In the gold-rush days of Sweden’s dotcom bubble, Jonas Birgersson, AKA "Broadband Jesus", and Johan Staël von Holstein evangelized a digital revolution they seemed poised to lead. But by 2001, Holstein had bailed to Singapore, and Birgersson's Framfab was hemorrhaging cash. The press and populace turned against both rivals. “Things were out of proportion on the way up, and they’re out of proportion on the way down,” Birgersson opined. Holstein framed it all as a betrayal of vision: “Swedes are the best in the world at thinking small.” Had the backlash reinstated a national reflex for modesty, just as Sweden had begun punching above its digital weight? Epilogue: Sweden gave us Spotify, so it seems they got over the Janteloven complex. ( ;-)}
