USWeb

USWeb was an interactive design agency founded in 1995 by former Novell executives Joe Firmage, Toby Corey, and Sheldon Laube during the dot com bubble. USWeb made its first public offering on the NASDAQ exchange in late 1997.[1] In September 1998, the company announced that it would merge with CKS;[2][3] it became USWeb/CKS. In late 1999 the company announced that it was being acquired by Whittmann-Hart, a Chicago-based internet consultancy.[4]

USWeb
Founded1995 (1995)
Founders
  • Joe Firmage
  • Toby Corey
  • Sheldon Laube
Defunct1999 (1999)
FateAcquired by Whittman-Hart

On March 1, 2000, the combined company was renamed marchFIRST, Inc. It went bankrupt in 2001.[5][6]

Business model

USWeb's business model focused on acquisitions of small, independent web design firms and their client bases, with the company's public stock as payment; in all, it bought more than three dozen other companies.[7] Critics, including competitors and analysts, expressed skepticism citing doubts that USWeb would find a niche market in an industry that put a high premium on innovation, and questioned its ability to sustain client retention and growth with its brand and services.[8][9]

As the company grew, it offered business strategy consulting, brand marketing, website design, backend engineering, usability, and one of the first SEO marketing practices.

History

In late 1998, as the merger of USWeb and CKS was being finalized, one of the founders and CEO of USWeb, Joseph P. Firmage, was asked to step down as CEO after he claimed to have been visited by extraterrestrials in his bedroom.[10] Firmage publicly claimed that extraterrestrials had revealed advanced technologies to him and knowledge of alien civilizations.[11]

In early 1999, after Firmage had moved to a consulting role at USWeb/CKS,[7] Robert Shaw assumed the role of CEO of the company. In December 1999, the company announced it was being acquired by Whittmann-Hart, a Chicago-based internet consultancy,[4] followed by a name change, to marchFIRST, Inc., in early 2000; Shaw became the company's Chairman while Robert Bernard, the CEO of Whittman-Hart, continued in that position in the now larger company.[12]

marchFIRST, Inc. went bankrupt in April 2021; in May 2001 it was dissolved.

References
  1. "USWEB CORP (USWB) IPO". NASDAQ.com. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  2. Pelline, Jeff; Kawamoto, Dawn (September 2, 1998). "USWeb, CKS Group to merge". CNET. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  3. Harmon, Steve (September 4, 1998). "Short & Long Of It: USWeb's $350M Stock Swap For CKS". InternetNews.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2004.
  4. Swisher, Kara; Tejada, Carlos (1999-12-14). "Whittman-Hart to Buy USWeb/CKS In Combination of Web Consultants". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  5. "CKS Group (USWeb/CKS; marchFIRST)".
  6. "USWeb looks to weave a success story". CNET. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  7. Achenbach, Joel (March 31, 1999). "The CEO From Cyberspace: Joe Firmage, A Master of the Universe at 28, Wants to Defy Gravity and Visit the Far Corners Of His Realm". Washington Post. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  8. Wagner, Mitch (13 May 1996). "USWeb takes franchising route". Computerworld. IDG Enterprise. Retrieved September 1, 2023 – via Google Books.
  9. Klein, Barry (November 1, 1996). "USWeb launches first network of developers". AdAge. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  10. Learmonth, Michael (December 10, 1998). "Truth and Consequences". Metro Silicon Valley. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  11. Swartz, Jon (January 9, 1999). "CEO Quits Job Over UFO Views / Advances in technology a gift of aliens, Silicon Valley pioneer believes". SFGate. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  12. Kopytoff, Verne (April 29, 2001). "On a click and a prayer / 6 dot-com CEOs reflect on their wild rides". SFGate. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
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