The Disappearance of General Magic | Partners, Publicity, and Pressure | 2

Business Movers

Wondery

History, Business, Entrepreneurship

4.8 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 13 July 2023

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Tony Fadell races against time to develop a Pocket Crystal prototype as Marc Porat recruits partners to invest in General Magic. But a betrayal by the company’s oldest ally forces Marc to break his silence and reveal his vision to the world.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, prime members, you can listen to business movers, add free on Amazon Music, download the app today.
0:23.0	It's late fall 1991, outside the general magic offices in Mountain View, California.
0:30.0	Junior Engineer Tony Fidel loads a handful of slimy green putty called GAC into a homemade slingshot.
0:37.0	He pulls it back and unleashes his slimy missile.
0:41.0	The GAC splats against the wall of the office building to the delight of Tony's co-workers.
0:46.0	Tony has been a general magic employee for a few weeks now, and he's quickly become comfortable with the company's playful working environment.
0:53.0	Growing up, Tony attended 12 different schools in just 15 years.
0:58.0	During that time, he was bullied for his interest in computers, but at General Magic, he's found his people.
1:04.0	Even Andy Hertzfeld, former Apple software wizard and General Magic co-founder, joins in the fun.
1:10.0	Tony, I have a dare for you.
1:12.0	Uh-oh. Well, I say dare, but I'm your boss, right? So it's more of an order.
1:17.0	Okay, what is it? You see that window up there?
1:20.0	Andy points to a large window, six stories up.
1:24.0	Yeah, the marketing team is having a meeting in that room right now.
1:29.0	They've been in there a solid hour and half of them are probably asleep.
1:32.0	Why don't you see if you could wake them up?
1:35.0	You want me, the new guy, to interrupt a meeting by slingshot and GAC at the window?
1:41.0	Oh, absolutely. And if I get in trouble, you'll vouch for me.
1:44.0	Oh, absolutely not. This sounds like a terrible idea, but you are the boss.
1:50.0	Tony loads up the slingshot and pulls it back as far as he can.
1:54.0	Then he lets go.
1:56.0	Tony's stomach drops as he stares at a shattered window.
	...

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