Every once in a while, a bold inventor claims to have birthed the next big thing in the realm of top 10 tech, a breakthrough that will rewrite the rules of daily life. New gizmos pop up constantly, yet only a handful ever manage to tip the scales of civilization. Below we count down ten audacious contraptions that sounded like world‑shifters but never managed to move the needle.

Why These Top 10 Tech Ideas Flopped

10 Flying Tanks

Imagine the absurdity of latching a set of glider wings onto a hulking tank and sending it soaring into battle. The concept, dubbed “flying tanks,” aimed to marry the raw firepower of armored warfare with the strategic reach of air power, but the execution proved wildly impractical.

In practice, engineers attached detachable wings to tanks, then towed the assemblies beneath aircraft or used ground‑based launch rigs. Once released, the tank‑gliders would glide toward the front lines, providing heavy support to infantry. While the idea showed a flicker of promise, the projects never achieved meaningful battlefield success.

After World War II the notion was abandoned, though the Soviet Union tinkered with the idea into the 1970s. Ultimately, the flying‑tank dream faded, supplanted by more effective aerial platforms such as the AC‑130 gunship, which boasts 25 mm and 40 mm Gatling guns plus a 105 mm cannon—making a winged tank look like child’s play.

Thus, despite its futuristic allure, the flying‑tank never altered the way wars are fought, slipping into the annals of military “what‑ifs.”

9 Videophones

Long before television became a household staple, visionaries imagined picking up a phone and seeing the person on the other end. The resulting videophone technology arrived at a steep price, targeting a market that had been dreaming about it for decades.The first commercial units cost a staggering $1,500 each, with a monthly service bill hovering around $100—prices that placed them well beyond the reach of most consumers and even many businesses.

By the turn of the millennium, engineers were still wrestling with the challenge of sending clear video over ordinary telephone lines. The cost and technical hurdles proved too great, prompting a shift toward video conferencing over data networks and the Internet.

Today, apps make video calls effortlessly available to anyone with a smartphone, yet most people still prefer voice‑only conversations, texts, or emails. The videophone never truly reshaped communication habits, and it’s unlikely to ever supplant the simplicity of a good old‑fashioned call.

8 The Fiske Reading Machine

Inventor Bradley Allen Fiske, known for a slew of patents, turned his attention to reading with a device that would compress text onto tiny cards and magnify it for a single eye. The handheld contraption featured a lens for the viewing eye and a shield to block the other, letting users decipher minuscule print that would be impossible to read unaided.

Fiske’s ambition was to shrink books onto six‑by‑two‑inch cards, dramatically reducing paper usage and creating a pocket‑sized reading experience. He demonstrated the concept by condensing Mark Twain’s “The Innocents Abroad” onto just 13 cards, hoping to revolutionize publishing.

Despite the clever engineering, the market never warmed to the idea. Readers weren’t ready to abandon conventional books for a magnifying gizmo, and the Fiske Reading Machine never progressed beyond prototype status, disappearing from the commercial landscape.

7 Cryptocurrencies

The debut of Bitcoin in 2008 sparked visions of a decentralized financial revolution. Cryptocurrencies, operating without a central bank, promised a border‑less, tamper‑proof monetary system powered by blockchain technology.

Mining, the process of solving complex mathematical puzzles with powerful graphics chips, creates new coins and secures the network. Early Bitcoin values were modest, but by 2016 the price surged to $2,900, eventually peaking at $19,511 in 2021 before experiencing a sharp correction.

Proponents argued that digital currencies could reshape international trade by eliminating intermediaries. In practice, however, the anonymity of mining and transactions attracted illicit actors, casting a shadow over the technology’s potential.

While cryptocurrencies persist and now number in the thousands, they have yet to overhaul global monetary systems. Regulatory hurdles, market volatility, and security concerns keep them from achieving the sweeping change their creators once envisioned.

6 Daylight Motion Pictures

Movie‑goers are accustomed to darkened auditoriums, where the projector’s bright beam dominates a black screen. Yet, in the early 1910s, a movement emerged advocating for films to be shown in full daylight, driven by a misplaced belief that brighter rooms offered greater security.

Proponents equipped theaters with darker screens and more powerful projectors, arguing that audiences should be able to see each other while watching. California even passed legislation mandating sufficient illumination inside cinemas so patrons could spot one another.

The experiment quickly ran into practical problems. Projectionists reported washed‑out images and diminished contrast, and audiences found the experience less immersive. Within a short span, the daylight‑movie craze faded, and theaters reverted to the classic dim environment.

Thus, despite the brief enthusiasm, daylight motion pictures left no lasting imprint on cinema, reinforcing the timeless appeal of a darkened screen.

5 The Helio‑Motor

At the turn of the 20th century, Dr. William Calver unveiled the Helio‑Motor, a device inspired by the legendary Archimedes heat ray. He claimed the machine could capture solar energy via mirrored concentrators and channel it into bricks or water, storing heat for later use.

Calver’s public debut generated excitement; investors queued to fund his vision, and even Leland Stanford praised the invention, likening its potential impact to that of the steam engine.

Unfortunately, the Helio‑Motor proved woefully inefficient. Its ability to concentrate sunlight fell far short of the energy output needed for practical applications, rendering it unsuitable for everyday power generation.While Calver’s original contraption never powered homes, the underlying principle evolved into modern concentrated solar power (CSP) plants, which now use sophisticated mirror arrays to generate electricity on a commercial scale.

4 Cinerama

Before IMAX dazzled audiences, the film industry introduced Cinerama in the early 1950s to combat the rise of television. The format projected a panoramic image onto three massive, deeply curved screens, creating an immersive visual feast that seemed to envelop the viewer.

Premiered with the spectacular “This Is Cinerama” in 1952, the technology promised a futuristic movie‑going experience. However, its reliance on three synchronized projectors and three dedicated projectionists made operation costly and technically demanding.

The synchronization challenge, coupled with the expense of retrofitting theaters, deterred many owners. By the time digital linking could simplify multi‑projector setups, the window of opportunity had closed, and Cinerama faded into a niche curiosity.

Some vintage venues still showcase Cinerama screenings, but the format remains a novelty rather than a transformative force in cinema history.

3 Dymaxion House

In the 1930s, visionary Buckminster Fuller set out to revolutionize housing with the Dymaxion House, a prefabricated, circular dwelling designed for rapid deployment and affordability. The homes could be truck‑delivered and assembled within two days, featuring two bedrooms and a bathroom.

While the concept promised mass‑produced, low‑cost shelter for post‑war America, practical issues emerged. The round interior made furnishing a nightmare, and the lack of customization left owners dissatisfied.

Fuller believed further refinements could solve these problems, yet he never brought a commercially viable version to market. Consequently, the Dymaxion House remains an architectural oddity, never reshaping suburban housing trends.

2 Radioactive Products

Following the 1898 discovery of radium, manufacturers rushed to incorporate the glowing element into a dizzying array of consumer goods, from lipstick to chocolate, touting miraculous health benefits.

Radium quickly became the 20th‑century buzzword, much like today’s “organic” or “non‑GMO” labels, promising everything from hair growth to increased virility.

However, the promise turned deadly. By 1925, The New York Times ran a headline reading “Radium Disease Found; Has Killed 5,” exposing the severe health hazards of radioactive exposure.

