The History of Google
When Larry and Sergey first met, they didn’t like each other much. In the summer of 1995, Larry Page was considering a transfer to Stanford …
The History of GoogleChapter 9
How the Dotcom Bubble HappenedChapter 8
The History of the Dotcom Bubble
Summary: The background, root causes and rough outline of the dotcom bubble. How it happened, why it happened and why it’s unlikely to happen again …
Amazon, eBay, Craigslist and more...Chapter Seven
The Birth of Ecommerce
Chapter 7, Part 5 – The Story of Craigslist
Summary: The history of Craig Newmark, craigslist and other odds and ends that didn’t make the book! Listen: Listen Right Here On Web Listen on …
Chapter 7, Part 4 – eBay Wins the Auction Wars
Summary: Part 2 of eBay’s founding story. How, why and when eBay became the undisputed king of the online auction space. Listen: Listen Right Here …
Chapter 7, Part 3 – The Founding of eBay
Summary: Or, to be more strictly accurate, this episode covers the founding of AuctionWeb, the site that would become eBay. How Pierre Omidyar founded a …
Chapter 7, Part 2 – Amazon’s Dominance of eCommerce
Summary: It’s part two of our Amazon founding story. How did Amazon come to completely dominate e-commerce? How did Jeff Bezos’ “Get Big Fast” strategy …
Chapter 7, Part 1 – E-Commerce And the Birth of Amazon.com
Summary: Finally, the long-promised foray into e-commerce, starting with… not the first… but practically the first… player in the space… and ironically enough, the 800 …
Internet PornChapter Six
A History Of Internet Porn
Chapter 6 – A History of Internet Porn
This is the transcript of a podcast episode. To listen to the episode in its entirety, click here: “Without porn and Star Trek, there would …
Early Web Media PlaysChapter Five
Mercury Center, Pathfinder, Wired, Salon, Slate and Suck
Chapter 5, Part 2 – Wired, CNet, Salon, Slate and Suck – More Early Web Media
Summary: We continue our survey of early web media plays with some that have lasted the test of time and some that, while not …
Chapter 5, Part 1 – Mercury Center and Pathfinder – Big Media’s Big Web Adventure
Summary: We’ve been looking at how companies were feeling their way into the internet era, trying to create new industries and new mediums without precedent …
Search Engines and Banner AdsChapter Four
Yahoo, the Early Search Engines and Advertising
Chapter 4, Part 2 – How Yahoo Became The Web’s First Great Company
Summary: Yahoo became the web’s first truly great company, and in this episode, we examine why. Turning to advertising as a business model, Yahoo was …
Chapter 4, Part 1 – The Early Search Engines And Yahoo
Summary: As the early web grows, the explosion of content and websites creates chaos. Early search engines are among the most popular sites on …
The Early Online ServicesChapter Three
AOL, Prodigy, CompuServe and more
Chapter 3, Part 2 – The Rise of AOL
Summary: America Online survives the inevitable run-in with Microsoft, only to come out the other side stronger. The company has to endure major PR fiascos …
Chapter 3, Part 1 – CompuServe, Prodigy, AOL And The Early Online Services
Summary: We take a step back to look at the early online services: CompuServe, Delphi, GEine, the WELL and especially, early AOL. Why? Well, because …
Bill Gates "Gets" The InternetChapter Two
Microsoft, The Information Superhighway and the Internet
Chapter 2, Part 2 – Bill Gates “Gets” The Internet
Summary: Microsoft was on top of the world at the dawn of the Internet Era… but like Jack Dawson in Titanic? Microsoft would pivot, and …
Chapter 2, Part 1 – Microsoft At The Dawn Of The Internet Era
Summary: Netscape has set the standard and taken the lead. But how long will it last? We take a step backwards in this episode …
Mosaic, Netscape and the Big Bang Of the Internet EraChapter One
Netscape Through the IPO
Chapter 1, Part 3 – Netscape, The Big Bang
Summary: Netscape launches and is a smashing success. Jim Barksdale officially comes on as CEO. Netscape fights off legal threats from the NCSA and the …
Chapter 1, Part 2 – The Creation of Netscape
Summary: Marc Andreessen heads out to Silicon Valley. He hooks up with startup legend Jim Clark. They decide to form a company, Netscape, to build …
Chapter 1, Part 1 – Mosaic
Summary: A young Marc Andreessen and a team of programmers at the NCSA on the campus of the University of Illinois create and publish the …