Gates predicted content would dominate the Internet as it did broadcasting

Evidence

At the time of that coronation, Internet “content” consisted mainly of homemade web pages with flashing words and the text forums where geeks discussed the pluses and minuses of object-oriented programming languages. Nevertheless, Gates prophesied an explosion of new creativity that would dominate the Internet’s future. “Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet, just as it was in broadcasting,” he wrote, adding, “The television revolution that began half a century ago spawned a number of industries…but the long-term winners were those who used the medium to deliver information and entertainment.” — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 862

Categorization

• XREF: Gates explicitly draws the parallel between broadcasting’s attention economy and the Internet, connecting to earlier chapters on early radio and television advertising. — connects to: Google’s leaders predicted the internet would vanish into pervasive everyday computing — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 617; Gates recognized that audience attention must be earned, not merely captured — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 863

Broader Connections

• Gates recognized that audience attention must be earned, not merely captured #expands (0.75) — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 863