Power User with Taylor Lorenz cover image

Power User with Taylor Lorenz

How the 00s changed the tech world forever

Feb 27, 2025
Colette Shade, author of the bestselling book *Y2K: How the 2000s Became Everything*, dives into the transformative tech landscape of the 2000s. She reflects on the dot-com bubble and the whirlwind of early social media, illustrating how those chaotic days shaped today's hyper-surveilled, algorithm-driven world. Colette discusses the optimism surrounding early tech, the aesthetic influence of colorful gadgets like the iMac, and the cultural shifts that followed the 2008 financial crisis, emphasizing the need for accountability in the industry.
27:57

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • The 2000s marked a pivotal moment in tech, with the dot-com bubble highlighting the clash between entrepreneurial ambition and sustainable business practices.
  • The emergence of social media during this decade transformed individual identity into a brand, fostering both connectivity and a culture of comparison among millennials.

Deep dives

The Dot-Com Boom and Its Impact

The dot-com boom of the late 1990s marked an era of rapid technological growth and economic optimism, legitimizing the internet as a viable commercial platform. The Netscape IPO in 1995 was a pivotal moment, generating buzz and wealth, with stories of everyday people striking it rich, including anecdotes about individuals like the speaker's uncle who benefited personally from this surge. This excitement eventually led to an influx of venture capital into startups, fostering a culture that celebrated young, ambitious entrepreneurs creating innovative technologies. However, the excessive spending and unrealistic expectations during this period set the stage for the eventual collapse of the bubble, revealing a stark contrast between hype and sustainable business practices.

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