BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : SEPTEMBER 27, 1999 ISSUE
COVER STORY -- E.BIZ -- THE E.BIZ 25 Ellen M. Hancock ELLEN M. HANCOCK EXODUS COMMUNICATIONS Position: CEO Contribution: Proved that data-centers-for-hire can be trusted to handle corporations' most vital information over the Net. Ambition: Make the Web as reliable and taken for granted as the phone system. In July, 1997, Ellen M. Hancock had a serious self-confidence problem. Despite a 29-year career at IBM (IBM), she was pushed out as chief technologist of Apple Computer Inc. (AAPL) by the mercurial Steven P. Jobs. She wondered if she should bother seeking a CEO job given what she describes as a sullied reputation. Her blue period is over. Since joining Exodus Communications Inc. (EXDS) in March, 1998, Hancock, 56, now CEO, has emerged as a driving force behind one of the hottest new trends in cyberspace: Web hosting. With Internet startups and old-guard behemoths alike wanting to get on the Net with a minimum of money and hassle, dozens of companies have sprung up, offering to run their Web operations for them. Hancock offers a sorely needed nuts-and-bolts approach that is convincing customers they can entrust their most vital computing jobs to outsiders via the Web. Next up: She plans on making Internet communications more secure by running them across private networks. ''We think we can change the way the Net looks and feels,'' she says. Clearly, Hancock has the right formula. With a network of 22 data centers around the nation, Exodus, now No. 3 in Web hosting, is catapulting toward the front of the pack. Last year, the company's revenues grew a staggering 308%, to $215 million, and forecasts call for their doubling again this year. While memories of her time at Apple still smart, Hancock is just relieved she didn't finish her career there. Instead, she has forged a critical place for herself in the New Economy. By Peter Burrows _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP					RELATED ITEMS The e.biz 25: Masters of the Web Universe COVER IMAGE: The e.biz 25 Commentary: The Great Equalizer? Not by a Long Shot TABLE: Who's Lagging in the Net Age [empire builders] Jeffrey P. Bezos AMAZON.COM INC. Stephen M. Case AMERICA ONLINE INC. Timothy A. Koogle YAHOO! INC. [the innovators] Louis H. Borders WEBVAN GROUP INC. Jay S. Walker PRICELINE.COM Margaret C. Whitman EBAY INC. Glen Meakem FREE MARKETS ONLINE INC. James H. Clark MYCFO INC. Christos M. Cotsakos E*TRADE GROUP INC. [bankrollers] Masayoshi Son SOFTBANK CORP., JAPAN Robert C. Kagle BENCHMARK CAPITAL Lawton W. Fitt GOLDMAN SACHS & CO. L. John Doerr KLEINER PERKINS CAUFIELD & BYERS   Bernard Arnault LVMH MOET HENNESSY LOUIS VUITTON   [the visionaries] Mary G. Meeker MORGAN STANLEY DEAN WITTER John Hagel III MCKINSEY & CO. William Joy SUN MICROSYSTEMS [the architects] Louis V. Gerstner Jr. IBM CORP. Pehong Chen BROADVISION INC. David C. Peterschmidt INKTOMI INC. Kevin J. O'Connor DOUBLECLICK Ellen M. Hancock EXODUS COMMUNICATIONS [the pace setters] David S. Pottruck CHARLES SCHWAB CORP. John T. Chambers CISCO SYSTEMS Michael S. Dell DELL COMPUTER INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online

Copyright 1999, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of Use   Privacy Policy