American History 1988
Chapter 272 - 263: This is Silicon Valley

Chapter 272: Chapter 263: This is Silicon Valley

Teresa was visiting Silicon Valley for the first time, the legendary birthplace of many high-tech companies.

Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Byte Company... they were all here, and Teresa started looking around curiously as soon as she got out of the car.

Silicon Valley’s first impression on her wasn’t as grand as she had imagined, with its ubiquitous tan walls and red rooftops.

The buildings were generally only a few stories high, and with their vibrant exteriors, a strong California style hit her in the face.

Teresa was somewhat surprised; she had always thought Silicon Valley would be like Seattle, with beautiful glass curtain skyscrapers.

But it wasn’t until she stood here that she realized how approachable Silicon Valley was.

Yes, Silicon Valley’s impression on her was not just the intense California style, but also the relaxed and free atmosphere that was lively all around her.

She had only been on the streets of Silicon Valley for a few minutes, but almost every passerby was smiling at her!

Oh my god! Teresa had never received so many gestures of goodwill in one day.

They wore shorts and T-shirts, some even holding beers in their hands.

If it weren’t for the badges hanging around their necks, Teresa would have thought they were tourists vacationing in California.

Is this Silicon Valley? Teresa didn’t know how many times she had been shocked.

In Seattle, she would never see such a scene, where people were always formally dressed; they wouldn’t casually carry a beer to work.

Especially at Microsoft, there was always disdain and hostility towards Silicon Valley.

This sentiment even spread throughout various departments at Microsoft, and Teresa had personal experience with it.

Once, her colleague recommended a programmer who had quite a reputation in the industry, but the HR department saw that he was from Silicon Valley and immediately tossed his resume into the trash without a second thought.

Her colleague couldn’t help but question HR, but the personnel just shrugged innocently, "Mr. Gates wouldn’t hire him anyway, so there’s no point in wasting time."

The colleague was speechless, knowing that this was probably true.

Unlike the frequent job-hoppers of Silicon Valley, many Microsoft employees had never worked at any other company before.

Gates and Ballmer preferred to recruit directly from universities and graduate schools, with experience at other tech companies not taken into consideration.

It could even be a negative factor, just like Teresa had seen.

Teresa, who had worked for Microsoft for many years, felt that the employees there often wore the "golden handcuffs" of stock options.

The employees were generally under 30 years old, and mostly male.

Influenced by the fierce competition and dynamic atmosphere established by Gates and others, the employees were often highly spirited.

Sometimes Teresa even felt that the inside of Microsoft was like a "fraternity from another planet."

Moreover, there were few companies in Seattle that could compare with Microsoft in size and wealth, so many people tended to be content with the status quo.

Teresa was the same, until she was fired.

After being kicked out of Gates’s office, Teresa wallowed at home for a long time.

Her first job had been at Microsoft, and now that she had suddenly left, she didn’t know what to do.

Teresa even began to doubt herself; after leaving Microsoft, she seemed to have become worthless.

The value of her life and her hopes for the future had all turned gray.

The velvet carpets of the office were gradually fading away from her.

It wasn’t until she happened to read in the newspaper that Byte Company was planning to establish a new headquarters.

Indeed, Seattle might not have a company that could rival Microsoft, but Silicon Valley did, and not just one.

She was still young, not yet thirty, too early to retire in Florida.

So, Teresa sent her resume to Byte Company in a spirit of trial, not really expecting much.

She didn’t know whether Byte Company had the same invisible hierarchy of disdain as Microsoft.

Moreover, the two companies were currently competitors in some lines of business.

But things often turn out unexpectedly; just one day later, Teresa received a reply. Byte Company invited her to Silicon Valley for an interview!

Oh my God, is this the window you’ve opened for me?

Without any hesitation, Teresa canceled her lease in Seattle.

She traveled light, coming to Silicon Valley alone.

And what she saw and heard here did not disappoint her; Teresa felt as if she had shed a layer of shackles.

She had never felt so relaxed during the waiting time in the conference room.

The considerate receptionist came over every time with a heart-melting smile on her face.

Now it was interview time, and she was waiting for the interviewer to come.

Knock knock knock... The sound of knocking subconsciously made Teresa tense up.

"Hello, Teresa Millins?" A young man and a middle-aged man walked in.

"Yes, sir. Oh! You are..." Teresa recognized the people coming in, stood up instinctively, and started stammering, not knowing what to say.

"Please sit down, there’s no need to be so formal, we’re just going to have a casual chat."

The newcomers were of course Dean and Jim Clark, who were attracted by Teresa’s resume.

Dean’s gentle smile made Teresa’s tensed body relax slightly.

"I’ve read your resume, quite impressive, you have experience developing numerous software projects?"

"Yes, mainly tools and application software. Like the BAIC language editor, word processor, C language package, personal finance software, and so on..."

