6 That Missed the Cut

Wired 13.05: The Wired 40: "IAC/InterActiveCorp
Even with AskJeeves, Diller's Net conglomerate has failed to pan out. Having spun off Expedia and Hotels.com, IAC is bottom-heavy in home shopping.

Inditex
The Spanish just-in-time fashion designer and retailer is executing well on its plans, but it has been severely outflanked in the US by rival H&M.

JDS Uniphase
Demand for JDSU's optical networking products remains one-fifth of its 2001 peak. The erstwhile highflier no longer sets the agenda in net hardware.

Level 3
Voice over IP was supposed to save Level 3's cash-burning bacon, but the company lost $216 million last year and nearly $1 billion in the two years before that.

Ryanair
The European discount airline continues to deliver financially, but it lacks the vision of its stateside counterpart, JetBlue.

WPP Group
The advertising behemoth's never-­ending string of acquisitions is starting to look more like growth for growth's sake than a coherent strategy.

Duff McDonald (duffmcd@mac.com) wrote about theoretical physics in issue 13.01."