Ambush Interview #82 TheProfessor (Owner/Founder of Adult Friend Finder) - Page 2 - GoFuckYourself.com

Big Red Machine · 02-17-2006, 03:26 PM

Congrats on the interview TheProfessor

nyana · 02-17-2006, 03:38 PM

andrew was great meeting you down at the playboy mansion, and thanks for bringing me! ..

love your program, i still havent thought of any improvements but I'll let you know when i do

jonesy · 02-17-2006, 03:42 PM

good one

OzMan · 02-17-2006, 03:58 PM

I've been waiting for this one

J$tyle$ · 02-17-2006, 04:34 PM

Good one, Scott - should be one of the best Ambushes to date!

TheProfessor · 02-17-2006, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SleazyDream

1. What is yellow fever? How long have you had it? How bad is it? Have you learned to speak the language?

Shoot... I gotta start dating some Swedish women to quash these
rumors. I studied Chinese during grad school as a hobby and can
speak enough to get myself into a bar fight. Our first language
specific dating sites was in Chinese at http://asiafriendfinder.com.

Shoehorn! · 02-17-2006, 05:23 PM

This'll be an awesome one.

TheProfessor · 02-17-2006, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SleazyDream

2. Why is it your sports cars attracts more men than women? Talk about your cars. post pics.

I've never had time to be a sport car person but picked up a
360 Modena a couple years ago off of ebay. While it's a beautiful
car that lets me chase motorcycles around the nearby winding
mountain roads , I soon found that it's a total guy magnet.
Women assume that I must compensating for something
with a Ferrari and every guy wants to be my new best friend.
I'm sure that someday there will be a Brokeback sequel that
features sports cars.

I recently parked it with this sign

and then someone lifted it... and it turned up here

My next car will probably be an old truck.

JFK · 02-17-2006, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheProfessor

I've never had time to be a sport car person but picked up a
360 Modena a couple years ago off of ebay. While it's a beautiful
car that lets me chase motorcycles around the nearby winding
mountain roads , I soon found that it's a total guy magnet.
Women assume that I must compensating for something
with a Ferrari and every guy wants to be my new best friend.
I'm sure that someday there will be a Brokeback sequel that
features sports cars.

I recently parked it with this sign

and then someone lifted it... and it turned up here

My next car will probably be an old truck.

Good one

JFK · 02-17-2006, 05:34 PM

aff_egr · 02-17-2006, 05:36 PM

I'd be willing to put my truck up...but only as a straight across trade for the 360.

JFK · 02-17-2006, 05:37 PM

Penthouse Tony · 02-17-2006, 05:42 PM

The guy that talked you into buying it was likely blowing smoke up your ass.

JFK · 02-17-2006, 05:46 PM

Penthouse Tony · 02-17-2006, 05:46 PM

I'm not a spammer or anything but check out these hot landing pages!

http://www.gofuckyourself.com/showthread.php?t=577110

JFK · 02-17-2006, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sagi_AFF

I'm not a spammer or anything but check out these hot landing pages!

http://www.gofuckyourself.com/showthread.php?t=577110

can we call you a Sig Whore instead??

Penthouse Tony · 02-17-2006, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JFK

can we call you a Sig Whore instead??

I've been called worse.

Pornwolf · 02-17-2006, 05:57 PM

I've never been a huge Ferrari fan but that is an absolutely beautiful car.

I'd hit it. Definitely.

TheProfessor · 02-17-2006, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SleazyDream

3. Discuss the weird old movie poster collection.

Movie posters in the early years were very different than today.
Most were beautifully hand drawn and bring you back to a simpler
time - collecting them helps give me some balance from working with
bits and bandwidth all day. It's kind of like the feeling you get
when the power goes off at your house and you realize that there was
a time where people were not addicted to the Internet.

