Chapter 27: New Jobs

I kissed Jeryl softly, so as not to wake her, and quietly headed out of the house for my morning run. Once again, running had become my thinking refuge. There was peacefulness to my mind as I pounded out the miles. The first weeks of summer had flown by with meetings and time in the office drafting papers and filing patents.

I had spent the past two weeks in upstate New York with Doctors Reis and McTavish as we worked on the fabrication process to build our custom microprocessors. We had not solved all the problems, but had made enough progress that we could improve our yields for further R&D. Some of the fabrication methods were innovative enough that I had returned to California to get Jeryl and Kelly busy on some new patent filings.

I reached my two-mile turning point and hung a left to cut around the block and then head back to the house. I spotted Sanford stalking me in one of our cars. Sometimes he ran with me, but even then there was a car trailing nearby. We thought we might be out of the woods with the KGB since Dr. Wilkerson’s abduction and interrogation, but Alison was not going to relax her guard too much.

I continued to think about the fabrication process. I knew it was a good first step, and probably a decade ahead of the state of the art in this time, but I wanted to go even further. I knew I would need almost a thousand picoprocessors to control a linear fusion reactor. Each would control an individual magnetic flow control or actuator to channel plasma through the pinching magnetic field where it fused, or they would control the MHD coils that extracted power from the fused hydrogen, before allowing the remaining energy to be collected by the high speed turbine mounted behind the generator.

I knew I was building a very complex control system. The fact that I had built it once before was probably the only reason I pursued it so doggedly.

I set that problem aside and thought about the GX-3 tests getting underway. We had found the design flaw with the rear tail assembly that caused the GX-2 to fail. I had funneled two months of profits from our stealth compound auctions into the new prototype. My investment and the steady sales of new G-400’s had kept Gulfstream in the game and willing to try a bigger leap with the GX-3. Static engine tests as well as ground testing would start soon.

We still were not at the sub-orbital transport I wanted to build, but were looking at a significantly faster and longer range plane. The GX-3 was designed for a range of 7,000 nautical miles and a max cruising speed of Mach 2.1. New Rolls-Royce turbojet engines provided power with an innovative adaptive intake system to control airflow throughout the sub-sonic and supersonic flight envelope.

I finished my run and cooled down outside before heading in and finding some breakfast. I was surprised no one else was up and about. I headed back upstairs.

“Hey, sexy,” I said as I spotted Jeryl coming out of the bathroom. “Is everything alright?” I asked. She looked a little pale.

“My stomach is a little off.”

I gave her a hug and rubbed her back. “You should go see the doctor,” I said.

“I’ll be fine,” she insisted.

“I’m sure you will be, but now that we’re six weeks newly wed and you’re feeling nauseous in the morning, you might want to get checked out.”

She looked at me in shock. “I should have had a period last week.”

I nodded.

“But I only stopped taking the pill right before the wedding. I thought it took a couple of months to work out of your system.”

“It might. I don’t know. That’s why you should go see your doctor.”

She hugged me back. “If I am, you won’t think it’s too soon, will you?”

I kissed the top of her head and continued rubbing her back. “Of course not. Will you?”

She hugged me tighter. “I can’t think of anything that would make me happier. I love you so much. I’ve thought about this since our junior year in high school.”

“Really?”

She nodded. I kissed her again and then invited her into the shower with me. She felt better afterward and kissed me again before going downstairs for a bite to eat. I went into our home office and started getting organized for the day. Twenty minutes later, Sanford dropped me off at our offices and I headed inside.

A paper on improving production of the boron-doped carbon nanotubes could not hold my attention. I set it aside. I went to the drafting table and looked at the plans of the GX-3 laid out on it. I was standing there staring when Matthew came in.

“You alright, boss?” he asked in is soft-spoken drawl. I knew he could bark orders with the best of them, but his unassuming, almost southern twang always caught my attention.

I turned to him. “Just thinking,” I lied. “What’s up for today?”

“Meeting with the Navy Office in thirty minutes.”

“Follow-up on the Stark?”

“Most likely.”

