He explained that Cadabra, taken from the magic word abracadabra, gave a mysterious feel and suited well with books, a treasure trove of infinite knowledge.
“Company names should be simple and easy to remember. Cadabra sounds like people will tease it as cadav(corpse)? It has too negative a connotation.”
“You’re still young and haven’t been in America long, so you don’t know linguistic puns. How cool is Cadabra as a word.”
Jefferson, who had already made up his mind, wasn’t shaken at all by Jaesung’s negative feedback.
But after meeting a lawyer for trademark filing, Jefferson decided on the company name Amazon.com.
“The name changed?”
“That stupid lawyer also called it Cadabra. So I thought this wouldn’t work.”
“Amazon is much better. With .com, it gives an online business feel, and it’ll come first in the phone book too.”
“Yeah. I made a word starting with A to come first in the phone directory.”
Having decided the name, he wrote Amazon.com in blue spray paint on a large board.
He hadn’t properly made the homepage yet, but the startup progressed step by step, and Jaesung successfully squeezed in by quickly building programming skills.
“James. Seeing you learn computers these past days, you pick up really fast. So, want to try part-time work?”
“You’re letting me program?”
“Yeah. I’ll mainly do the important work, but there’s a lot of coding to do, so you can gain experience too. It’s not easy for a middle schooler to have this opportunity.”
“It’s good, but I need to ask my parents, and I’m making a program now, so I’ll think about it.”
Starting as part-time would likely end with pocket money level rather than getting shares.
The goal was to get Amazon.com shares, so investing startup capital and working as a co-founder was best.
It would be hard right now, but since he was offered participation as part-time, he had entered at least. Making the homepage was important, but to create a successful online bookstore, building offline logistics first was key.
So Jefferson moved to Seattle where Ingram, America’s largest book supplier, was, and focused on contracts and setup for inventory management and delivery.
Thus, there was still time to participate as a founding member of Amazon.
“What program are you making?”
“I’m making a program to improve Windows 3.1.”
Currently, the personal computer market was dominated by Microsoft’s Windows 3.1 running on IBM computers and Apple’s Macintosh.
Macintosh was convenient but expensive, losing most market to cheaper but inconvenient IBM due to price competitiveness.
Windows was still DOS-based, running on top, so you had to boot DOS first then run Windows program separately.
Having to use command-line DOS made it high barrier for general public.
“Mom and sister find Windows 3.1 inconvenient, so I added some features to make it easier.”
Windows 3.1 didn’t have maximize, minimize, close, start button, desktop, taskbar yet.
These features would come in Windows 95 released next year, opening the true personal computer era, but Jaesung used Mom and sister as excuse to make improved Windows first.
“Wow! You made amazing features. This alone hugely increases work efficiency.”
Surprised seeing the upgraded Windows features, Jefferson asked if Jaesung really made the new functions.
“I made it with Visual Basic. I put my name in the info, and engraved watermark too, leaving proof I made it.”
If he was a naive middle schooler, he might have left no trace and had intellectual property stolen.
But Jaesung, clear on patent concepts, left traces everywhere he made it, and coded messily so it wouldn’t run if traces removed.
“Impressive. Can I show this to my friends? Maybe even Microsoft headquarters will show interest.”
“Do that. I’m sharing it with teachers and friends at school too.”
Naturally, Jaesung’s school had children of Microsoft employees headquartered in Seattle, and many teachers interested in computers.
He distributed his made Windows to them, and already Jaesung’s name was spreading in Microsoft headquarters.
Princeton computer science graduate Jefferson Bezos had many acquaintances working at Microsoft and other IT companies, and showed them Jaesung’s improved Windows.
“Amazing. A middle schooler really made this?”
“He said he made it easy for mom and younger sister to use.”
“Unbelievable.”
“I taught him programming myself, and he mastered C++ in a month.”
Jefferson added that he could make such program for beautiful mom and cute sister, but handed Jaesung’s Windows to Microsoft developers.
When a middle schooler alone made features secretly developing inside, the company eventually visited Jaesung.
