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Nolan Bushnell

27 statements across 2 episodes · 6 bullish · 3 bearish · 1 people on the record · first statement Feb 27, 2017 by Nolan Bushnell · said 1 times in 1 episodes since 2022 · across every show →

On the record as a speaker too: Nolan Bushnell's record, appearances and statements → this page counts the times other people say the name.

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Everything said about Nolan Bushnell, oldest first

Feb 27, 2017
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Atari financed early production by securing 60-day terms from parts suppliers
“How we financed the company was we would sell for cash the machines. We had 30 day terms. Most of our parts we had 60 day terms. So we'd get the cash literally 60 days before we had to pay for the parts for that.”
Nolan Bushnell Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 15:20 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell
Feb 27, 2017
Insight
Entertainment retail businesses risk overbuilding due to early novelty-driven demand spikes
“Entertainment is very fragile. It's driven on novelty. And so when we would first open A unit. People would come from all around because it was novel. So there was sort of a half-life of a shine in which you say, gee, you know, this is St. Louis. Looks to me l…”
Nolan Bushnell Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 39:45 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell
Feb 27, 2017 neutral
Disclosure
Steve Jobs offered Bushnell a third of Apple for $50,000
“And so he got the apple going and he came to me and says, I want to start this company and I'm going to be leaving. Do you want to be my first investor? And I'll give you a third of the company for 50,000 dollars.”
Nolan Bushnell Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 29:11 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell
Feb 27, 2017
Disclosure
Bushnell made $100,000 from a 5% royalty on Computer Space
“I licensed the game to a company called Nutty Associates, and realized that it did really well in college campuses, so, I mean, it sold a couple of million dollars in, in units, which was, to me, a big hit, but to the industry was kind of a mediocre flop, but …”
Nolan Bushnell Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 8:40 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell
Feb 27, 2017
Assertion Partly supported
Atari sold $1,500 arcade machines that earned $30,000 to $50,000 lifetime
“Before I sold to Warner, we were selling games. These were coin-operated games, remember? We were selling them for about 1500 dollars. During their lifetime, in CoinDrop, they'd earned 30 to 50,000 dollars.”
Nolan Bushnell Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 34:04 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell
Feb 27, 2017 negative
Assertion Supported
Warner Communications fired Bushnell after ugly culture clashes at Atari
“There was this clash of cultures that got to be really ugly, and ultimately they got tired of me, and I got tired of them, and I was fired.”
Nolan Bushnell Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 32:37 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell
Feb 27, 2017 neutral
Assertion Supported
Bushnell: Warner Communications acquired Atari for $28 million in 1976
“Twenty-eight million bucks.”
Nolan Bushnell Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 31:10 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell
Feb 27, 2017 positive
Opinion
Bushnell claims Atari paved the way for young tech CEOs
“I was the youngest CEO, and people didn't know what to think about a CEO in their twenties. I mean, that was just off the radar. And I actually feel like I paved the way for Gates and Jobs and some of the idea that you can be young and still a serious business…”
Nolan Bushnell Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 26:18 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell
Feb 27, 2017
Disclosure
Bushnell: I Pick an Annual Challenge by Rolling Dice
“I force myself to do something totally outside my comfort zone every year. And I write down 11 things that I think I can accomplish in a year that are outside my comfort zone. And then I Mix them up, put a number on them, throw a pair of dice, and I have to, i…”
Nolan Bushnell Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 42:37 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell
Feb 27, 2017 negative
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Bushnell: Early Investors Passed on Atari Calling Video Games 'Flaky'
“I tried to get, you know, investors, but everybody thought that video games were kind of flaky.”
Nolan Bushnell Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 16:41 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell
Feb 27, 2017
Disclosure
Bushnell: Atari was founded on just $500 of initial capital
“Ted put in 250 dollars, I put in 250 dollars, and that's all the money that went into Atari.”
Nolan Bushnell Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 9:21 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell
Feb 27, 2017
Disclosure
Bushnell bought Chuck E. Cheese back for $500,000 paid over five years
“The one open store was cash flowing half a million dollars a year. And they let me pay it a 100,000 a year for five years.”
Nolan Bushnell Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 38:03 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell
Feb 27, 2017
Disclosure
Bushnell promised Sears 75,000 units despite 25,000 capacity
“And so, not wanting to be soul sourced, I said, we can do about 75,000.”
