A Low-Key Life, A High-Profile Background

Chapter 45 A Low-Key Life, A High-Profile Background

When Ethan heard the name Steve Wozniak, his smile widened even more.

To be honest, a few hours earlier, when Steve Jobs called out to the chubby guy next to him in front of everyone, Ethan had already recognized him. He was the true creator of Apple, the real mastermind who rubbed the Apple I together with his hands.

However, since the two didn't know each other, Ethan didn't call him by name directly, but now—

"Oh~ Stephen~ It's nice to meet you~"

"I'm very happy too."

After shaking hands with Ethan, Wozniak swung his arm and emphasized with a big smile, "Yo~ you don't believe me? I'm serious."

"Steve probably didn't tell you, but after seeing 'Snake Game,' I played it for days on end! The little snake you designed has a truly captivating magic! It made me not want to go to work at all!"

"Really? I thought you thought I did a terrible job," Ethan replied with a laugh, adding half-jokingly, "After all, you didn't react at all when Steve introduced me to you just now."

"Oh! That's because I was furious!" Wozniak waved his hand, puffing out his cheeks in a dramatic performance. "When I'm so angry I'm about to bare my teeth like a salmon, no matter how friendly you are, I can't possibly smile, right?"

"Hahaha~ You're so funny, Stephen." Wozniak's amusing appearance made Ethan laugh heartily, while he pressed his hands down and shouted, "I understand, I understand how you feel."

Ethan had assumed that Wozniak was very arrogant, since he had preferred to pay money rather than waste time when the Altair incident had been damaged.

But now, that visible joy has given him a touch more humanity.

Since it was lunchtime, Ethan suggested finding a place to eat after they got to know each other.

Both Steves thought there was no problem, and after searching for a while, they went into a small restaurant in Menlo Park.

Ethan ordered a salad and a glass of lemonade.

Jobs ordered an apple pie and a glass of apple juice.

Wozniak opted for a hamburger and a Coke.

After placing their order, the three of them sat down by the window.

Only then did Ethan ask them about the true story of what had happened that day.

He felt that something was strange about what happened today. Logically speaking, even if Wozniak and his team damaged someone else's machine, the non-owners of the item shouldn't have reacted so aggressively.

As he pressed further, Jobs replied helplessly, "Isn't that because of Stephen?"

"At the party that day, while he was taking apart Altair to show me how to make it, he was also saying that the designer's design was flawed. He said that the designer of Altair was really wasteful, using five circuit boards when one could have done it. He said that if he had been allowed to make it, he would have done a better job!"

"While I believe he is telling the truth, I also believe his words will upset others present. Ethan, you know, the people you met today all have great respect for Edward Roberts, the inventor of Altair, so when they heard Stephen's derogatory remarks, they got upset and started arguing with us right there."

"Then that day, we parted on bad terms."

"And then..."

"And that's how today's events came about."

Jobs sighed, speechless at this inexplicable trouble.

"Is that so?" Ethan laughed.

In his view, Jobs' troubles today can be described in two ways.

To put it more poetically, how can the firefly's glow on decaying grass compare to the bright moon in the sky?

To put it simply, it means you are stating facts, but people think you are bragging.

"I wasn't wrong, was I? Altair's craftsmanship is garbage!"

As Ethan nodded with a smile, Wozniak perked up, saying, "A microcomputer costing only a few hundred dollars has its solder pads coming off after just a few months? That's a disaster!"

"If I had to describe it, it would be like a million-dollar plane flying for a month and then falling apart!"

"This is a complete accident! An accident! A production accident!"

"Okay, okay."

Jobs gave up. "We all know you're telling the truth, so can we please stop emphasizing it?"

As if coaxing a child, Steve Jobs continued, "Stephen, we all know you're amazing. This Altair microcomputer isn't even as good as your high school project. The reason you're lagging behind is simply because when you designed the microcomputer, there wasn't even a central microprocessor on the market!"

"right!"

Steve Jobs' words energized the chubby boy even more. "When I was in high school, Intel hadn't even been founded yet! If Intel had existed back then—no! If Motorola had had a central microprocessor back then—I would have made a personal computer long ago!"

"There's no such thing as Altair!"

"..." Jobs closed his eyes; he really didn't want to talk to Wozniak anymore.

His praise of Wozniak was actually a way of hoping the guy would quiet down.

But unexpectedly...

It got even more chaotic.

Ethan took in both of their actions and, seeing Jobs' helpless expression, felt a pang of sympathy.

This truly shows that everything has its counter!

In front of others, Steve Jobs was extremely confident.

But when facing Wozniak, this guy was like Tom meeting Jerry, easily manipulated.

"Interesting!" Ethan thought to himself.

At the same time, a question popped into his mind.

Although he knew that Wozniak was a real big shot.

But at the same time, he was also curious about how this guy had started designing microcomputers in high school.

After all, talent trees can only be a little skewed, not a quick one!

