Author: Matt

“We’re not happy with it, but the whole sector has been creamed. I don’t think we have a lot of control over it. All we can do is execute.”

Salon.com CEO Michael O’Donnell, on Wall Street’s way harsh reactions to the company’s disappointing revenue figures, which certainly couldn’t have anything to do with O’Donnell’s inability to keep his VP of sales and CFO on board, Inside.com, 26 May 2000

“Brands are either needed, loved or feared. I think that Microsoft is a needed brand and they have to act like one.”

High-tech überflack Bill Ryan, on Microsoft’s let-them-fear-me-as-long-as-they-use-Office PR strategy, Salon.com, 25 May 2000

“We’re just at the beginning of a phase that I guess you could call the ‘rational phase’ that was due to arise at some point. This is the phase where people are asking, ‘What does it have to do with profit?'”

Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, on the pesky questions people might be asking about Microsoft’s red-ink-stained Internet ventures, Wired News, 24 May 2000

“It was probably a mistake to have blamed Windows 2000.”

Novell CEO Eric Schmidt, who ignored strategic advice from his executive team to blame faltering profits on “the rain,” Financial Times, 23 May 2000

“We don’t have any interest in litigating our way through the Internet.”

Recording Industry Association of America president Hilary Rosen, on her organization’s all-bark-no-bite legal strategy against online trading of MP3s, The New York Times, 22 May 2000