The Once and Future Kings

We think the idea that anybody should be allowed to charge a fee for every transaction over the Internet is absurd … It’s just not going to be possible.

We see [the] potential for low-cost distribution of any kind of intellectual property – whether it be software, or pictures, or movies, or CDs, or anything that can be represented as bits – as one of the most revolutionary aspects of the Internet.

The Once and Future Kings

If you believe, as we do, that the Internet is intended to be both a worldwide inter- and intra-corporate network, then its specifications need also to be platform-independent.

The Once and Future Kings

It is our belief that the Internet is not controllable, and its standards and protocols should be completely open. If we all sit around and wait for a central body to completely set these standards, then some company – probably Microsoft – will end up creating the de facto standards.

The Once and Future Kings

I still believe that online personal finance is going to become one of the biggest services on the Net. We are just having to start from scratch.

The Once and Future Kings

The competition to get people’s attention on the Net will be incredible, and the competition for ad and subscription revenue will be pretty unbelievable. So over the next three to four years, we have no doubt that the level of investment required to be successful will greatly exceed the income that will be available for Internet services.

The Once and Future Kings

Brand will continue to be an asset, and quality of content will continue to be important, but distribution will be available to anyone in equal degree on the Internet.

The Once and Future Kings

The Internet is growing so quickly that the latest, least-expensive technology is being incorporated into it as rapidly as possible … In short, the Internet is the only public network of which the economics reflect the latest advances in communications technology and the full benefits of competition.