The ensuing scandal—often called “radium necrosis”—prompted a swift market retreat. Although radium lingered in niche items like luminous watches into the 1960s, the broader consumer craze evaporated.

Thus, while the discovery of radium itself was world‑changing, the rush to embed it in everyday products resulted in a tragic misstep rather than societal progress.

1 Flying Cars

The dream of soaring automobiles predates the automobile itself, with inventors periodically unveiling prototypes that promised to merge road and sky travel. In 1940, Henry Ford famously declared, “Mark my word: a combination airplane and motorcar is coming.”

The Aerocar, a winged vehicle that took to the skies by the late 1940s, never entered mass production, nor did any subsequent prototype achieve commercial success.

The core obstacle remains human: most people lack pilot training, and regulatory frameworks prohibit unlicensed aerial navigation. Early models, like the Aerocar, were limited to airport takeoffs, making everyday use impractical.

Nevertheless, the vision endures. In September 2020, Japanese engineers successfully tested a manned flying car, rekindling hope that one day the sky‑road hybrid could become a reality.

For now, flying cars remain a tantalizing concept, perched on the horizon of technological possibility.

Top 10 low tech tricks prove that high‑tech dilemmas don’t always need high‑tech fixes. Many people believe high‑tech problems require high‑tech solutions. It’s not quite so. Complex technologies sometimes require simple, low‑tech solutions that may cost next to nothing.

Why Top 10 Low Solutions Matter

Even the most sophisticated machines can benefit from a dash of ingenuity that costs pennies rather than millions. Below we explore ten astonishing examples where a modest, often quirky, low‑tech fix outshines its pricey counterpart.

10 Ostrich Feathers and Carmakers

Automakers pour massive resources into guaranteeing that every fresh‑off‑the‑line vehicle leaves the paint shop looking flawless. To achieve that immaculate finish they employ cutting‑edge paint booths, robotic sprayers and—yes—female ostrich feathers.

The tiniest speck of dust can mar even the most expertly applied coat, and manufacturers go to great lengths to keep their paint bays dust‑free. They isolate the painting area from the rest of the factory and blast both workers and visitors with high‑velocity air to strip away any stray fibers clinging to clothing.

Yet microscopic particles still manage to infiltrate the paint zone. The final line of defense? Giant dusters fashioned from female ostrich feathers that whisk the cars clean just moments before the first coat is sprayed.

9 Mirrors and Elevators

When elevators first appeared, they were plain metal boxes without any reflective surfaces. Adding mirrors later turned out to be a cost‑saving psychological trick rather than a technical upgrade.

Early users complained that rides felt sluggish. Engineers could have spent millions redesigning faster motors, but one clever company decided to change the perception instead.

Research revealed that passengers often felt the lift was slower simply because they stared at the bare walls, worrying about cables snapping or the cabin dropping. By installing mirrors, riders could glance at their own reflection, becoming preoccupied with appearance rather than the passage of time.

The distraction worked like magic—people lost track of the minutes and started believing the elevators were faster than they actually were, all without a single mechanical improvement.

8 Angled Runways and Aircraft Carriers

If you’ve ever examined a modern aircraft carrier from above, you’ll notice the flight deck is slanted rather than straight. This design shift traces back to the arrival of jet‑powered aircraft.

World War II carriers hosted prop‑driven planes that needed relatively short take‑off and landing distances, allowing simultaneous launch and recovery operations on a straight deck.

Jet engines, however, demand longer runways. The new jets could no longer be launched and recovered at the same time, and if a landing plane missed the arresting wire, there wouldn’t be enough runway left to taxi and try again.

Rather than building larger carriers or attempting hover‑landings (which jets couldn’t sustain due to fuel limits), designers tilted the existing decks. The angled runway stretches the usable length, letting landing jets clear the deck while other aircraft continue to launch, solving the space crunch elegantly.

7 Playstation 3 Consoles and Supercomputers

A few years back, the U.S. Air Force assembled a staggering 1,760 Sony PlayStation 3 units to forge one of the world’s most powerful defense‑department supercomputers.

This quirky cluster could crunch 500 million mathematical operations per second and sift through over a billion pixels each minute, supporting tasks such as high‑resolution satellite image processing, space‑object identification and artificial‑intelligence research.

At the time, each PlayStation 3 cost roughly $400, whereas a comparable commercial server component would have set the Air Force back about $10,000. The resulting $2 million system cost only 5‑10 % of a conventional supercomputer with similar capabilities.

6 Xbox 360 Controllers and Nuclear Submarines

The periscope, a classic hallmark of submarines, has evolved from a simple tube with angled mirrors to a sophisticated 360‑degree camera system. Yet the control interface for these high‑tech optics remains surprisingly low‑tech.

The U.S. Navy now employs off‑the‑shelf Xbox 360 controllers to maneuver the digital periscopes on its latest Virginia‑class nuclear submarines.

Previously, the navy relied on bulky, $38,000 joysticks that were heavy, cumbersome and required extensive training. Junior officers pushed for a change, and the Xbox controller—priced around $39.95—proved light, intuitive and instantly replaceable from any nearby game store.

10 Dangerous Misconceptions About Nuclear Technology

5 Velcro and NASA

When astronauts float in micro‑gravity, anything not firmly attached will drift away. To keep tools, equipment, and even personal items from floating loose, NASA turned to a familiar household staple: Velcro.

The space agency partnered with the inventors of the hook‑and‑loop fastener to engineer a version that would survive the extremes of space while securely holding objects in place.

Velcro now appears throughout NASA’s projects, even inside spacesuit helmets so astronauts can scratch an itch without floating away. Although many assume NASA invented Velcro, the company actually credited Velcro in 1969 with the remark, “We couldn’t fly without it.”

4 Rats and Landmines

Landmines remain a deadly legacy of former conflicts, lingering for decades and claiming thousands of lives each year when unsuspecting people step on them.

Traditional de‑mining relies on expensive bomb‑detection gear or costly dogs, both of which have logistical drawbacks. In 1997, the NGO APOPO introduced a cheaper, more agile alternative: African giant pouched rats.

These cat‑sized rodents have poor eyesight but an extraordinary sense of smell, enabling them to sniff out TNT. A single rat can sweep 2,000 sq ft in just 20 minutes, whereas a human equipped with detectors would need four days to cover the same area.

Because they’re light enough not to trigger mines, the rats have already detected over 13,200 explosive devices across several nations.

3 A $10 Domain Name and WannaCry

In 2017, the ransomware known as WannaCry spread like wildfire, infecting more than 300,000 computers across 150 countries and demanding Bitcoin ransoms.

The outbreak finally stalled when a security researcher, known as Malwaretech, registered a previously unclaimed domain name for about $10. This simple act triggered the malware’s built‑in “kill switch,” halting its propagation instantly.

Ransomware typically maintains a communication channel with its operator to exchange payment details and unlock encrypted files. Law‑enforcement agencies can exploit this channel, prompting attackers to embed kill switches that deactivate the virus if they suspect they’re being tracked.

WannaCry’s kill switch was precisely such a domain. By registering it, Malwaretech forced the malware to stop checking for an unregistered address, effectively neutering the outbreak.

2 Speed Tape and Airplanes

Aircraft require regular upkeep, but not every issue demands a full‑scale overhaul. Sometimes, a strip of high‑grade speed tape—airline‑grade duct tape—does the trick.

