The Takeaway: Tech bubble redux
Well, don't look now, but 2015 is starting to look something like 1999, or maybe early 2000.
Earlier this month, on July 17, the NASDAQ composite index hit its highest point in 15 years, reaching 5,210. Helping to fuel that rise: Big valuations for the latest sweethearts of the sharing economy. Uber is valued at $50 billion, similar to FedEx, Salesforce, Caterpillar and Target; Airbnb is at $25 billion, similar to utility Pacific Gas & Electric and Netflix; and Snapchat's worth something like $15 billion, roughly equal to Whirlpool and Tyson Foods.
At the same time, computer science undergrad enrollments -- which tracked the tech boom and bust very closely in the 1990s and early 2000s -- are up. They totalled 24,000 last year, almost where they were when they peaked in 2000.
"It's often difficult to recognize a bubble while you're in it, as unreasonable optimism and speculative greed lead to the belief that a 'new paradigm' will validate wildly aggressive projections," said Bruce Bachenheimer, clinical professor of management at Pace University and executive director of its Entrepreneurship Lab. "It certainly appears that certain sectors of the market are due for a major correction."
So are we looking at a repeat of the 2000 tech meltdown Experts have some theories:
Despite the differences between now and 2000, CompTIA's Herbert still sees reason for caution. The growth in VC funding over the past two years "may suggest there are more dollars chasing fewer quality deals." Funding for software firms may soon match the 2000 peak, with some valuations "...pushed to levels hard to justify," he said.
With reports by Patrick Thibodeau at Computerworld.