The Apple is in Hand!

Chapter 59 The Apple is in Hand!

Ethan Jones's surprised words prompted Old Joe, dressed in a black T-shirt, to curse—

"Oh, you idiot! You ask me why I'm here? I should be asking you why you didn't look for me!"

"MOS Corporation is already officially producing 6502 in Mountain View! I heard you're a shareholder in that company?"

"Dxxn! Why didn't you tell me about something this big!"

"Are we still brothers?"

"hold head high!"

Ethan's lips twitched at the sound of the furious words.

Because he suddenly remembered that Steve Jobs seemed to have talked to him about computer manufacturing.

It seems he and this guy reached some kind of tacit understanding at the time?

But because of MOS's generosity, he got so excited that he forgot about it?

"Holy crap! How could I forget about the apple?!"

Ethan mentally scoffed, but his expression didn't change much.

even……

He also managed to squeeze out a hint of grievance.

"Oh—Steve—you've really wronged me—I've been busy with MOS these days, site selection, registration, equipment procurement, and production—I've been in charge of all of these things—"

"I originally planned to contact you after the first batch of chips came out, wanting to give you a surprise."

"But...you knew beforehand?"

"Oh—I'm so sorry—I didn't keep it a secret—"

Ethan pursed his lips, a look of regret on his face.

Jobs was completely taken aback by this behavior. "WWW...What? Are you trying to surprise me?"

"Yeah~" Ethan nodded, a smile appearing on his face.

But before his smile could last even a second, it was replaced by regret. "I was busy until the early hours of last night. I was thinking that the results of the trial production should be out in the next few days. Don't you want to work in the computer field? So I personally oversaw it, trying to urge them to hurry up."

At this point, he shrugged and said, "But... I'm sorry... perhaps my behavior was somewhat inappropriate..."

"You've misunderstood."

"..."

Jobs was somewhat taken aback by Ethan's words.

"Oh my friend, I'm so sorry..."

He waved his hands frantically, trying to explain, "I didn't know that was the case. I just heard that MOS had already built a factory in California. I thought you had forgotten about me. I'm so sorry, I was too hasty..."

Jobs' softened attitude relieved Ethan, who knew he had gotten through the act.

He waved his hand to indicate that he didn't care.

Then he invited Old Joe to come inside and discuss the computer manufacturing process in detail.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Jobs naturally wouldn't refuse such an arrangement.

However, just as Jobs was pondering whether his confrontational behavior was inappropriate, as he followed Ethan through the living room to go upstairs, he suddenly heard this sentence—

"Ethan, aren't you going to eat breakfast? Weren't you saying you were hungry around nine o'clock last night?"

"If I remember correctly, you even asked Evelyn if she wanted fried chicken? If Thomas hadn't kicked you two out of the kitchen, would you two be complaining about gaining weight again today? And then blaming us for not helping you control your diet?"

"Sometimes I'm really curious, when did you all learn to shirk responsibility? You weren't like this before!"

"..."

"Aunt Linda, thank you so much!"

Ethan's face stiffened.

He glanced at Jobs.

Old Joe, who had his long hair combed back, was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and curled up at the corners of his mouth.

At the same time, he rolled up his sleeves and raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, Ethan—working until the early hours?—Ah, ha?"

"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding..." Ethan's face tightened, and he quickly said, "Maybe I remembered wrong, let me think, let me think... last night? I was at home last night, so the thing about monitoring factory production must have been the day before yesterday? Yes, yes, yes! It was the day before... Hey, hey, hey! Steve! Steve! Let's talk this out, don't hit me!"

…………

Ten minutes later, in Ethan's room.

Jobs, who hadn't eaten breakfast, was munching on an apple sandwich Linda had made, while Ethan, nestled in bed, mumbled as he ate cereal, "That's how it is. Because the 6502 patent issue was too troublesome, I genuinely forgot to call you and tell you that the chip problem was solved."

After Ethan told Jobs about what had happened to him over the past month, the handsome young man with long, flowing hair stopped being angry.

He also remarked, "Ohhhh... Is something illegal in other states legal in California? Is it that California laws are lenient, or are the professors at Stanford Law School really that clever?"

Of course, he didn't dwell on such a trivial matter. After learning from Ethan that the 6502 chip was safe, Old Joe didn't hesitate and asked directly, "Can I buy the chip now?"

"certainly!"

Ethan nodded and slapped his thigh.

How many chips do you want?

"I'll order it for you!"

"Under-limited price!"

"Twenty-five dollars a piece!"

Ethan Lane 6502's core objective was to reach a larger commercial market.

After Jobs told him that Wozniak had a military background, let alone Jobs wanting to work in the computer industry now, even if he didn't want to, Ethan would pull out a gun, press it against his waist, and force him to do it!

Yes, that's right! Ethan is just that domineering!

As for the price of 6502?

He had also discussed this with MOS.

The initial retail price was $42 per piece, and the price will not be reduced before the upcoming San Francisco Electronics Show.

If Motorola and Intel follow suit and lower their prices after the electronics show, then they will reduce the price of the 6502 from $42 to $25 and keep it there for a while.

The length of stay depends entirely on market demand.

If market demand is high, they will reduce the price of 6502 to the final price of $12 per piece within a year.

Although from a business perspective, this proactive price reduction is somewhat brainless, I'm willing to do it.

Moreover, the production cost of 6502 is only $2. Even if it is sold for $12 a piece, after deducting other costs, the net profit is still about $6.

So it's just a matter of how much or how little you earn.

As a shareholder, Ethan is able to receive the next phase of the price in advance.

This is Chuck Patel's thank you, and also a little perk from MOS.