In mid-May, the USS Stark was hit by two Exocet anti-ship missiles fired from Iraqi Mirage F1’s flying a mission in their war with Iran. I had remembered the event from the first time. I had thought about trying to prevent it. I had hoped the decreased need for foreign oil by the U.S. would lessen the need for ships in the Gulf, but it had not turned out to be. The fallout from the Stark had not been all bad. The lessons learned, some said re-learned, about damage control had shaped the next thirty years of shipboard operations and readiness.

“Okay, let’s use the front conference room. No need for them to come in here.”

Usually I did small meetings in the office or the conference room separating Jeryl and my offices.

“That was the plan. They’re bringing eight people.” He looked at me strangely. “Is everything all right, Paul? You seem a bit distracted.”

I looked at him. “Yeah, I’m fine. Maybe I’ve just got too many things going on. Is there anything we need to do before they get here?”

“I’ve got it all covered. I’ve just got to make a fresh pot of coffee.”

“What’s wrong with the pot I made?” I asked.

Matthew smiled. “It’s the Navy. Those swabbies expect good coffee, boss, not the crap you make. How many times do I need to tell you to let me take care of that?”

I laughed. “Well, then you should get here before me.”

“I usually do. You were out of the house early today. Kelly and I were surprised when we found you here already.”

Matthew seemed to spend most nights in Kelly’s apartment.

“How are things going with you?” I asked.

“Great. It’s nice to have a little break from school over the summer.”

“How’s the MBA program going?”

“Slow, but that’s fine with me. If I took a higher course load, it would cut into work time.”

“Or Kelly time,” I added.

He grinned. “About that,” he said.

“Problems?”

“No, no problems. I just wanted to hear how you felt about it. We’re getting pretty serious; at least I think we are.”

“I’m happy for you both. It’s good.”

“It is, but I’ve got a few concerns.”

“Oh? Like what?”

“She seems obsessed with growing the business. She’s going to burn out. Do you know she takes less time off than you do?”

I nodded. Kelly had spent the past four years making contacts and finding investments. She had increased our portfolio of companies to close to sixty. Many of them were preparing for an initial public offering in the next year. She was busy.

“Do you want me to talk to her?” I asked.

“No. I’m just trying to understand what’s driving her. She says she just wants to do a good job and not let you down.”

I chuckled. “She won’t let me down regardless of what she does.” I went on to explain our first meeting and how she had treated me. Then I told him about getting Jeryl and I back together after our misunderstanding.

“I’m no psychologist, but Kelly has always had something to prove, either to her dad, to me, or to herself. She’s not in an easy role, you know?”

“What do you mean?”

“Show me any other woman under thirty who is managing the investments of a billion-dollar company. If a man were in her role, he could make a mistake and still be an attractive candidate for a bigger role. If she makes a mistake, she’ll be labeled a failure, and upheld as an example of why a woman can’t hold such a position.”

“I never thought about that,” he said.

“If we had a public balance sheet, I’m pretty sure Kelly would be on every headhunter’s radar, and rightfully so. Since we’re privately held, she doesn’t get much public recognition or acknowledgement. I’m sure that drives her harder.”

“So what can I do to help her and get her to take a little time for herself?”

I thought about that for a minute. I realized Jeryl must have had the same thoughts and concerns about me over the years. I had not made it any easier on her, I was certain of that.

Finally, I smiled at my P.A. “Matthew, I think what you need is a raise.”

“What?”

I waved away his objections before he could make them. “It’s a special raise, and it’s one you have to spend.”

He looked at me like I had grown two heads.

“I’m going to give you an extra hundred thousand dollars a year, Matthew. And I want you to spend it on Kelly and make her go with you on special, impromptu vacations. I want you to spend it making her come to realize that spending time with you is more valuable than spending time on the next deal. I want you to make her want to take a break with you.”

“Really?”

I nodded. “And if you two decided to go your separate ways, I’ll give you a bonus equal to what you’ve spent on her.”

He processed that for a minute before smiling slightly. “What if we don’t separate?”

“Then I’ll be giving you both a great wedding present and a bonus,” I said.

Jeryl was in her office after the meeting with the Navy. She was all smiles as I stuck my head in.

