The document discusses the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s. Many internet-related startups, called dot-com companies, emerged and saw their stock prices rise dramatically from 1999 to 2000. However, the bubble burst in 2001 as many of these companies' business models were not sustainable. This led to large numbers of layoffs in the internet sector and the bankruptcy of many dot-com companies. A few notable companies like Google, Amazon, and eBay survived the bubble bursting.