Speed tape serves as a temporary fix for non‑critical components, holding parts together until the airplane can undergo scheduled maintenance. Aviation authorities limit its use to ensure safety while providing a cost‑effective stop‑gap.

Although a single roll can cost several hundred to a few thousand dollars, this expense pales in comparison to the massive revenue loss an airline would suffer if a plane were grounded for days awaiting repairs.

1 IPhones and the US Army Special Operations Command

The U.S. Army Special Operations Command (SOCOM) relies on a suite of specialized mobile applications during high‑stakes missions, yet instead of commissioning bespoke hardware, they turned to the ubiquitous iPhone.

One standout app splits the iPhone’s screen: live footage from an unmanned aerial vehicle occupies one half, while a map charting the UAV’s flight path fills the other, delivering real‑time situational awareness.

Business Insider reports that SOCOM previously used Android‑based Samsung Galaxy Note devices, but frequent app freezes and lower screen resolution forced a switch. The iPhone 6s offered smoother performance and sharper visuals, crucial for mission‑critical tasks.

Before this becomes another brand rivalry, note that the Department of Defense actually pitted the older Samsung phones against the newer iPhones in rigorous testing before making the final decision.

When we think of 10 famous tech innovators, the image that pops up is usually one of glamour, billions, and bold visions. Yet behind the glossy press releases lies a very different reality for the people who actually clock in every day. Employees of these high‑profile CEOs have spoken candidly about the demanding, sometimes downright hostile, environments they endure. While the public only sees the polished success stories, the inside view reveals a far less flattering side.

Why 10 Famous Tech Leaders Can Be Tough Bosses

10 Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos runs Amazon with a razor‑sharp standard that he expects every employee to hit without fail. Insiders say that if Bezos ever forwards an email your way, you’re instantly on the hot seat to deliver a solution, or you risk severe repercussions.

There are countless ways to get on Bezos’s bad side, but whichever route you take, you’ll likely experience what staff dub the “nutters” – a tirade of shouting and biting remarks that leave no room for ambiguity.

Bezos is notorious for tossing out cutting questions and comments, such as, “Are you lazy or just incompetent?”, “I’m sorry, did I take my stupid pills today?” and “Why are you wasting my life?”. He also peppers his feedback with lines like, “We need to apply some human intelligence to this problem” and “This document was clearly written by the B team. Can someone get me the A team document? I don’t want to waste my time with the B team document.”

9 Elon Musk

Elon Musk’s reputation for sudden, sweeping changes is legendary among Tesla staff, who often avoid crossing his desk for fear of being dismissed on a whim. Those close to the CEO describe him as a “destructive but highly localized tornado,” a force that leaves chaos in its wake.

At Tesla and SpaceX alike, Musk is infamous for reshuffling roles without warning. He once berated several executives in front of their spouses at a party, furious that a rocket component was lagging behind schedule.

One of SpaceX’s top engineers, Steve Davis, proudly shared a breakthrough that saved $120,000 in external costs by using a $3,900 in‑house solution. Musk’s terse reply was simply, “OK,” a response that left the whole team stunned.

8 Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs cultivated a culture of intimidation, routinely insulting and harassing staff. He was quick to lose his temper and would publicly scold anyone who stepped out of line, prompting top executives like Rob Johnson and Alison Johnson to quit rather than endure his tirades.

Jobs demanded strict adherence to his rules, firing anyone who even hinted at bending them. Ironically, he would sometimes park in spots reserved for the physically challenged, highlighting a puzzling double standard.

He also expected his directives to be understood without clarification. Employees who failed to grasp his vision were often ridiculed for their perceived lack of intelligence, and many were terminated on the spot rather than given a chance to ask questions.

7 Evan Spiegel

Evan Spiegel, the head of Snap Inc., runs the company like a dictator, fostering a “toxic” and “cut‑throat” atmosphere that employees liken to “swimming in a shark tank.”

Spiegel is notoriously secretive and rarely heeds advice. He forces staff to tackle tasks they’re not trained for, only to fire them later for alleged incompetence. Moreover, his favoritism system pushes employees into office politics just to earn his trust and join his inner circle.

Several senior Snap executives have resigned, unable to cope with his style. Spiegel appears aware of his shortcomings; he hired a management coach and surveyed staff for ideas on how to become a better CEO.

6 Jia Yueting

Jia Yueting, former CEO and now chairman of Faraday Future, once seemed poised to challenge Tesla, but the company never lived up to its promise. Employees describe a chaotic, directionless operation led by a leader who calls an electric‑car maker an “internet company.”

Staff recount a toxic workplace where abusive managers push workers to stay late—often until nine at night—and silence any criticism of glaring product defects. This environment earned Faraday Future a dismal 1.9‑star rating on Glassdoor.

Such turmoil ultimately doomed the firm, leaving its future hanging in the balance and its reputation in tatters.

5 Larry Ellison

Larry Ellison, the former CEO and current chairman of Oracle, is infamous for publicly mocking rivals and business partners, and his behavior toward employees is no better. He was notorious for arriving an hour and a half late to meetings, earning the nickname “The Late Larry Ellison.”

Ellison also had a habit of firing top executives just before they qualified for lucrative stock options, prompting a journalist to liken him to a juicer extracting juice before dumping the pulp.

He didn’t stop there—when an executive like Ray Lane, who rescued Oracle from bankruptcy, began gaining influence, Ellison promptly terminated him to prevent any challenge to his authority.

4 Tim Armstrong

Tim Armstrong of AOL earned a reputation as a “robotic and possibly sociopathic manager” who would fire employees with a smile. He was impulsive in his layoffs, often announcing them in internal memos with little warning.

One infamous incident saw him eject a man from a conference for taking a photo, shouting at him in front of colleagues. Later, he publicly ridiculed two female employees for giving birth to sick babies, claiming their hospital bills cost the company $2 million.

3 Mark Pincus

Mark Pincus, the former CEO and current chairman of Zynga, was described by staff as a controlling and fearsome presence. He even hired a consultant for an “emergency likability intervention,” acknowledging his own reputation.

In a 2010 interview, Pincus admitted, “I went out of my way to tell people they were stupid if I thought they were,” adding, “People loved me or hated me.” He seemed intent on replicating that dynamic at Zynga.

His most notorious move came in 2010, when he forced employees to surrender their stock just before Zynga’s IPO. He later returned a tiny fraction, which many staff called “an insult.” The backlash led shareholders to promote him to chairman in 2013, effectively removing him from day‑to‑day operations, a shift that caused Zynga’s stock to rise immediately after the announcement.

2 Tom Rutledge

Tom Rutledge may not be a household name, but in 2019 he was the third‑highest‑paid executive in the United States, earning $116.9 million as CEO of Charter Communications, trading as Spectrum.

Rutledge stayed out of the spotlight until he sparked the longest strike in U.S. history. After acquiring Time Warner Cable and rebranding it Spectrum in 2016, he altered the contracts of 1,800 cable technicians, cutting health and retirement benefits. The workers responded by striking in March 2017.

Rather than negotiate, Rutledge hired temporary staff to fill the gaps. The strike dragged on, with roughly half the technicians returning to work without their demands met, while the rest held firm, even taking low‑pay jobs like driving for Uber.

1 Elizabeth Holmes

Rounding out the list is Elizabeth Holmes, once celebrated as the youngest self‑made female billionaire, now worth nothing after the collapse of Theranos. She promised a revolutionary machine that could diagnose numerous health issues from a single finger‑prick of blood.

