Academic Clique

Chapter 14 Academic Clique

Okay, Ethan admits that there are many things he really can't handle on his own.

If it were a solo effort, Ethan believed that as long as he was willing to spend the time researching or hiring someone to develop it, the game "Snake" could definitely be released. But what about the copyright issues afterward? He would have to go to a law firm to find a lawyer to resolve those.

Although he believed that copyright registration issues related to video games could be resolved by paying money, he was also convinced that a lawyer hired by money could never manipulate the law like Barbara Babcock did.

As for the reason?

Ethan felt that a phrase he had heard in his past life could describe it.

You'll never know just how amazing your college professors really are.

Universities are places where hidden talents abound, and top universities are even more so. They gather countless talents and control countless resources, which is why they attract countless people who are willing to fight tooth and nail to get here.

Although Stanford at that time was not yet the world-renowned university it would become, and if one had to describe it, in the eyes of the public, it was merely a century-old California university striving to become a world-class institution. But Ethan knew that this era might be the most impressive moment in Stanford's history, because they were steadfastly and relentlessly pursuing their university-industry collaboration program.

The so-called school-enterprise cooperation plan consists of two steps.

The first step is to attract outstanding external companies to set up factories, providing students with learning and employment opportunities.

The university leased land that it could not sell to businesses at low prices, and in return, these businesses had to give priority to hiring Stanford students. This program attracted many high-tech companies to set up operations there, including Lockheed Martin.

Well, to be honest, rent reductions alone wouldn't attract many people to set up factories at Stanford. But what happened was that the person who invited companies was Fred Terman, Stanford's vice president.

Fred Terman was one of Vannevar Bush's most outstanding students!

He was also the teacher of the founder of HP!

When he steps forward to solicit donations, which company would dare not give him face?

It was precisely because of his strong personal connections that top research institutions and manufacturing companies gathered at Stanford in a short period of time. After he solved the problems of student employment and school research, the second step of encouraging students to start their own businesses emerged.

The school provides technical guidance to every student who wants to start a business and opens its laboratories to them free of charge. When students have needs, the teachers who guide their businesses will provide assistance and solve problems as soon as possible. In return, successful students will also help the school as much as possible when they achieve success in their businesses.

The most famous player in this field is actually Google.

When Google was founded, it encountered funding problems. They sought help from the university, which then helped them call Sun Microsystems. Sun's founders listened to Google's idea for five minutes and then immediately wrote a check for $100,000 to support their junior's startup. Later, Google surged ahead in the tech industry, while Sun failed to challenge Microsoft. On Stanford's advice, most of Sun's engineers packed their bags and joined Google, including Google's CEO, Eric Schmidt.

In fact, Stanford's rise was inevitable because they were playing the game of academic cliques.

This kind of academic clique behavior is loved to death by those inside and hated to the core by those outside.

But that doesn't matter, right?

Even though Ethan didn't get into Stanford, having one in the family is enough!

Evelyn is his older sister!

It would be a crime not to take advantage of such valuable resources.

Evelyn was overjoyed to see Ethan admit his mistake with a sliding knee slide, feeling that she had won.

He snorted twice and let his foolish younger brother send him to the engineering college.

She also told Ethan to pick her up from school at 5 p.m.

Since the two had driven together this morning, Ethan readily agreed. However, as he said goodbye to Evelyn, a question that puzzled him popped into his mind.

"Evelyn—" Ethan called out from the driver's seat of the Chevrolet.

"What's up?" Evelyn returned after taking only a few steps.

"Hmm." Ethan nodded, then frowned and asked, "If I remember correctly, you're graduating this year?"

"Yes, I'll be getting my graduation certificate next month. What's up?"

The affirmative answer only confused Ethan more. He gestured with his hands and said, "You're graduating next month? Then why are you still having classes? Is it because you haven't earned enough credits?"

Yes, that's what Ethan found strange.

Evelyn was born in 1954, exactly one year older than Ethan. She also applied to university a year in advance. Now, Ethan has been working for three years, which means Evelyn has been in university for four years. So how come she still has classes under these circumstances?

