Who
is Jovan Hutton Pulitzer?
(clips
from news and interviews)
Question 1: Everybody seems to ask the same question of you over and
over. I see it everywhere when there are post on discussion groups about you.
The question is: Are you JOVAN or are you HUTTON?
ANSWER 1: Mark, The simple answer is
I am both. My Legal name is Jovan Hutton Pulitzer.
People that have known me for years call me Jovan and people who I am not on a
real close personal basis with call me Hutton. It helps keep business and
personal lives distinct and apart.
People that have known me for years call me Jovan and people who I am not on a
real close personal basis with call me Hutton. It helps keep business and
personal lives distinct and apart.
Question 2: When I asked if you were Jovan or Hutton, that’s not what
I meant. Most people know you had a different birth name. That’s what I was
asking about.
ANSWER 2:
Most people forget I was know in the media world long before the technology
world, and as with most media people or movie people, there are birth names and
assumed names. Like if I asked you if you knew Thomas Mapother IV or Marion
Michael Morrison or even Allen Konigsberg would you even know who I was
speaking about?
Most people forget I was know in the media world long before the technology
world, and as with most media people or movie people, there are birth names and
assumed names. Like if I asked you if you knew Thomas Mapother IV or Marion
Michael Morrison or even Allen Konigsberg would you even know who I was
speaking about?
ANSWER MARK: No, I don’ think I know
those names.
ANSWER 2 Continued: Yes, Mark I am
sure you know who these three people are. In the
order I gave them. Thomas Mapother is Tom Cruise, Marion Michael Morrison is
John Wayne and Allen Konigsberg is Woody Allen. Those are birth names compared
to assumed names.
order I gave them. Thomas Mapother is Tom Cruise, Marion Michael Morrison is
John Wayne and Allen Konigsberg is Woody Allen. Those are birth names compared
to assumed names.
MARK: Continue
ANSWER 2 Continued: So, back when I
was on television in almost every broadcast and
cable television market in the United States, people only saw the name JOVAN. I
basically went by a one-word-moniker like Cher or Sting. People knew me as JOVAN
and some knew that my last name started with a P. Then in the mid 90′s after I
had done a live broadcast of my television series Net Talk Live! in the Dallas
West End Marketplace, we had over 44,000 people show up to watch and
participate with the show.
cable television market in the United States, people only saw the name JOVAN. I
basically went by a one-word-moniker like Cher or Sting. People knew me as JOVAN
and some knew that my last name started with a P. Then in the mid 90′s after I
had done a live broadcast of my television series Net Talk Live! in the Dallas
West End Marketplace, we had over 44,000 people show up to watch and
participate with the show.
Well, during that broadcast, about
halfway through of our two-hour live show, from
across the crowd, and as a matter of fact you can see this in taped versions of
the broadcast, someone pointed a red sighting laser right at my forehead. It
was freaky and frankly had me worried. It happened right as we were headed to a
commercial break.
across the crowd, and as a matter of fact you can see this in taped versions of
the broadcast, someone pointed a red sighting laser right at my forehead. It
was freaky and frankly had me worried. It happened right as we were headed to a
commercial break.
MARK: That would of scared the crap
out of me. Your talking the red lasers that are on pistols and
such?
such?
ANSWER 2 Continued: Yes, and it was
unnerving. Soon as we went to break, my security
guards swept in, scooped my off the stage and got me inside the mall where some
of our other cast members were broadcasting from. Another detachment of the
security team went after the individual, since I was able to see exactly where
the beam came from. They did not catch him but several of us got a good look at
him.
guards swept in, scooped my off the stage and got me inside the mall where some
of our other cast members were broadcasting from. Another detachment of the
security team went after the individual, since I was able to see exactly where
the beam came from. They did not catch him but several of us got a good look at
him.
MARK: But I asked
about your name.
ANSWER 2 Continued: You want a
freaking answer or you want to cut me off?
MARK: I want an answer, but I want
you to get to the answer. Please.
