Ahem, Bob Davis Was Right

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Yet since Davis left in February, so have a raft of other senior managers. The question for Agut is whether he can leverage TerraLycos' size and diversity. Cross-border mergers are always difficult, even in cyberspace. Morale was already down in Waltham, when the company cut its work force 15% this month. But analysts say it needs a global-acquisition binge to consolidate its territory in Europe and Asia. (It's already hard to beat in Latin America.)

Although he's still on the TerraLycos board, Bob Davis is looking for new conquests. He (wisely) turned down an offer to run Napster, and can be found mostly at the offices of Highland Capital Partners, a venture-capital fund. (Surprise!) Gushes Davis with his usual exuberance: "If you accept the buy-low, sell-high premise, there are fortunes to be made right now." It's business, just as it always has been.