For Steve Jobs, GAMENOVA, the gaming giant that had risen from the ashes of the video game industry, was a company he viewed with immense optimism.
Many times, he even felt that Ethan was the kindred spirit he had been searching for all along, as Ethan's business philosophy was almost identical to his own.
A focus on quality, a pursuit of innovation, and an elite team.
"Mr. Hayes, I believe the first ten employees of a startup determine the caliber of the entire company."
Looking at the three figures before him, each from a different field, Jobs sighed sincerely.
"GAMENOVA truly is overflowing with talent."
Ethan smiled faintly.
According to the original timeline, Jobs was currently at one of the most awkward low points of his career.
Although Apple's rapid growth after going public had brought him enormous wealth, it had also cost him control of the company. To the point where he had now been pushed entirely out of Apple's core circle.
He longed to prove to the world that Apple could not survive without him, that it was he who had made Apple what it was.
Thus, NeXT was born.
Jobs invested seven million dollars into it, and the company's business was simple: just like Apple, it would build computers.
The difference was that this time, he chose to focus on workstations for higher education and the commercial market, rather than the home computer market that Apple specialized in.
Having learned his lesson from Apple, Jobs now valued control above everything else. So, trying to acquire NeXT outright was simply impossible.
In the end, the one short on money was NeXT, not Steve himself. Had it not been for his determination to prove himself, the wealth Apple had brought him after its IPO would have been more than enough for him to enjoy the rest of his life in comfort.
But Ethan knew very well that NeXT's fate would probably not unfold the way Jobs hoped, nor would it create another miracle.
The workstation he had placed such high hopes on, the NeXT Computer, commonly known as the NeXTcube , would suffer disastrous sales, selling only around four hundred units a month.
The losses from its hardware business would continue until 1993, when they would finally be brought to an end.
However, on the software side, NeXT would later cooperate with Sun to jointly develop a specification known as OpenStep, along with the NeXTSTEP operating system.
Those two technologies would eventually become the foundation of modern macOS and iOS. They would also be the primary reason Steve returned to Apple.
It was no exaggeration to say that although NeXT failed, without NeXT there would have been neither Sun's later success nor Apple's future glory.
And now, Ethan had an opportunity to insert himself into that history.
"Mr. Jobs, I heard you've recently been looking for venture capital firms?"
Not bothering with small talk, Ethan got straight to the point.
"Aren't you worried about your control being diluted again, just like what happened at Apple?"
"Of course I am, but my time at Apple taught me a lot."
Jobs made no attempt to hide his true feelings, speaking as though Ethan were already a close friend.
"Although my personal assets are still quite substantial, long-term large-scale R&D, manufacturing, and marketing all require money."
"If I can't even develop the product, then what's the point of clinging to control that has no practical value?"
Ethan nodded knowingly.
It seemed NeXT's operating situation was really as terrible as rumored.
"Steve, why let the external financiers dictate the outcome? If you're looking for another option, I'd be interested in helping."
Ethan continued, "I can't promise where NeXT is headed, no one can. But I believe in the person running it and if I'm going to bet on anyone, I'd bet on you, so let me make you an offer."
"Twenty million."
"Twenty million dollars in exchange for sixteen percent of NeXT's shares, along with a seat on the board."
Hearing that Jobs froze, at that valuation, Ethan was pricing NeXT at well over one hundred million dollars.
Although he had just spent quite some time describing NeXT's grand future vision to Ethan, those plans still existed only on paper, and nothing had taken shape yet.
To put it bluntly, they were nothing more than ambitious promises.
Not to mention all the even more unbelievable futuristic technologies he had described, even the complete PC systems he talked about hadn't materialized yet.
Yet for a startup that no venture capital firm would even bother to glance at, Ethan was willing to casually invest such a massive amount of money?
Honestly, the offer was incredibly generous. If he accepted this financial lifeline, he could finally pursue the perfection he had always dreamed of without restraint.
"And…"
Before Jobs could respond, Ethan continued.
"MicroNova will provide its general-purpose graphics acceleration technology for another two percent of NeXT's equity. SGI will share its high-end workstation architecture technology for another two percent as well."
If the previous valuation was already a sign of Ethan's confidence in him, then these additional four percent of equity felt like winning the lottery.
There was no need to say much about SGI. It was already an experienced manufacturer of high-end graphics workstations, and its architectural expertise could help NeXT tremendously.
If a professional valuation firm were brought in, that technical support alone would easily be worth tens of millions of dollars.
As for MicroNova, it was even more significant.
GAMENOVA's semiconductor subsidiary had yet to release a single consumer product, but the technologies it used in GAMENOVA's own hardware was already the envy of the entire industry.
Jobs shot up from the sofa and extended his hand.
"I'll have my lawyer draft the documents as soon as possible!"
Respect and trust, those were things he could never find at Apple. But Ethan was different, he was someone worth having as an ally. No... more than worth it!
Ethan reached out and shook his hand. As for who had truly gotten the better end of this deal, he already knew the answer.
"So, Steve, there's one more thing I'd like to discuss with you."
To Ethan, a business partner like Steve Jobs, someone who exercised absolute control over his company, was far preferable to dealing with publicly listed corporations. It made everything simpler, more direct, and more efficient.
There was no need to endure endless boardroom arguments and bureaucracy. He could simply speak directly with the person in charge.
The only downside was that the risks of decision-making couldn't be shared. If the company took the wrong path, there would be no one to stop it.
.....
"Do we have another appointment today?"
Vivian noticed that the car wasn't heading back towards the company and asked curiously.
"NeXT alone isn't enough. We still need a partner focused on the consumer market."
Ethan looked out the window.
NeXT's true value lay in its software, but compared to SGI, its high-end workstations weren't actually all that valuable.
If he truly wanted to establish an industry standard, he needed to bring more people on board.
And as it happened, there was another founder here who, like Steve Jobs, possessed an overwhelming desire for control and absolute authority over his own company.
A remarkable man who had just turned twenty this year, had already founded his own PC company, and had personally designed an outstanding personal computer.
A man who would soon be named the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company.
Michael Dell, founder of Dell.
The direct-sales model he pioneered, eliminating all middlemen and selling PCs directly to customers through telephone orders and mail-order sales, would provide Ethan with the most direct promotional channel imaginable.