Nolan Bushnell Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 20:52 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell
Feb 27, 2017 neutral
Assertion Supported
Bushnell: 25-cent plays could not justify a $500,000 arcade computer
“If I could put this game in my arcade, it would make money. But then you divided 25 cents a play into a half a million dollar computer, and the math didn't work.”
Nolan Bushnell Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 5:22 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell
Mar 26, 2018 neutral
Disclosure
Steve Jobs offered Bushnell a third of Apple for $50,000
“And so he got the apple going and he came to me and says, I want to start this company and I'm going to be leaving. Do you want to be my first investor? And I'll give you a third of the company for 50,000 dollars.”
Nolan Bushnell Mar 26, 2018 ▶ 29:33 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell (2017)
Mar 26, 2018
Disclosure
Bushnell and Dabney founded Atari with just $500 in total initial capital
“Ted put in 250 dollars, I put in 250 dollars, and that's all the money that went into Atari.”
Nolan Bushnell Mar 26, 2018 ▶ 9:51 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell (2017)
Mar 26, 2018
Disclosure
Bushnell earned $100,000 in royalties on millions in Computer Space sales
“I licensed the game to a company called Nutting Associates, and realized that it did really well in college campuses. So, I mean, it sold a couple of million dollars in, in units, which was, to me, a big hit. But to the industry was kind of a mediocre flop. Bu…”
Nolan Bushnell Mar 26, 2018 ▶ 9:04 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell (2017)
Mar 26, 2018 negative
Insight
Bushnell: People who rely on who they are rather than what they do become banal
“Being entitled is probably the ugliest thing that a person can be. Because all of a sudden, it's not what you do, it's who you are. And people who rely on who they are, as opposed to what they do, become very banal.”
Nolan Bushnell Mar 26, 2018 ▶ 42:20 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell (2017)
Mar 26, 2018
Disclosure
Bushnell: Atari eliminated dress codes and time clocks to evaluate solely by outcomes
“And then we didn't have a dress code, and we didn't have time clocks. We had this attitude that everybody knew what they needed to do, and they were adults, and they could wear what they want, and they could come and go when they want, and we weren't big broth…”
Nolan Bushnell Mar 26, 2018 ▶ 27:31 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell (2017)
Mar 26, 2018
Disclosure
Bushnell picks an annual discomfort goal by rolling dice
“I force myself to do something totally outside my comfort zone every year. And I write down 11 things that I think I can accomplish in a year that are outside my comfort zone. And then I mix them up, put a number on them, throw a pair of dice, and I have to in…”
Nolan Bushnell Mar 26, 2018 ▶ 42:59 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell (2017)
Mar 26, 2018 positive
Opinion
Bushnell believes Atari paved the way for young founders like Jobs
“And I actually feel like I paved the way for Gates and Jobs and some of the idea that you can be young and still a serious businessman.”
Nolan Bushnell Mar 26, 2018 ▶ 26:49 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell (2017)
Mar 26, 2018
Assertion Partly supported
Atari arcades sold for $1,500 but earned up to $50,000 in lifetime revenue
“Before I sold Warner, we were selling games. These were coin-operated games, remember. We were selling them for about 1500 dollars. During their lifetime, in CoinDrop, they'd earned 30 to 50,000 dollars.”
Nolan Bushnell Mar 26, 2018 ▶ 34:26 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell (2017)
Mar 26, 2018 positive
Insight
Bushnell: Treating business like chess eliminates angst over failure
“I kind of view business a little bit like a game Chess. You play the game, you play hard, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. And then you set up the pieces, and you do it again. And you don't have angst that the fact, oh my god, I lost that game of chess, …”
Nolan Bushnell Mar 26, 2018 ▶ 33:32 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell (2017)
Mar 26, 2018 positive
Opinion
Bushnell: Young Steve Jobs was opinionated but never wrong
“He was opinionated, but he was never wrong in his opinions. You didn't have to worry if you empowered Steve to do something. It happened. I mean, Steve had one speed. It was full on.”
Nolan Bushnell Mar 26, 2018 ▶ 29:18 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell (2017)
Mar 26, 2018 positive
Assertion Supported
Steve Jobs worked as a quality control technician at Atari
“Steve Jobs worked for me, and He was a technician in quality control, and he was really good at it.”
Nolan Bushnell Mar 26, 2018 ▶ 28:51 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell (2017)
Mar 26, 2018 positive
Assertion Partly supported
Bushnell bought Chuck E. Cheese from Warner for $500,000 over five years
“And that was all the technology and the one open store. The one open store was cash flowing half a million dollars a year. And they let me pay it a 100,000 a year for five years.”
Nolan Bushnell Mar 26, 2018 ▶ 38:21 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell (2017)
Mar 26, 2018
Disclosure
Bushnell bluffed to Sears that Atari could build 75,000 Home Pong units
“And I had my manufacturing guy there, and I, and he says, we could probably do 25,000. And so, not wanting to be soul sourced, I said, we can do about 75,000.”
Nolan Bushnell Mar 26, 2018 ▶ 21:04 Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell (2017)
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