Reader Forum: 21st Century, Silicon Valley's second decade

With the end of 2010, I’ve been reflecting on the past decade and all that has changed. It seems impossible to me that 2000 was over 10 years ago; not in that “Wow where has the time gone?” sense but rather in a “I can’t believe how much has changed” sense. Ten years ago real estate prices were still high, gas prices were still relatively low, and nobody had ever heard of Al Qaeda. I could waltz through San Jose International Airport security 30 minutes before boarding time with my shoes on, a large coffee in my hand, and not have to wonder whether or not I’d miss my flight because I was the lucky recipient of a complimentary shiatsu massage by a government employee.
Technology and the Silicon Valley business landscape has of course changed greatly since 2000. Ten years ago venture capitalists were still convinced that they were invincible, and most firms had given up doing investments unless the round was over $10 million because anything less was not “real money.” Venture capitalists in 2000 were still investing in semiconductors, and Wi-Fi was rapidly becoming an over-subscribed sector – with the wave of massive consolidation still over three years away.
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