ANSWER 2 Continued: (looking a
little tweaked) Anyway, that situation unnerved me. Then
about two weeks later the same individual, or what I thought was the same
individual, starting hanging around our offices and places we would go with
employees for lunch. I noticed he would try to watch all of our cars and I
tried to avoid him, but eventually he spotted me in my car, and pulled up next
to me and waived as he passed me on the Dallas North Toll Road.
about two weeks later the same individual, or what I thought was the same
individual, starting hanging around our offices and places we would go with
employees for lunch. I noticed he would try to watch all of our cars and I
tried to avoid him, but eventually he spotted me in my car, and pulled up next
to me and waived as he passed me on the Dallas North Toll Road.
MARK: Very same guy? He was stalking
you for some reason?
ANSWER 2 Continued: Same guy, yes
stalking, but I did not know the extent until a month
or so later.
or so later.
MARK: DO tell…
ANSWER 2 Continued: About this time,
I moved my family from one house to a secured gated
community. All the time, since I was in the public and being part of a
technology show – my email was out there, I started getting emails from the guy
commenting on what I had for dinner or lunch or who I met and so on. You know,
really detailed stuff and I never knew anyone was watching and even cared. it
was a little too close to home for me.
community. All the time, since I was in the public and being part of a
technology show – my email was out there, I started getting emails from the guy
commenting on what I had for dinner or lunch or who I met and so on. You know,
really detailed stuff and I never knew anyone was watching and even cared. it
was a little too close to home for me.
MARK: But I asked about your name?
ANSWER 2 Continued: Knock it off!
ANYWAY… few weeks later, first the live broadcast
with 44,000 screaming fans of Net Talk Live and the red laser, then the guy
being around the office and where we went, then the emails and finally, this
guy shows up AT MY NEW HOME. WITH FLOWERS no less. Now since my wife was my
co-host, I thought naturally he was after her, but come to find out HE WANTED
ME!
with 44,000 screaming fans of Net Talk Live and the red laser, then the guy
being around the office and where we went, then the emails and finally, this
guy shows up AT MY NEW HOME. WITH FLOWERS no less. Now since my wife was my
co-host, I thought naturally he was after her, but come to find out HE WANTED
ME!
Mark: He wanted YOU. How do you mean
that? He was after you?
ANSWER 2 Continued: I mean it in the
way he W A N T E D Me. To share his MAN-LOVE with
me in a serious, whether I want to share it with him or not, way. NOW, don’t
get me wrong, I have nothing against man to man love. To each his own, but its got
to be free-will don’t you think?
me in a serious, whether I want to share it with him or not, way. NOW, don’t
get me wrong, I have nothing against man to man love. To each his own, but its got
to be free-will don’t you think?
Mark: LOL, yep, it’s got to be
free-will. LOL
ANSWER 2 Continued: LOL, yep
free-will plays a part and he was not at all my type. I am
not homophobic and you could not even call me straight as an arrow, but this
guy was out to OWN ME. LOL So, after having a face to face, his nose to the
barrel of a .45 conversation he agreed to back off. He did share with me, he
saw me driving my car, took down my license plate and then got online, found my
home address and decided to pay me a LOVE VISIT.
not homophobic and you could not even call me straight as an arrow, but this
guy was out to OWN ME. LOL So, after having a face to face, his nose to the
barrel of a .45 conversation he agreed to back off. He did share with me, he
saw me driving my car, took down my license plate and then got online, found my
home address and decided to pay me a LOVE VISIT.
Mark: You never saw him again?
ANSWER 2 Continued: Nope, never saw
him again and then I began the process of changing
my name and protecting my public records as best I could. So, I was born with
the first name Jeffry. Named that by my mother after German cousin of hers. My
birth middle name was Jovan. Given by my father and in honor of his deceased
brother and a name that has been around in the family since the Third Roman
Emperor – Jovan. And my last name was Philyaw. Me and all my brothers DO NOT
carry my father’s last name and we all have our reasons. Mine is my father
chose women over his children and dropped me on the side of a highway to fend
for myself at 15 and that moment sealed the fate of carrying on the family last
name for me.
my name and protecting my public records as best I could. So, I was born with
the first name Jeffry. Named that by my mother after German cousin of hers. My
birth middle name was Jovan. Given by my father and in honor of his deceased
brother and a name that has been around in the family since the Third Roman
Emperor – Jovan. And my last name was Philyaw. Me and all my brothers DO NOT
carry my father’s last name and we all have our reasons. Mine is my father
chose women over his children and dropped me on the side of a highway to fend
for myself at 15 and that moment sealed the fate of carrying on the family last
name for me.
