High-tech firms are likely to use the opportunity presented by a real or perceived economic downturn to strengthen their negotiations for real estate, including demands for high-level technology infrastructure.

The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall is reputed to have said in 1957: “I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won’t last out the year.” Bad bet. A developer in the Seattle area is reputed to have said in 2001, “The dot-coms are going away, so we don’t need to be concerned with these high level technical infrastructures any longer.” Bad bet.

 
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