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Technology Stocks : AUTOHOME, Inc -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ron Dior who wrote (13578)	8/5/1999 12:57:00 AM
From: Jing Qian	Respond to of 29970

Why is it that sometimes, the simplest answers are the most difficult to fathom? No, it is not difficult to fathom at all. From the very beginning, TJ has been in discussion with Steve Case. But every deal with AOL has to require ATHM become a network equipment service company instead of a content provider. AOL wanted ATHM to be like MCI WorldCom. IMO, if ATHM loses the content business to AOL, we might as well sell all of our ATHM stocks and buy AOL. ATHM wouldn't have any future if left with only cabling to do. It's AOL who needs to make compromise, not ATHM.

To: Ron Dior who wrote (13578)	8/5/1999 1:38:00 AM
From: ahhaha	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 29970

AOL has stated they don't perceive the need for cable BB at this time. This isn't a feigning on their part. Their other moves confirm this attitude. The attitude isn't as poor as it may seem. They are going for broad share rather than deep share. We all believe though that eventually they will need to convert broad to deep, but that is eventually and eventually is a function of time. So is technology. In several years there may be technologies available that can be implemented cheaply which accomplish cable without heavy dependence on local physical pipes. If that is to occur then AOL's strategy could be providential. They would have the book and they could convert it. It is all the more reason for ATHM to emphasize their ISP features and move away from distribution dependence. As Greg and the group have said the company needs leadership to go against all these directions and take the one that puts novelty and fun into a cable hook-up. That may not totally secure against coming technologies, but if they have a good book on deep, just like AOL has against other copper ISPs, lethargy can work in ATHM's favor too. In all of this nowhere do we see a need for AOL to partner with ATHM.