Ethan's straightforwardness brought a happy smile to Jobs' face.

He held up two fingers and gestured in front of Ethan.

Ethan understood the meaning behind this action.

"Twenty thousand, right? Okay!"

"Five hundred thousand US dollars! Payment upon delivery!"

However, before he could finish speaking, Jobs quickly waved his hand and said, "No! No! No!... What, twenty thousand? It's two hundred! Two hundred!"

"I want two hundred 6502s!"

"Then……"

"I have no money."

Steve Jobs shrugged.

It gave off an air of "I'm here to beg for alms."

'???'

This situation completely baffled Ethan!

To be honest, when Jobs held up two fingers, Ethan knew that the guy probably wanted two hundred. He was just joking when he said twenty thousand, to see what Jobs was like when he was nervous.

but……

Ethan didn't know if Jobs showed any signs of panic, but he knew he was completely intimidated by Jobs' domineering aura.

No money to buy chips? What's the difference between that and going to a restaurant with only your mouth?

This is the year 1975!

It's not 2020!

This timeline is all wrong! How come someone is already doing free purchases?!

More importantly, this free purchase even targeted Ethan Jones!

After staring at Steve Jobs for a while to make sure he wasn't joking, Ethan Jones finally asked, somewhat exasperated, "Steve, do I look like someone with any kind of aristocratic blood?"

This question made Steve Jobs pause for a second.

After a moment, realizing what he meant, he burst into laughter: "It looks just like it!"

"If you need, I can even sing 'Ah! All Will Be Alright' for you right now."

"Les aristocratesà la lanterne!" (Drive the nobles to the lamplight!)

"Les aristocrates on les pendra!" (Hang the nobles on the lampposts!)

"..."

"Pfft! Hahaha—"

Ethan couldn't hold it in any longer and burst into laughter.

As he burst into laughter, Jobs couldn't help himself and lay on the table laughing uncontrollably.

After a long while, Ethan, having recovered, slapped his thigh and said, "Okay, let's get serious, Steve. If I remember correctly, aren't you rich? You must have made over five thousand when you went out to replace the motherboard, right?"

"It's only been a few months? And you've already spent it all?"

Ethan's question silenced Jobs.

After a moment of hesitation, his gaze darting around, he finally pursed his lips and said, "Yes, I've spent all five thousand dollars."

"..."

This fact left Ethan speechless.

Just as Ethan was wondering if this guy had probably gambled it all away, Jobs said, "I used that money to renovate the house. It's an old house from decades ago, the last renovation was six or seven years ago. Then I used the rest of the money to buy my father a car. It's a Ford. My dad loves it because he's a car mechanic, and with a Ford, he can haul parts anywhere."

"Of course, he had a pickup truck before, but who doesn't like a new car?"

"My dad and others asked me where the money came from. I told them that I earned it with my friends. When they found out that I had become friends with the inventor of Snake Game, they were very happy and said that I had finally stopped messing around."

"You might not know this, but they've actually been quite worried about me. Although they didn't say anything when I was chasing trends, they were actually quite sad, and when I went to Asia last year, they were worried I wouldn't be able to come back."

Jobs' words startled Ethan.

Although the figure leaning against the table had a smile on his face, Ethan could sense a faint sadness about him.

"Oh, is that so? Then I'll pay for the chips."

Ethan took a deep breath, went to the table, and took out his checkbook from the drawer.

He wrote down $50,000 and handed it to the other party.

"Consider this $50,000 a sponsorship. Use $5,000 to buy chips, and the rest to build computers. Is that enough?"

"Moreover, regardless of whether your small business is successful or not, you don't have to pay it back."

"If I can help Chuck Patel, a complete stranger, fulfill his dream, then I won't be stingy with my friends either."

Jobs was delighted to see the flimsy check. After carefully accepting it, he smiled and said, "Oh, Ethan, you understand me best. Why should I pay back money I earned through my own abilities?"

Before he could finish speaking, he added, "Okay, just kidding. If I start a company, then consider this your investment—20% of the shares, okay? I, Steve Jobs, have always been this generous!"

"And then... write a non-dilution clause separately for your shares? Both a structured anti-dilution clause and a full ratchet clause? How about that? I, Steve Jobs, know a thing or two about business!"

"Hahaha--"

Jobs' adorable appearance made Ethan Jones burst into laughter, opening his arms to hug him while loudly proclaiming, "Well, for my own good, I guess I'll just have to wish you success in advance, Steven!"

Note: ① The song mentioned in the text is a reference to capitalists hanging streetlights. ② Steve Jobs had a good relationship with his adoptive parents. When Jobs was bullied at school as a child, his adoptive parents spent all their savings to transfer him to another school. Because they had promised Jobs' biological parents that they would send him to college, they supported him by sending him to Reed College. Reed College is not a bad school; it's very good. When the best college rankings were first released in 1983, Reed College was ranked in the top ten in liberal arts. Of course, the tuition was also very expensive; in 1971, the tuition was about $2500 a year. Jobs' adoptive parents really spent money on him. ③ A structural anti-dilution clause grants investors the right to preferentially purchase shares equivalent to their existing shareholding during subsequent financing rounds, ensuring that their shareholding percentage does not decrease due to subsequent capital increases. ④ A full ratchet clause means that regardless of the amount of equity involved in subsequent financing, if the valuation of subsequent financing is lower than the valuation of the investor's current investment, the investor's equity will be adjusted accordingly based on the subsequent financing price. The common saying is that if the company doesn't perform well, they'll pay back the money. In reality, almost no one uses this; at most, some companies use it, because it's essentially the company founder finding themselves an investor. As for the article? Just consider it Steve Jobs talking nonsense and joking.

(End of this chapter)