How long does a 100k+ employee company get credit for something a small handful of their employees did almost half a century ago? Not that C wasn't an achievement but . . .
It was a different time, but probably not that different figuratively.
Things like Shatner taking Priceline stock to be their spokesperson played into the dot-com mania narrative of the time, but now that's seen as a shrewd business move. 50 Cent had a $60-100 million exit with Vitamin Water and Lebron had a $30 million exit with Beats.
Also, many business ideas that people laughed at and called hype scams during the bust later went on to prove themselves (delivery dog food, anyone?). The first wave of companies were just a few years too early.
It was real and most important issues got resolved because of the large investments. But there was also a lot of scammy consultancy going on.
I remember visiting a smaller hotel in the UK early 2000 where the check-in terminal had a Y2000 Approved sticker with a serial number. That made sense, but in the room everything with a plug, including the hair dryer had such a sticker.
It wasn't a particularly cheap stunt then, but it ended up being worth the publicity. I think a similar stunt now, in a world of highly reliable machines and always-on media, just wouldn't gather enough attention to make the cost worth it. Basically, I think they were on the tail end of people caring about this kind of thing.
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