“It’s Different This Time” Or “Same As It Ever Was”

Authored by Mark St. Cyr,
Over the past few years when it’s come to any criticism of business models, valuations, or other concerns encompassing the social media space, along with other dubious ‘hacking’ inspired businesses emanating from Silicon Valley, the immediate rebuttal posed fell along the lines of first being looked as ‘you just don’t get it’ (or just crawled out from under some rock) followed with, ‘It’s different this time.’
If one posed any real push back as to move nebulous assertions out from the sky and back into more true ledger accounting? Those ‘looks’ turned into outright disdain, and disgust followed with ridicule as the assertions of ‘It’s different…’ and ‘You just…’ morphed into closing statements as to implicitly cement the questioning door closed. For to go any further, it was a waste of their time and/or breath. After all, why try to prove you’re right when today’s version of the teenage ‘Because! Just because!’ works just as handily.
Over the past few years that defense has worked splendidly. Only problem? Just like with teenagers; there comes a time it no longer works. This is where the once go-to responses begin to work against – not for. Welcome to same as it ever was. Or, one could say, ‘Welcome back to reality.’ Where nebulous business plans no longer attract attention never-mind – cold hard cash.
As a matter of fact, what has been recently embraced as some entrepreneurial birthright in Silicon Valley (i.e., VC funding at the whim) seems to be going the way of ‘Because…’ itself.
You’re not hearing precise reasoning or explanations for it (although the reasons are as clear as day: No QE.) However, what you are beginning to now see are the inevitable storm clouds moving from the horizon, and making landfall. All one needs to do is get their heads out-of-the-clouds and start reading the writing on the walls right in front of them. For the messages they portend are writ large – if one wants to see. Here are a few that have caught my attention…

This post was published at Zero Hedge on 11/15/2015 –.