JFK · 02-17-2006, 06:10 PM

TheProfessor · 02-17-2006, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nyana

andrew was great meeting you down at the playboy mansion, and thanks for bringing me! ..

love your program, i still havent thought of any improvements but I'll let you know when i do

Yah - the mansion was a lot of fun! Was so great to finally meet many of our affiliates... at what a better location

Drake · 02-17-2006, 06:12 PM

Do you own offline businesses?

What's it like to know that you can buy most things and they won't make a dent in your bank account? Is it fun, or anti-climactic, or something else? Is the "mo money, mo problems" adage true or false?

How did you grow your business initially. Did you "hire" friends or family to help you operate it. In other words are some of your closest friends also in the top chain of command at FriendFinder Inc? Or did you go straight to finding people outside of your circle of friends to delegate jobs to.

How old were you when you launched AFF? Did you run any sites prior? Why personals? Why not porn?

Do you think you could start off in the online world and repeat your current success or have similar success?

What are the most important lessons you've learned as an entrepreneur?

Did your sites ever use 3rd party billing or always merchant? Why or why not? I've read that in the early days some sites started out by taking mail orders because the internet hadn't yet created ways for billing users.

If you had to choose between money, power, or women, which would you choose?

JFK · 02-17-2006, 06:13 PM

JFK · 02-17-2006, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike33

Do you own offline businesses?

What's it like to know that you can buy most things and they won't make a dent in your bank account? Is it fun, or anti-climactic, or something else? Is the "mo money, mo problems" adage true or false?

How did you grow your business initially. Did you "hire" friends or family to help you operate it. In other words are some of your closest friends also in the top chain of command at FriendFinder Inc? Or did you go straight to finding people outside of your circle of friends to delegate jobs to.

How old were you when you launched AFF? Did you run any sites prior? Why personals? Why not porn?

Do you think you could start off in the online world and repeat your current success or have similar success?

What are the most important lessons you've learned as an entrepreneur?

Did your sites ever use 3rd party billing or always merchant? Why or why not? I've read that in the early days some sites started out by taking mail orders because the internet hadn't yet created ways for billing users.

If you had to choose between money, power, or women, which would you choose?

Good questions Mike33

betsy! · 02-17-2006, 06:15 PM

first i see pictures of Eli nude... now lars' butt. It's just too much! ;)

Mr. Jim · 02-17-2006, 06:18 PM

Andrew I want to thank you for being an available and supportive AA sponsor and dance partner.

I think Adult Frank Finder is one of the most trusted names in finding good quality Hot Dogs on the Net...

Penthouse Tony · 02-17-2006, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by betsy!

first i see pictures of Eli nude... now lars' butt. It's just too much! ;)

In other words?

aff_egr · 02-17-2006, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by betsy!

first i see pictures of Eli nude... now lars' butt. It's just too much! ;)

Hey!
.....

TheProfessor · 02-17-2006, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SleazyDream

4. If you were on a game show and there were 3 doors to pick - which would you pick?

Yah, this is one of our interview questions. Suppose you were
on a game show (e.g., let's make a deal) where a new car was
behind one of 3 doors and nothing behind the others. Let's say
you guess door #2. Now instead of showing you what's behind
door #2, I tell you that it's NOT behind door #1. Now, would
you want to change your pick to door #3? (answer later)

betsy! · 02-17-2006, 06:23 PM

haha exactly sagi. :P

hey grunt! ;)

TheProfessor · 02-17-2006, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SleazyDream

5. How does a mechanical engineering major get into computers?

He constructs a very small ladder...

I started programming when I was 11 so by the time I got to
college, I thought that engineering would be more fun. I've always
enjoyed building things and figuring out how things work.

mn · 02-17-2006, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheProfessor

Yah, this is one of our interview questions. Suppose you were
on a game show (e.g., let's make a deal) where a new car was
behind one of 3 doors and nothing behind the others. Let's say
you guess door #2. Now instead of showing you what's behind
door #2, I tell you that it's NOT behind door #1. Now, would
you want to change your pick to door #3? (answer later)

Ofcourse you should change to door 3.