“Let’s go out for lunch,” she said before I could ask a question. She stood and grabbed her purse and motioned me toward the door.

Sanford drove us to our favorite Italian restaurant, the same one we had eaten at with Hunter and Lila in the fall. I was surprised when she asked the waiter for two glasses of wine.

“Wine at lunch?”

“I didn’t want to toast with water,” she said. Her grin was infectious. “I thought about waiting until tonight to talk to you, but I just can’t keep it to myself.”

The waiter delivered the wine. Jeryl immediately held her glass up for a toast. “Here’s to my loving husband, who will be known as ‘daddy’ next February.” She clinked my glass and took a sip.

I sipped my wine, set the glass down, and then went around the table to give her a hug and kiss.

“I love you, darling.”

She beamed at me. “I love you, too.”

“General, I can’t increase production enough to meet their needs. Besides, we need to come up with a different application process. The Navy doesn’t need a fully stealth ship; they need the armor properties we can give them just as much.” I knew it was not practical to apply an electric charge to an entire ship to get the alignment needed on the carbon nanotubes to make it a stealth coating.

“Well, what do you propose?” the general asked. “Ever since the Stark, the Navy has been saying we’re holding out on them with our technology.”

“You have been, but it wouldn’t have mattered for the Stark. As far as proposing something, I’ve got nothing for them. I’ve got a new compound both the Army and Navy might be interested in, but I’m still trying to increase production on it to useful yields.”

“What about this work you’re doing with computers?”

I laughed.

“General, if I had realized what a mess dealing with the government would be in dealing with my stealth coating, I would have buried the discovery. I’m not about to become an independent military research and development shop.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll keep producing the coating and selling it to you guys, but I don’t feel any need to build new relationships directly with the DOD. I’ll license my ideas to commercial firms that can then deal with you guys.”

He looked stunned. “You’re walking away from a lot of money if you do that.”

“But gaining a lot of peace of mind. I don’t need to be a bigger target in the mind of the KGB or anyone else.”

He could tell I was not going to budge on my position.

“Very well. I guess I can understand your position even if I don’t like it.”

We shook hands and ended our meeting. I went back into my office and sat down at my desk. Kelly came in.

“Hey, Paul. Do you have a few minutes?”

I smiled at her. “For you, always. What’s up?”

“I’ve got a question about your shopping list.”

I laughed. I had spent quite a bit of effort in detailing out the technologies I wanted us to pursue. It had not been easy. Instead of saying I wanted to invest in flat panel LCD displays, I had to couch it in terms of describing a screen for a laptop. LCD’s had not been commercialized, yet. She had taken to calling it my shopping list.

“Specifically?” I asked.

“Expansion,” she said as she sat down across from me.

“Expansion?”

“This list is not manageable by our current staff and processes. Do you realize how much effort it takes to follow up on leads and suggestions? If this were a real shopping list, it might be possible, but it is a list of descriptions of capabilities. Candace is looking for research leads in these areas, but she is only one woman. I have to keep my ear to the ground for start-ups that might, not are, but might, be doing something in one of these areas. Add in the companies that are planning to have an IPO soon, and it’s an unmanageable workload.”

“Okay. How much do we need to expand, and what does Jeryl say?”

“She just told me to talk to you. She seems a little distracted lately.”

“She’s working on a special project, that’s all.” We had decided to keep her pregnancy private until Labor Day.

Kelly arched an eyebrow at me, imitating Alison.

I smiled. “So, how much do we need to grow?”

“I want to take over the floor below us. Johnson and Godell’s lease is up and they need more room as well. They’re going to move out in August. We need some competent account managers for the existing portfolio and a research team to investigate possible investments. If we add that many people, we need someone to manage HR. I think we should bring accounting in-house as well.”

I nodded. “That all makes sense. What do you need from me?”

She held up her hand. “There is more. We’ve expanded Candace’s research efforts as much as we can. She’s already hired three part-time helpers and has taken over Dad’s office in Bloomington, but is still falling behind trying to fulfill your requests.”

“So it’s all my fault?” I asked with a smile.

