of a new electronic game is its eruption period in their lives. Driven by curiosity, players will invest a lot of time and money in the newly launched electronic game. In order to earn substantial profits from players, businesses will crazily purchase electronic arcade machines and circuit boards from game companies."

"After three months, even if the game is still enjoyable and players are willing to invest a lot of money, the demand for game arcade machines by businesses actually starts to decline. Because they want to make more profits with the existing machines."

"No choice, people are greedy, just like the little snake in your 'Snake Game.'"

Nolan smiled at Ethan.

Ethan also understood his words.

This guy wanted to know if he had any new games.

If he said yes, Nolan would undoubtedly be excited and would then discuss cooperation with him.

But if not...

Sorry, he did!

But he didn't want to cooperate with Atari!

First, Jobs told him that Nolan was considering selling Atari, and Ethan didn't want to negotiate with those real capitalists because they were annoying and tricky. Second, he had found his real support now. When he already knew that his backing was powerful, what he wanted to do was to grab absolute profits.

After experiencing the operation of the U.S. arcade market in this era, would he let others make money from him?

Dream on!

Thinking of this, Ethan shook his head, smiled, and said, "Oh Nolan, inspiration isn't that easy to come by, you know?"

"I've been playing for the past two months and haven't really used my brain."

"So—"

Ethan spread his hands.

Made a look as if he had given up.

"Really? " Nolan didn't completely believe Ethan's words and asked again.

For this question, Ethan still shook his head, saying, "Really not."

This fact made Nolan show a trace of regret and helplessly said, "Well."

At the same time, he added, "Since we are friends, we must cooperate again if there is a chance."

"Same as last time, we will transfer the dividends to you within two weeks."

"Alright." Ethan nodded with a smile.

After chatting politely with Nolan for a while, he then left Atari.

As he left, Nolan also stood up directly and closed the office door.

But at the moment he turned around, a person emerged from the office's resting area.

It was the founder of Sequoia Capital, Atari's investor, Don Valentine.

"Did you hear clearly?" Nolan Bushnell raised his eyebrows and said, "He said he has no new ideas."

Don Valentine did not respond immediately. Instead, he put his hands in his pockets and came to the window, overlooking the world from a high vantage point.

Under his gaze, Ethan Jones drove away from Atari in a Chevrolet.

Only then did he turn his head and ask, "Do you believe it?"

Nolan nodded, then shook his head.

The contradictory actions didn't puzzle Don Valentine. Instead, he used a sharper gaze to stare at Nolan.

Nolan accepted the sharp look without reservation. In this situation, he spread his hands, saying, "Oh, brother, is this something I have to believe in? I believe that if Ethan has inspiration, he has inspiration? If I have this ability, why don't I believe that I am the ruler of the world?"

Don Valentine slightly nodded at the somewhat complaining words, then said, "Since that's the case, let's implement the plan directly."

This statement made Nolan Bushnell narrow his eyes

, "Are you really going to do that?"

"Of course!" Don Valentine nodded and said, "Roy Disney said it! If we get the copyright of 'Snake Game,' they will consider acquiring our Atari for forty million!"

"Remember, they offered us twenty-two million before."

"Since they are willing to pay an extra eighteen million for a little snake, why not give it a try?"

"And this attempt can get you an additional eight million or even directly enter Disney."

"Since eliminating Ethan can double our profits, why not do it?"

Don Valentine smiled.

This statement made Nolan purse his lips with a slightly tense expression.

After a long time of staring at each other with Don Valentine, he nodded forcefully and said, "Then let's implement the plan."

"Delay the dividends for now. There will definitely be results within two weeks."

At the same time, he asked, "The New York Times or The Washington Post?"

"The New York Times." Don Valentine said, "I've checked. Ethan's sister Evelyn and Stanford law professor Barbara Babcock have a very close relationship, and Barbara Babcock's teacher is Edward Williams. If we call The Washington Post, there might be unexpected consequences."

This news made Nolan's face slightly tense. "Edward Williams? How is that possible? Are we going to sue someone like him? We can't win!"

With a slightly worried appearance, Don Valentine smiled and shook his head.

He came to Nolan's side, patted his arm, and said, "Don't be so nervous, brother. Our lawsuit is foolproof."

"Because Ethan did infringe!"

"If he can find loopholes in this, then all the game companies in the United States would have to sue Magnavox, right?"

"Besides, we didn't initiate this lawsuit; it's Magnavox who will file the lawsuit first. What we are doing now is releasing news, releasing news that will make Magnavox interested."

"So..."

"Why are you nervous?"

Don Valentine smiled at Nolan Bushnell.

It's unclear whether Don Valentine's words had magic that could soothe the soul, or it was Disney's promise, but in any case, under Don Valentine's comfort, Nolan Bushnell came to the desk.

After touching the phone for a while, he decisively dialed out.

"Hello, please help me connect to The New York Times."

After a moment, he smiled and said, "Is this the editorial department of The New York Times? I am Nolan Bushnell, CEO of Atari. The reason for my call today is mainly to tell you some news. According to our confirmation, the nationwide sales of 'Snake Game' have exceeded ten million. Can you send a reporter to San Francisco for an exclusive interview? Yes, what you are hearing now is exclusive news. Before this, I haven't told anyone about this."

"Do you want to meet the inventor of 'Snake Game'? Oh, I want to tell you about Ethan Jones's story. He is a genius, the most imaginative person I have ever met. Although he is currently not accepting interviews because he is refining his new ideas, I can talk to you more about it. For example, our first meeting was at the Odyssey launch..."

"Yes, yes, we met when he was working at Magnavox..."

"Alright, see you tomorrow."