Trax · 02-17-2006, 06:30 PM

i love it already

awesome interview

aff_egr · 02-17-2006, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by betsy!

hey grunt! ;)

Haha, hey B!

Drake · 02-17-2006, 06:36 PM

In 1996, did you see the potential of the internet already, or are you pretty surprised at how things turned out (from a business perspective)?

Who would you say is instrumental or highly influential in launching your online endeavors?

Did it require much investment to get started?

Who do you consider to be your peers, adult or mainstream? Seeing that your one if not the most successful in the business, who do you look up to?

TheProfessor · 02-17-2006, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike33

His questions...

Q: Do you own offline businesses?

A: Not yet - want to start one?

Q: What's it like to know that you can buy most things and they won't make a dent in your bank account? Is it fun, or anti-climactic, or something else? Is the "mo money, mo problems" adage true or false?

A: It might be a bit of a cliché so say that I haven't changed much. I've
always been motivated by doing the best that I can. Growing up, "doing
your best" wasn't measured in dollars so fortunately, my working hard at
Friend Finder is not entirely motivated by money - revenue growth is just
another measure of if we're doing a good job. I'd probably agree more with
"mo money, mo responsibility".

Q: How did you grow your business initially. Did you "hire" friends or family to help you operate it. In other words are some of your closest friends also in the top chain of command at FriendFinder Inc? Or did you go straight to finding people outside of your circle of friends to delegate jobs to.

A: I started the first web personals site in 1994 while doing my Phd at
Stanford. In '94, people were not nearly as demanding as they are now
so was able to have a very simple site. A few years later, I started
Friend Finder on the computer on my desktop. In a few months, hired
a customer service person and started growing organically. Most people
were hired off the street or from dormrooms - was much more of a startup feel.

Q: How old were you when you launched AFF?

A: Started Adult Friend Finder in late 1996 when I was uh... 28.

Q: Did you run any sites prior? Why personals? Why not porn?

A: Yah - in 93, started a web development company out of my kitchen
and built sites for HP, Cisco, and a bunch of little sites. Started a little
restaurant review site at http://dine.com. Many people would call
up and ask if we were the "Internet". I thought it was so cool that
when you put up a webpage, anyone in the world could see
it - so it'd be natural to let people post personal ads. As we were
showing off the personals site to potential clients, we had to keep
it mainstream.

Q: Do you think you could start off in the online world and repeat your current success or have similar success?

A: I know that I have been fortunate to have started early and have
had a number of breaks along the way. I think the numbers of new
successful internet companies remain the same each year... but that
there are just more people trying to create one. Growing a company
like ours has taken years and years of crazy hours - it would be harder
to do that again.

Q: What are the most important lessons you've learned as an entrepreneur?

A: Listen to people, have integrity, juggle enough projects so that you
are less concerned about a single failure, be humble, ...

Q: Did your sites ever use 3rd party billing or always merchant? Why or why not? I've read that in the early days some sites started out by taking mail orders because the internet hadn't yet created ways for billing users.

A: I don't remember any 3rd party billing systems back in 1996 - we
just got a merchant bank and grew the relationship over time.

Q: If you had to choose between money, power, or women, which would you choose?

A: I'd choose the lesser of three evils.

SomeCreep · 02-17-2006, 07:22 PM

Good questions, good answers. This interview is a pleasure to read.

corvette · 02-17-2006, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SomeCreep

Good questions, good answers. This interview is a pleasure to read.

very good interview

SleazyDream · 02-17-2006, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike33

Do you own offline businesses?

What's it like to know that you can buy most things and they won't make a dent in your bank account? Is it fun, or anti-climactic, or something else? Is the "mo money, mo problems" adage true or false?

How did you grow your business initially. Did you "hire" friends or family to help you operate it. In other words are some of your closest friends also in the top chain of command at FriendFinder Inc? Or did you go straight to finding people outside of your circle of friends to delegate jobs to.