So, as you may or may not know, for
a MAN to change his name is quite different than a
woman getting married. You have to go through the courts, have various
background checks, local, state and federal and then you are approved and then
you go to court to get it done. You can’t really just randomly change your
name.
woman getting married. You have to go through the courts, have various
background checks, local, state and federal and then you are approved and then
you go to court to get it done. You can’t really just randomly change your
name.
So I started the process and by this
time my wife and I were going to have a son and we
talked about it openly on our television show. In fact, no one in our viewing
or listening audience even knew we were married, until we announced we were
having a son. So, we had already chosen the first name Baron for my son, since
ONE JOVAN is enough. And we had his middle name selected as Hutton. A name that
was not in either of his mothers or my family lines.
talked about it openly on our television show. In fact, no one in our viewing
or listening audience even knew we were married, until we announced we were
having a son. So, we had already chosen the first name Baron for my son, since
ONE JOVAN is enough. And we had his middle name selected as Hutton. A name that
was not in either of his mothers or my family lines.
Mark: Now why Pulitzer?
ANSWER 2 Continued: Hang tight man,
it gets better. I chose Pulitzer because most people
knew my name started with a P, and it was about as odd as my birth name, but
come on, I am a marketing guy and name remembrance or memory ability is the
key. But wait there’s more. LOL
knew my name started with a P, and it was about as odd as my birth name, but
come on, I am a marketing guy and name remembrance or memory ability is the
key. But wait there’s more. LOL
As I am getting ready to get all the
paperwork completed and make the change over,
during that last year of getting everything ready, I happened to of started
DigitalConvergence and now I had dozens of bankers and lawyers and handlers
swarming all around me all hours of the day and they asked me to “hold off”
and not cause confusion with a name change since we were targeting an IPO and
they did not want to confuse the markets. So, I agreed to complete the process
after the IPO and I took stronger security measures with my family and home to
protect us from unwanted “visitors”.
during that last year of getting everything ready, I happened to of started
DigitalConvergence and now I had dozens of bankers and lawyers and handlers
swarming all around me all hours of the day and they asked me to “hold off”
and not cause confusion with a name change since we were targeting an IPO and
they did not want to confuse the markets. So, I agreed to complete the process
after the IPO and I took stronger security measures with my family and home to
protect us from unwanted “visitors”.
Mark: So the name change came before
cuecat and DigitalConvergence?
ANSWER 2 Continued: Yes, I started
it a few years before and held off as not to confuse
the IPO, and then after the IPO, the lawyers, bankers and handlers all agreed I
could call myself what ever I wanted since I would be “The Next Bill Gates”.
the IPO, and then after the IPO, the lawyers, bankers and handlers all agreed I
could call myself what ever I wanted since I would be “The Next Bill Gates”.
Mark: Yes, the next Bill Gates, your
book, we’ll get to that later.
ANSWER 2 Continued: So, I am JOVAN,
will always be called Jovan and that’s what my
friends and family call me. JOVAN.
friends and family call me. JOVAN.
Mark: Can I call you Jovan?
ANSWER 2 Continued: Nice try! But
you and I are not friends and lets see how this gos
for your 98 other questions first. Then maybe.
for your 98 other questions first. Then maybe.
Question 3: Why invent a product that has been as ridiculed as your
CueCat? I mean, it has caught alot of flack, is part of pop culture and still
11 years later get flamed all over the Net. I would
guess you would of heard the saying “Well at least YOU didn’t invent CueCat!”
guess you would of heard the saying “Well at least YOU didn’t invent CueCat!”
