Max Chafkin | Inc. magazine

10 Questions for Nolan Bushnell

 

1. What's your favorite part of a typical day?

My shower in the early morning. It's this time of luxury and of solitude. It's where I plan all the wonderful things I am going to do for the day.

2. What part of your job would you gladly give up?

The same part of my job I always give up: raising money and dealing with shareholders and accountants and attorneys. My sweet spot is figuring out how to make a product that people love and how to refine it to make them love it more. All the rest is business noise.

3. What skill would you most like to improve?

Exercise. Getting started is hard for me.

4. What keeps you up at night?

I worry about our dependence on foreign oil, foreign manufacturing, and illegal immigration. Those dependencies aren't sustainable and are making our economy too volatile.

5. If you could go back and do one thing differently, what would it be?

I wouldn't have sold Atari.

6. Who gives you the best advice about your business?

My COO, Peter Wilkniss, and my wife, Nancy. Peter is a solid-thinking individual, and Nancy can ferret out frauds and phonies better than anybody else I've ever seen.

7. What's your favorite game of all time?

The Japanese game of Go. Or charades on Christmas Eve.

8. If you were going to start another company, what would it be?

I'd love to design a school.

9. What's the accomplishment you are most proud of?

My eight kids. They're all pretty much adults now, and there's not a clinker in the bunch.

10. What's the best advice you have given your children?

To be an entrepreneur. Being your own boss is much superior to working for the man. Including working for your father.

Senior contributing writer Max Chafkin has profiled companies such as Yelp, Zappos, Twitter, Threadless, and Tesla for the magazine. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. @chafkin