Notes from the Digital Dealer Conference

April 20, 2009

Digital Dealer Las VegasI’m out here at the Digital Dealer conference in Las Vegas. I have to say that the show is much better attended than I might have expected.

I heard a rumor that Trilogy, a software company from Austin, Texas, purchased Autobytel. I just checked it out on Yahoo quotes and see that Trilogy in fact made a tender offer for $0.35 a share. My quick back of the envelope math suggests that this makes the company worth somewhere roughly around $15 million. Anyone remember the days when this company might have been worth about a billion? It’s not clear to me what their intention is, but Trilogy has a way of running company’s that have already seen their best day for their remaining cash flow.

I’m also struck by how social media is changing our world. Literally as I was speaking at the conference this morning, my Twitter Tweet Beeps were going off non-stop. In other words, there are people sitting in the audience commenting on the speech and sharing their views in real time with others in the audience, in other seminar rooms, and in dealerships around the country. While this thing redefines the concept of speed, information flow and efficient markets, I honestly think that if you’re not tapped in to Twitter, you’re behind the curve.

And if you are on twitter – be sure to follow me as well; I’m @vAuto