ANSWER 3 : I actually LOVE that
saying and I will tell you why later, but let me answer
the initial question. The company was NOT about CUECAT, and my famous invention
was NOT CUECAT. It was creating “Scan to Connect” and
“ScanCommerce”. But in inventing this new form of commerce and
communication I had a big hurdle to overcome. CONSUMERS DID NOT HAVE SCANNERS.
It was like creating this wonderful TV show, but no one owned TV’s, so IF I
wanted them to watch my show, I needed to get them TV’s first. I was about
scanning to shop, save, share and connect. CUECAT was just the device that had
to be created to turn consumers on to Scanning as something they did for
themselves, not something they watched happen at the grocery store.
the initial question. The company was NOT about CUECAT, and my famous invention
was NOT CUECAT. It was creating “Scan to Connect” and
“ScanCommerce”. But in inventing this new form of commerce and
communication I had a big hurdle to overcome. CONSUMERS DID NOT HAVE SCANNERS.
It was like creating this wonderful TV show, but no one owned TV’s, so IF I
wanted them to watch my show, I needed to get them TV’s first. I was about
scanning to shop, save, share and connect. CUECAT was just the device that had
to be created to turn consumers on to Scanning as something they did for
themselves, not something they watched happen at the grocery store.
Question 4: CueCat, the device, and thus you, have suffered some very
critical press and comments, and many times outright ugliness. What do you
attribute that to?
ANSWER 4: I can and will answer that, but first let me share a
key Investors point of view. I met just a few short days ago with Roberth
Dechert, the Chairman A. H. Belo (Dallas Morning News). It was the first time
in 11 years that the two of us met face to face. As the record shows, Belo
invested $40 million in CueCat and thus with the dot com crash and the
subsequent closure of DigitalConvercence, Belo ended up writing off their $40
million dollar investment in Digital.
At our meeting he showed me great
wisdom and insight to “why cuecat attracted such venom from its detractors”. He
said, “Jovan you have to realize, you were the first individual, company and
technology that actually FORCED old school media companies like us to “enter
fully the digital age and become interactive and keep up with the times”.
“CueCat, with the millions of devices that we being manufactured and the
1,000,000 installed devices and users we had in 30 days, forced a newspaper and
broadcasting companies like ours to adapt and adapt now”. “And you know in
newspapers, we were used to doing things the same old way they had always been
done, and along come CueCat and your technology, and the writers, editors and
such were FORCED to adapt and evolve” “We gave them no choice and you know
writers and editors have very strong opinions, and when the dot com bust
happened and DigitalConvergence was boarded up, all those people, those writers,
critics and editors lashed out with the power of the pen and gave all of us
Executives and Investors a huge “I told you so!”. “But now, 11 years later,
you, I and everyone knows, CueCat was right, you were right, our investment was
right and now it cool to be part and immersed in technology”.
Question 5: So you are saying they did not regret losing their $40
million dollar investment in DigitalConvergence?
ANSWER 5: No, that’s not what I
said. I said, the stated they were right in their decision to invest and they
believed then and now in the technology. Of course, from a financial standpoint
they would rather of had their $40 million not be a write off. But even more
than that, they would of rather had their $40 million turn into $10 billion.
Either way, as the Belo Chairman and others close to the deal and the
technology have said “No one could of predicted the turn of financial and
technology events in late 2000 and in 2001 and certainly no one could of
predicted the events of 9/11 and the total market crash and the drying up of
the capital markets”.
Question 6: I am going to come back to other investors later on, but
for now, lets talk about regrets and the achievements. Take either topic you
want first.
ANSWER 6: I’ll take REGRETS Alex
for $1000! LOL, just like a quiz show. My first regret? I was a practicing
ASSaholic?
Mark interrupting: You were an
alcoholic? Boy that would explain the rumors of mood swings!
ANSWER 7: LOL, NO not alcoholic I
SAID , ASS – aholic!
Mark: LOL, that’s very funny. I ‘m
going to have to use that.
ANSWER 6: Feel free to use it. I
was a practicing Assaholic and now I am a recovering Assaholic. In my intensity
and passion for what I do and my tendency to drive hard and expect the maximum
best out of people , I crushed and hurt people and test them to their wits end.
