Amara's Law and Slow Liftoff

In the euphoric rush of the late 1990s, a digital goldmine seemed to open before the world's eyes.

The internet was no longer a novelty. It was the future, and everyone wanted a piece of it. Startups with nothing more than a domain name and a dream were securing million-dollar investments. People were sure they were going to ride the internet wave into fortune, freedom, and a new era of prosperity.

But then, almost as quickly as it began, the bubble burst. The dot-com crash of 2000 left many in financial ruin, dreams shattered, and fortunes lost. Overnight successes turned into overnight failures, and the internet's transformative potential seemed like an overpromise.

Those who weathered the storm and kept a longer perspective found that the internet did indeed change the world, but not in the immediate, earth-shattering way that was expected. Its effects were more profound and pervasive than anyone could have anticipated, but they took time to unfold.

Amara's Law: The Origin

The dot-com …