Dot-Com Era Horror Stories?

[Stratum9]

Any dot-com refugees here that want to share their horror stories or how they survived. I'm sure most people survived it and moved on with their lives. But with what sort of regrets?

Anyone know or heard of someone whose life was ruined because of the fall-out? Marriages collapsing, self-esteem and ambition crushed, suicide, that sort of thing.

Also what dates are generally used to define the dot-com era? When did it boom and when did it bust? I'm presuming late nineties and ending in 2000. Anyone know specifically?

 

[ajayjuneja]

The boom was roughly 1998 - the first quarter in 2001, which was the lull. Stuff started to collapse around April 2000. I was working for a startup, and then at IBM, at the time -- it sure was a lot of fun, although, it was taxing dealing with people who thought they were all that when they were just web monkeys.

Definately was fun, though! The Pink Slip parties in the beginning of 2001 sure were fun! Great places to get dates too! In fact just yesterday, I got an offer which stems back from one of the Pink Slip parties from back then.

I was in the SF Bay area during this time, I remember offering 50 bucks for the dog in the window of Pets.com, and then the dog not fitting in my car (this was right after they went bankrupt).

 

[Stratum9]

Thanks, ajayjuneja. That's the type of things I'm interested in hearing more of.

What makes a Pink Slip Party, other than someone learning they don't have a job anymore?

 

[human2k]

Fear Dot Com

 

[Stratum9]

Originally posted by: human2k
Fear Dot Com

LOL! Guess my title left that one wide open.

 

[Deadtrees]

Are you writing a report about it?

 

[calpha]

Mine isn't as bad as others----

I had a 13 month contract that was in the doldrums when I took a job at a future dot bomb in 2001. After one week at the company (it was February) and the realization that their goal of a alpha release in July was unattainable without direct intervention from God, as well as the promise of 90 hour work weeks.....I quickly retreated back to my contract I was formerly on.

However----my contract wasn't renewed that following May----mostly because of my leaving for the dot bomber. Since then I've had a few short term contracts, but have been struggling ever since to find permanent employment. Either way I guess I was SOL. In no less then two months after I started and quit that dot bomb, the doors were closed.

 

[rudder]

I have been hanging out here in ATOT since the fallout, afraid to venture back to other dark corners of the internet.

 

[damiano]

used to work in a big latin america e-commerce who got to realize that the way to make money online was to sell porn
so we started to do so...
I went to meetings and conferneces of the porn industry (it was a LOT of fun)
but the company ended up going under
worked as a contractor for a while after this and now rellocated to New York City and work as IT consultant for a stable firm on wall street
cheers
Damiano

 

[tigerwannabe]

meetings & conferences in the pron industry?!? what do they talk about?!? with all the free pron out there, i've often wondered if those companies make any $

 

[damiano]

Originally posted by: tigerwannabe
meetings & conferences in the pron industry?!? what do they talk about?!? with all the free pron out there, i've often wondered if those companies make any $

you would be surprised; we were not selling videos but accessories (dildos etc...)
and it sells a lot..
the meetings were great (demonstration of products)
shows...
meetings with porn stars etc...
time of my life

 

[Nightfall]

Originally posted by: damiano

Originally posted by: tigerwannabe
meetings & conferences in the pron industry?!? what do they talk about?!? with all the free pron out there, i've often wondered if those companies make any $

you would be surprised; we were not selling videos but accessories (dildos etc...)
and it sells a lot..
the meetings were great (demonstration of products)
shows...
meetings with porn stars etc...
time of my life

The meetings were great....
I bet they were.

 

[Ulfwald]

I bet no one runs to HR over sexual harrasment in the Porn industry.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: damiano
used to work in a big latin america e-commerce who got to realize that the way to make money online was to sell porn
so we started to do so...
I went to meetings and conferneces of the porn industry (it was a LOT of fun)
but the company ended up going under
worked as a contractor for a while after this and now rellocated to New York City and work as IT consultant for a stable firm on wall street
cheers
Damiano

How did you put that on your resume?