“James. This friend is Eddie from Microsoft doing Windows development.”
“You’re James. Nice to meet you.”
“Hello.”
A person looking like a developer with angular horn-rimmed glasses and check shirt visited Jefferson’s house to meet Jaesung.
After simple greetings, he wanted to see proof Jaesung made new features.
“I’ll show in our garage. Originally made in room, but Jefferson making company in garage looked cool, so I moved computer to garage too.”
Jefferson felt good hearing middle schooler followed him making workspace in garage.
Jaesung’s garage had the previously bought 486 computer and workstation additionally bought for good grades at school.
“Professional model for middle schooler. Do your parents work in computers?”
“Dad is medical school professor at University of Washington, Mom sometimes works in Korea but now full-time housewife.”
Hearing Dad is medical professor, Eddie’s plan to take the program slightly derailed.
“He said Dad’s school uses the program I made well too. Started in hospital, now all departments use it.”
Jaesung had widely spread features going into Windows 95 next year.
If only distributed in middle school, could somehow silence, but university use meant spread through college students to Seattle, California, broadly America.
Confirming too late to stop, Eddie pulled Microsoft’s best card.
“We’re making features you made too. Coincidentally overlapping parts, and since you showed first, want to buy license to avoid later issues—what do you think?”
With Windows 3.0 and 3.1 selling big, Microsoft started accumulating huge capital, and with 95 hitting big, William Gates becomes world richest No. 1 next year. Capital-sufficient Microsoft tried solving issues with money quietly, which was what Jaesung wanted.
“I’m okay, but since I’m middle schooler, I’ll ask parents and decide.”
Worried how to explain to parents, luckily Jefferson persuaded well.
“Big company Microsoft proposing first is huge. Different scale from normal program companies.”
“Is the feature James made that amazing? Convenient, but surprising Microsoft interested.”
“Not very hard to make, but hard to think of such ideas. Issue is Microsoft putting this in next Windows, but problem arose because James spread first.”
Jefferson often visited becoming close, Mom gave side dishes, Dad fed Korean barbecue pork belly.
Actually Jaesung was most expert here, but hard to proceed contract as 7th grader.
Dad’s specialty medicine, didn’t know how to license, luckily Jefferson led helping.
“Then, how much to sell license?”
“Well, depends how important Microsoft thinks this feature, I see minimum $500,000 to up to $2 million.”
Jefferson excited that kid he taught programming licensing with Microsoft, followed to headquarters participating in contract.
“Then, $2 million for all rights to the feature code made by James Yoo to Microsoft.”
Parents signed contract instead of young Jaesung.
Jaesung made considerable $2 million funds in months after getting younger, economically comfortable parents didn’t touch Jaesung’s money.
“You’re James. Heard a lot. If you make good features again, tell us first.”
Near contract end, Microsoft CEO William Gates personally visited.
Amazon.com CEO Jefferson Bezos saw daily like neighbor uncle, but meeting current IT emperor William Gates felt strange.
“I’ll do if you take commemorative photo and sign.”
“Haha. Young genius requests, feels like I became famous.”
Jaesung took photo stamping face with William Gates becoming world richest No. 1 next year, felt he’d see him more living in Seattle.
In car returning home after contract at Microsoft headquarters, Jefferson asked what to do with contract money.
“First want to buy more new workstations for garage.”
“Haha. This will make better than my garage? Might end up working at your house.”
“And want to invest in Uncle Jefferson’s company. I think uncle’s idea good.”
When Jaesung said in car want to invest in Amazon.com, Jefferson made touched face, parents in car together smiled warmly.
Parents grasped what kind of person Jefferson was, grateful for big help in this contract.
Since Jaesung’s earned money, thought no interfere how spend, but gladly allowed when said invest in Jefferson starting company next door.
Specific details to discuss when contract money comes, returned home.
“Oppa, pizza too salty.”
“American food originally salty and sweet.”
Weekend, followed parents shopping at large mart food court in Seattle Kirkland, ate hotdog and pizza.
“Haha. Even cheap price, our store makes food with good ingredients.”