Dot. Bomb : My Days and Nights at an Internet Goliath

by Kuo, J. David

• ISBN13: 9780316600057
• ISBN10: 0316600059
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-02-01
• Publisher: Back Bay Books

Summary

J. David Kuo had a ringside seat at one of the biggest busts of the Internet age. Value America (NASDAQ: VUSA) was supposed to revolutionize retailing by using the Internet -- no more retailers or distributors needed. Fred Smith, legendary founder of Federal Express, called it the best business model he'd ever seen and invested millions of dollars. In a few short years, the company raised and spent hundreds of millions of dollars before a spectacular crash.

As Senior Vice President of Communications, Kuo saw the stupefying insanity of it all: the machinations, delusions, good efforts, and wild miscalculations that led to the company's demise. Writing with a liveliness and flair seldom seen in business narratives, Kuo brings us tales of wretched excess, inspired salesmanship, online dreams, and unmitigated moneygrabbing. This is an unforgettable story of Internet mania that everyone who ever invested in a tech stock will be dying to read.

Author Biography

J. David Kuo was senior vice president of communications at Value America. He has also worked for the CIA, for a U.S. senator, and as a journalist and speechwriter

Table of Contents

Prologue	3	(6)
PART ONE YOU SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION
Dream Weaving	9	(18)
Bowling for Dollars	27	(12)
Peddling Sand	39	(14)
Phoenix	53	(18)
PART TWO MONEY FOR NOTHING
IPO: Instant Payoff Occasion	71	(13)
Ground Zero	84	(16)
Evangelizing	100	(15)
Wrenching	115	(14)
Hear Me Roar	129	(13)
Purloined Sirloins	142	(13)
Hog-Tied	155	(18)
Counting Sheep	173	(12)
PART THREE HELTER SKELTER
``To the moon, Alice, to the moon!''	185	(13)
Snake Handlers	198	(14)
Here Comes the Bride	212	(18)
DefCon3	230	(16)
Controlling Legal Authority	246	(17)
``Houston, We've Got a Problem''	263	(21)
Coup du jour	284	(18)
Epilogue	302	(11)
Acknowledgments	313