Former employees say Holmes ran Theranos like a personal empire, demanding 16‑hour workdays, seven days a week, mirroring her own relentless schedule. She even pushed dinner to 8 p.m. so staff would stay late, while her boyfriend and COO, Ramesh Balwani, meticulously logged everyone’s sign‑in and sign‑out times.

Holmes and Balwani fostered a secretive, controlling culture that bred distrust. Visitors were forced to sign NDAs and were shadowed by security guards—even in the bathroom—to prevent any leaks.

The house of cards fell in 2015 when journalist John Carreyrou exposed that Theranos’s flagship device didn’t work. Holmes initially denied the claims, but the fraud charges that followed forced the company to shut down, wiping out her $4.5 billion fortune.

Information technology, often just called IT, continues to be one of the most adaptable and rapidly expanding sectors, and studies indicate that mastering high‑demand tech skills can significantly boost your earnings. If you’re aiming to pivot or climb the career ladder with fresh certifications and expertise, take a look at the 10 best tech skills you can master today.

Why These 10 Best Tech Skills Matter

Employers across the globe are on the hunt for the latest, most sought‑after capabilities. As technology weaves itself deeper into daily business operations, the right blend of practical know‑how, technical experience, and software fluency can set you apart and keep you indispensable.

10 Cybersecurity

Before the final quarter of 2020, a staggering 2,935 security breaches were publicly reported – the worst year on record for cyber‑incidents. In response, executives raised their cybersecurity budgets by at least 55% for 2021, and many are actively recruiting additional full‑time security experts.

So where should you focus your learning within the sprawling security landscape? While every niche – from general cybersecurity to cloud protection and application security – holds value, cloud security and application integrity are projected to surge by 115% and 164% respectively. Employers are especially hunting for talent skilled in app‑security code reviews, secure containers, and micro‑services security.

DevSecOps has emerged as a heavyweight, offering premium pay bumps that can equal roughly 19% of a professional’s base salary by weaving security directly into the development pipeline. Cloud‑security specialists can dive into Google Cloud security, Azure security, public‑cloud safeguards, security architecture, and infrastructure hardening.

Looking ahead, certifications will keep delivering premium wages and remain a bulwark against market fluctuations. Many organizations now reward professionals who hold credentials such as:

• CEH – Certified Ethical Hacker
• CCSP – Certified Cloud Security Professional
• CISSP – Certified Information Systems Security Professional
• CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner

9 Full Stack Development

Even though full‑stack development isn’t a brand‑new discipline, the demand for developers—especially those fluent in front‑end, back‑end, and full‑stack stacks—remains relentless.

Indeed’s 2020 ranking of top tech skills placed full‑stack software development at the No. 2 spot, and it also topped growth charts with a 161.9% rise. Since 2005, hiring rates for full‑stack engineers in the United States have climbed at an average of 35% per year.

The most coveted languages and frameworks right now include:

• JavaScript
• Python
• Go
• Swift
• React
• Angular
• Spring
• Django

JavaScript and its myriad frameworks continue to dominate as the most widely used programming language, while Go commands high demand due to a scarcity of seasoned developers. Angular and React lead the pack for front‑end expertise, and Spring and Django are prized for back‑end development.

8 Blockchain

Even after the dramatic dip in cryptocurrency values over the past year, blockchain technology remains vital for use‑cases such as crowdfunding, identity management, peer‑to‑peer payments, digital voting, and secure file storage.

Because of this versatility, employers are actively seeking developers who can build decentralized applications and smart contracts. The most sought‑after blockchain competencies include database design, networking fundamentals, and programming languages like JavaScript, Java, Solidity, Python, Go, and C++.

Blockchain engineers now earn salaries comparable to their machine‑learning counterparts, averaging around $162,000. Major financial institutions and tech giants—including Microsoft, Facebook, IBM, and Amazon—are all expanding their blockchain services.

7 Cloud Computing

As enterprises increasingly migrate from on‑premise servers to cloud‑based infrastructures, expertise in cloud computing is becoming exceptionally marketable. Today, machine‑learning and artificial‑intelligence services are largely hosted on cloud platforms, and job openings for cloud roles grew 107% in the United States between 2017 and 2020.

The dominant cloud provider is Amazon Web Services (AWS). Earning an AWS certification can lift your earnings well above peers without the credential, with cloud‑computing specialists averaging $130,272 annually.

AWS solution architects top the certification leaderboards in the U.S. and Canada, while other in‑demand cloud skills include DevOps, Microsoft Azure, Kubernetes, Docker, and broader cloud‑engineering expertise. The shift toward cloud platforms guarantees long‑term demand for skilled engineers.

6 Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Artificial intelligence (AI) and its sibling machine learning (ML) have become buzzwords that signal a rapidly evolving business landscape. A multitude of tools and services now rely on AI/ML, and hiring for AI specialists has surged 74% in recent years.

A 2019 Indeed study of top tech jobs revealed that openings for machine‑learning engineers jumped 344% over a four‑year span. Professionals equipped with Python, natural‑language processing, Java, TensorFlow, and R can command average salaries up to $140,000 in the United States.

Mastering AI/ML also opens doors to building chatbots—one of the most coveted specializations within the field. Companies increasingly deploy AI‑powered virtual agents to handle website queries, and experts in this arena enjoy some of the highest IT salaries available.

Core machine‑learning topics you’ll encounter include statistical pattern recognition, neural networks, unsupervised learning, deep learning, recommender systems, and anomaly detection.

5 Virtual, Augmented, and Extended Reality

The fusion of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) creates what’s known as extended reality (XR). Industries ranging from education and manufacturing to entertainment, advertising, and healthcare are rapidly adopting XR technologies, driving a hiring surge of 1,400% for VR/AR engineers.

While the full impact of XR will unfold over the next few years, market forecasts are already staggering: projections placed the AR/VR market at $6.1 billion in 2017, exploding to an estimated $215 billion by 2021.

Leading enterprises such as NVIDIA, Facebook, Google, HTV, and Snapchat are leveraging XR to fuel growth, especially in the post‑pandemic era. There’s also a notable shortage of XR quality‑assurance specialists who can troubleshoot algorithms and translate outputs for other tech teams.

4 Analytics and Data Science

Data analytics and data science remain among the most sought‑after tech skills, tightly intertwined with the big‑data boom that’s projected to grow 14.1% by 2026. Today, 84% of technology firms have launched big‑data initiatives and advanced‑analytics projects to improve accuracy and accelerate decision‑making.

LinkedIn’s emerging‑jobs report has highlighted data science as the top emerging role for three consecutive years. While analytics serves as an entry‑level pathway, data science delves deeper into sophisticated modeling and algorithmic work.

Key industries hungry for data talent include finance, software development, healthcare, education, and e‑retail. Data scientists earn an average salary of $101,000 and were ranked the third‑best jobs in the United States by Glassdoor’s annual “Best Jobs in America” report.

Professionals in analytics and data science empower organizations by delivering comprehensive overviews, interpreting massive datasets, and turning raw numbers into actionable insights. Mastery of this skill set equips you to build projects involving neural networks, classifiers, and machine‑learning algorithms.

3 IoT or Internet of Things and Big Data

The Internet of Things (IoT) encompasses any device that can connect to the internet and communicate with other devices—think smartphones, wearables, smart sensors, and countless other “talking” objects.

