Both internal issues and external mishaps have resulted in the evaporation of value in Capgemini shares thereafter. The dotcom downturn caused a global economic slowdown. The EY consultancy partners that received Capgemini shares could not sell their lots due to a lock-down provision. By the time the lock-down period was lifted, after four years, the shares lost 80% of their value. Some EY partners were also let go in between as a result of Capgemini's need for cost-saving during the global drop in tech spending this time. In hindsight, EY's audit partners, who did get some payment from the sale of the consulting business, were rather the winners in the last sale of EY's consulting business. They went on to rebuild EY Consulting after the non-compete clauses expired, and re-entered the consultancy market in 2006.