The current state of the blockchain ecosystem has been compared to the dotcom boom in the '90s. The result will likely be similar: A few key projects survive and thrive, whereas the others fail and become liabilities for investors. However, unlike the dotcom boom, blockchain projects have taken vastly more investment from the general public. This could lead to interesting results. One possibility is an event similar to the dotcom crash: funding dries up for quite some time, regardless of project quality. With retail investors taking some of the damage, as well as having the opportunity to continue to invest anyway, the fallout from a blockchain crash may not be as bad. However, a harsh crash that may severely harm retail investors is more likely to draw a regulatory reaction.