Elf Sternberg

In 1996 I interviewed at a startup called "Artemis Research" which was building an interesting web client and service. They wanted me to design the network on the back end of it. I declined because the client was far too simple, and even the possibility of encryption between a remote web server and a client (thus hiding the content of the transaction from the service provider) was precluded. The service provider could see all. I regarded that as a situation ripe for abuse. When I raised my concerns to the CEO, he wanted me to work within the company to see that these concerns addressed in their privacy policy. Standard co-opting strategy.

Thus did I give up a piece of a half-billion dollars when (a year later) Microsoft bought WebTV Networks.

So far as I can see, that attempt to force "convergence" failed. Steve Perlman wanted WebTV to be like Teletext in Europe: included in every TV by the manufacturers as a matter of course, and he never got that. Microsoft does not, though webtv, control the web experience of the masses.

But they'll keep trying...