Thanks for the Ride, Mike
February 2, 2009
by Mike McCue
General Manager, Tellme
Mike Homer was many things to many people. To the people at Netscape and the myriad of start-ups that spun off afterward, he was their visionary and counselor. Nobody made a move without checking with Mike first. He was our close confidant and truest believer, always encouraging us to push forward and to never give up on our our biggest ideas.
He had a get-it factor that was unmatched, understanding and relating to people as well as their ideas in a very deep way. He knew what made people tick and he intuitively knew how to talk to them and make them feel at ease.
He could mine ideas for their greatness and loved brainstorming for hours no matter where he was…in the office, at a baseball game, during a Moody Blues concert or in the barren new offices of the start-ups he counseled at their outset.
Mike was always the first to listen when I was at Netscape and then he became my closest adviser in the earliest days of starting Tellme. He gave me the confidence to believe that I could build the company.
He argued with me when I was too willing to compromise on the big idea, at times believing in my ideas even more than I did. He helped me select and hire my team. He helped me raise our first rounds of funding and close our first crucial sales deals. He worked tirelessly through all hours and his relentlessness and dedication helped set the tone for Tellme going forward.
Then, when we were eventually acquired, he sent me an email that was heartfelt and proud and he selflessly closed by writing, “Thanks for including me in the ride.”
I will never forget Mike’s passion for people and ideas and all he did for my team, myself, and the many other entrepreneurs, engineers, marketers and business leaders he worked with. He was one of a kind who left us far too soon.
Thanks for believing in us, Mike. And thanks for including us all in the ride.
–Mike McCue is GM of Tellme, which is now owned by Microsoft (MSFT).
Longtime Silicon Valley exec Mike Homer died yesterday at his home in Atherton, Calif., after a severe illness. He was 50.
