> Take a loss on every sale and make up for it with volume!

If you take a loss on every sale, it is impossible to make up for it with volume. The result will be a loss magnified by the volume.

It's a joke. Sadly, the origin is unknown, but it's a joke that's well over 10 years old.

I believe it originates in the original dot.com bubble.

I'm pretty sure I heard it in an econ class, which would have been around y2k. From the way it was presented I had the sense that it was already well known.

Guess you missed the sarcasm.

Sarcasm is generally expected to be suffixed with /s. In this case, significant historical context is required to detect it.

Take a loss on every sale to drive less-well-funded competitors out of the market, and then reap monopoly rents.