Ethan didn't understand.

Evelyn laughed at the bewildered look on his face and bent over, pressing his entire body against the car window.

"Hey Ethan~ You're really clumsy like that~"

Evelyn turned her head and smiled, saying, "Why do I need to attend classes? It's simple, because I'm going to pursue a master's degree!"

"Didn't I tell you before? Our family doesn't need us to earn money for the time being, so of course I'll use my free time to improve myself!"

"Normally, I would graduate next month and re-enroll in September, but I'm so familiar with this place. I've already chosen my professors, and they'd be very happy to let me join the research group at any time, so..."

Evelyn shrugged, looking very relaxed and cheerful.

"I see?"

Ethan had never heard of Evelyn pursuing a master's degree before.

However, considering the previous cold war between the two, Ethan felt it was normal that the original owner of the body didn't know.

"Hmm, is there any other question?"

Evelyn gave a light hum, then pointed behind her with her thumb and said, "If there are no problems, I'll be going. I have an appointment with Professor Vinton today. I originally wanted to choose his graduate program, but he told me that he might not be able to stay at Stanford for long, so I need to hurry up and ask him some more questions."

"Oh right, he's the teacher I told you about 'knowledge is neutral' last time. He's also the one who helped me book Barbara today."

"He's a really good person. Okay, go ahead and don't keep him waiting." Ethan said with a smile, having already received his answer.

"See you this afternoon?"

See you this afternoon.

Under Ethan's watchful eye, Evelyn slipped into the engineering school building, greeted a few students, and then stopped in front of a room on the third floor.

She knocked on the door, and then a man in his thirties came into Ethan's view.

This guy was wearing a suit and a tie.

Perhaps because most of the hair follicles grow on his face, he has a bald patch along with a full beard.

Upon seeing that it was Evelyn, he warmly stepped aside to let her in.

As he moved, Ethan suddenly felt a flash before his eyes.

A blinding ray of light made Ethan instinctively close his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, the classroom door was already closed.

"This is Mr. Vinton? He's so young!" Ethan muttered to himself as he sat in the car.

After learning that Evelyn was going to meet the teacher who had helped him, Ethan wanted to know who this kind-hearted person was.

And after he sees it...

It's actually quite ordinary.

He has an average appearance, a thin build, and nothing particularly special about him.

This situation left Ethan somewhat disappointed.

He had always thought that someone who could be friends with a top-notch lawyer like Barbara must be some kind of extraordinary person!

If it's a big shot you recognize, then you have to try and get on their good side no matter what.

After all, there are only a few paths to success: either have a good father or have a powerful backer.

result……

"Alas! What a pity!"

Note: ① Vannevar Bush: A national treasure-level scientist in the United States. He was the one who founded the National Science Research Agency during World War II, one of the three approvers of the Manhattan Project, the founder of Raytheon, and directed the US hydrogen bomb tests and lunar landings. He also facilitated the establishment of the National Science Foundation and the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). Stanford's Vice President, Fred Terman, the father of Silicon Valley, was one of this genius's three most outstanding students. The other two were Claude Shannon, the father of information theory, and Perry Crawford Jr., a pioneer in American computing and the first to promote digital computers. To be frank, it was impossible for Stanford not to develop after aligning itself with such a powerful figure. ② The Stanford endorsement of Google described in the article is merely an idealized world propagated by the media. In reality, Stanford endorsed Google because Stanley Wojcicki, the father of Google founder Sergey Brin's then-girlfriend, later wife, and now ex-wife, was the head of Stanford's physics department and an advisor to the National High Energy Physics Laboratory. His high-energy physics advisory group accomplished something truly remarkable in 1983: building the SSC, the Superconducting Super Collider. Although the project was ultimately canceled, Stanford gained considerable prestige at the time because the project was spearheaded by Stanford's physics department head, Stanley Wojcicki. When Stanford needed to enhance its reputation in the academic community, Sergey Brin's father-in-law stepped up and took the lead.

(End of this chapter)