This is a great chart. Because it shows that no matter what, great companies can still be created, and still thrive.
I started my last company in the middle of 2002, and it was actually easier, since hiring developers was far less expensive than just a few years earlier. In 2007-2008, when the financial collapse occurred, we experienced our biggest growth by pivoting to target the SLED market (State, Local, Education), whose property-tax revenues had plummeted and budgets were slashed. Ironically, by leaning forward and going after a replacement strategy of the incumbent product, we were able to save these institutions a lot of money, while doing a massive landgrab of desktops.
Nothing beats a good idea, decent execution and persistence. No matter what the market.