Marc Andreessen, Founder of Netscape, Discusses His Reaction to the Microsoft Verdict on SamDonaldson@ABCNEWS.com

Business Wire, June 9, 2000

Business & Technology Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 9, 2000

Netscape founder Marc Andreessen was Sam Donaldson's guest this afternoon on SamDonaldson@ABCNEWS.com, the daily Webcast on ABCNEWS.com. Following is a partial transcript:

Sam: Our guest today probably knows more about this case than anyone except the direct litigants. Who? Marc Andreesen, who joins us today from Mountain View, California, the co-founder of Netscape Corporation. And, Marc, according to the testimony, it was Netscape that Microsoft tried to destroy.

MARC ANDREESEN: Well, you know, there's been sort of a long-term pattern of behavior in this industry. And, you know, it's just been really great in this process to see kind of all that information get out and be available for everybody to look at.

SAM DONALDSON: Boy, that's an answer, if I ever heard one, that doesn't say much about your feelings. What about Judge Jackson's ruling? What do you think about it?

MARC ANDREESEN: Yeah, I think this was probably the best run and the best prosecuted antitrust case, you know, in a long time. And the process ran very well. It's very clear the judge completely understood the issues and the ruling. You read it, I think it makes a lot of sense.

SAM DONALDSON: You know, I read a quote of yours the other day when you were just starting Netscape, and it said, "The first year was an emotional roller coaster. One moment we were euphoric, the next moment we were clinically depressed," because you feared that some big bear in the woods might come in.

MARC ANDREESEN: Well, startups are very stressful to start with, and then on top of that obviously, you know, Microsoft is a big factor that I think every startup has to take into account in the computer industry. And I actually think that that's still true. I think Microsoft is still incredibly powerful and is a real force to be reckoned with.

SAM DONALDSON: Well, a force to be reckoned with, for good, for evil, neutral. I mean, at this point what about it?

MARC ANDREESEN: Yeah, I mean, I think that they still play a very dominant role in the industry. They are a very powerful company. Their market share sort of across the board is up. Their monopolies are stronger than ever. So, you know, there's a view in Silicon Valley that Microsoft's in decline, and I think that they're doing extremely well across the board in their business.

SAM DONALDSON: The bottom line, and then we're going to move on. You don't want to see Microsoft destroyed. I mean, should it be punished within an inch of their lives? I mean, how far should the government go?

MARC ANDREESEN: Well, I think the current path that people are on I think is a really good one. I think that the ruling was very high quality. I think the remedy is very high quality. I think the proposals make a lot of sense.