The name is a Native-American word for clever spider, and a few years ago Inktomi seemed to be just that. It was building a business in caching and content-distribution software that would allow users to store information on frequently viewed Web pages to speed up surfing. But as the Internet bubble burst, so did Inktomi's prospects.
Analysts remain wary.
The company has flirted with profitability but still isn't solidly in the black. It's been a rough year, but Inktomi President and CEO David Peterschmidt remains upbeat. He believes the spider will regain its balance through the company's research and development initiatives and new products that will help companies build streaming-media networks and broadcast more information over the Internet. Peterschmidt recently met with BusinessWeek Online's Alex Salkever and Olga Kharif to talk about investors' concerns, Inktomi's new initiatives, and its future. Well, I think the stock dropped like everybody else's.