Run for your lives! It’s a semi-zombie!
I think calling a network “fabric” is pretty dorky to begin with… 
Don’t know about the economy, but it sure seems to cut down on innovation. AlliedSignal bought up Garrett (they make turbo chargers) who then bought up RayJay and several other smaller companies. Things got pretty stagnent in the world of turbochargers until some new competition sprang up. (Mitsubishi, Holset, etc.) Now we are seeing variable nozzle designs, ceramic bearings, and turbocharging is becoming much more mainstream.