INFORMATION WANTS TO BE FEE

“As we all know by now, the Web didn’t rewrite all the rules. A free press has its costs.”

Salon.com chairman David Talbot, on the company’s hail-Mary plan to introduce a subscription fee for premium content to keep the site afloat, Salon.com, 20 March 2001

THE UNION WAS THE BEST-ORGANIZED THING AT THE WHOLE DAMN COMPANY

“If there’s a clear lesson, it’s the importance of focusing on communicating with employees.”

Steve Ramirez, former VP of marketing at the now-defunct Etown, a startup which foundered amidst charges of management interference in union-organizing efforts, Information Week, 19 March 2001

THEN AGAIN, WE ONLY HAD TO OUTSMART OUR CLIENTS

“When you look back on it, it’s kind of embarrassing. The question we all ask ourselves is, ‘How could we all be so stupid?'”

Sapient co-CEO Jerry Greenberg, on the e-consultancy’s sudden embrace of long-term thinking, Wired News, 16 March 2001

CHANNEL CONVICT

“Everything used to be so simple. You’d just deploy your field sales model and force your customers to buy through it.”

Tom Siebel, CEO of the eponymous sales software firm, distinguishing the old way of selling from the new way, where you just deploy your website and force your customers to buy through it, eWeek, 15 March 2001

DOUBLE VISIONARY

“I think we need to take this opportunity to be a bit more visionary.”

World Online CEO Jim Kinsella, on the need for plausible deniability in today’s market, CBS MarketWatch, 14 March 2001