Year in review: Fabulous flameouts
Fueled by news of war and continued economic malaise, the dot-com disaster that struck in 2000 continued to topple big companies this year. How did it get so bad, and when will it end?
 
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The company crumbles in court and spins off subscribers to cable partners. Customers, caught in the downdraft, find themselves facing slower speeds, lost e-mail and higher fees.
Once a poster child for the promise of a new way of shopping online, grocer Webvan runs out of gas and closes. CEO George Shaheen, however, leaves with a full shopping cart.
Small broadband providers struggled against communication giants such as Sprint, AT&T, SBC and BellSouth. The result? Layoffs, bankruptcies and equipment auctions.
Exodus said it would make itself "more secure." Excite@Home said it would "protect value." But how many dot-com companies actually came out of Chapter 11?
After thousands of their fellow tech workers are laid off, the ones still standing find themselves working longer hours, taking on more responsibility--and earning less money.
Once a must-read for the digerati, The Industry Standard shuts down after blazing bright, only to become a reflection of the very downturn it covered in print and online.
Napster falls into obscurity after court beatings and political wrangling. Copycats face similar fates. Subscription services work to get online, but who's paying?
Historians paint a not-so-flattering portrait of the Net era and its players--who, in turn, are engaged in an ugly game of finger-pointing. Meanwhile, employees are left with little.
