Cauz was hired by
Britannica as a consultant in 1999, and then would later serve a variety of executive positions (including senior vice president of international operations, and
chief operating officer of
Internet operations) prior to his appointment as president. During that time, he played a key role in the company's marketing strategies, including the publication of all-digital editions of the
Encyclopædia Britannica. One of the key aspects of Cauz's tenure was the emergence of the
Internet as both an opportunity and a threat in the
encyclopedia business. In a 2000 interview, Cauz remarked that in an Internet-dominated market, "you have to be free to be relevant". Britannica has, in that time, introduced a free (albeit abridged) online version of the encyclopedia, as well as online subscriptions for readers willing to pay for unabridged content. Since his tenure, it is believed that Britannica has succeeded in transitioning its business model into that of a digital publisher and while its revenues are lower, Britannica has been profitable since 2004. In 2018, Cauz became "an advisor" In April 2008, EB started a project called WebShare, which would "listen to experts" to document knowledge. In January 2009, Cauz criticized
Google for promoting Wikipedia in its search rankings, saying "If I were to be the CEO of Google or the founders of Google I would be very [displeased] that the best search engine in the world continues to provide as a first link, Wikipedia", and "Is this the best they can do? Is this the best that [their] algorithm can do?". When
Britannica announced that they would stop selling their printed encyclopedia in March 2012, Cauz said that "Britannica won’t be able to be as large, but it will always be factually correct." referencing Wikipedia's larger size. ==See also==