I’ve never met Barry Diller — but I sure enjoy watching him execute from a distance. This interview of Diller in this morning’s Wall St. Journal is a classic. He’s figured out the Internet better than almost any big company exec around.
WSJ: What do you like about the Internet?
MR. DILLER: I adore it. Every day you get to make it up. Every day you get to confront an unstructured life. You get to follow your curiosity. You get to play in the organizing period of what I believe is the most vibrant activity that exists today. I mean, my God, who do you have to pay to get up in the morning and do such work?
WSJ: You have said you have no vision for the Internet. What does that mean?
MR. DILLER: I have no vision for anything! I’ve always said this word visionary is so crackpot. I don’t see around corners; I don’t do any of that stuff. I wouldn’t presume to do that. Either I get curious about something or I get takes on things, or whatever, but I don’t have … no I ain’t got no vision. I’ve got instincts.
Out here in Silicon Valley, we always like to ask “but, what’s his exit strategy?” Where’s he taking USA Interactive? Think about it.