Evans’ vanity,” Luke said. “Tesla was viewed as a mad scientist. Evans doesn’t see himself that way. He’s an inventor, who delivered the world a gift. Tesla comparisons would tarnish that.”
The design similarities were obvious. The devices themselves were both a bit mysterious, Tesla’s having never been completed and Evans’ locked down as proprietary technology.
“ MassEnergy has taken up the mantle of Nikola Tesla to gain its funding and build a system that could compete with StuTech,” Kathryn said. “This room represents what this company is all about. Delivering energy to the people where they need it.”
“The notable exception to that vision of course is that no one is giving it away for free.”
“That’s simply the nature of our business. Or any business. Nothing in this world is truly free, but at the moment there is no competition in the market and StuTech can charge whatever it wishes. We might not be able to deliver wireless energy for free, but we can provide an alternative to StuTech’s monopoly.”
“So you think it’s possible to break the monopoly?” Luke asked.
“You tell me,” Kathryn said. “You know more about them than anyone here.”
“It won’t be easy. They’re geared up for a fight. StuTech isn’t giving up any ground.”
“I’m not interested in taking them head on. We’re not ready, but there is room for us too.”
“Filling in the gaps their system misses?” Luke asked. “Putting cities back on the grid?”
“Exactly, but we’re not close to delivering any product at the moment so it really doesn’t matter, which is why we started the Engineering Candidate Class,” Kathryn said.
“How long can the company stay afloat if a wireless device doesn’t go to market?” Luke asked.
“I’m not privy to our finances in detail, but let’s just say that it’s pretty damn important,” Kathryn said.
“Understandable. So, what’s your role in this thing as our contact point in the orange pod?”
“I will monitor your progress and determine who we don’t need anymore. If one of you presents an idea that we can use, then you’ll be brought further into the fold and work with some of our guys. If you have something notable to report, you’ll do it through me. The evaluation tests will give us a good idea what you’re capable of. Those should take just a few weeks, then the real work begins.”
***
They continued to walk through the campus, which was buzzing with people in every building. She showed him the cafeteria, which provided breakfast, lunch and dinner – and anything in between – at no charge to employees. Workers were encouraged to work whatever hours they wanted, provided they produced. Having a well-stocked cafeteria was a nice feature that kept employees focused on work, not if they remembered to pack a bologna sandwich for lunch.
The place was packed. Each round table had 10 chairs attached to it. There were probably 20 tables spread across the room. Luke had a flashback from high school and thought of the segregation at his small school’s lunchroom. Jocks, nerds and popular kids never mixed. That didn’t seem to be the rule today. The only obvious differentiation was in attire. Executives were in suits and everyone else was very casual or in lab coats. Luke blended in with his sport coat and jeans.
James Beckman, VP of Development, who had conducted Luke’s final interview days earlier, sat alone at one of the tables.
“Kathryn,” he said, stuffing his mouth with a fork full of salad. “It’s going to take you quite a while if you plan to give your whole team a personal tour of the place.”
Beckman was Kathryn’s boss. It was his idea to bring her in as a hired gun, but her presence infringed on his territory and she hadn’t proven herself to him. In his opinion, the company was always on the verge of something great. Kathryn’s mercenaries were a cute idea, but impractical. They had everyone they needed to get
The design similarities were obvious. The devices themselves were both a bit mysterious, Tesla’s having never been completed and Evans’ locked down as proprietary technology.
“ MassEnergy has taken up the mantle of Nikola Tesla to gain its funding and build a system that could compete with StuTech,” Kathryn said. “This room represents what this company is all about. Delivering energy to the people where they need it.”
“The notable exception to that vision of course is that no one is giving it away for free.”
“That’s simply the nature of our business. Or any business. Nothing in this world is truly free, but at the moment there is no competition in the market and StuTech can charge whatever it wishes. We might not be able to deliver wireless energy for free, but we can provide an alternative to StuTech’s monopoly.”
“So you think it’s possible to break the monopoly?” Luke asked.
“You tell me,” Kathryn said. “You know more about them than anyone here.”
“It won’t be easy. They’re geared up for a fight. StuTech isn’t giving up any ground.”
“I’m not interested in taking them head on. We’re not ready, but there is room for us too.”
“Filling in the gaps their system misses?” Luke asked. “Putting cities back on the grid?”
“Exactly, but we’re not close to delivering any product at the moment so it really doesn’t matter, which is why we started the Engineering Candidate Class,” Kathryn said.
“How long can the company stay afloat if a wireless device doesn’t go to market?” Luke asked.
“I’m not privy to our finances in detail, but let’s just say that it’s pretty damn important,” Kathryn said.
“Understandable. So, what’s your role in this thing as our contact point in the orange pod?”
“I will monitor your progress and determine who we don’t need anymore. If one of you presents an idea that we can use, then you’ll be brought further into the fold and work with some of our guys. If you have something notable to report, you’ll do it through me. The evaluation tests will give us a good idea what you’re capable of. Those should take just a few weeks, then the real work begins.”
***
They continued to walk through the campus, which was buzzing with people in every building. She showed him the cafeteria, which provided breakfast, lunch and dinner – and anything in between – at no charge to employees. Workers were encouraged to work whatever hours they wanted, provided they produced. Having a well-stocked cafeteria was a nice feature that kept employees focused on work, not if they remembered to pack a bologna sandwich for lunch.
The place was packed. Each round table had 10 chairs attached to it. There were probably 20 tables spread across the room. Luke had a flashback from high school and thought of the segregation at his small school’s lunchroom. Jocks, nerds and popular kids never mixed. That didn’t seem to be the rule today. The only obvious differentiation was in attire. Executives were in suits and everyone else was very casual or in lab coats. Luke blended in with his sport coat and jeans.
James Beckman, VP of Development, who had conducted Luke’s final interview days earlier, sat alone at one of the tables.
“Kathryn,” he said, stuffing his mouth with a fork full of salad. “It’s going to take you quite a while if you plan to give your whole team a personal tour of the place.”
Beckman was Kathryn’s boss. It was his idea to bring her in as a hired gun, but her presence infringed on his territory and she hadn’t proven herself to him. In his opinion, the company was always on the verge of something great. Kathryn’s mercenaries were a cute idea, but impractical. They had everyone they needed to get
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