Security remains a primary concern for connected devices, making IoT expertise especially valuable. Professionals versed in IoT typically earn around $101,000, and the sector is poised to become the next major technology career boom.

By 2025, IoT is expected to contribute up to $11 trillion to the global economy, according to the McKinsey Global Institute. Currently, 94% of businesses are investing in IoT readiness, and mastering this area means you’ll be adept at identifying solutions, managing security risks, and handling data pipelines for prototype development.

2 Robotics

Robotics blends hardware and software engineering, allowing you to work with both physical machines and virtual bots. Specializations span automated manufacturing, exploration rovers, medical equipment, and even entertainment animatronics. Meanwhile, software‑driven bots power virtual assistants and automated customer‑service functions.

LinkedIn reports that the robotics sector, which includes both tangible and digital bots, has grown 40% annually and now forms part of the $1.2 trillion AI industry. Coupled with AI certifications, robotics engineers can command salaries as high as $181,430.

As a robotics engineer, you’ll design and fine‑tune systems that can navigate disaster zones, assist in healthcare, or execute precise manufacturing tasks. Mastery also involves programming languages such as SQL, Python, Visual Basic, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS to enable movement, flight, or other automated functions.

To become a robotics process automation (RPA) engineer, you’ll need a diverse toolkit covering development, architecture, and analytical skills. Proficiency with the Microsoft .NET Framework, combined with strong business‑process knowledge, communication abilities, and process‑mapping expertise, is essential.

1 User Experience and User Interface Designer

User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) belong to the same design family but serve distinct purposes. UI designers craft the visual layout, look, and feel of apps and websites, ensuring they’re attractive, intuitive, and fluid.

UX specialists, on the other hand, conduct extensive testing and research to understand how users actually interact with digital products. They collaborate closely with UI designers and developers, merging analytics with creativity to meet client goals.

According to Adobe, 87% of managers say hiring more UX talent is their top priority, and there are over 14,000 UX‑related job openings in the United States alone. Mastery of UI/UX design demands fluency with tools and platforms such as AI‑driven design software, AR/VR technologies, and wearable interfaces.

Hands up if you own a smartphone—yeah, that’s roughly 2.71 billion of you scrolling, texting, and snapping away. Now, keep those hands raised while we reveal the 10 things big tech hides about modern everyday smartphones, from how they’re built to what they do to our bodies, minds, and planet.

10 Things Big Tech Overview

10 Smartphones Are Designed To Fail

Even though a phone could comfortably survive beyond three years, most owners toss theirs out much sooner. The culprit isn’t just wear‑and‑tear; it’s a deliberate strategy called planned obsolescence, where manufacturers embed tactics that guarantee a constant demand for fresh models.

Those tactics range from sky‑high repair bills (especially for cracked screens) to scarce genuine parts, brief warranties, and slick marketing that nudges you toward the next upgrade. While many of these moves feel coercive, the core of planned obsolescence lies in built‑in hardware or software failures. Apple, for instance, faced accusations of deliberately throttling iPhones via “updates.” Though the company denied it, it ultimately settled with users for $25 per device.

9 Your Smartphone Diminishes Your Quality Of Life

Researchers split phone usage into two modes: the conscious “Aware” mode and the unconscious “Unaware” mode. The latter, where the device dictates our behavior, has been linked to a dip in overall quality of life—measured by positive feelings, competence, and daily functioning.

What’s alarming is that smartphone dependence isn’t a niche habit like smoking; it’s a generational norm. Millennials, Gen Z, and the emerging iGen cohort all show stark differences from their predecessors, especially in how they allocate time.

Since the iPhone’s debut in 2007, teens are reportedly spending less time hanging out, dating, having sex, or even sleeping, and more time feeling isolated. Instead of face‑to‑face meet‑ups, they drift into virtual realms—apps and websites—without the happiness boost one would expect. Surveys, like the Monitoring the Future study, highlight that heavy phone and social‑media users are far more likely to report unhappiness.

8 Smartphone Apps Are Intentionally Addictive

How many times do you glance at your phone daily? The average American checks it roughly 262 times a day—far more than most admit. The magnetic pull of those little black mirrors isn’t accidental; it’s engineered.

App creators openly admit that success is measured by how well they can turn a fleeting interaction into a habit. The payoff? Your attention, which translates directly into ad revenue. In the eyes of designers, you’re the product, not the consumer. Former insiders from Apple, Google, and Facebook confirm this reality.

There’s even an industry‑wide playbook, based on Stanford professor B.J. Fogg’s model, that triggers usage by exploiting negative emotions—boredom, loneliness, anxiety—to keep you hooked.

7 “Your” Smartphone Is A Surveillance Device

Edward Snowden’s revelations showed how governments worldwide keep a close eye on citizens’ phones. This reality fuels the rise of VPNs, but the snooping devices remain in our pockets.

Virtually untraceable spyware now grants any government the ability to tap into your device without your consent. From Poland’s surveillance of dissenting journalists to Hungary’s monitoring of NGOs, Greece’s cover‑ups, and Spain’s tracking of Catalan activists, the pattern repeats worldwide.

Even protestors, who should be wary, often carry their phones into demonstrations, unwittingly offering police a simple way to locate and follow them.

6 Checking Your Smartphone Ruins Your Eyesight And Skin

Most users ignore the toll screens take on their eyes. The Vision Council reports that 80 % of Americans stare at their phones for more than two hours daily, and 59 % experience digital eye strain. Prolonged exposure can damage retinal cells, potentially leading to macular degeneration, cataracts, eye cancer, and even growths on the whites of the eyes. Blink rates drop, leaving eyes dry and sore.

Children are not exempt; their developing eyes absorb even more blue light, putting them at heightened risk for disease.

But the damage isn’t limited to vision. Artificial light also stresses skin—both by disrupting sleep cycles and by generating reactive oxygen species that accelerate cellular aging. The result? Premature wrinkles and a faster‑appearing age, though the effects may be masked by selfie filters.

5 Smartphones Cause Debilitating Mental Illness

The most evident mental strain stems from the relentless pressure to stay connected. Every notification triggers the sympathetic nervous system, releasing adrenaline, spiking heart rate, and tightening muscles. It can take half an hour for the body to settle—time many never get.

Beyond that, chronic issues include disrupted sleep, cyberbullying, emotional dysregulation, depression, anxiety, impaired cognition, low self‑esteem, and social withdrawal. These aren’t speculative; studies link heavy phone use to each of these ailments.

Surveys of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders from 1991‑2016 reveal that teens who spend less time on electronic communication report higher happiness levels.

4 Smartphones Are Physically Hurting You

Blue‑light exposure isn’t the only physical hazard. Disrupting circadian rhythms and degrading sleep quality can contribute to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer. The repetitive motions of scrolling and typing strain hand joints, potentially leading to trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis, while tilting the head creates neck strain—equivalent to a 40‑lb load at a 30° tilt and 60‑lb load at 60°.

Radio‑frequency‑modulated electromagnetic fields (RF‑EMFs) emitted during calls raise brain glucose metabolism near the antenna. While the exact health impact remains debated, RF‑EMFs have been linked to cancer, and prolonged exposure may increase brain‑tumor risk. Some research suggests these fields could interfere with cognition, cause oxidative stress in mitochondria, and trigger electromagnetic hypersensitivity.

