The current tech boom has created enormous wealth, and at successful companies, founders, employees and investors are each getting enough of a share of that wealth to be kept happy. But when that perpetual motion machine breaks down, potential conflicts between those stakeholders emerge.

I predict that in 2016 that kind of breakdown will occur more often, as more private tech firms struggle to meet high valuations set in fundraisings. I expect the resulting shortfall for some shareholders, crystallized either in weak IPOs or sales, will prompt a wave of lawsuits between stakeholders in private tech.