Kara Swisher has written a book about Steve Case and AOL and apparently (I haven't read the book - just blurbs about it ) talks about Steve Case's dealing with Bill Gates and Paul Allen among others and AOL's early competition with Microsoft Internet Explorer. Seems AOL has opposed some internet decency initiatives (which would have been supported by the Christian Right) because a lot of AOL's $ comes from Cybersex. People complain about all the porn Email they get on AOL and nothing ever seems to be done about it. Don't think it tries to link Paul Allen with the Christian Right - but if I ever read the book, I'll let you know. (Don't hold your breath....)
LRN
Sorry to carry this very far on our GNET thread - but with the prospect of Email by CommTouch - this info about a competitor isn't too far off base - ( is it???)
Here's one of those blurbs.....
aol.com: How Steve Case Beat Bill Gates, Nailed the Netheads, and Made Millions in the War for the Web
by Kara Swisher
From Kirkus Reviews , June 1, 1998
. Swisher, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, was given unprecedented access to AOL head Steve Case for her book, and it is from Case and other inside sources that she's gotten much of her material. She records, for instance, a 1993 confrontation between Case and Microsoft head Bill Gates, wherein Gates tells Case, ''I can buy 20 percent of you or I can buy all of you. Or I can go into business myself and bury you.'' ....... Still, Case has to battle over the course of Swisher's chronicle with his own users over the service's charges ... and with the government and its Communications Decency Act, which AOL's lawyers were instrumental in fighting in federal court. He also has to contend with the issue of sex on the Internet, knowing well that much of AOL's revenue is based on cybersex and other forms of adult entertainment. Swisher never sensationalizes these hot topics. Her book is a solid study of the birth, growth, and struggles of this computer giant. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. ....
Ultimately, as Swisher vividly illustrates, AOL gained supremacy because Case possessed the best vision for his company, establishing AOL as a vibrant virtual community rather than an online shopping center or business tool. Included in that community is an array of enthusiasts, activists, and deviants who at times clash in battles over freedom of expression and family values, a flash point best illustrated here by AOL's fight against the Communications Decency Act. |
