After allowing everyone a few moments to digest the ambitious plans for Pokémon, Simon closed the leather portfolio and returned to his seat.
"Now that we've discussed Atari's long-term direction, it's finally time to introduce the three young men sitting in front of us."
All eyes turned towards the newcomers.
Simon smiled.
"I personally recruited each of them over the past several months. None of them possess impressive résumés, none of them have extensive management experience and none of them have accomplished anything extraordinary so far. If you looked only at their qualifications, you would probably question my decision to invite them into this room."
John, Howard and Sergio exchanged nervous glances.
Simon continued before anyone could speak.
"Fortunately, I never hire people because of what they have already achieved. I hire them because of what I believe they can become. I guess most people in this room can understand and somehow relate to that. Two years ago most of you have just graduated from universities or were simply unknown. Yet I hired you at Atari and now you are famous in the industry while leading a unicorn company. I hope you will accept John, Sergio and Howard into the family and help them grow the way you did at the start."
The atmosphere inside the conference room immediately became more relaxed.
Simon gestured towards the first young man.
"This is John Chambers."
John stood up politely and gave everyone a respectful nod.
"I first met John during one of my visits to West Virginia University. What caught my attention was the way he interacted with people. He has a natural ability to communicate, to organize discussions and to motivate those around him. Those qualities cannot easily be taught."
John thanked him and before taking his seat again.
"Dennis, I hope you can train him for a couple of weeks and just let him accompany you during your normal work. As soon as John is ready I will bring him back to my side more regularly and communication with you and Tanja should therefore work a lot smoother in the future."
"Don't worry boss, I will just show John around and let him get used to the daily life of a CEO" Dennis laughed humorously.
Simon then looked towards Howard.
"This is Howard Schultz."
Howard stood up somewhat nervously.
"I met Howard a few weeks ago during a visit to a rather poor neighbourhood in Brooklyn. He played there on a basketball court. Don't get distracted by Howard looks right now, but he comes from a rather poor family background. I am not saying that to devalue him and he shouldn't feel bad about it. But this background created an intense desire for him to grow into someone influential and I think Atari is lacking someone like that right now. None of you started out as super rich people, but everyone in our management team definitely had a better start than Howard so far. Atari will do very good if we try to integrate this desire into our team and keep struggling with everything we got. That's why I hope you will support Howard in his dream and desire to achieve something greater." Simon explained patiently.
Howard smiled awkwardly.
"I still have a lot to learn, Mr. Smith."
"Exactly," Simon replied with a smile. "And that's why you're here. But don't worry Dennis I will not let you train two people at once and I know Tanja is currently really busy with the Lakers acquisition. That's why Howard will work as an additional secretary right now and follow me around most of the time. When I am not busy I intend to let Howard study at the university in a management course. Even though I admire his attitude and desire, basic knowledge is still necessary."
Howard was really surprised and thankful, after learning that he can still join a university, while following Simon on a regular basis.
Simon turned towards the youngest member of the group.
"And this is Sergio Marchionne."
Sergio quickly stood up.
Unlike John, who appeared confident, and Howard, who had at least managed to hide most of his nervousness, Sergio looked genuinely overwhelmed by the attention of Atari's leadership team.
"I... I'm honoured to be here."
Simon gave him an encouraging nod before turning towards the others.
"Sergio's story is probably the most unusual among the three. He was born in Italy, but his family emigrated to Canada in search of better opportunities. Starting over in a completely different country at such a young age wasn't easy but he managed to grow into it and learned something really valuable —the ability to adapt, to work hard and to never be satisfied with simply getting by. This cannot be taught by sitting in a big and warm room inside an university building."
Sergio lowered his eyes modestly while Simon continued.
"Most young men his age are fascinated by sports or entertainment. Sergio is different. During our conversations he repeatedly returned to the same topic: manufacturing. More specifically, the automobile industry."
This immediately caught Gunpei's attention.
"He has a remarkable curiosity about how companies like Fiat, Alfa Romeo or Ferrari manage to produce thousands of machines while maintaining consistent quality. He wants to gain knowledge about production systems, the quality control and the management philosophy that allows engineers to transform thousands of individual components into one reliable product."
Dennis couldn't help but grin.
"So, you recruited an Italian who dreams about cars."
The room laughed softly.
"In a manner of speaking," Simon replied. "My long-term plan is actually to send Sergio to Lamborghini once the company has reached the stage where it needs capable young managers. I bought the company recently and am currently restructuring it. However, throwing an inexperienced eighteen-year-old directly into a luxury automobile manufacturer would do neither him nor Lamborghini any favours."
He turned back towards Sergio.
"That is why you'll begin your career here at Atari. I hope that you can take Gunpei Yokoi and his Japanese colleagues as an example and develop your own values and ethics out of it. Once you achieved a certain maturity you will go to Bologna and take over the management of Lamborghini for me, Sergio. Your journey definitely doesn't end at Atari!" explained Simon passionately.
"Consider this an extended internship. Atari is growing faster than almost any company in America, which means you'll be exposed to problems that most managers won't encounter until much later in their careers."
Sergio took a deep breath before answering.
"I won't disappoint you, Mr. Smith. Thank you so much for putting so much trust in me and my future!"
"I know," Simon replied. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be sitting in this room."
A satisfied smile appeared on Simon's face as he looked around the conference room.
"That concludes today's meeting."
Nobody stood up immediately.
The amount of information Simon had presented during the last two hours was simply overwhelming. The cancellation of the NBA Jam project in the near future, the focus development of Space Invaders, the birth of the Pokémon franchise and finally the creation of Atari's own upper management training program were all decisions capable of changing the company's future.
Simon smiled.
"Let's get back to work."
One after another, everyone left the conference room.
Dennis was already explaining Atari's organizational structure to John while walking down the hallway, which filled Simon with deep satisfaction.