I hurt and crushed people that were loyal and I truly loved them and never
wanted to hurt them. But I could not see I was actually being that way. Looking
back I have no idea how people who loved and cared for me like, Brad Smith,
Kozette Hedger, Brandon Brown, Jeff Harris, Mike Simeon, Bill Hunt, Jack Turpin
and Luis Valecillo ( the real people who helped get Digital started and launch)
ever put up with me. I can truly say it was not intentional, but intentions
don’t matter. I did it, I was brutal at time and I was a total ass. Sometimes
more ASS than visionary. I know now that style plagued many a great innovator
and company creators, Steve Jobs most notably. In fact, my PR person was Steve
Job’s person and she would always tell me “You’re just like Steve”. Now I know
that was both a compliment and a warning. I did not possess a filter to
understand how my energy, words and forceful nature impacted people, or most
people I should say. Steve Jobs was legendary for abusing people close to him
verbally, but I understand the pain he had and why he had it. He with no father
connection, me with no mother connection. But, I may of even surpassed Steve
Jobs in aloofness and arrogance when I was creating DigitalConvergence. I was young,
inexperienced and over eager and forceful. Now I am different.
Question 7: I do want to know how you are different today than you were
11-15 years ago, but first lets stay on regrets and accomplishments with
CueCat.
ANSWER 7: How about I just fire some
regrets off rapid fire and of course HINDSIGHT is 20/20.
A. The day I had to show up at
the Courthouse for the declaration of bankruptcy for DigitalConvergence and
sign the final papers of my company vaporizing was tough. First, the press was
there and of course they took even more shots at me in the newspapers and such,
and then, after having a very intimate morning with my wife and she professing
her love for me and saying “I know today is going to be tough but I love you
and you are strong“; a process server served me with DIVORCE PAPERS just 4
short hours after the final Bankruptcy hearing. Talk about a devastating day.
And at the moment, I don’t want to delve off into that too much more at the
moment or I will end up in tears. So, moving on…
B. We manufactured 1,000,000 P/s2
CueCats and 2,000,0000 USB Cuecats. Looking back, I regret NOT limiting the use
of funds to the FIRST 1,000,000 CueCats and then immediately rolling of the key
fob, key chain, cell phone, PDA and wireless CueCat devices. We were holding
back and never got to launch the wireless, unconnected to the desktop versions
before we tanked.
C. I made THREE specific judgment
errors in Executive Positions within DigitalConvergence, that my gut told me
were wrong but I went with the flash Wall Street desires and did not trust my
instincts., and I kept one Legacy employee that had charisma and talent, but
that talent could never be focused fully and made to be productive for
DigitalConvergence and ultimately that individual who we elevated from cell
phone sales tech, to tech guru to an attempt to turn into a productive
Executive, turned out in the end to cost the company Tens of Millions in losses
and 5 key patents that would be worth hundreds of millions, if not billions
today.
D. and , of course, on top of all
that I was a certified Assaholic and the Microsoft deal .
Question 8: I do want to go over your patents and the patents legacy,
but lets go on to accomplishments you are proud of with CueCat and
DigitalConvergence. And, lets cover later this Microsoft deal you regret.
ANSWER 8: Again, I will do some
rapid fire answers on our accomplishments.
A. There was no need for a
consumer scanning anything on their own and it certainly there was no scan to
connect to the Internet until CueCat and DigitalConvergence. So, we were the
first consumer scanner, and we created the multi-billion dollar commerce sector
that is now “Scan to Connect” and “ScanCommerce”. That’s a huge one I am proud
of
B. 1,000,000 CueCat devices
installed and put in use within the first 30 days. That was huge. At the time,
it was the single fastest adoption to the threshold of 1,000,000 users ever of
a single technology or device. Cell Phones, PDA, PC’s, Internet Dial-Up, ISP
members, VCR’s, satellite dishes and many others, took years and years to get
to the 1,000,000 user mark, yet CueCat the device and CRQ the software platform
took only 30 days to reach that mark. That’s saying something about how much
people really liked “scanning to connect”, CueCat created the market sector and
industry around it and paved the way for the over 150,000,000 scan to connect
users today.
