Malone's wariness came from personal experience. Suddenly, the two would-be monopolists' interests begin to mesh. Armstrong buys out TCI, removing Malone as a direct impediment. He then reaches for MediaOne Group, which already is being bought by Comcast, a Philadelphia-based cable operator and At Home backer. To stave off a counterbid by Gates, a side pact surfaces.
Money is Armstrong's language.
Or he wouldn't have come in at close to the last moment to outbid Comcast by a few billion for MediaOne. Gates is in the driver's seat again. Cable operators may still be scared of Gates. But they aren't afraid to take his money. Then subscribe to the IAW E-Mail Alert.