Marc Andreessen Goes On the Warpath
Illustrious University of Illinois alum Marc Andreessen is a fan of internet guru Martin Nisehholtz, but apparently not anyone else, at the New York Times Co......
Now, normally, beating up on someone like this isn’t very much fun. But we are talking about a profession that specializes in passing judgment, often snide, on everyone else. And so, onward... blog.pmarca.com
When you have an obsolete, inconvenient physical product that nobody wants in an era of universal online access, the appropriate strategy is clearly to raise the price.
Andreessen’s comments are about as politically correct as Chief Illiniwek, perhaps the good Chief taught Andreessen economics at Illinois, but given the Chief’s untimely demise Marc must be home schooled in the field of corporate governance.
Well, given that the Internet is the central force dismantling the company’s business, I’m sure that by now they’ve stocked their board with noted Internet experts. Let’s see:
* Brenda C. Barnes—CEO of Sara Lee; noted snack cake expert
* Raul E. Cesan—former CEO of Schering-Plough; noted Levitra expert
* Daniel H. Cohen—president of DeepSee LLC, “an oceanic exploration and submarine leasing company”; noted Jacques Cousteau expert
* Lynn G. Dolnick—former head of exhibits for the National Zoologic Park in Washington DC; noted marsupial expert
* Michael Golden—current publisher of the International Herald Tribune; former head of the company’s Women’s Publishing Division; noted sundress expert
* William E. Kennard—former head of the FCC; noted “seven dirty words” expert
* James M. Kilts—former CEO of Gillette; noted smooth, smooth shave expert; prior to that, unindicted coconspirator at Philip Morris; noted expert on your grandfather’s hacking cough
* David E. Liddle—here I have to take a pause as I actually know this one; based on what’s happening at the company, it could be reasonably asked whether he’s actually attending the board meetings.
* Ellen R. Marram—former CEO of Nabisco; noted Oreo expert. Oh, wait, she actually ran an Internet company: “From 1999 until 2000, Ms. Marram was president and chief executive officer of efdex Inc. (the Electronic Food & Drink Exchange), an Internet-based commodities exchange for the food and beverage industry.” Ooh. I wonder if that ended well.
* Thomas Middelhoff—former CEO of Bertelsmann; noted expert on complicated family politics—well, that’s probably coming in handy…
* Janet L. Robinson—current CEO of the New York Times Company; noted expert on horrific business implosions
* Doreen A. Toben—CFO of Verizon; noted 30-year debenture expert
* And finally, Arthur O. Sulzberger, Jr.—the Big Kahuna—the Man—the Guy In Charge—the chairman and scion—the dude with the cojones to actually defend Judy Miller. Not noted Internet expert.
So, if you want to issue bonds to pay for FCC-approved snack cake manufacturing in a submarine on display at a national park by a sundress-wearing cigarette-puffing Levitra-popping Judy Miller, you’re pretty much set.
You had better go to his site and read the rest of his diatribe; he will apparently begin to follow all things about the Times in a Deathwatch feature, and if it fits he will print it.
Inaugurating the New York Times Deathwatch
blog.pmarca.com
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