Hoffman faces tough competition from the likes of Ariba and Oracle. Few execs can claim to have been as ahead of the e-commerce curve as Mark B. Hoffman. His company offered software that groups of companies in various industries could use to set up Web sites for haggling over everything from pencils to semiconductor chips. My marketing VP used to say that it was like dogs watching TV,'' says Hoffman. They were listening, but they weren't getting it.
Companies get it now.
A former CEO of software maker Sybase Inc., he transformed Commerce One of Pleasanton, Calif., from a plain-vanilla electronic catalog software company four years ago. Analysts expect the company to be profitable in 2001. It's not all smooth sailing. Still, thanks to his early start and smart positioning, Hoffman could end up being a skyscraper on the Net skyline. The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.