> In 1999, he joined CommerceBid.com as its president and No. 2 executive; it was developing a software program for companies to pit their suppliers against one

> In 1999, he joined CommerceBid.com as its president and No. 2 executive; it was developing a software program for companies to pit their suppliers against one another for contracts in live online auctions. Business-to-business e-commerce had become hot, and in November 1999, the sector leader—the similarly named Commerce One—acquired the startup for $232 million in cash and stock, though it had just three clients testing its software. Ah yes, the dot-com bubble at its finest.