Rough Drafts

Webvan going under

I have to admit I didn’t call this one: Webvan is going out of business, making official what observers have been speculating for months. In the two years since it got started, Webvan burned through about a billion dollars of investors’ money (OK, it was actually $800 million, but whats a few hundre
Dylan Tweney 1 min read

I have to admit I didn’t call this one: Webvan is going out of business, making official what observers have been speculating for months. In the two years since it got started, Webvan burned through about a billion dollars of investors’ money (OK, it was actually $800 million, but whats a few hundred mil between friends?) and had almost exactly nothing to show for it at the end of the day.

How anyone can spend that much money and still not emerge a major market force, I don’t know. Back when they were getting started, I predicted Webvan would eventually give FedEx a run for its money as a rapid-delivery service, capable of bringing everything from fresh eggs to Playstations right to your door. At the time, that seemed like a critical piece of the e-commerce pie. As it turns out, FedEx and UPS are doing just fine handling deliveries for the few dot-coms still in business, and for the rest of the nation’s economy, well, it’s still pretty much owned by the same giants as ever.

Share
Comments
More from Dylan Tweney - Storylines
Rough Drafts

Fifth Sun

Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs by Camilla Townsend Camilla Townsend has pulled off a remarkable magic trick in this book, reconstituting the Mexica empire with an amazing level of detail and sensitivity. It makes the Aztecs feel like a real people, with a vibrant and complex culture, instead
Dylan Tweney 1 min read

Storylines

Subscribe to my newsletter on writing & storytelling

Great! You’ve successfully signed up.

Welcome back! You've successfully signed in.

You've successfully subscribed to Dylan Tweney - Storylines.

Success! Check your email for magic link to sign-in.

Success! Your billing info has been updated.

Your billing was not updated.