Some of my readers who missed the dotcom boom and bust from the early 2000s may not be familiar with FuckedCompany, a Web site that was dedicated to gloating about layoffs and other misfortunes at Web companies as the tech bubble popped.  Although fairly popular at the turn of the century the Web site was nothing more than postings about which companies had recently had layoffs, rumors of companies about to have layoffs and snarky comments about stock prices. You can read some of the old postings yourself in the WayBack Machine for FuckedCompany. I guess schadenfreude is a national pastime.

The current financial crises which has led to the worst week in the history of the Dow Jones and S&P 500 indexes as well as worldwide turmoil in financial markets to the point where countries like Austria, Russia, Iceland, Romania and Ukraine had to suspend trading on their stock markets. This has clearly pointed to the need for another schadenfreude filled website which gloats about the misfortunes of others. Thankfully TechCrunch has stepped up to the plate. Here are some of their opening morsels as they begin their transformation from tech bubble hypesters into its gloating eulogizers

For some reason, I was expecting more leadership from Arrington and his posse. Anyway, instead of reading and encouraging this sort of garbage from TechCrunch it would be great if more people keep posts like Dave McClure's Fear is the Mind Killer of the Silicon Valley Entrepreneur (we must be Muad'Dib, not Clark Kent) in mind instead. The last thing we need is popular blogs AND the mass media spreading despair and schadenfreude at a time like this.

Note Now Playing: T.I. - Dead And Gone (Featuring Justin Timberlake) Note


 

Saturday, 11 October 2008 17:41:15 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
Dare:

How many 2.5 - 7M rounds can be pumped into social bookmarking, social gaming, social networks, widgets, and ad networks? Really now. Quite apart from the financial mess of the wider world, it was just a matter of time before the Web2.0 crowd got thinned.
Saturday, 11 October 2008 20:41:15 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
You'll no doubt get some retaliation from TC over this. You can rest easy, though, on account of actually knowing what you're talking about while MA is simply a well-fed, smug, complacent ex-lawyer.
Saturday, 11 October 2008 23:14:23 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
Hi Dare,

Thanks for pointing out that Techcrunch,instead of showing leadership, has turned into fuckedcompany 2.0.

I myself will not succumb to fears but am still marching towards with our goals at tripntale.

Thank you once again for singing a positive tune!
Sunday, 12 October 2008 15:13:09 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
On the other side, I just ran a positive and forward thinking piece on TechCrunch, "During Tough Times, The Echo Chamber Can Be Your Best Friend."

Hopefully it helps startups focus instead of panic...
http://tinyurl.com/4xms96
Sunday, 12 October 2008 15:24:44 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
WTF are you talking about!!!?

Guess you wanted to write this post in order to reveal the new word that u learnt for the day (Schadenfreude)...
hey
Sunday, 12 October 2008 16:13:00 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
You could say the same thing about just about every tech related blog/page right now. Wow, I know you are jealous of TC, but this is pathetic. I will never come here again.
Lou Rawls
Sunday, 12 October 2008 18:23:55 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
"The last thing we need is popular blogs AND the mass media spreading despair and schadenfreude at a time like this."

THAT'S Right. What are journalists and bloggers for, anyway? Because, you know, everything is fine. Up with People!!!! People who spread bad news should just shut up. Everybody will be fine. People who arent' fine deserve it. Bunch of whiners. Focus on the positivity and good things will happen!!!!!

(end sarcasm)

This comment, I think, reflects the self-absorption of SV. It is not a good thing.



Blow V. Eight
Sunday, 12 October 2008 21:40:41 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
I like your site better than TechCrunch but you should check your sources carefully like he does: Arrington is an investor in Seesmic and consequently has no reason to gloat about Seesmic's layoffs on the contrary. Arrington is just reporting facts. You read too much into it.

Armand Der-Hacobian
armand
Sunday, 12 October 2008 21:54:25 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
Michael Arrington has a credibility problem. It manifests in several ways. Sensationalizing news is one, investing in companies that he writes about is another.
geewhiz
Sunday, 12 October 2008 22:23:17 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
Dude , your just as shady as your father.

firstly Arrington as much as he is smug and a self deluded blogger, he has a right to post the articles he did. He was only reporting the facts. Face it , the economic situation is bad, turn on CNN, BBC news or check out www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/robertpeston/ .

Your just like your father , your shady , corrupt, dumb and offer nothing to the world.

Surely your father has a few billion dollars in a bank account marked with ur name on , so why bother working and wasting your time at MS. Enjoy the fruits of stealing from the Nigerian people.