“I told you a long time ago that you run us ragged. You spin off ideas and directions faster than we can keep up. We did alright while you were distracted with school, but just the past couple of months have told us we need to change.”

“And what’s that change look like?”

“Offices in New York, Chicago, and Atlanta. Candace will staff them and make sure the managers at each understand their charter, but we need closer relationships with research and manufacturing.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

I nodded. “I was actually going to bring it up at the next board meeting. I agree with everything you’ve said, and I don’t plan on slowing down. One thing I would change, though,” I added.

“What?”

“Go ahead and take over this entire building, not just the top two floors.”

“But we shouldn’t need that space for offices for a little while.”

“I know, but I want to start actively encouraging entrepreneurs. A part of that needs to be having readily available office space where they can focus on their ideas instead of worrying about lights and computers and whatnot.”

“You’ll just give the space and utilities away?”

“No. We’ll make it part of our funding offer. We buy in at some valuation or investment and they get office space where we can keep an eye on the work and give encouragement or guidance when needed.”

Kelly nodded. “I know a few people that would jump at that arrangement, especially if it includes access to you.”

I sighed. “Every other Friday, I’ll keep time open to walk around and visit with them. Nothing formal, though, I don’t want another set of meetings on my calendar.”

Kelly smiled and stood. “I couldn’t ask for more. I’ll make sure Matthew keeps your calendar free once we start moving teams in. Thanks, Paul.”

I watched her leave and then got back to work. I had my own special project underway.

“Paul, these ribs are wonderful,” Janet said as she stood by the grill waiting for some more barbecued ribs.

“Thanks, but you’ll have to give your compliments to Mrs. Eccles. I’m just the cook down here. She did the rub and sauce.”

Jeryl and I had flown as much of the family as possible out to the Utah house for Labor Day. Jeryl wanted to share our news with them all at once.

We were using the large patio for the first time since the summer between our freshman and sophomore years. Since then, we had never needed such a large outside seating area and usually stayed on the smaller tables and chairs on the balcony during the summer months. Now we needed that larger space between the grill and the hot tub.

“Well, they are certainly tasty,” Janet said as I began loading more ribs on the platter she was holding for me.

“I’m glad you like them. How are Jordan and Jyl doing?” I asked.

“Good. Jyl started her clinical rotations. Jordan is looking at buying out the pharmacy in Minonk and moving closer to home.”

“I’m sorry they couldn’t get away for the weekend.”

“When she hears how nice it is out here, without the humidity we have back home, she’ll be sorry she missed out. I think she just wanted to spend a little free time with her new boyfriend.”

I shut off the gas grill and followed Janet back to the table. We seemed to arrive at a lull in the conversation. Jeryl stood up to take the platter from her mother and began circling the table, offering seconds to everyone.

Janet resumed her seat between Jerry and her mother.

“My, Jeryl,” Cynthia Morgan said, “you have certainly become more domestic since the wedding.”

Jeryl blushed and set the platter near the center of the table. “Not just when it comes to serving dinner, grandmother.” She looked at me. I went to stand by her. All eyes were on us.

“Paul and I wanted to share a little news with all of you at the same time. I’m pregnant.”

All the women beamed and stood and began crowding around us.

“When are you due?” Janet and Cynthia asked at the same time.

“February 22nd.”

“When did you find out?” Kelly asked.

“A couple of months ago.”

My stepsister turned and smacked my arm. “Special project, my ass,” she said to me.

I grinned.

Kelly gave me a kiss on the cheek and then hugged Jeryl. “I’m so happy for you guys.”

Soon, a small sense of normalcy returned and we sat back down in the warm afternoon sun. Jeryl was still smiling continuously.

“So, Jeryl how long are you going to keep working?” Cynthia Morgan asked.

“Paul and I haven’t decided yet, but I’ll most likely resign before the New Year.”

“Resign?” Kelly asked. “Who’s going to be COO?”

It was my turn to smile. “You’re our first choice,” I said. “Lord knows you’re better than anyone else I can think of.”

“But, but, but what about all the other stuff?”

“Del-e-gate!” I said with a laugh.

