SO WE’RE DROPPING THE “-QUALITY” PART

“We have high-quality content — we don’t want to throw that away. But we don’t think you can build a business just on the back of that.”

Feed cofounder Steven Johnson, discoursing loftily on the formation of content holding company Automatic Media that merged his site with Suck.com, The Wall Street Journal/MSNBC.com, 10 July 2000

NO SHIRT, NO SHOES, NO PROFIT

“We are still projecting to reach a break-even point in the first quarter of 2002 — but at a much slower investment rate.”

Joe Krakoviak, a spokesman for APB Online, declaring that the news site’s bankruptcy filing will actually help it make money, News.com, 5 July 2000

AFTER WE OUTSOURCED OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, THINGS GOT REALLY WILD

“This all started when HBC underwent a strategic assessment of the technology requirements to ensure our ability to compete and win in the emerging e-enabled world.”

Hudson’s Bay CEO George Heller, on the crazy shenanigans that led the three-century-old retailer online, San Jose Mercury News, 6 July 2000

I’VE GOT DUSTY COMMUNICATOR BOXES TO PROVE IT, TOO

“In retrospect, the software industry itself is a big fluke.”

Netscape cofounder and Loudcloud chairman Marc Andreessen, who’s planning on avoiding paying for as much software as he can get away with at his new company, Redherring.com, 5 July 2000

NO ALTERNATIVE

“The recording industry has a lot of reasons to stop [Napster], not because it is hurting CD sales, but because it is an alternative distribution channel for artists.”

Napster lawyer David Boies, defending the music-swapping directory service against a record-label suit by pretending, unconvincingly, that he gives a damn about musicians, The Washington Post, 4 July 2000