 

[StageLeft]

My story isn't that exciting. I got out of school in Jan 2000 when things were still looking really good. I got a job at some web design start up which then merged with another small company that had been around 2-3 years but just hadn't taken off yet. July 2000 wanting more money I left and joined a .com startup. Dec 2000 they realized that things weren't gonna happen and canned 2/3 of the staff me included (the other 1/3 moved onto a B&M version of the store which is still going AFAIK). I then spent 6.5 months out of work until God granted me a job in the US, where I hope to stay for a long time now. Eastern Canada is a sh*thole for jobs (even before the bubble burst it sucked).

 

[Stratum9]

Keep it coming guys. Doesn't matter if you don't think it's exiting or not. It's all useful and interesting so far.

Are you writing a report about it?

Something like that. I'm not writing directly about the dot-com era, but I do need some basic understanding about it and post dot-com experiences. Insider knowledge, personal experiences, etc.

 

[FeathersMcGraw]

Rent Startup.com. It's amazing that it's a documentary and not just a fictitious account.

 

[LuckyTaxi]

Originally posted by: human2k
Fear Dot Com

horrible movie

 

[Stifko]

I worked for one of the first live streaming media companies. Took a huge pay cut and lower pos to work there. I helped them build that place from way before there even was a company and got screwed royally. During production they worked us like slaves. We almost got killed at woodstock 99 by the wilding kids (that had a right to be pissed off). Anyway make a long story short, they got 11mil in VC angel money and went through it all. New studio, locations in London & SF, producers making 3 digits coming on board and the whole business model sucked. The work totally stopped coming in too. All of a sudden live webcasts were not hot at all. They still aren't. AOL does it and just got like 350,000 hits on a FooFighters show in DC, but thats AOL. We had fun while it lasted, and I'd probably do it again, but differently.

 

[Stratum9]

Originally posted by: FeathersMcGraw
Rent Startup.com. It's amazing that it's a documentary and not just a fictitious account.

Thanks, I'll definately look into it.

 

[Joker81]

Although not about aftermath of a dot-com failure a relitively good book about one company is availible. Its about the lead up and ultimate demise of Value-America.

Its called: dot.bomb: My Days and Nights at an Internet Goliath
by J. David Kuo



Its written by the perspective of a employee. Link to Book on Amazon


edit: fixed link

 

[ReiAyanami]

shorted XCIT (excite, the search engine) in 1999, when it was an "$800 million company" thinking this balloon will pop soon. bleeding money left and right, i was certain it'd be bankrupt within 2 years

the stock ballooned more to $100+, then ATHM (@home the cable company) merged with them and the stock went to $200+ and then stock split. then the margin call came, lost the house, out $200k, parents divorce

and the following year the combined company actually did go bankrupt, so what should have been a 100% gain turned into a 1000% LOSS

nowadays, i stay lowkey. ebay's stock is obviously bloated and can't sustain the growth they expect, the stock will crash and should be shorted, however don't know when its sky will fall so too scared and stay away. not to mention ALL the insiders are selling.

 

[Hector13]

Originally posted by: ReiAyanami
nowadays, i stay lowkey. ebay's stock is obviously bloated and can't sustain the growth they expect, the stock will crash and should be shorted, however don't know when its sky will fall so too scared and stay away. not to mention ALL the insiders are selling.

not that I think ebay is a good stock or company (and not that I think it isn't), but it is almost always in the best interest of insiders to sell their stock.

 

[ReiAyanami]

but i did find it amusing when the bond holders were offered $700 million cash at the bankruptcy by AT&T for the remnants, subs, and equipment of the ATHM/XCIT carcass but the bondholders held out and the board proceeded to shift all subscribers as well as firesale the equipment, leaving the bondholders with $0.

 

[ajayjuneja]

Originally posted by: Stratum9
Thanks, ajayjuneja. That's the type of things I'm interested in hearing more of.

What makes a Pink Slip Party, other than someone learning they don't have a job anymore?

Pink Slip Party = Job fair - booths + booze + music, all at a bar. They rocked! In fact, this week I just got a job offer from a friend I met way back in March 2001 at one in palo alto. We stayed in touch the last two years, and something amazing just fell into my lap. Good thing I'm going back to the bay area in one week!