Claims

Factual · Technology

“I think we have about six million Navigator users now, and those are the ones on the public network.”

Marc Andreessen, Netscape founder and COO · June 1995 · Smithsonian Oral and Video Histories: Marc Andreessen (Smithsonian)

In June 1995, Andreessen said he thought Netscape had about six million Navigator users on the public network, not counting users behind firewalls.

Mostly true True in substance, wrong in a detail.

The second judge would not resolve this claim; the verdict shown is the first judge's.

Said for an organisation they lead or work for; it counts on both records.

What would count as true or false

Judged as of June 1995. The claim is about what Andreessen said, and his estimate of 'about six million' public-network Navigator users. True: a transcript or contemporary record shows he said this, and Netscape's figures from mid-1995 or credible estimates put public-network Navigator users at roughly 6 million (about 5 to 7 million). Mostly true: he said it, and contemporary estimates are somewhat further off (roughly 4 to 8 million) or measured on a slightly different basis. Mixed: he said it, but contemporary figures differ by a large margin. Mostly false: the quote is materially misattributed, or the figure was greatly overstated against contemporary data. False: there is evidence he did not say it, or contemporary data shows the user base was far from 6 million (e.g. under 2 million).

Evidence

1. History of Netscape (1993): founders, timeline, facts | ShipStack ShipStack

   “1995-06: by Andreessen's own account, Netscape already has about 6 million Navigator users and a global sales department of 6 people”

2. Clark | High Stakes In Cyberspace | FRONTLINE | PBS PBS FRONTLINE · 12 June 1995

   “it's achieved about 8 million users and, and still growing very rapidly.”

3. Clark | High Stakes In Cyberspace | FRONTLINE | PBS PBS FRONTLINE · 12 June 1995

   “then that accumulates a higher percentage and that number was 75% according to the New York Times. Other estimates put it higher.”

4. History of Netscape (1993): founders, timeline, facts | ShipStack ShipStack

   “1995 (by spring, ~April): roughly 70–75% of the fast-growing browser market belongs to Navigator during the first months after the release”

Reasoning

E1 is a secondary timeline that credits Andreessen with saying in June 1995 that Netscape had about 6 million Navigator users. In a FRONTLINE interview dated 12 June 1995 (E2), Clark put the user count at about 8 million. Clark's figure appears to be a total, so it is on a somewhat different basis from a public-network-only figure, and it fits with about 6 million public-network users. E3 and E4 put Navigator's spring 1995 market share at about 70–75%, which supports a large user base but does not pin down the number. Because the quote is not confirmed by a primary transcript and the contemporary figure may be measured on a broader basis, this is mostly true rather than fully true.

Cite this claim

Marc Andreessen, “In June 1995, Andreessen said he thought Netscape had about six million Navigator users on the public network, not counting users behind firewalls.” (said June 1995). Verdict: mostly true. Reliability API, claim c_a22ca02642dc, method 0.1.0+c876030c. https://epistacklabs.com/claims/c_a22ca02642dc