Question 9: I have read and know there are over 150,000,000 scan to
connect app users today. How does that make you feel?
ANSWER 9: Great, acknowledged,
proven right and proud. Back 11 years ago at CueCat launch there was NO NEED to
scan to connect or no need for a consumer to scan . Scanning was for retail and
store clerks. DigitalConvergence and CueCat taught consumers scanning could
mean something valuable and useful to them and now that devices are wireless,
since there was almost none back in 1998-99, look at how many people use
scanning apps. Actually the number may be as high as 166,000,000 users at the
moment and some new apps like FaceBook Co-Founder’s gig, ShopSavvy, I hear they
are doing 54 million connects a month. Even 11 years ago we did a little over
5,000,000 scans the first three weeks. It was huge then and its even bigger
now, but we became the poster child for dog piling on and flaming as a technology.
Question 10: You talked earlier about the ugliness and vile that came out
and amazingly still clings on today in some areas and how you attribute some of
that to being a change catalyst in forcing change of old media to the new media
experience. But, you took some direct hits by huge players in the Industry like
Mark Cuban and Walt Mossberg.
ANSWER 10: Yes, Mark and
Mossberg.
Mark continues: Comments on those
two and others?
ANSWER 10 Continued: I will
tackle Walt Mossberg first. I respected Walt Mossberg and his technology angle,
but when I met him he was not what I expected and his actions surprised me.
My COO and I went to visit Walt and
do a face to face demonstration and interview. At that time, no one knew that
Forbes was about to spring it on the world and that all of the Belo Newspapers
were going to be simultaneously releasing interactive newspaper with our scan
to link and scan to connect technology and the CueCat device. We set the demo
and encouraged Walt to scan any item in his office or on his desk and see that
the bar code could be a link between the physical world and the virtual world.
I think he scanned an Altoids, a sticky note pad and a canned beverage on his
desk. He did it and you could see his face light up. He got it and was duly
impressed. So, then he started to ask what we are doing with it and where do we
see it going. We started sharing our deals and our database of 16 million
connected bar codes and such, and as we lifted the curtain, the man became
unglued and shot up out of his seat and started stomping around the room.
Mark comments: What did you do?
Unveil some of your Assaholic nature to Walt?
ANSWER 10: No quite the opposite.
Actually, if you knew me then, as I do now, I actually record every single
meeting I ever had pitching CueCat and DigitalConvergence and I have copies of
every single email or correspondence ever generated, which I did because I knew
we were about to unleash something huge, impact full and meaningful on the
world. So I wanted accurate records. I have gone back and listened to this
meeting several times over and was at first pissed and now I just laugh at the
arrogance of Walt. I have always been a great documenter since sometimes you
talk sensitive subjects and you need to be able to recall facts and people if
your Intellectual Property are ever compromised.
Anyway, as we were sharing with Walt
what we had accomplished and where we were headed as a technology company, we
told him about Forbes Magazine and others about to launch and that was what he
came unglued over. He jumped up, paced his small office and pumped his fist
stating “I am Technology”, “I am Technology in America, I am the voice of
technology and NO TECHNOLOGY gets introduced with out me being the first to see
it”. He went on to rant., “I should have been the first to talk about CueCat
and DigitalConvergence, and the Wall Street Journal should have been the first
Interactive Newspaper not the Dallas Morning News. We are national and they are
just, just a local paper.” “Why did you not come to ME FIRST? Why did you not
offer this to the Wall Street Journal first? “I , Walt Mossberg, AM technology
in America!”. His faced was flushed and his pitted pores flared open and I was
not only shocked but absolutely sure he was so mad he would have security throw
us out right away. All I or my COO could respond to was “Belo is a huge
investor in the technology and we felt you would want us to prove it worked
first before you covered an untested product on a large scale.” That was it
meeting over and he was boiling and not happy. We were shocked. Especially
since he was amazed at how it worked and then made an about face when he heard
we were already down the road with the launch.
