But even the strongest are finding it difficult to survive now, and some tech executives worry that the shakeout jeopardizes the rollout of innovations such as high-speed broadband Internet access and wireless computing. Brash dot-com upstarts may no longer fit that bill, but technologists say they served an important role in the new economy. Many proved such fast movers that they essentially served as the de facto research units of many major companies. AOL Time Warner Inc., for example, has bought up several small companies because of their inventions. Microsoft Corp., too, snapped up many smaller companies.
Some experts say today's calmer period in information technology is inevitable.
This causes a period of furious activity followed by a quieter period of assimilation. Caught in the middle in these uneasy economic times is the inventor, the hero of the new economy. Some technologists complain that they have had trouble raising money for ideas that a year ago would have been shoo-ins for funding. That isn't to say they are out of work. Jobs for skilled tech workers are still plentiful.