Cave Johnson

"When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don't want your damn lemons, what am I supposed to do with these? Demand to see life's manager! Make life rue the day it thought it could give Cave Johnson lemons! Do you know who I am? I'm the man who's gonna burn your house down! With the lemons! I'm gonna get my engineers to invent a combustible lemon that burns your house down!"

- Cave Johnson

Cave Johnson was the founder and CEO of Aperture Science.

Background
In 1943, Cave Johnson receives the Shower Curtain Salesman award within Aperture Fixtures.

In 1944, Johnson appears in the UP Pioneer Press headlines for buying a salt mine in Upper Michigan, which is later reconstructed as the Aperture Science Innovators facility.

In 1968, Aperture Science goes bankrupt, according to Johnson, because Black Mesa has stolen many of their inventions.

On October 17th, 1976, Johnson receives the answer to a confidential letter titled "Human Enrichment & Testing Initiative, Resource Acquisitions", describing the four types of Test Subjects and their behavior.

By 1981, Johnson manages to acquire $70M worth of Moon rocks, and uses it to create Conversion Gel, but also becomes deathly ill from exposure to the rocks. He also makes testing mandatory for all Aperture employees.

In 1982, Johnson orders the Aperture engineers, to begin work on an AI system for him to live on in, in his attempt to cheat death, but in case the system should not be finished in time, his trusted assistant Caroline should succeed him as the leader of Aperture Science, and live on in an AI system, if necessary by force. Before the system is finished, Johnson dies, and on his orders, Caroline becomes part of GLaDOS' personality makeup.

Portal
In Portal, Johnson is only referred to once in the game, in a graffiti by Doug Rattmann found in Test Chamber 17, simply as " " (followed by " ") scribbled on a wall, which appeared to be an administrator login and password for ApertureScience.com. Above can be found three portraits of men in suits with their heads masked by a Weighted Companion Cube. The bottom-left one has the words "Our Founder" under it and the letters "R.I.P." right beside; this might be a portrait of Cave Johnson.

Portal 2
In one of the memos revealed during the Portal ARG, Johnson announces that he is dead, and that he is able to write memos from beyond the grave.

In Portal 2, Johnson appears to be deceased, with only automated pre-recorded voice messages playing to guide Chell through the first few Test Chambers. The initial messages are intended for "Astronauts, War Heroes, and Olympians", indicating a time of prosperity for the company. The messages show a steady decline in Johnson's sanity and consequently the prosperity of his company, as later announcements are directed at hobos who were picked off the street.

At one point, he states he had contracted a severe illness from contact with ground Moon rocks (the primary component of Conversion Gel) as opposed to mercury poisoning, though it's also possible that he's lying or delusional. He also made it mandatory for all employees to undergo testing in the chambers. He ordered that technology be developed to allow him to be put into a computer, but it's apparent the tech wasn't finished before he died. He also ordered that, should this occur, Caroline was to be be put in charge of Aperture, forcibly if necessary.

Personality and skills
Cave Johnson is said to have learned to trust his gut. A big picture thinker, he did not expand on details. He apparently did not really know how science works, but he knew how people "work". He was used to getting what he wants. He was extroverted, enthusiastic and opinionated. He seems to have been very energetic, and considered that life is an adventure he was happy to be on. He was born a salesman, he was a leader, an evangelist. People trusted him, even when his plans were clearly dangerous. He uses warm, homespun delivery to put people at ease. He did not seem to accept the responsibility that comes with his power. Either he did not see or chooses not to see the ramifications of his actions.

The results of the Aperture Science Collaborative Disposition Test tell that Johnson does not see crises - only challenging unities he choose to scale like mountains, that he is a can-do, shoot-from-the-hip, silver-tongued self-starter, and a good match for any cooperative test partner, providing they shut up and listen.

Behind the scenes

 * By signing into ApertureScience.com with the username " " and the password " " (referring to the three tiered program), one can enter Cave Johnson's account. These login and password can be found in Rattmann scribblings spread around the Enrichment Center's maintenance area seen during Portal, with the words "trust me" right to it. After logging in as Cave Johnson, "GLaDOS v1.07a (c) 1982 Aperture Science, Inc." appears. Then one can type either  to start the Enrichment Center Test Subject Application Process, or , which will give information about Aperture Science and Johnson's history, in the form of a short timeline.
 * The "Our Founder" portrait mentioned above is based on a painted portrait of Sam Rayburn.
 * A casting call conducted by Shana Landsburg for Portal 2 was posted on the subscribers-only industry website Breakdown Express on June 8, 2008, with a concept art portrait of Cave Johnson. That call sheet, seeking a voice-over artist to take on the role of Johnson, an "eccentric dead billionaire", with work tentatively to start at the end of July 2008, was the first hint that Johnson would appear in Portal 2. The call sheet revealed many bits of Johnson's fate and personality, that he speaks with a slight Southern/Western accent ("natural, not too broad"), and how his role evolves as the game progresses.
 * Cave Johnson's appearance in the portrait given with the June 2008 casting call was drastically changed for the Aperture Science Collaborative Disposition Test in April 2011 to a slightly younger appearance, showing a Johnson with sideburns and brighter hair; the shirt and tie were also replaced by a turtleneck sweater.
 * In the file dump retrieved at the BBS number (425) 822-5251 revealed during the Portal ARG, several memos seemingly written by Cave Johnson can be found. In one, he describes the three pillars on which Aperture Science is built. In another, he addresses Test Subjects who raised their concerns about the dangers of the research conducted by Aperture Science. Another consists of a rant about casualty rates, firing employees, and him practicing beekeeping in his office. In another, reusing text from the casting call sheet revealed in 2008, he apparently announces his death, and being able to write memos from beyond the grave. One is apparently the answer to a (confidential) letter Johnson sent, titled "Human Enrichment & Testing Initiative, Resource Acquisitions". It apparently describes the four types of Test Subjects and their behavior, in a not very human way.
 * An e-mail from Johnson can be seen on the Apple games page for Portal, informing members of the executive team of some information that should not be revealed to any Test Subjects, as it would "impair the scientific value of what we're doing here at Aperture Science." The information is revealed below the e-mail, and it consists of common console commands. In the e-mail, Johnson states that he is "busy cheating death".
 * Cave Johnson narrates the four weekly videos that lead up to Portal 2's release: Panels, Bot Trust, Turrets, and Boots, presented as informational videos intended for customers of Aperture products.
 * On ApertureScience.com, "1978" and "1979" were originally given as the date for Johnson's mercury poisoning and kidney failure, respectively. These dates were later retconned to 1974 and 1976, as seen in the updated Aperture Science timeline on Game Informer.
 * "Johnson" is quite similar to "Johanson", the name of the original Borealis captain, Johanson. Furthermore, "Arbeit Laboratories" can be seen on some crates inside the ship. The retail Borealis belonging to Aperture Science, it is possible those names were recycled.

Trivia

 * The 1950's portrait of Cave Johnson seen in the lobby entrance for Test Subjects at the Aperture Science Innovators bears strong resemblance to a photo of Walt Disney.
 * The casting call portrait of Cave Johnson is painted over a photograph of American businessman and politician Ross Perot.

List of appearances

 * ApertureScience.com
 * Portal
 * Portal: Still Alive
 * Portal ARG
 * PotatoFoolsDay ARG
 * Portal 2: Lab Rat
 * Portal 2
 * The Final Hours of Portal 2