Animals aren’t spared either. Studies show EMFs disrupt navigation in bees, impair birds, harm frogs, and affect rodents, plants, and other wildlife—adding another layer to the ecological toll.

3 Smartphones Are Assembled In Sweatshops

Labor abuses at Foxconn in China—where giants like Apple and Sony source their devices—are well‑documented. Workers endure low wages, unpaid overtime, toxic exposure, and managerial deception. Promised bonuses often evaporate, and resignations require permission that is frequently denied, effectively trapping employees in a modern form of slavery, with suicide rates alarmingly high.

But Foxconn isn’t the only culprit. Samsung’s factories in Vietnam expose predominantly female workers to hazardous conditions, leading to frequent miscarriages, chronic dizziness, and forced separation from families in cramped dormitories. Across the industry, cheap labor underpins every smartphone.

2 Children Die Mining Cobalt For Batteries

Over half of the world’s cobalt—essential for phone batteries—originates from hand‑dug mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These ‘artisanal’ sites are harrowing: children as young as seven labor up to twelve hours daily for less than $2, hauling heavy loads, inhaling toxic dust, and contracting skin diseases.

Accidents claim limbs and lives, with many bodies left buried in the rubble. Although major brands publicly denounce child labor, they often won’t investigate suppliers, relying on the indifference of consumers in affluent markets. Even ethically‑focused companies like Fairphone struggle to separate conflict‑free cobalt from artisanal sources.

The lack of transparency means the crisis persists, feeding the relentless demand for ever‑newer phones.

1 Smartphones Are Ravaging The Planet

While daily phone usage feels carbon‑neutral, the backend infrastructure tells a different story. Data centers and cellular towers guzzle massive electricity—U.S. 4G networks consume 31 million MWh annually, enough to power 2.6 million homes. 5G is projected to triple that demand.

Manufacturing and mining dominate a phone’s carbon footprint, accounting for up to 95 % of emissions over its short lifespan. The extraction of cobalt, gold, silver, and other metals leaves a sizable environmental scar.

When a device reaches the end of its life, it joins the global e‑waste mountain—43 million tons in 2016 alone, equivalent to 4,500 Eiffel Towers. Most of this waste ends up in developing‑world dumps with lax regulations, polluting soil, water, and air.

About a century ago, the world’s gadgets were a far cry from today’s sleek devices. Back then, even the sharpest minds would have thought the notion of a global internet was something out of a sorcerer’s spellbook. Cars were just beginning to roll off assembly lines, television screens were still a dream, and the idea of a worldwide data network was pure fantasy. Fast‑forward to now: technology has catapulted us into a hyper‑connected era, yet every day still brings new glitches, bugs, and outright catastrophes. In this roundup we dive into the ten most eye‑popping mishaps that epitomize the phrase “10 recent tech” gone wrong.

Why These 10 Recent Tech Failures Matter

10 Juicero

Imagine a crowd of trend‑setting, health‑obsessed millennials all craving fresh juice at the push of a button. The global juice market swirls with a $200 billion annual turnover, while kitchen‑gadget sales hover around $17.6 billion. Marrying these two booming sectors seemed like a recipe for instant success—at least on paper.

When Juicero burst onto the scene in 2017, it promised a high‑tech solution: a sleek, Wi‑Fi‑enabled press that would squeeze pre‑packaged fruit and veggie bags with industrial‑grade force. Backed by a hefty $120 million injection from heavyweight investors, the device was marketed as the ultimate way to enjoy premium, fresh juice at home.

The machine operated like a mechanical vise, crushing the sealed packets with four tons of pressure to extract a nutrient‑rich drink. However, a savvy reporter soon demonstrated that the same juice could be extracted by simply squeezing the packets by hand—no $699 press required. The revelation that the product’s core function could be replicated manually sent shockwaves through the tech community.

Even after a price drop to $400, the damage was done. Juicero’s debut had already turned into a public relations nightmare, and the company folded within months, filing for bankruptcy and leaving investors and backers with a sour taste.

9 Zillow’s AI

Zillow, a household name in real‑estate listings, made a bold move in 2021 by venturing deep into the world of automated house‑flipping. The firm built a sophisticated AI engine designed to evaluate properties, place cash offers, and streamline the purchase process—all without human intervention.

Most consumers assumed Zillow was merely a platform for brokers to showcase listings, unaware that the company was actively buying and reselling homes. This misperception, combined with overconfidence in its algorithm, led Zillow to let the AI place blind cash bids on thousands of properties.By November of that year, Zillow’s iBuyer arm, Zillow Offers, was saddled with a backlog of roughly 7,000 homes worth $2.8 billion. The avalanche of unsold inventory forced the company to shut down the AI‑driven buying program, highlighting the perils of letting a website run a nationwide real‑estate acquisition strategy without adequate safeguards.

8 Tesla Bot

Tesla, famed for its electric cars and charismatic CEO Elon Musk, announced in August 2021 an ambitious project: a humanoid robot designed to tackle repetitive, dangerous, or boring tasks. The concept generated massive buzz, promising a future where machines could shoulder the mundane chores of daily life.

Rather than waiting for a functional prototype, Musk opted for a theatrical reveal. The stage featured a person in a spandex jumpsuit, masquerading as the “Tesla Bot,” who performed a brief, choreographed dance. The stunt was meant to be a teaser, but many observers saw it as a hollow gimmick.Critics pounced, arguing that the demonstration was a distraction from Tesla’s lagging headlines on vehicle production and safety. Whether intended as humor or a serious preview, the spectacle painted one of the world’s most valuable companies and its billionaire founder in a less‑than‑flattering light.

7 The Freedom Phone

In recent years, a segment of the American electorate has become hyper‑sensitive to perceived attacks on liberty, prompting a market for devices marketed as “free from Big Tech.” The Freedom Phone emerged as a flagship product aimed at MAGA supporters, promising an uncensored app store and an anti‑surveillance operating system.

Reality, however, proved far less revolutionary. The phone was essentially a rebranded Chinese handset—specifically, a $119 Umidigi A9—sold under a $499 premium price tag. The device’s hardware was nothing exotic, and its operating system was a fork of mainstream Android, not a bespoke privacy‑focused platform.

The claim of immunity from monitoring was especially ironic given the phone’s Chinese origin, a country not renowned for robust privacy protections. Moreover, the phone still relied on U.S. cellular networks, and its “uncensored” app store was riddled with security concerns, prompting tech reviewers to advise consumers to steer clear.

6 Quibi

Quibi entered the streaming arena with a bold promise: short‑form, premium content designed specifically for mobile viewing on the go. Backed by roughly $2 billion in funding and a star‑studded roster—including Kevin Hart, Anna Kendrick, Sam Raimi, and Idris Elba—the platform aimed to redefine how we consume entertainment during commutes.

The service’s model hinged on “quick bites” of five minutes or less, accessible only via smartphones. Unfortunately, the platform imposed strict restrictions—no screen captures, a relatively high subscription price, and a library that many critics deemed mediocre at best.

Within seven months, Quibi’s subscriber base failed to materialize, and the service shuttered, leaving behind a cautionary tale about over‑inflated expectations, misaligned pricing, and a content strategy that didn’t resonate with audiences.

5 Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 arrived in late 2020 amid a frenzy of hype, promising a sprawling, neon‑lit open world and starring Keanu Reeves. Pre‑orders surged past five million, and the game sold 13.7 million copies worldwide, positioning it as one of the fastest‑selling titles of all time.

