MTM_moi

[John Young]

   EcoMist, March 2, 1996: 
 
   "Many people believe that the Internet will make middlemen 
   extinct. It is more likely to help them thrive." 
 
      The Net's fans argue that it allows consumers to bypass 
      intermediaries while increasing their choices and 
      finding better bargains. One influential proponent of 
      this idea is Bill Gates. Compelling as they seem, 
      however, these arguments do not prove their case. 
 
      Hal Varian, an economist at the UC Berkeley, claims 
      there will be greater competition among intermediaries, 
      and maybe many more of them. Instead of competing on the 
      basis of inside information, those agents will compete 
      by adding value in other ways. 
 
      The Internet will put some intermediaries out of 
      business, but it will create more work for others. And 
      among these will be not only  suppliers of familiar 
      services, but also a new breed monitoring Internet 
      sites, collecting news and information, and repackaging 
      it -- folk, in other words, like Mr Gates. 
 
   MTM_moi