Press Release: February 10, 2000

WR Hambrecht + Co Initiates Coverage of EarthWeb (EWBX) with Market Outperform and Target of $65

, February 10, 2000—WR Hambrecht + Co, the online investment bank, today initiated research coverage on EarthWeb (EWBX) with a Market Outperform and a 12-month price target of $65. In his report, WR Hambrecht + Co’s eMedia analyst Steve Jang cited EarthWeb’s strong corporate customer base, revenue growth and discounted value as key reasons for the rating . WR Hambrecht + Co offers all its research reports free and real-time at www.wrhambrecht.com.

EarthWeb, Inc., is a leading network of sites providing B2B Internet services to the global IT industry. Utilizing a comprehensive network of IT-focused internet services, EarthWeb allows the various segments of the IT industry to conduct business with each other more efficiently and with greater scope.

"We believe EarthWeb is making a strong play to be the definitive online B2B IT resource and marketplace company. Using key acquisitions and leveraging its customers base in an upselling strategy, in our opinion, the Company is uniquely positioned to achieve a dominant role within the explosive IT industry," Jang said.

Jang projects EarthWeb’s total revenues will reach $61.9 million in 2000, nearly doubling the firm’s 1999 revenue of $31.1 million and nearly a 20-fold increase from 1998 revenues of $3.3 million.