Calming her emotions, without any time to marvel that she was meeting the legendary tech superstar, Teresa plunged into the intense interview.

"Personal finance software? Microsoft Money?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, yes." Teresa guessed that her interviewer already knew what the software was.

Dean certainly did; the two companies were fiercely competing in the market.

No wonder Anna said she had to meet this candidate in person—how interesting.

"Okay, your experience tells me that you are also very proficient in programming languages, right?"

Unexpectedly, Dean didn’t discuss Microsoft Money with her.

"I have learned most of the programming languages because it’s part of my job."

When it came to work, Teresa regained her confidence. She had worked harder than her male colleagues to secure her place at Microsoft.

"Have you heard of HTML?" Dean’s question surprised not only Teresa, but also Jim Clark, who gave him an unexpected glance.

"It’s a new markup language that hasn’t become the standard yet. I’m studying it but can’t say I’m proficient yet."

Teresa decided to be honest rather than overstate her abilities.

"Would it be convenient for you to code a segment on the spot now? Just describing it verbally is fine; I’m listening." Dean wanted to know her level of mastery of this language.

Teresa knew this was the interviewer’s test for her, so she concentrated and spent a few minutes smoothly reciting a bunch of code.

"Good!" Dean smiled and looked at Jim Clark, "What do you think of her?"

Jim spread his hands, "Maybe we could give it a try."

"Okay," Dean turned his gaze, "Teresa, here’s the thing—there’s a new project."

"It’s not our typical application software; it requires writing in this new language, HTML."

"I think you are very suitable for it, but there are a few things I need to clarify first."

"This project is not under Byte Company, which means we might set up a new company."

"And you would be the first employee of this company, but trust me, it’s cool!"

A new company? Teresa was taken aback. She glanced around; the walls were adorned with the Byte Company logo—she hadn’t come to the wrong place.

"Listen, Teresa," Dean began to lay out his offer in an attempt to persuade her.

"With this new company, you could get a share of stock options."

"I promise if it eventually goes public, your stake will not be less than 3%!

"Of course, if you feel it’s not for you along the way, I can still arrange a suitable position for you at Byte Company."

3% of stock options? Teresa took a deep breath inwardly; it was the first time someone had offered her equity options after so many years of work.

At Microsoft, she had received a stock option agreement, but that was a benefit for employees, available to all full-time staff.

Clearly, the options Dean was talking about weren’t ordinary employee shares; they were measured in percentages, not just a number of shares!

Teresa felt this young man’s recognition of her worth, and she sensed that this might be an opportunity.

But she harbored some reservations about this so-called new project, especially since she initially aimed for the reputation of Byte Company.

"So sir, may I know what this project is specifically?"

"Have you heard of the World Wide Web?" Dean began to entice her skillfully.

"Yeah, I saw it on a forum. It’s also why I started learning the HTML language."

"That’s it!" Dean gesticulated excitedly, "A browser, though I prefer to call it an internet client."

This explanation was somewhat novel, but Teresa quickly grasped its meaning.

"To make it easier for users to access content on the internet?"

"Bingo!" Dean snapped his fingers, "As I said, you are a good fit."

"But sir, there are many people on BBS writing similar software, and it’s all free."

Teresa had to remind him that the idea didn’t seem to be a viable business yet, as people could get free versions online.

"I know, we don’t need to worry about making a profit for now; our current goal is to learn."

"What?" Teresa had never heard of a commercial project that didn’t aim to make a profit.

"Here’s what we’ll do," Dean paused, then quickly planned Teresa’s arrangement, "I’ll find you a place at Byte Company first.

"Then, I’ll arrange a few helpers for you, and your first task will be to lead the team in mastering all the rules of using HTML."

"After completing the learning process, collect all the browser software on the internet and analyze their strengths and weaknesses one by one."

"After figuring all that out, then design our own browser."

"My requirements are that it’s simple to use and more thoroughly incorporates graphics, in addition to supporting built-in applets and animation playback."

"When you’re confident about achieving this, that will be the time to set up our new company."

Web browsers had already emerged by ’90, garnered public attention last year, and now many geeks were trying to refine them.

So, a browser wasn’t something new in the tech circle, even with many free versions shared on BBS.

But for the average person, browsers were still something new.

Hence, becoming a business didn’t depend on whether there were free versions online, but on how to market it to the mainstream public.

Teresa didn’t understand business, but she believed in Dean’s vision.

And having left the comfortable environment of Microsoft, Teresa didn’t mind taking another risk.

This was a chance at 3% equity—she didn’t know if she’d ever get such an opportunity again in her life.

So she asked one last question, "I previously worked at Microsoft; if I join Byte Company now, will there be any legal risks?"

Dean and Jim glanced at each other and then both laughed, "California doesn’t have non-compete agreements; this is Silicon Valley."