I experienced 2001 and 2008. In 2001, f**kedcompany.com was daily reading to find out which random startup(s) went under that day. For me, every company meeti

I experienced 2001 and 2008. In 2001, f**kedcompany.com was daily reading to find out which random startup(s) went under that day. For me, every company meeting was the one where I wondered if we were all being fired. I started as employee #45 at a company, which then grew to over 150, and then shrank back down to 40. The world of 2008 felt (to me) more like a global economic calamity vs. tech explosion. In both of those cases, tech compensation felt more "normal" and getting a low six-figure exit felt like the best-case scenario. No one I knew was looking for unicorns or otherwise expecting life-changing money. Fast forward a few years, and it feels like everything changed. People started making massive piles of cash and everyone was looking for a unicorn. What happens now? I'm not sure. I think the market gets a little tighter, but I don't think it's a crash. The world is software, and there's only going to be more of it. With such high stakes, any slowdown will be temporary until VC money gets sick of not being spent (and not making returns).