Marc Andreessen doesn’t think we’re experiencing a tech bubble. But Groupon just filed for an initial public offering that could value the daily deal site at $30 billion, and Microsoft last month paid $8.5 billion for Skype, a company that has yet to prove it can turn a profit.
Meanwhile, a new report from Dow Jones shows that the estimated market value of venture-backed companies rose 19 percent during the fourth quarter. So, what do you think?
Are we in the midst of another tech bubble? Vote in the GeekWire poll, and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Meanwhile, here’s a look back at the results of a similar poll we ran in April. (I guess you can call this our official bubble watch).
Things certainly are different from the HomeGrocer.com and Pets.com era of the late 1990s. After all, many of today’s companies driving the bubble talk have real revenue and — in some cases — substantial profits. A number of the new breed also have decided, at least for now, to maintain a healthy distance from the private markets. (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
But that’s starting to change. Now, the key debate centers on whether any of these companies — from LinkedIn and Facebook to Zynga and Zillow — deserve the valuations that investors are placing on them.