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To: Jack Hartmann who wrote (22071)	5/11/2000 4:34:00 AM
From: Big Dog	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 29970

"Haven't heard of this venture capital firm." Check out the opening post on this thread. It was that venture firm that helped start @Home. "Started By: Marco Polo Date: Jul 11, 1997 ÿ11:40 PM Well, today it was the hottest IPO since Netscape. But is it a prudent long-term investment? You decide. home page --> home.net Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, @Home is a joint venture between Tele-Communications, Inc. and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB)."

To: Jack Hartmann who wrote (22071)	5/11/2000 4:49:00 AM
From: Big Dog	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 29970

Cheek-to-cheek It has been generally accepted in Silicon Valley that Excite@Home (ATHM), the high-speed Internet access company owned mostly by AT&T (T), is for sale. As the stock options of many early employees vest -- this is the four-year mark -- the Redwood City, Calif.-based company has been hemorrhaging people. Yesterday, chairman Tom Jermoluk joined the venture capital firm that funded @Home and Excite, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. But Jermoluk's departure is actually a signal that AT&T might be holding on a bit tighter. Earlier this year, the phone giant strengthened its position on the company's board of directors, offering to buy the voting stock of two cable partners, Cox Communications (COX) and Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) But AT&T has strengthened its position within the company as well, naming Byron Smith executive vice president of consumer broadband and Mark O'Leary executive vice president of Excite@Home business solutions. You probably could have guessed by the wordy titles that both of these guys are AT&T alums. "I think they're understanding that content isn't just looking at pictures," said one person who knows Excite@Home well. "Content can be voice, right?" He speculated that the phone giant would pull the Internet company even tighter by promoting current CEO George Bell to chairman and giving Smith his job. That's essentially what happened with Jermoluk. Bell is said to spend little time on the West Coast. His wife, Carrie Minot -- sister of the novelist Susan Minot -- made no secret of her dislike of California while the family lived here and moved back to the East Coast last year. Excite@Home spokeswoman Melissa Walia cautioned against reading too much into Smith and O'Leary's new posit. Bell "spends a vast amount of time in Redwood City," she said. upside.com

To: Jack Hartmann who wrote (22071)	5/11/2000 5:47:00 AM
From: Big Dog	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 29970

Excite CEO Bell Says Internet Content, Not Distribution, Matter By Jonathan Make New Orleans, May 10 (Bloomberg) -- George Bell, promoted to chairman of Excite At Home Corp. this week, said customers care more about content such as video on demand, news and music, not the technology used to reach the Internet. Internet providers can develop more content to retain customers and attract new subscribers, said Bell, who on Monday replaced Thomas Jermoluk as chairman of the No. 1 U.S. provider of fast Internet connections over cable. Other speakers echoed his remarks at the final presentation of the National Cable Television Association's annual meeting in New Orleans. Excite and America Online Inc., whose president also spoke, are among the few large companies that run popular Web sites and provide Internet connections. As more people demand high-speed, always-on Web connections from home, customers will be attracted to companies that offer the best content, the executives said. ``People at the end of the day obviously get more out of content, not to the form of distribution,'' said Bell, who is also chief executive of Excite. ``We want to make as much as possible in terms of our investment strategies there.'' In addition to Bell, Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Steven Ballmer and Robert Pittman, president of America Online, also spoke on the cable convention panel. All the executives stressed that phone, cable and Internet companies must focus on customer service, in addition to technical issues. ``The laws of consumer behavior apply to the Internet: brands win, and convenience is king,'' said Pittman, who will be co-chief operating officer after America Online completes the planned acquisition of Time Warner Inc. for $139 billion. ``E- mail is a whole lot better than licking stamps and sealing envelopes.'' Shares of Dulles, Virginia-based AOL fell 2 1/4 to 54 on the New York Stock Exchange. Microsoft, the No. 1 software maker that's based in Redmond, Washington, fell 1 5/8 to 66 3/16 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Excite's Executives Bell said that Jermoluk's departure doesn't mean that Excite's business plans will change, as Jermoluk will remain on the board. Both men are 43. ``It really doesn't spell much change in terms of the company's strategy,'' Bell said. ``It is a commitment on our part to try to consolidate management to see if we can just go faster.'' Bell also reiterated forecasts that the number of Excite's customers will double this year as the service is available in more areas and installing cable modems becomes easier. The company expects to have 6 million customers by the end of 2001 and 10 million in 2002, from the 3 million it expects at the end of this year, he said. Excite At Home had 1.5 million subscribers as of March 31. Shares of Redwood City, California-based Excite At Home fell 1 1/16 to 18 7/8 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. They've declined 76 percent over the past year on concern subscriber growth could slow and that New York-based AT&T Corp., which controls Excite, might use other companies for Internet service.