We Hate You, We Really Hate You: Ed Esber and Ashton-Tate

Abstract

In 1987, while working at MicroPro as WordStar product manager, I was assigned to participate in one of high tech’s hoariest rituals: a press tour. A press tour consists of arranging for members of your senior man‑ agement team to meet with key members of the fourth estate and ana‑ lysts who write about and cover your market. The hope is that once you’ve established a backslapping, hail-fellow-well-met relationship with an editor from PC Magazine or a guru from Gartner they’ll be more inclined to write nice things about your company and its products. Sometimes it works out that way. The quid pro quo driving the tour is that in return for putting up with you disturbing their day, you’ll provide fresh news for the press and buy research from the analysts. Sometimes it works out that way as well.