After he asked the question, Jobs, who didn't want to continue talking about Altair, quickly took over the conversation, saying, "The question is simple, because his father taught him this kind of knowledge from a young age."

"Knowledge of electronics and computers."

"What?" This fact surprised Ethan, who turned to look at Wozniak. "Your father?"

"Yeah! My father!"

Whether Wozniak was too carefree or just naturally outgoing, his mind was nodding rapidly.

"When I was little, my father told me that in the future, computers will definitely develop in the direction of miniaturization."

"At the current rate of technological advancement, a personal computer will definitely be developed within ten or twenty years at most."

"If I remember correctly, when he told me these things... I was still in elementary school?"

'???'

Wozniak's words left Ethan with countless question marks on his forehead.

At that moment, he even doubted that he had heard correctly.

Because Wozniak and Steve Jobs are the same age, there's not much of an age difference between them!

In this context, did Wozniak's father introduce him to computers when he was a child?

When was that?

Ten years ago?

Fifteen years ago?

Late 1950s/early 1960s?

Holy crap! They actually encountered computers back then?!

"What kind of family is this!"

Ethan suddenly felt that something was wrong.

Because in his memory, countless media outlets in his previous life had proclaimed that Apple was the true American dream.

Because in the entire tech industry, only Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak started from scratch!

But now?

Thinking of this, Ethan could no longer control his mouth, "Excuse me, Stephen, your father is...?"

Having seemingly answered countless similar questions, Wozniak made no attempt to hide anything, stating directly, "Oh, my father used to be an engineer, but he doesn't do much research anymore."

Ethan was somewhat dissatisfied with this answer, and just as he was about to press further, Jobs revealed the truth in the next second: "Oh Stephen, why are you being so modest now? Isn't your dad the head of Lockheed's R&D team? You even said that Polaris and Hercules were both handled by your dad."

"Shh!" Wozniak touched his lips with his index finger, winked, and said, "We can talk about this at home."

"! 』

Ethan raised his eyebrows and nodded knowingly.

Yes, that's the result he wanted.

After all, a truly ordinary family can't just have a bigger house.

At the same time, he cursed inwardly—

"Damn, not a single one of them started from scratch!"

"Norman Fucking Rockwell!" 』

It was only then that Ethan understood why Steve Wozniak was different from other tech moguls—he had none of the strange gossip or scandals.

This is America!

If the media is the uncrowned king, then the military-industrial complex is its father!

While they were chatting, the waiter brought out the food they had ordered.

While enjoying his meal, watching Wozniak eat slowly, Ethan thought of another question.

"Stephen, is something urgent happening to you today?"

"If I remember correctly, you mentioned several times today that they were wasting your time?"

"Yeah~" Ethan's words were like a stimulant, making the chubby boy happy again.

"They wasted my time," he emphasized first, then continued, "because after seeing Altair, I picked up my old idea of ​​building a personal computer again. I've been redesigning it these past few days, and around the beginning of this month, I finished all the circuit board drawings!"

"Furthermore, let me tell you, after my optimization, my personal computer design only needs one circuit board! Instead of needing five boards like Altair's! It's much cheaper to make!"

"More importantly, I also found a CPU that's cheaper than the Motorola 6800 and Intel 8080!"

At this point, he first looked around.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he lowered his voice and whispered, "You know what? The CPU I found only cost forty-two dollars! Forty-two dollars! Not one hundred and forty-two dollars!"

'???'

The price made Steve Jobs' eyes widen.

"How much?" Jobs asked incredulously. "A forty-two-dollar CPU? Are you kidding me? Will that thing even work?"

Ethan's eyes also instinctively twitched upwards.

Because his treasure-filled memories told him that what he was hearing must be Apple.

Note: ① In Wozniak's autobiography, *iWoz*, he recounts his childhood experiences. When he was six, his father showed him how to make a transistor radio. In fifth grade, at age eleven, he was looking through his father's business magazine when he saw an introduction to ENIAC (the world's first computer). Intrigued, his father explained what a computer was and how it calculates missile trajectories. Furthermore, in his book *Innovators*, *Time* magazine editor and former CNN CEO Volker Isaacson mentions Wozniak's father. In 71, Wozniak and Steve Jobs sold a device called the Blue Box, a device that allowed users to bypass carrier tolls and make long-distance calls. To prove its usefulness, he called the Pope in the Vatican under the name JXG. Selling the Blue Box was an infringement of AT&T's rights, and using JXG's name to call the Pope was a diplomatic incident. However, Wozniak was not held accountable by anyone. The reason why no one pursued the matter was that, after the incident, Wozniak immediately called his father and said that he was just playing a prank.

P.S., here's another rumor: when Apple was experiencing a series of failures in the 1980s, the board wanted to get rid of Steve Jobs, but Steve Wozniak supported him, and the capitalists didn't dare to make a move. It wasn't until Wozniak felt Jobs's ideas clashed with his and withdrew voluntarily that the capitalists dared to kick him out. And less than three months later, Jobs was indeed fired.

(End of this chapter)