Jim joined me and we both got a smack on our shoulders from our wives.

“Are you excited?” Jeryl asked as I unplugged the small box from its keyboard and monitor and put them in a new briefcase with eggshell foam cutouts.

“Of course I am,” I replied after pausing for a quick kiss.

“More excited than last weekend when we let the cat out of the bag?”

“No, but close. This could turn into a big deal.”

“I know you’ll do great,” she said before kissing me again. “Don’t let him intimidate you.”

I smiled. “I won’t.”

“Sanford is waiting downstairs for you. I’ll see you at home,” she said.

I watched her head for her office and then went for the door, carrying my briefcase. Sanford was waiting and we were soon underway. I focused on my pitch as Sanford negotiated the afternoon traffic between our offices and Redwood City. Twenty-five minutes later, we arrived. We were ten minutes early.

“Welcome to Next Computer, can I help you?” the receptionist asked in the lobby. The building was immaculate and stylish. The large floating glass staircase dominated the space.

“Yes. I’ve got an appointment with Steve,” I said.

She looked at me. I had chosen not to wear a suit. Jeans and a black polo were much more appropriate for this call.

“And you are?”

“Paul Taylor,” I said.

Her eyes widened slightly. She at least recognized the name. She typed on the keyboard before her and looked at the small screen on her Macintosh computer.

“Yes, you’re on his calendar. I’ll take you up.”

She scooted back, stood, and came around the desk to lead me up the stairs. I followed. We got a few looks but I was soon escorted into a small conference room. The receptionist left me after promising me to let Steve know I was here.

Twenty minutes later, Steve Jobs breezed into the room.

“Paul Taylor, I hear you want my help.” No hello, no handshake, no simple acknowledgement of any potential shared experience in the business world.

I had braced myself for this meeting. I had memories of what Steve Jobs was supposed to be like, but it did not really prepare me for the reality. Now, watching him drop into a chair across from me and stare me in the eye, the full force of his personality hit me.

I forced a smile. “You heard wrong. I’m here to help you.”

He had a tight smile, like a poker player who knew he had the winning hand.

“How’s that?” he asked.

I opened the briefcase and pulled out the flat black box I had packed so carefully less than an hour before. I slid the box across the table toward him. I pushed harder than I planned.

He stopped it from sliding into his lap and looked at the side with the obvious connection ports along it.

“What is it?” He picked it up with both hands trying to judge its weight. I watched him squeeze it, feeling its strength and then give it a little shake and listen for any rattles.

“It’s the computer you should be building here.”

He set the box back down.

“So, Paul Taylor, boy wonder is going to tell me how to build computers?” There was a hint of sneer to his voice now.

I smiled. “If we can get a mouse, monitor and keyboard, and a bigger conference room, I’d be happy to show you and explain why.”

“A bigger conference room?”

I nodded. “This one doesn’t seem big enough to hold both our egos.”

He rocked back in his chair, shocked, and then smiled. “Okay, let’s see what you’ve got,” he said finally. He rose and opened a cabinet to pull out a keyboard, mouse, and monitor.

I quickly moved to plug them in, turned the monitor on, and then turned on the computer. The display came to life much faster than a Mac or PC, and I suspected faster than the NeXT computer he was still building.

“No power cord?” He asked in surprise.

“Lithium-ion battery in the case. I can get about six hours out of a charge. It would be less if I had to power the monitor, but I’m working on that.”

He nodded and grabbed the mouse. It tracked smoothly across the screen. “What’s so special about it besides the battery?” he finally asked.

“It’s got two megabytes of persistent RAM. It’s got a 32-bit bus architecture. It can drive a multi-megapixel display, once I build them. It contains seven microprocessors, with dedicated chips for networking, displays, and IO. Once I scale microprocessor production, I’ll be able to assemble these for under two thousand dollars apiece.”

I knew my specifications were greater than the hypothetical NeXT machine that they had yet to produce. I also knew I did not have the hook set that I needed to land him, yet.

“Right now, it’s booting into Unix and then loading X-11 for the GUI. That is as far as I can take it myself. That’s why I’m here.”

