Business 2.0 Magazine; June 2003--Issue Highlights.

Business Editors

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 27, 2003

Business 2.0 Magazine; June 2003--Issue Highlights

COVER STORY

"The Hottest CEO in Tech," by Eric Nee, page 86

In just three-and-a-half years, Steve Bennett has led Intuit through one of the most amazing turnarounds in recent corporate history, boosting operating profits by 40 to 50 percent a year and building the maker of personal-finance programs like Quicken and TurboTax into the eighth-largest software company in the world. Turning around a $900 million company that still acted like a startup was a daunting challenge--but also one that Bennett had been training for his entire career, most of which was spent soaking up the Six Sigma quality-control gospel of General Electric. Now, though, Bennett faces his biggest test yet. Can he leverage Intuit's popular brands and fiercely loyal customer base to beat companies like Microsoft and Oracle in a battle to control the last untapped market in software?

OTHER FEATURED ARTICLES

"Prime-Time Porn," by Paul Keegan, page 97

Meet Steve Hirsch, the soft-spoken 41-year-old CEO of Vivid Entertainment and, more important, the executive most responsible for transforming the disreputable underground pornography industry into a multibillion-dollar business. Vivid is the biggest XXX studio in the world, with revenue estimated at $100 million and superstar Jenna Jameson signed to a seven-year deal. Vivid now sends hard-core movies to TV screens across America through hotel chains and satellite and cable operators. The next step? Porn as prime-time entertainment, with the arrival of broadband TV. Here's how, by borrowing tactics from the old Hollywood studios and harnessing new technology, Steve Hirsch and Vivid are taking the sex-film industry mainstream.

"The Business of Fear," by Jack Hitt, page 106

In the aftermath of 9/11 and with each subsequent threat, firms large and small have responded with efforts to capitalize on the nation's growing sense of insecurity. New venture capital funds are underwriting companies whose technologies come wrapped in antiterror sales pitches. Trade councils and lobbyists devoted to this market are appearing. In the consumer market, sales are increasing on items ranging from "nuke pills" to al Qaeda-proof bomb shelters. Is this the next big trend in technology, or just the start of another bubble?

"Mary Tolan's Modest Proposal," by Ralph King, page 116

Mary Tolan, a rising star and head of the energy practice at consulting firm Accenture, is proposing a crash program to replace gasoline with hydrogen as the world's chief transportation fuel. Her plan would cost money--several hundred billion dollars--but as Tolan sees it, that's peanuts compared with the unprecedented economic boom and the gushers of corporate profits her hydrogen proposal would produce. Still, Tolan is calling for a radical transformation that could expose some of the most hidebound industries to daunting technological and commercial risks. Can she convince Big Oil and the auto industry that they can revitalize the economy, mint profits, and save the planet--if they'll just learn to stop worrying and love hydrogen?

"What Works Special Report 2003," by Business 2.0 staff and contributors, page 53

-- Innovation: Why are companies like Hewlett-Packard and Ford

turning to TRIZ? Because this controversial theory of

problem-solving may be as close as you can get to a formula

for brilliant ideas.

-- Implementation: All too often, pricey enterprise software

simply doesn't work. Here's how Mercury Interactive can help

you fix it.

-- Automation: Payroll? Who needs payroll? Not Fanuc, where the

dream of entirely robotic "lights-out" manufacturing is

finally a productive reality.

-- Motivation: To customers, you're only as good as your

call-center reps--which usually means not very good at all. In

the case of DirecTV, however, that's very good indeed.

-- Inspiration: With help from a panel of distinguished marketing

and communications professionals, Business 2.0 unveils the

winners of the 2003 Sweet Spot Awards, given to the

individuals and agencies behind the year's most successful

marketing campaigns. Learn how Axe Deodorant, Rheingold Beer,

and Walt Disney's Buena Vista Pictures melded time-tested

techniques with new technologies to create the most

memorable--and cost-effective--ads of the year.

COLUMNS

Face Time, by John Heilemann, page 46

No one knew the Valley like Frank Quattrone. And now he's being blamed for the worst of its excesses. Is he a villain, or merely a fall guy?

The Message, by John Battelle, page 82

Overture and Google have figured out how to sell the Web. Paid search has already saved Yahoo--and your business might be next.

The Point, by Paul Allen, page 142

This month's guest columnist, the co-founder of Microsoft and chairman of Vulcan Inc., lets us in on his vision of the future. Here's why he's focusing on "biologically inspired computing," in which the raw processing speed of the computer is combined with the incredible analytical capabilities of the human brain.

PLUS

In Front: For the release of the latest Harry Potter novel, publisher Scholastic works a little black magic; Titans of Tech: Qualcomm CEO Irwin Jacobs on GSM, CDMA, and the limitations of Wi-Fi; Investing: Market-neutral funds rose steadily through the downturn--but is that any reason to buy them now? Cheat Sheet: How to ward off stress, fatigue, and other common office ailments; Careers: A new way to beef up your Rolodex--fast; Power Toys: The latest breakthrough in dual-suspension mountain bikes; Gizmos: Workout gear goes fiber-optic, a Dick Tracy watch comes to life, the superaffordable high-end home theater, and more.

The June 2003 issue is available on newsstands May 26. For more information, or to schedule an interview with a Business 2.0 writer or editor, contact Marlene Saritzky at 415-293-4839 or [e-mail]; Karen Palmer at 415-293-4837 or [e-mail]; or Laura Goldberg at 212-725-2295 or [e-mail].