How old were you when you launched AFF? Did you run any sites prior? Why personals? Why not porn?

Do you think you could start off in the online world and repeat your current success or have similar success?

What are the most important lessons you've learned as an entrepreneur?

Did your sites ever use 3rd party billing or always merchant? Why or why not? I've read that in the early days some sites started out by taking mail orders because the internet hadn't yet created ways for billing users.

If you had to choose between money, power, or women, which would you choose?

i guess you didn't like my questions....

betsy! · 02-17-2006, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheProfessor

A: I'd choose the lesser of three evils.

that's definetly not women right? right?! ;)

MikeHawk · 02-17-2006, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LegendaryLars

Excellent Ambush Sleazy

What Lars said.................

good one!

Brujah · 02-17-2006, 08:58 PM

This thread should be Pinned!!

Ramos · 02-17-2006, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheProfessor

Q: Do you own offline businesses?

A: Not yet - want to start one?

Q: What's it like to know that you can buy most things and they won't make a dent in your bank account? Is it fun, or anti-climactic, or something else? Is the "mo money, mo problems" adage true or false?

A: It might be a bit of a cliché so say that I haven't changed much. I've
always been motivated by doing the best that I can. Growing up, "doing
your best" wasn't measured in dollars so fortunately, my working hard at
Friend Finder is not entirely motivated by money - revenue growth is just
another measure of if we're doing a good job. I'd probably agree more with
"mo money, mo responsibility".

Q: How did you grow your business initially. Did you "hire" friends or family to help you operate it. In other words are some of your closest friends also in the top chain of command at FriendFinder Inc? Or did you go straight to finding people outside of your circle of friends to delegate jobs to.

A: I started the first web personals site in 1994 while doing my Phd at
Stanford. In '94, people were not nearly as demanding as they are now
so was able to have a very simple site. A few years later, I started
Friend Finder on the computer on my desktop. In a few months, hired
a customer service person and started growing organically. Most people
were hired off the street or from dormrooms - was much more of a startup feel.

Q: How old were you when you launched AFF?

A: Started Adult Friend Finder in late 1996 when I was uh... 28.

Q: Did you run any sites prior? Why personals? Why not porn?

A: Yah - in 93, started a web development company out of my kitchen
and built sites for HP, Cisco, and a bunch of little sites. Started a little
restaurant review site at http://dine.com. Many people would call
up and ask if we were the "Internet". I thought it was so cool that
when you put up a webpage, anyone in the world could see
it - so it'd be natural to let people post personal ads. As we were
showing off the personals site to potential clients, we had to keep
it mainstream.

Q: Do you think you could start off in the online world and repeat your current success or have similar success?

A: I know that I have been fortunate to have started early and have
had a number of breaks along the way. I think the numbers of new
successful internet companies remain the same each year... but that
there are just more people trying to create one. Growing a company
like ours has taken years and years of crazy hours - it would be harder
to do that again.

Q: What are the most important lessons you've learned as an entrepreneur?

A: Listen to people, have integrity, juggle enough projects so that you
are less concerned about a single failure, be humble, ...

Q: Did your sites ever use 3rd party billing or always merchant? Why or why not? I've read that in the early days some sites started out by taking mail orders because the internet hadn't yet created ways for billing users.

A: I don't remember any 3rd party billing systems back in 1996 - we
just got a merchant bank and grew the relationship over time.

Q: If you had to choose between money, power, or women, which would you choose?

A: I'd choose the lesser of three evils.

nicely done

Odie · 02-17-2006, 09:06 PM

I had a feeling this wasgoign to be the ambush!! can't wait to read it all the way through!

jimb · 02-17-2006, 09:07 PM

im looking forward to this interview!

Jim

Sexy Rex · 02-17-2006, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeHawk

What Lars said.................

good one!

