Imitation is truly the sincerest form of flattery. We should be flattered!!
Andreessen also garners his share of emoting detractors spewing subjective feelings to enable themselves to remain in denial.
Andreessen, You’re Off the Mark
Marc Andreessen is a smart guy and his blog has become a must-read for its insight but his latest post on launching the New York Times Deathwatch is so off the mark, it’s a joke.
Yes, the New York Times - like many other newspapers - is struggling with lower circulation and advertising revenue but, come on, it’s not like the NYT is going to disappear so slapping a deathwatch label on it is silly.
If Andreessen wants to provide some insight, he’d be better off talking about the NYT’s efforts to go digital than a post rooted in a “Chicken-Little-the-sky-is-falling” approach.
Does the NYT have its strategic and business issues? Definitely.
Is it struggling to find its way in a digital world? Of course.
But will the NYT disappear amid these challenges? No, although it will no doubt be a different looking company.
Maybe Andreessen is frustrated with the NYT’s weak stock performance or its inability to come up with an effective online strategy but the NYT still has significant assets and a strong brand, which makes a deathwatch, at best, strange.