However, the launch quickly turned sour. On older consoles such as the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the game was riddled with glitches, crashes, and performance issues that rendered it nearly unplayable. The backlash forced CD Projekt Red to issue refunds to over 30,000 disgruntled players and even pull the title from the PlayStation Store temporarily.

Legal action followed as hackers exposed data indicating the company had knowingly shipped a subpar product to meet deadlines. While patches eventually improved stability, the damage to the title’s reputation was irreversible, and many gamers moved on, leaving the once‑glittering release in the shadows of its own ambition.

4 Coolest Cooler

Transforming a humble cooler into a high‑tech marvel seemed like a surefire recipe for Kickstarter success. The Coolest Cooler, launched in 2014, combined a Bluetooth speaker, built‑in blender, USB charger, and LED lighting—all packaged in a sleek, insulated vessel.

The campaign exploded, raising a staggering $13 million—one of the platform’s most successful projects ever. Backers imagined a summer accessory that could charge phones, blend smoothies, and pump music, all while keeping drinks cold.

Unfortunately, the product fell short on every front. Reviews in 2016 highlighted a subpar blender that ran for only four minutes before dying, a flimsy battery, and a price tag of $399 that seemed unjustified. By 2019, the company declared bankruptcy, citing Chinese tariffs as a scapegoat, though many analysts pointed to fundamental design flaws and unrealistic promises.

Backers who had pledged during the campaign faced a nightmare: the company ran out of funds, forcing supporters to pay an additional $96 to receive a device that never truly materialized. Those who bought the cooler on Amazon received their units earlier, but the overall fiasco left a sour aftertaste.

3 Galaxy Fold

The idea of a foldable smartphone had long haunted sci‑fi writers, promising a device that could shrink like a wallet yet expand into a full‑size tablet. Samsung answered the call with the Galaxy Fold, unveiled in 2019 at a price just under $2 000.

Early reviewers were eager to test the revolutionary hinge, but the reality was far less graceful. Many units suffered from screen bulges, hinge failures, and one‑sided functionality. Some reviewers even removed a protective film they didn’t know existed, inadvertently destroying the delicate display.

Samsung initially boasted of selling a million units within four months, but quickly retracted the claim, admitting the figure represented projected sales rather than actual shipments. The company’s CEO later admitted the product had been released prematurely, acknowledging the costly lesson learned from rushing a nascent technology to market.

2 Breached Sex Toys

As the Internet of Things expands, even the most intimate devices are becoming connected. Modern adult toys can now be controlled remotely via Bluetooth, opening a market ripe with innovation—but also fraught with security pitfalls.

Many of these gadgets ship with minimal encryption, leaving personal usage data vulnerable to hackers. A breach could expose not just intimate preferences but also financial information, especially if the device is linked to cryptocurrency wallets or payment apps.

One Twitter user recounted a harrowing episode where a hacker accessed their MetaMask wallet after the user plugged a Bluetooth‑enabled sex toy into a charger. The breach resulted in the loss of several NFTs and a substantial sum of cryptocurrency, underscoring the real‑world consequences of lax security in seemingly innocuous devices.

1 WeWork

WeWork began as a digital platform offering flexible office space for startups and entrepreneurs, essentially repackaging commercial real‑estate into short‑term leases. The concept quickly ballooned, attracting a $47 billion valuation and massive media attention.

SoftBank poured $8 billion into the venture, fueling a rapid expansion into prime city locations. The company’s leadership claimed the market was worth over $3 trillion, arguing that any desk‑worker in an urban area could become a client.

The firm’s culture, led by CEO Adam Neumann and his wife, was infamous for eccentric behavior—Neumann famously worked barefoot and took tequila shots in the office, while his wife dismissed employees based on “energy.” These quirks hinted at deeper governance issues.

Financial mismanagement proved catastrophic. WeWork lost $1.9 billion in 2018 on $1.8 billion in revenue, and its stock spiraled downward. The CEO’s departure failed to restore confidence, and the company’s planned IPO in 2019 collapsed spectacularly. By early 2021, WeWork reported another $2 billion loss in a single quarter, cementing its status as a cautionary tale of over‑hyped growth and reckless spending.

These ten stories illustrate that even the most well‑funded, hyped, and visionary tech ventures can stumble dramatically when ambition outpaces execution, security, or market demand.

About a hundred years ago, the technology of the world was decidedly different than it is today. Automobiles for the average citizen were just becoming commonplace, TV had yet to be invented, and the idea of the internet would have sounded like madcap witchcraft to even the most astute scientist. But for all the advances we’ve enjoyed with technology and all the ways it’s made our lives better, it’s far from infallible. Tech is failing all the time and there have been some stunning fails in recent memory.

10. Juicero

What do trendy, hip, proactive go-getters love more than anything? If you guessed juice and/or pointless gadgets, you have your finger on the pulse. The global juice market is bearing down on $200 billion a year. So yes, we love juice. Kitchen gadgets rake in around $17.6 billion per year. It’s a match made in heaven to put them together! Or it should have been.

In 2017, Juicero seemed like it was brilliant. A fancy kitchen gadget to make tasty juice. Individual packets of fruit were pressed in an internet connected machine that was backed by some big name investors who put $120 million into the idea.

The machine itself was like a vise that squeezed pre-made veggie and fruit packets with four tons of force to make delicious, fresh juice. And then one day, someone realized you could just squeeze the packets by hand and didn’t need the $699 juice press. When reporters put it to the test, they discovered that they could get just as much juice, and faster, doing it bare handed. 

Even after dropping the price to $400, the Juicero had already fumbled its launch too badly. They went bankrupt after being in business only a few months.

9. Zillow’s A.I.

Zillow is a real estate company that gained a lot of press in recent years for its marketplace dominance. They spent much of 2021 snatching up so many houses that they had to put the kibosh on it for several months. They had suffered a serious technological failure born from a bit of overconfidence and possibly ignorance as well.

Most people never realized Zillow actually bought and sold houses, thinking it was just a forum for real estate agents to list property. The truth was the company was in the business of flipping properties, and they had developed some AI technology to assist them in this task. Their confidence was so high that they were letting the AI make cash offers for properties. That turned out to be a bad idea. 

By November, the company had a backlog of 7,000 houses they needed to get rid of, worth around $2.8 billion. They were forced to shut down their AI algorithm and suspend home buying as a result of its slapdash spending, proving definitively that you can’t let a website invest in real estate across an entire country. 

8. Tesla Bot

Few companies are as well known these days as Tesla. With Elon Musk constantly in the news, the company can’t help but pop up frequently as well, and not always just in relation to the antics of its CEO. Don’t forget, Tesla is still leading the way in the electric car game and they frequently come out with something new and exciting to keep them on the tips of everyone’s tongues.

In August 2021, Tesla held a press event to let the world know that they were working on a humanoid robot. The goal, according to Musk, was to create a machine that can do boring, dangerous or repetitive tasks for humans. So far so good. The problem was the rollout.

For whatever reason, Musk chose to show off the idea of the robot before anyone had made a real robot. So, instead, they rolled out a man in a spandex jumpsuit pretending to be a robot. And then he danced, and it wasn’t good.

