Computer.com was a short-lived dot-com company founded in 1999. After spending half of its $7 million in venture capital on ads during Super Bowl XXXIV, it was sold to Office Depot in 2000. [1] It is significant as a case study for business historians and others interested in the dot-com bubble.
History
Prior to 1999, the domain computer.com was owned by Gary Kremen, who sold it for $500,000. [2] [3] In 1999, Mike Ford and Mike "Zappy" Zapolin founded Computer.com as a general-purpose website to teach people about various aspects of computing. [1] After raising $7 million in venture capital, [note 1] Computer.com partnered with an advertising agency to create three Super Bowl advertisements six weeks before the game started. [1] Initially, they were dismayed, as due to their late entry, their time slot was located at the end of the game, at the two-minute warning. However, thanks to the closely contested game, the advertisement became one of the highest-rated of all time. [1]
After Super Bowl XXXIV, the company secured "an additional $2 million in a second round of funding." [4] In late 2000, the company was sold to Office Depot.
Operation
It is unclear whether Computer.com ever turned a profit or delivered any kind of actual service to consumers. Viewers visiting the site in response to the Super Bowl commercial would have found only a small dictionary of terms such as "MP3" and links to buy basic home computer products from other companies, mostly outpost.com. [5] Computer.com became a notorious example of the extreme of the "dot-com bubble," in that it appeared to have gone through its entire lifecycle, including the $7 million Super Bowl ad, without ever articulating what it offered as a company or making a sale of any kind. [6]
Domain usage
As of 2024 the domain is currently being used as a front end for a supposedly modified version of ChatGPT similar to Bing Chat.
See also
- Dot-com commercials during Super Bowl XXXIV
- List of commercials during Super Bowl XXXIV
- Dot-com bubble
Notes
- ^ CNet.com gives the company's initial capital as $5.8 million.
References
- ^ a b c d Shroeder, Charlie. "The Dot-Com Super Bowl" Archived 2016-02-03 at the Wayback Machine, Weekend America, 2 February 2008. Accessed February 26 2014.
- ^ "Computer.com Homepage". Archived from the original on 6 October 1999. Retrieved 2017-01-17.
- ^ "Gary Kremen | The Brutal Battle for Sex.com". Sexdotcom.com. 1963-09-20. Retrieved 2017-01-17.
- ^ Sandoval, Greg. "Start-up with pricey Super Bowl ad goes bust", Cnet.com\\, 14 June 2000. Accessed February 28 2014.
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"Computer.com homepage". Computer.com homepage. Archived from the original on 15 August 2000. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown ( link) - ^ "Revisiting the Ads From 2000's 'Dot-Com Super Bowl'". Revisiting the Ads From 2000’s ‘Dot-Com Super Bowl’. Retrieved 1 October 2023.