The memoir I’ve been writing is an honest account of one part of my life: the work I do. Because this is a story taking place in a modern professional workplace, I like to compare it to other recent books, movies, TV shows and plays that cover similar territory, like … Read the rest
(This is chapter 37 of my ongoing memoir of the Internet industry.)
It was the autumn of 2000. From California’s Silicon Valley to New York’s Silicon Alley, the dot-com industry was dead.
I was amazed how easily the industry’s defeat was accepted once the stock bubble burst. Where did all … Read the rest
(This is chapter 36 of my ongoing memoir of the Internet industry.)
I was just hitting my stride in my new role as Director of Community Services at iVillage when the dot-com stock market began to fall. It happened quietly, imperceptibly. Some trace the start of the crash to a … Read the rest
(This is chapter 35 of my ongoing memoir of the Internet industry.)
By the start of the year 2000, I had won a new chance to prove myself at iVillage. My letter-writing battle against my former boss was never resolved, but it quickly became old news. We were both too … Read the rest
(This is chapter 34 of my ongoing memoir of the Internet industry.)
I dreaded returning to work Monday morning, after receiving a letter Friday putting me on one-month probation. I also dreaded seeing Margaret and Neil, since they would have heard on Friday that I was no longer their manager. … Read the rest
(This is chapter 33 of my ongoing memoir of the Internet industry.)
The exit scene had gone all wrong. After a desolate night at the Hotel Pennsylvania I crashed with my sister Sharon, her husband Jeff and their two young kids Matthew and Rachel on 100th Street in the Upper … Read the rest
(This is chapter 32 of my ongoing memoir of the Internet industry.)
I got my first assignment in my new role as Director of Product Development at iVillage. It was a big one.
IVillage had always grown through acquisitions. The company had launched in 1995 with a site on America … Read the rest
(This is chapter 31 of my ongoing memoir of the Internet industry.)
I’m not sure what I thought I was doing, as my big July 23, 1999 Literary Kicks fifth birthday show at the Bitter End drew near. Suddenly I’m a concert promoter? We had a big lineup now, and … Read the rest
(This is chapter 30 of my ongoing memoir of the Internet industry.)
I wanted my life to change in a major way after the big exciting IPO of March 19, 1999, which put $100K into my bank account and made me look smart to all my Silicon Alley friends. I … Read the rest