Whether or not it was meant as a joke didn’t matter. The company was raked over the coals in the media the next day. Many people chalked it up as a stunt to distract from bad press, but whatever the true motivation, it made one of the biggest companies and one the richest men in the world look foolish.

7. The Freedom Phone

There is a certain subsection of America that will look at anything they find disagreeable or threatening as a direct attack on their freedom. And their response to this attack is to randomly and nonsensically start assigning the label “freedom” to anything they feel supports their POV. Remember when France opposed the Iraq War and someone tried to rename French fries “freedom fries?” It happened. 

In more recent history, the Freedom Phone was designed for supporters of Donald Trump, who wanted to get out from under “Big Tech’s” thumb and enjoy a smartphone that wasn’t going to censor them or push a liberal agenda. It would have an app store with no censorship and even an anti-surveillance operating system. And hey, if those are your politics, that’s great. There’s money to be made appealing to people based on their political beliefs. The problem was that the phone itself didn’t really align with its own politics.

To start with, the Freedom Phone was just a rebranded, cheap Chinese phone. The $499 Freedom Phone was actually a $119 Umidigi A9 phone. Never heard of Umidigi? Neither had anyone else, really. So it wasn’t made in America and the idea that it was surveillance free and censorship free, coming from China, where neither of those attributes is highly valued, turned out to be a bit of a joke. No specs were available on the website for buyers, the OS was replaced with one made by those Big Tech companies, there are huge privacy concerns with their unregulated app store, and nearly every tech website has advised buyers to avoid this thing like the plague. 

6. Quibi

What can you say about Quibi? This is arguably the biggest bomb of 2021, a fact only tempered by the knowledge literally everyone but those involved seemed to see it coming from a mile away. 

The idea behind Quibi seemed to be the merging of traditional TV and film with something more fast-paced and consumable like YouTube and TikTok. Shows were all going to be short, as in five minutes or so so you could watch them during a morning commute, and they featured some of the biggest names in Hollywood like Kevin Hart, Anna Kendrick, Sam Raimi, Idris Elba, and so many more. How were there so many big names? Could have had something to do with the nearly $2 billion in investment money. 

Quibi lasted for about seven months. No one was on board. You couldn’t watch Quibi on a TV, only a cell phone. You couldn’t screencap Quibi shows. It was far too expensive for what it was and, most importantly, nearly everything they made kind of sucked. Critics and viewers alike universally panned almost every show on the platform. 

5. Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 was released at the end of 2020 and was one of the most hyped games in recent years. It even starred Keanu Reeves, for goodness sake. It was also one of the fastest selling games ever, with nearly five million pre-orders before its launch and about 13.7 million sold in total. Sounds like a huge win, right? Well, not exactly.

Around 30,000 buyers ended up getting refunds from the developer because the game was so buggy as to be nearly unplayable. The PlayStation Store also issued refunds and ended up removing the game entirely. 

The game was extremely glitchy on both PS4 and Xbox One. Lawsuits were filed for making the games work so poorly on older generation systems and then hackers stole information from the developer. 

At the end of the day, even when people were able to enjoy the game and had it run perfectly, the game turned out to be okay. Just okay. It never lived up to the hype and a lot of people have mostly forgotten about it since its release.

4. Coolest Cooler

Making a cooler into a tech fail is no small feat. A cooler can literally be a styrofoam box, so a company needs to go above and beyond to make it a failure, let alone one that drags technology down with it. But that’s just what the Coolest Cooler did when it fumbled its way into existence a few years back.

In 2014, the Coolest Cooler was one of the biggest campaigns ever on Kickstarter, which raised a stunning $13 million, a fact no one could have seen coming. Who knew coolers were so popular?

The Coolest Cooler was supposed to be able to charge devices like your phone and feature its own blender and Bluetooth speaker, as well as some other knickknacks. Fast forward to 2019 and the company filed for bankruptcy as the cooler finally went down in flames. 

The CEO blamed Chinese tariffs for ending the product line, but product reviews from 2016 had already pointed out that the cooler was mostly garbage. With a $399 price tag, you’d expect a high tech cooler to at least work right, and this one didn’t. The blender was mediocre at best and the battery life was about four whole minutes of blending.

The cooler never got released during its Kickstarter because the company ran out of money, so backs had to pony up an additional $96 to get one if they still wanted it. Plus, people who didn’t back the Kickstarter and just bought one on Amazon got theirs faster. 

3. Galaxy Fold

Science fiction has enticed us for a few years with the idea of foldable tech. Things like phones or tablets that you can roll up and bend seem convenient because enough of us have dropped or crushed phones and broken the screens to make it a desirable feature. So, based on that, Samsung went ahead and made a screen that you couldn’t roll but you could at least fold. Or that was the idea.

The Galaxy Fold was unleashed in 2019 and it looked kind of like a wallet. You could fold it clean in half and then unfold it and your screen was right there, arguably giving you twice the screen capacity of the size of it in your pocket. The price tag for this remarkable tech was nearly $2,000. Things didn’t go well.

Once Samsung actually let reviewers try out the phones, they failed immediately. It took only a day or two for most reviewers to point out that their folding screens just didn’t work. Some developed bulges, some only worked on one side of the fold. Other reviews removed a protective film because they didn’t know not to remove it and basically destroyed the phone.

After the phone’s release, Samsung claimed to have sold one million units in about 4 months, then quickly walked that back saying the 1 million was what they hoped to sell. Samsung’s CEO later admitted they pushed the Fold out too soon and it was embarrassing. 

2. Hacked Sex Toys

By now, everyone knows that they need to protect everything that connects to the internet from hackers because they’re looming around every corner. We all have dozens of passwords to protect everything we own and with good reasons – hackers really will hack into anything. That includes sex toys.

There’s a strong and growing market for adult toys that are connected to the internet to allow remote control by other users for reasons you can imagine all on your own. But the problem is that few of these devices have any security built into them. 

The most obvious security risk is any personal data that can be gleaned by hackers from a connected device. This may not seem like much at first, and may only be embarrassing information related to your use of sex toys. But that’s not all. 

One user on Twitter recently pointed out how their computer had been hacked and someone gained access to their Metamask, a browser extension that lets you access Ethereum and other crypto business. The user lost some NFTs and funds and the only unusual thing they could think of on their network was a sex toy they’d plugged in to charge. 

1. WeWork

WeWork was a tech startup company that helped provide shared office space for new companies and startups. So basically just real estate for businesses, though they also dabbled in virtual spaces alongside real ones and tried very hard to dupe people into thinking they did things when they really did very little. The company would rent large office spaces long term, and then divide up smaller spaces within that property for more short-term renters to use it as their day-to-day office space. Somehow, this idea managed an initial valuation of $47 billion.  

The company got an $8 billion investment from SoftBank and they set about buying office spaces in major cities across the country. They projected the market for their business to be upwards of $3 trillion and no one thought that sounded insane. They got this number by deciding that literally anyone who worked at a desk in a city where they had an office qualified as a potential member. 

The CEO and his wife were notoriously bad at business and almost cartoonishly inept. He worked barefoot and did tequila shots in the office while she once fired someone because their “energy” was off. 

The company’s only real strength seemed to be mismanaging money. In 2018, they lost $1.9 billion off of $1.8 billion in revenue and continued to tank. The CEO had to resign just to instill some faith in the business, not that it worked at all. In 2019, their IPO failed and had to be pulled. In 2021 they reported over $2 billion in losses in the first quarter alone.