The hook was in the water. He typed in a window and squinted at the display.

“You want NeXT to write software for it?”

“I want NeXT to use this hardware platform and build its software on top of it, and I’m willing to make it very attractive for you to do so.”

He tipped his head at me, pursed his lips, and tapped his fingers to his lips. “How attractive?”

He was teasing with the hook. I just needed to set it.

It was my turn to smile. “Very attractive. I’m willing to give you the specs and chips at cost, if you agree to a couple of very generous terms. I’m also willing to invest up to $100 Million in NeXT for a stake in the company.”

His mouth was around the hook, but still not fully set.

“What terms?”

“You agree to implement the FLO language interface inside your software, and you agree to not port NeXTSTEP to the Intel 386 instruction set, and I get first right of refusal for any additional external funding needs.”

“Do I get anything else out of it? It seems like you want control.”

I shook my head. “No, exactly the opposite. I want you to do what you do so well. I want you to take this hardware and integrate it so strongly with your software that we change how the world thinks about computers, just like you did with the Macintosh. Aside from providing material and money, I’ll leave you alone.”

He looked at me for a full minute.

“Let me get Avie and a few others in here to take a look,” he began.

I shook my head. “I want to make a deal with you, the creative genius who sees the world differently. After I leave, you can do what you want, show whomever you need to, but this deal is between us; two men who want to change the world.”

I stood up and pulled the power cord out of the briefcase. I tossed him the cord.

“I’ll give you a week to kick the tires. I’ll send over ten more boxes tomorrow. That’s all I have assembled right now. A week from today, we’ll either sign a deal on those terms, or I’ll pick the machines up and go pitch someone else.”

“Who?”

I smiled again. “Let’s hope you don’t have to find out.”

I walked out of the conference room without looking back. It was time for my biggest gambles to begin.

“Kelly, has Candace started staffing for Chicago yet?” I asked as I walked past her office.

“No. She’s found someone in New York and started looking for office space in Atlanta, but I think she figured she was close enough to Chicago for now.”

“Good. I think we should open an office in Cambridge instead.”

“Cambridge?”

“Harvard and MIT. I also want us to figure out how to get some funding into the Media Lab at MIT.”

“What about Chicago?”

“Not as important. I’d be more inclined to open a bigger office downstate. U of I in Champaign is doing more core research that’s of interest to me.”

“What about Fermilab in Chicago? I thought that was why you wanted relationships up there.”

“They’re doing too much government work. I’d rather avoid that given our history.”

Kelly shrugged and jotted a quick note to herself. “Okay. I’ve got a call with her this evening. I’ll let her know. Anything else?”

“Yeah, when is your next vacation?”

“We just had a long weekend at the beginning of the month.”

“But you haven’t had a full week off since spring break, right?”

She nodded.

“You’re taking the second two weeks of October off. I’m giving Matthew the same instructions. That gives you two weeks to make plans.”

“Paul!”

“Don’t ‘Paul’ me. Jeryl’s last day as COO will be December 15th. You and I are going to be busy from Thanksgiving until the baby is born. After that, you’ll be more than twice as busy. I want you to have a break before then.”

“A break? I don’t need a break.”

“Yes, you do. Let Matthew take you someplace fun. If he doesn’t have a plan by day after tomorrow, I’ll lay on a G-400 and tell the pilots where to take you.”

“Okay,” she finally acceded. “Where is Thanksgiving going to be this year?”

“I’m thinking Maine, again, but Jeryl mentioned Hawaii one more time before she has to stop flying.”

“Well, if I get a vote, I’ll say Maine,” Kelly said. “I like the more seasonal weather for Thanksgiving.”

“I’ll let her know. If there is anything you need me to do during your vacation, let me know.”

She gave me a smile and a wave of dismissal. I headed on to my office.

“Paul, for those kinds of yields, we need to partner with someone. We’re also going to have to expand production of graphene to keep up with demand.”

I scowled and scrubbed my hands over my face. Jeryl and I had spent the afternoon in our joint conference room trying to sort through production capabilities to ramp microprocessor production for NeXT.

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