It was a draw. An undecided  battle between two new media  leaders. During Idea!Lab on  Friday, TechCrunch  journalist Mike Butcher was  promised an interview  with Oliver Samwer (Rocket  Internet), but in the end it never  happened, with Samwer walking  out of the “meeting”. To put it  more precise: Butcher and S  Samwer couldn’t agree on the  term sheet for the interview.  (Btw: Usually when meeting and  negotiating with Oliver Samwer  a term sheet is typed on the  spot and a notary appointment  arranged within hours so that  young founders don’t even get  the chance to pass it by a lawyer. #samwerbashing.) In this case both parties parted before any agreement was made. 

Both men sure had valid points to their argument. However, while both certainly did not put on their best performance, in the end it was the audience that ended being the biggest looser. 

I am always under the assumption that an interview is important for both parties involved. The interviewee gets some promotion for his/her company and persona and can present a carefully crafted story to the outside world. Me, as a journalist, I get a decent story for my channel as long as I am allowed to ask everything I want. I would think that Butcher and Samwer work under the same principals. 

But in this case both made mistakes. While Samwer’s communication team conveyed a fixed interview date, there seems to have not been any interest on Samwer’s side. Butcher never got a personal confirmation from Samwer himself which should have left him in doubt and trade in the depressing scene of an early morning low cost airline for a long sleep in and some fresh bakery treats from Paul. Pubs open early in London, too, right? Or do they just close early? :-)     

Another mistake of Butcher was to ask Samwer questions about topics that he obviously cannot answer due to the SEC quiet period. Any journalist should know that. This must have confirmed Oliver Samwer’s false belief that TechCrunch lacks professionalism. 

Samwer on the other is very naive if he thinks he can ignore the blogosphere. He is an extremely successful entrepreneur but widely regarded as a copy cat and thief. Even if that does not hurt his own feelings, it sure is uncomfortable for the thousands of people who are employed by him. I have heard this from various people who work for Rocket companies again and again: They believe that his personal image hurts the image of the portfolio companies. This interview could have offered a good platform for him to explain his business tactics and answer to those who portray him as an unethical, morally condemnable business man.  

Anyway, we all want a new interview battle on fair grounds. Do the contestants look for a neutral location? The Friday at Six Radio Show is more then happy to offer both a seat at the table. Are you both up for taking central stage?

We could have the Xhill Stumpers entertain the crowd between individual interview rounds, some beer, popcorn and an audience of aspiring young entrepreneurs. Whatcha say? 

Samwer needs to realize that if he goes on avoiding the interview, the audience will never be able to pick a winner. And he sure must be interested in #winning, DUH!  

by Derk Marseille