The rest you know, he wrote
something like “poorly designed, and no one would ever want to scan something
to connect to a website and it’s such a bad idea that even if it’s free it
won’t work”. Thus the dog pile started. I realized then that having media
partners as investors was both good and bad. Good they can introduce your technology
to their subscribers, but horribly bad, since the media world is cut throat
competitive and all the others that did not have the technology would shoot it
down at all cost to make a tremendous company like Belo look like fools. And
the war of words and barbs began.
Question 11: Now what about Mark Cuban’s views of CueCat?
ANSWER 11: First, the only views and reviews that matter with
any product are that of the actual users. Users define a product. Not
competition for the same press space from companies trying to enter the same
space as you, not other millionaires or billionaires or tech superstars. Only
USERS matter.
So, the first answer is 1,000,000
users Installed and used Cuecat within the first 30 days and that beat the
growth curve of PC’s, Cell Phones, Internet Usage and all most every other tech
device entry. That speaks for itself.
Now for Marks comment. I have known
Mark for decades and still communicate with him to this day. Mark is talented
and has a blessed life and family. Kudos for him, he parlayed his technology
platform into a huge cash out and now he follows his passions. That is a gifted
life to live. But gifted life does not make someone a seer of the future or
able to correctly predict the future. Conventional wisdom would tell Mark, that
since over 150,000,000 people use scanning to connect or to conduct commerce
now via their connected devices, that he was wrong.
Back when I was building what became
the single largest ISP in any city in the US, Mark has started Audionet.com .
At the same time I had launched the first TV program about the Internet and how
to use it, Net Talk Live! And Mark was our very first on- air Guest. Back then
Mark was just Mark, a dynamic guy with big vision and charisma. Todd Wagner,
his partner was the operator and a rock solid great guy. I admire Todd
tremendously. Shortly thereafter, Mark and Todd offered me a top key position
with their team at AudioNet.com. The deal was I would join AudioNet, handle all
marketing, they would take a 50% interest in my broadcast and Production
Company and I would work for Audionet, soon to be Broadcast.com.
I did not take the opportunity, and
yes, granted I passed up millions in the cash in with the Yahoo buy out, but
even then I was perfecting my technology patents and ideas and I wanted to walk
my own walk and pursue my own ideas of technology on the Internet. I believe
Mark has never forgiven me for not taking his offer – in some weird rejection
of Mark and his vision way, but that was not the case. I just wanted to pursue
my own dreams. When I started DigitalConvergence I even called Todd and asked
if he or Mark or both would join my Board and help me, but they were tied up
(understandably) with Yahoo.
Then as Digital started getting all
the huge press, it happened that Mark via the Dallas Mavericks’ were in an
advertising war with Belo. Of course, Belo was one of my key investors. They
were battling over how much coverage the Belo was giving the Dallas Mavericks
versus Mark spending dollars on adds in the Dallas Morning News. It was a huge
war and I think that part of Mark’s unfiltered comment that “CueCat was the
stupidest invention ever” was a direct shot at Beloto hurt Belo and it was a
shot picked up in newspapers around the globe. So, with Mark taking a shot at
Belo, it helped other papers take their shot at Belo as well, and in turn it
took shots at CueCat, our technology, our company, our vision, our employees
and me. It did hurt, but if you understand who and just how HUGE my partners
were, then you can understand why that took on a life of its own.
But I do find it interesting that
Mark has used that very same comment “The Stupidest Ever” with many things he
has commented on over the last two decades. So, I try not to take it personal
and understand, as Todd Wagner told me, that Mark does not have a comment
filter and can say some very hurtful and degrading things that affect peoples’
lives negatively. And, it is easy to sit atop a perch from on high and take
shots at individuals trying to live their dreams. But Mark can’t be all that
bad can he? He has a great partner in Todd Wagner and that says something. He
has a wonderful wife and precious daughter and that says allot about a man was
well. I am happy for him he is living his sports dream and has made Dallas
basketball fans proud.
Question 12: You don’t sound bitter that a Billionaire called your invention
stupid and took a direct shot at you and caused you great pain?