What Lars and Mike say. Very Good One

GTS Mark · 02-17-2006, 09:19 PM

Wow great person to interview, I met Andrew in LA at the Webmaster Access show and was absolutely stunned how humble and quiet he was.

A real pleasure to meet someone so successful that has kept a good head on his shoulders and doesn't get caught up in all the bullshit.

DH

xlogger · 02-17-2006, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheProfessor

cliché

Did you actually went searching for that "é"? lol

JFK · 02-17-2006, 10:00 PM

JFK · 02-17-2006, 10:03 PM

02-17-2006, 03:26 PM	#51
Big Red Machine Confirmed User Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: XXXBigRed@Twitter Posts: 9,586	Congrats on the interview TheProfessor __________________ ICQ:475437214

02-17-2006, 03:42 PM	#53
jonesy Confirmed User Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 6,688	good one __________________ . Shooting Bikini Girls

02-17-2006, 05:23 PM	#57
Shoehorn! Die With Your Boots On Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Hawaii Posts: 22,872	This'll be an awesome one. __________________

02-17-2006, 05:34 PM	#60
JFK FUBAR the ORIGINATOR Industry Role: Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: FUBARLAND Posts: 67,374	__________________ FUBAR Webmasters - The FUBAR Times - FUBAR Webmasters Mobile - FUBARTV.XXX For promo opps contact jfk at fubarwebmasters dot com

02-17-2006, 05:36 PM	#61
aff_egr Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: NorCal Posts: 14	I'd be willing to put my truck up...but only as a straight across trade for the 360. __________________ -eric-

02-17-2006, 03:38 PM	#52
nyana Confirmed User Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Vancouver Posts: 212	andrew was great meeting you down at the playboy mansion, and thanks for bringing me! .. love your program, i still havent thought of any improvements but I'll let you know when i do

02-17-2006, 03:58 PM	#54
OzMan Confirmed User Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Los Begas Posts: 9,162	I've been waiting for this one

02-17-2006, 04:34 PM	#55
J$tyle$ Too lazy to set a custom title Industry Role: Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Sunny San Diego Posts: 11,500	Good one, Scott - should be one of the best Ambushes to date!

02-17-2006, 05:37 PM	#62
JFK FUBAR the ORIGINATOR Industry Role: Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: FUBARLAND Posts: 67,374	__________________ FUBAR Webmasters - The FUBAR Times - FUBAR Webmasters Mobile - FUBARTV.XXX For promo opps contact jfk at fubarwebmasters dot com

02-17-2006, 05:42 PM	#63
Penthouse Tony Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Mountain View, CA Posts: 5,835	The guy that talked you into buying it was likely blowing smoke up your ass. __________________ aamos AT FFN dot com Penthouse.com Business Development ICQ: 49090846 \| Yahoo IM: ff_aamos

02-17-2006, 05:46 PM	#64
JFK FUBAR the ORIGINATOR Industry Role: Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: FUBARLAND Posts: 67,374	__________________ FUBAR Webmasters - The FUBAR Times - FUBAR Webmasters Mobile - FUBARTV.XXX For promo opps contact jfk at fubarwebmasters dot com

02-17-2006, 05:57 PM	#68
Pornwolf Drunk and Unruly Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Hollywood Posts: 22,712	I've never been a huge Ferrari fan but that is an absolutely beautiful car. I'd hit it. Definitely. __________________ I've trusted my sites to them for over a decade... Webair, bitches.

