And the motivational message of this week is that it's even worse on the West Coast because it has all its eggs in the tech basket. The new party policy was formulated in the wake of the Internet bubble bursting and the subsequent dearth of lavish dot-com launches and parties that so characterized New York's tech sector boom in 1999 and early 2000. Today, deep into a bear market for tech stocks, the social events for New York's online workers more closely resemble wakes. Yet pink slip drinking sessions are far from dot-com exclusive events. Despite the almost daily stream of layoffs and closures it's better to be down and out and dot-com in the Big Apple.
Buyer beware, however.
Walking up to a stranger at an old economy party and immediately asking them to outline their business plan over a martini won't wash. At a normal party you realize you can't just stand in front of any girl and start asking questions about her business model. They're having to settle for the small talk that is often the main staple of other types of social exchanges. Now a lot of people who have had a tough year don't even want talk about it.