ANSWER 12: Why should I be bitter? I am not even a spec in the
scope of the world. There are more important things then me going on and, I for
one KNOW, you cannot control what people say about you. People and the press
thrive off dirty laundry and cluster mucks. People are the way they are and
most people have a difficult time with other people succeeding and doing big
things. That’s why you will always encounter statements like “You can’t do
that” or “That won’t work”. It takes far less personal effort to bitch, moan
and complain than to compliment. It takes great concerted effort and wisdom to
find the merit in the work of others. But, once again, at the end of the day,
we created the new industry of scan to connect and scan commerce and have over
120 patents to show it and 150,000,000 users and growing daily, using our
vision and new idea. That’s the real story. That’s the legacy chapter.
The most serious way Mark’s comment
hurt me was, when my wife divorced me, she told me “I had embarrassed her and
was the most hated man in Texas” and then quoted a D magazine article and their
publishing Mark’s “Stupidest Invention” comment. She told me, since she knew
Mark as well, “See even people who know you hate you” then she went on to tell
me I ruined HER reputation. That was when the effects of Mark’s unfiltered
comment hit home with me. It added to the loss of my family, right in the
middle of a tech meltdown. Kinda a one-two punch combo. Lost my business, the
dreams for my employees, my family and my home and in many ways for a long time
my health as well.
Question 13: Microsoft, you mentioned earlier that was a regret, how did
you mean that?
ANSWER 13: Microsoft was a large
sponsor of my Television show. In fact, they even went against their huge ad
agencies advice and sponsored Net Talk Live anyways. We helped them win the
global browser war, when we started with them in our TV show. Back then,
Netscape had 90% of the browser market and the rest was Microsoft and Mosaic.
We did a great campaign with them and in just a few weeks turned that table and
they had 85% of the marketplace in our base DMA and it exploded from there.
That gave us some inside connections
with Microsoft, so once I knew the adoption curve of our technology I went to
Microsoft. One of my investors was Warren Buffet’s Bridge Partner and of course
Bill Gates was the other Partner. You should have seen me running around trying
to prepare for meeting Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. I was a mess. It was tons
of all kinds of pressures to know you were going to lay it all out for TWO of
the richest men in the world. That was stressful. The actual pitch was
delivered in Buffett’s jet headed to a Bridge match. Then Microsoft opened their
doors for us. We were assigned an inside champion to guide the project and the
negotiation began. Microsoft agreed with our vision that the software and the
ability to connect was the real golden egg and that we did not care what device
did it and that the cues (or special bar codes) should be available to all.
They also knew CueCat was a free
promo device only used to evangelize consumers to scanning to connect. CueCat
was never the final device, it was the get it jumped started device. They could
see the future of scan to connect and of linking the physical world to the
virtual world. By that time, all the Wall Street guys were introducing me as
“the Next Bill Gates” in all these huge technology and financial meetings. Wall
Street was pushing for me to get Bill and or Microsoft to invest. They were
telling me “Jovan, you get Bill Gates of Microsoft to invest and your $1
billion in personal stock will be $30 Billion opening day of the IPO”. They
were playing me hard, but all I wanted was Microsoft to include our software
engine in Internet Explorer. In doing that you could enter either a product
code (bar code number) in the address bar or a website address as usual and get
information or a web site. Microsoft agreed, but my bankers COO and others pushed
and pushed for an investment and convinced me that Microsoft should not have
our software engine unless they invested. I took the advice of those around me
and the deal tanked.
Microsoft rolled out the new
Internet Explorer and there were some 36 million installs right way. Our
software engine and CRQ would have been on 36 million desktops ready to start
using, but I trusted my bankers and advisors and it did not come to pass. Back
then, in late 90’s and early 2000 bankers did not care about doing the best or
wisest business, they only wanted IPO run up and huge commissions and they had
tons of sway and influence. I was lead to believe I needed to get an investment
and only an investment from Microsoft in order to make my IPO. That was just
crap advice. In fact, this type of discussion went on many times, being at odds
with bankers versus common sense business. But then again, what happened to all
those Wall Street types and Executives just a few years later, speaks for
loudly.
