Most of us remember Atari and its first product “Pong” as ushering in the computer game industry. Atari founders Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney staked the company $250.00 each in 1972 and sold Atari four years later to Warner Communication for $28 million.
Bushnell and Dabney understood how to lead and manage the talent (i.e., the game designers) that were the foundation of Atari’s success. Their post-sale successors did not, and the company tanked in the mid-1980s though it’s still around. A key reason was Atari game designers wanted public credit and recognition for their work, much the same as book authors or movie directors. The new post-sale corporate culture did not understand their need, and the practice of leaving what came to be called “Easter Eggs” in the game code came to be known as the vehicle for protest and recognition.
This story is a great cautionary tale of understanding how the needs and motivations of employees go beyond money and benefits. Learn how, at Atari, “Easter Eggs were an act of Corporate Rebellion.”
