Wang- Thanks for going through the effort to post the entire interview. I think we saw bits and pieces before, but I was glad to view the entire thing. I have some comments on the interview.
Jermoluk has vision. He is nobody's fool. He's not going to let even big daddy AOL get a piece of the action without it benefiting ATHM. It was interesting for him to admit that there have been ongoing talks. I had not seen this before.
I have been troubled about the Excite purchase from day one. Many (including me) considered the 6+ billion to be an exorbitant price. I do feel more comfortable after reading the interview. Jermoluk gave some compelling reasons for the merger, i.e., mass-marketing approach (potential subscribers), and a combined worth 10 times the value of what the pieces would have been separately. I wonder about the privacy issue though. It does seem like spying.
I like the package and "one" bill approach (long-distance, wireless, e-commerce, and Internet access). My friends love that idea, and are anxious for the package to be offered in their area.
The goal of 23 million "access" homes by year-end is good, but even better when Jermoluk foresees a blowing away of those numbers.
In closing, if AOL did put a deal together with @Home, look out!
Ed |