02-17-2006, 06:10 PM	#70
JFK FUBAR the ORIGINATOR Industry Role: Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: FUBARLAND Posts: 67,374	__________________ FUBAR Webmasters - The FUBAR Times - FUBAR Webmasters Mobile - FUBARTV.XXX For promo opps contact jfk at fubarwebmasters dot com

02-17-2006, 06:12 PM	#72
Drake Hello world! Industry Role: Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 12,508	Do you own offline businesses? What's it like to know that you can buy most things and they won't make a dent in your bank account? Is it fun, or anti-climactic, or something else? Is the "mo money, mo problems" adage true or false? How did you grow your business initially. Did you "hire" friends or family to help you operate it. In other words are some of your closest friends also in the top chain of command at FriendFinder Inc? Or did you go straight to finding people outside of your circle of friends to delegate jobs to. How old were you when you launched AFF? Did you run any sites prior? Why personals? Why not porn? Do you think you could start off in the online world and repeat your current success or have similar success? What are the most important lessons you've learned as an entrepreneur? Did your sites ever use 3rd party billing or always merchant? Why or why not? I've read that in the early days some sites started out by taking mail orders because the internet hadn't yet created ways for billing users. If you had to choose between money, power, or women, which would you choose?

02-17-2006, 06:13 PM	#73
JFK FUBAR the ORIGINATOR Industry Role: Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: FUBARLAND Posts: 67,374	__________________ FUBAR Webmasters - The FUBAR Times - FUBAR Webmasters Mobile - FUBARTV.XXX For promo opps contact jfk at fubarwebmasters dot com

02-17-2006, 06:15 PM	#75
betsy! Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 37	first i see pictures of Eli nude... now lars' butt. It's just too much! ;)

02-17-2006, 06:18 PM	#76
Mr. Jim Confirmed User Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 4,372	Andrew I want to thank you for being an available and supportive AA sponsor and dance partner. I think Adult Frank Finder is one of the most trusted names in finding good quality Hot Dogs on the Net...

02-17-2006, 06:23 PM	#80
betsy! Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 37	haha exactly sagi. :P hey grunt! ;)

02-17-2006, 06:30 PM	#83
Trax [----------------------] Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 14,486	i love it already awesome interview

02-17-2006, 06:36 PM	#85
Drake Hello world! Industry Role: Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 12,508	In 1996, did you see the potential of the internet already, or are you pretty surprised at how things turned out (from a business perspective)? Who would you say is instrumental or highly influential in launching your online endeavors? Did it require much investment to get started? Who do you consider to be your peers, adult or mainstream? Seeing that your one if not the most successful in the business, who do you look up to? Last edited by Drake; 02-17-2006 at 06:38 PM..

02-17-2006, 07:22 PM	#87
SomeCreep :glugglug Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Where the Wild Things Are Posts: 26,118	Good questions, good answers. This interview is a pleasure to read. __________________ Webair Hosting I use and recommend Webair for hosting.

02-17-2006, 08:58 PM	#92
Brujah Beer Money Baron Industry Role: Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: brujah / gmail Posts: 22,157	This thread should be Pinned!! __________________ Free Premium Domain Lists and Tools at Clickmojo.com For Sale: Obscenity.com

02-17-2006, 09:06 PM	#94
Odie Confirmed User Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: The WATER BABY! Posts: 7,040	I had a feeling this wasgoign to be the ambush!! can't wait to read it all the way through! __________________ Odie [email protected] Are you Mobile???? MMACanada ICQ # 166208354 See Who I Am At AdultWhosWho.com!

02-17-2006, 09:07 PM	#95
jimb Confirmed User Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Costa Rica Posts: 2,514	im looking forward to this interview! Jim

02-17-2006, 09:19 PM	#97
GTS Mark Vrume Mark Industry Role: Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 20,912	Wow great person to interview, I met Andrew in LA at the Webmaster Access show and was absolutely stunned how humble and quiet he was. A real pleasure to meet someone so successful that has kept a good head on his shoulders and doesn't get caught up in all the bullshit. DH

02-17-2006, 10:00 PM	#99
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02-17-2006, 10:03 PM	#100
JFK FUBAR the ORIGINATOR Industry Role: Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: FUBARLAND Posts: 67,374	__________________ FUBAR Webmasters - The FUBAR Times - FUBAR Webmasters Mobile - FUBARTV.XXX For promo opps contact jfk at fubarwebmasters dot com