Dot Com

DotCom = slang for companies started during late 1990's that tried to capitalize on new Internet technologies in doing CommerceOnTheWeb; most common examples were e-commerce companies

The most famous dotcom companies are probably eBay and Amazon. But unlike the typical dotcom, they're still in business.

The question is, is it their longevity that has given them their fame, their fame that has given them their longevity, or something else?

Huh?

Something else, an intervening third variable: It's their success that has given them their fame, and it's their success that has given them their longevity.

Many dotcoms were eternally PreIpo

http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20011103&mode=classic (Userfriendly no longer allows direct linking to their comics, I believe this is equivalent to the old link).