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Sweeping layoffs in tech have some people worried about another dot-com bubble. : The Indicator from Planet Money This jobs Friday, we look to the tech sector, where companies are laying off thousands of workers in a rapid reversal of their pandemic-era hiring boom. What effects could tech layoffs have on the broader economy?

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

The Indicator from Planet Money

Should we worry about another dot-com bust?

Should we worry about another dot-com bust?

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People take a photo at Meta (formerly Facebook) corporate headquarters in Menlo Park, California on November 9, 2022. - Facebook owner Meta will lay off more than 11,000 of its staff in "the most difficult changes we've made in Meta's history," boss Mark Zuckerberg said on Wednesday. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP) (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
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Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images
People take a photo at Meta (formerly Facebook) corporate headquarters in Menlo Park, California on November 9, 2022. - Facebook owner Meta will lay off more than 11,000 of its staff in &quot;the most difficult changes we&#039;ve made in Meta&#039;s history,&quot; boss Mark Zuckerberg said on Wednesday. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP) (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images

In many ways, the pandemic was a great time to be working in tech. Boosted by a spike in consumer demand and free-flowing investor cash, tech companies went on a massive hiring spree. Jobs were plentiful. But last month alone, more than 50,000 tech employees were laid off.

To some bystanders, right now looks a lot like the dot-com bubble of the early 2000s, which resulted in dozens of companies folding and sparked a mini-recession. But is that comparison valid? We talked to two labor economists to figure out the full story.

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For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.