From Minitel to Startup Nation

The transition from Minitel to the internet wasn't smooth. France spent much of the late 1990s and early 2000s playing catch-up in internet adoption. But the Minitel generation didn't disappear—they evolved.

Marc Simoncini, who made his fortune with a Minitel dating service, went on to found Meetic, one of Europe's most successful online dating platforms. Jacques-Antoine Granjon transformed from Minitel entrepreneur to e-commerce pioneer with vente-privee.com. These success stories multiplied as Minitel veterans applied their experience to the open internet.

The technical communities that had grown around Minitel also adapted. French engineers who had optimized services for Minitel's constraints brought those skills to web development. The emphasis on efficient code and user experience that Minitel's limitations demanded became advantages in the mobile internet era.