In Praise Of... Alex Tew

In the summer of 2005, I too was embarking on the right of passage that was University. Well, actually, in the summer of 2005 I was replenishing stock and smiling at grunting customers returning ‘un-soiled’ items of clothing at a high street retail store; earning my crust so I could survive my first full year out on my own, leaving the nest and going ‘into the wild’. It gets me down a little that I wasn’t more entrepreneurial, innovative and cash-hungry. I know now that I didn’t give one, solitary thought to coming up with an idea that would make me a millionaire. The fact that I was going to study Sociology and Alex Tew was undertaking his degree in Business Management may go some way to explaining it.

Nevertheless, I have (clearly) been late to the party here. In coming across Alex Tew’s ‘Million Dollar Homepage’ just this week and reading about the man himself; I noticed that part of the agreement in selling the pixels was that he would maintain the website for at least five years, the minimal contract therefore ending on August 26th of this year. (The pixels actually sold out within months of the page being set up due to substantial media coverage and it has not been officially updated since early 2006.) Yet, other than an internet ‘terrorist attack’, (thwarted by the FBI), and the promise of some business ventures, Alex Tew’s activity has been minimal since becoming a self-made internet millionaire, and frankly who can blame him?

I guess my point is that I’d still like to doff my green cap to a man who had an idea and saw it through. But Alex, where are you now? To quote Georgy-Boy; has that money gone on women and booze – or has it been wasted? As I said, I came late to the party, and I may have missed my invite to the reunion, people will no doubt tell me that Alex heads many a successful business; both ethical and profitable. If not, then Alex is no doubt sitting pretty wherever he is. But do get in touch, five years is nearly up, it’s time to start a new sentence…