The world did not have trillion dollar companies and billion dollar startups form within a span of few years either. Nor did small and medium businesses have the reach they do now. You can literally sell goods to people all over the World from your basement. You don't need a warehouse nor complicated advertising agreements with Media networks and advertise your business on billboards. Believe it or not, internet advertising became a powerful tool for small and medium businesses which they never had pre-internet era and were forced to serve only their local communities. Today the same businesses have a worldwide reach to sell their products and services. It is surprising that I have to explain this to someone who is from the tech field!