• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

2

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

3

Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026

1

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

2

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

3

Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
Finance

Are We Seeing Another Dotcom Crash?

By
Dan Primack
Dan Primack
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Dan Primack
Dan Primack
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 6, 2016, 2:44 PM ET
Pets.com Put To Sleep
The pets.com sock puppet dog stars in a commercial for the company, Los Angeles, California, January 11, 2000. The San Francisco-based pet products company announced on November 7, 2000 that it was shutting down after failing to secure a financial backer or buyer. (Photo by Bob Riha/Liaison/Getty Images)Photograph by Bob Riha Jr. — Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

This has been a terrible year so far for tech stocks. The NASDAQ is off 12.9% as of this writing. LinkedIn (LNKD) shares have fallen more than 51%. FitBit (FIT) is off 47%. Twitter (TWTR) is down 32%. So is WorkDay (WDAY).

Even three of the four vaunted FANG stocks ― Amazon (AMZN), Netflix (NFLX) and Google (GOOG) ― are underwater. The fourth, Facebook (FB), is basically at break-even. And don’t go looking to Apple (AAPL) for salvation. It’s also in the red for 2016.

At the same time, we are beginning to see erosion in the valuations of privately held technology stocks. Not just in the carrying prices from their existing investors, but also in the form of so-called down rounds and lower valuations at even the early stages of venture capital. If 2015 was the year of unicorns, 2016 might be the year of magical glue.

Not surprisingly, all of this has resulted in comparisons to 2001 and 2002, when the dotcom dream became a nightmare.

While there certainly are some similarities ― namely in investors first valuing growth over unit economics, and then changing their collective mind ― it’s a pretty poor analogy. In fact, if you need to find a decent parallel, it would be better to look at the more recent financial crisis.

Between at the beginning of 2000 until the end of 2002, the Nasdaq composite fell by around 53%. During that same period, the S&P 500 was off 22% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down just under 13%. In other words, tech was hit much harder than were the broader markets.

In 2016, however, the losses are distributed much more evenly. The S&P 500 and DJIA each are down more than 8%. That’s smaller than the NASDAQ’s 12.9% drop, but not nearly by the differential that we saw during the dotcom crash. Kind of like what we saw during the financial crisis ― albeit less severe ― when the NASDAQ was down 35% between 2007 and 2009, compared to a 30% drop for the DJIA and a 36% fall for the S&P 500.

Moreover, recent markdowns for privately held companies are not exclusive to tech. Just check out how deep Fidelity has slashed the value of its holdings in coffee chain Blue Bottle. Or the pressure put by investors on non-tech companies like Nasty Gal and BirchBox, each of which just announced layoffs.

Today’s stock sign is a downward arrow, without too much regard for industry sector. Almost everyone got ahead of their skis, and macro factors are pulling them back. Last time it was a mortgage debacle that sparked a massive recession. This time it’s a credit crunch, slowing Chinese economy, and low energy prices (that last one is crazy counterintuitive, but it’s a real thing). Plus, of course, a six-year bull market for stocks.

In 2001, the technology companies had gotten far ahead of a market in which only 4.5% of all Americans were broadband subscribers. Many of them weren’t “real” businesses because they didn’t have much total addressable market. In 2016, the problem isn’t tech. Instead, tech is just a party to other problems.

About the Author
By Dan Primack
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

Institute's Global Conference at the Beverly Hilton Hotel,on May 6, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
RetailSpaceX
Elon Musk was the world’s first trillionaire for 12 days
By Eva RoytburgJune 24, 2026
2 hours ago
President Donald Trump pictured in September 2025 signing an executive order that overhauled the H-1B visa program.
EconomyImmigration
Trump’s international student crackdown kicked off a domino effect that could shave nearly $500 billion off the economy
By Tristan BoveJune 24, 2026
3 hours ago
t
PoliticsDonald Trump
Trump holds landmark affordable housing bill hostage over his pet issue: The ‘national emergency’ of voter ID
By Mary Clare Jalonick and The Associated PressJune 24, 2026
6 hours ago
s
BankingScott Bessent
Scott Bessent calls Mamdani ‘leader of the Democratic Party,’ touts weekly Warsh breakfasts and a new push to put every American in the stock market
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
7 hours ago
a
RetailAmazon
Amazon’s record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
7 hours ago
rd
AsiaChina
Ray Dalio just finished a 10-day trip to China. He says global leaders know America ‘doesn’t have what it takes to fight to maintain its empire’
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
8 hours ago

Most Popular

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
Success
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting
Economy
The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting
By Jacqueline MunisJune 24, 2026
15 hours ago
Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of gold as of June 23, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of June 23, 2026
By Danny BakstJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
Texas and Charlotte used to build huge McMansions—now they're copying the California design tricks they once mocked
Real Estate
Texas and Charlotte used to build huge McMansions—now they're copying the California design tricks they once mocked
By Sydney LakeJune 22, 2026
2 days ago
Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
Banking
Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
By Jim EdwardsJune 23, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.