Sunday, 12 October 2008 22:38:49 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
i follow the likes of techcrunch and a few others out there that actually give us a heads up on the dirt that others don't want us to know about. Yet you come along and talk Cr@p about things that you really have no need to just to get your name into the headlines. So here is my two cents ITS CALLED FREEDOM OF SPEECH. Look it up and remember this that all of us in the blog community do this is a way to express ourselves whether anyone likes it or not so deal with it and move on.
Sunday, 12 October 2008 22:45:20 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
Why should a tech log keep silent about bad news in the industry?
Why would some posts about popped stocks and layoffs turn a weblog into fckedcompany.com?
Talking about layoffs... it will be cool to read about the blues @ Mcrosoft on techcrunch.com :)

My advice; work harder blog less.
Eastern
Monday, 13 October 2008 00:12:06 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
Fucked company and in the internet graveyards were great websites. I feel nostalgic about thwm now that we are kind if what feels like 2002 all over again.
Monday, 13 October 2008 04:56:50 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
I don't always agree with Mr. Arrington or his colleagues, but it's just silly of you to fault them for doing nothing other than pointing out the painfully obvious. While I think their treatment of Yahoo over the last year has been undeservedly harsh, I'm fully capable of reaching that conclusion on my own. I don't see anything in TC's coverage over the last week that bears reproach. Seriously now... "Gloating eulogizers?" Really? That's really where you want to go today?
Monday, 13 October 2008 05:32:47 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
The brewing controversy should earn both you and TC some good traffic - at least for the short term. Let's move on to other things now.
Monday, 13 October 2008 05:58:11 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
stfu
Monday, 13 October 2008 06:35:23 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
Dude, it's the news and you cannot change that wether it's good or bad.
Yogorilla
Monday, 13 October 2008 06:45:50 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
I didn't know till this date who you were. Still nobody significant. But I'm posting this, since my negative feedback on TechCrunch continues to be deleted.

Thanks to Michael for making you famous.

After my original post was deleted, I posted this on TC (which was also deleted in couple of seconds)

POSTED ON TC on 10/12/2008
*******
I just can't believe that someone has been deleting all negative or unfavorable (to MA) comments.
Michael - this is going way toooooooooo low for TC. I have been an avid reader of TC and thought that you get to see both sides of coin here, not "your" side of coin.

My first ever comment was deleted.........now that's NOT so nice.
I also checked Alexa, you sure are losing people. Continue stuff like this and the graph is sure to go SOUTH.

Make sure you delete this post before many people get a chance to read it. I promise, I have copied the comments this time and I'll post it again.

Happy DELETING!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
*******

Till this date, I really respect TC for bringing great news to commoners, now looks like MA is getting an inflated EGO, too big to stop anywhere.

unsubscribing from TC. Did somebody recently check TC at ALEXA. check out. That's what you get when you start using your reach to people for bashing others.....tch....tch.

Go get a life MA.

NDev
Monday, 13 October 2008 07:13:35 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
looks like free speech is dead on TechCrunch - at least when it's critizing Arrington for not being able to take what he dishes out.
I've watched my comments disappear as well - http://tinyurl.com/3wn533 ... good on ya for calling them out.
Monday, 13 October 2008 15:06:00 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
Apart from all the comments about this story being linked to Microsoft - I think Dare has a point. The problem with the financial system is largely confidence. LIBOR is at historical high levels relative to country's base rates. We're seeing an effect that is the same as high interest rates, just through confidence. In the 1929 depression money flowed out of the finance system. All media channels need to report responsibly, reporting the facts without the "death spirals" and "train wrecks".
Joe
Monday, 13 October 2008 17:38:36 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
if you don't rebuild public trust into market you might as well set those 700b on fire.
ace
Tuesday, 14 October 2008 01:52:00 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
I think Mike Arrington is jealous of you because you're a smart African working for Microsoft. For those who know something about democracy in Africa, your father was an honorable man who fought and sacrificed for democracy not only in Nigeria, but on the whole continent.

However,i do think that you behave like an ass wipe for Microsoft sometime. You're a smart guy and should be thinking about launching your own start up. You'll be a kick ass web 2.0 start up CEO. We need more black techpreneurs.

Jack
Jack
Tuesday, 14 October 2008 14:13:57 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
"I think Mike Arrington is jealous of you because you're a smart African working for Microsoft."
it has nothing to do with that. it is about having sensibility to accompany intellect or not. simple as that.

"For those who know something about democracy in Africa, your father was an honorable man who fought and sacrificed for democracy not only in Nigeria, but on the whole continent."
my father is also good man, and i would consider one intolerable stupid to start to talk about him or his work when we discuss ddd (my father writes poetry).

"However,i do think that you behave like an ass wipe for Microsoft sometime."
noticing similarity with bad patterns of human behaviour form the past in the present time is not being an ass wipe but rather having a common sense. and knowing dare's sobriety in all past issues i don't tend to think that dare is arrogant but rather that he is pondering situation we all are in more seriously. some people are sensitive about well being of his fellow citizen. that said most bloggers are less selfish then ordinary people, either they know that or not.

"You'll be a kick ass web 2.0 start up CEO"
well there is a certainly one beautiful start up he is about start. and i wish all the best in the world for the start up he is about to become. :)
ace
Tuesday, 14 October 2008 18:46:04 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
Justib Timberlake?
Armando Santiago
Wednesday, 15 October 2008 07:42:19 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
Snaps. So, is the last bust long enough ago that anyone that remembers it (and its remnants like FuckedCompany) is now old? F***, now I'm the old dude talking about "back in my day."
neb
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