I’ve been in tech forever, and can honestly say this was one of the biggest years for technological advancements. Generative AI took center stage, and ChatGPT became a household name. Heck, I use it almost every day.
But this year also had its fair share of bloopers. From a missing submarine full of millionaires to lab-grown meat, let’s look back.
Deep drama
When OceanGate’s Titan submarine went missing in June, everyone frantically refreshed their news feeds for updates. Titan contained four men on a mission to catch a glimpse of the Titanic, but, as with the Titanic, their story ended in tragedy.
Despite warnings about the vessel being unable to withstand the ocean’s pressure, OceanGate proceeded. Four days after contact was lost with the sub, a deep-sea robot spotted its remains. Sad story all around.
Cool it
In Mexico, a geoengineering company called Make Sunsets tried curbing climate change. They launched balloons that flung reflective sulfur dioxide into the sky in an attempt to cool off the planet. It didn’t work and made a mess.
Cruisin’ for a bruisin’
Tesla’s self-driving cars weren’t the only autopilot blunder this year. GM had its own with its Cruise driverless taxi division. They piloted the program in San Francisco, but it was a real mess.
The Cruise vehicles caused many problems, like dragging a pedestrian 20 feet. GM tabled the program and laid off 25% of its staff. Back to the drawing board.
‘Meat’ me in the lab
Upside Foods, based in Berkeley, California, tried to take lab-grown meat to the next level. It wound up being a huge flop. The startup raised over half a billion dollars, but it was all smoke and mirrors.
Upside used a ton of labor, plastic and energy, but the company hardly made any meat. I’m not sure I would’ve eaten it, anyway …
Pin it to win it
The Humane AI Pin had high hopes of replacing our smartphones, except … it didn’t. A couple of former Apple execs created the device, which critics say is magical and awkward.
The magic? You can chat with AI while a laser projects the information onto your hand. Cool, but the pin weighs as much as a golf ball, making it difficult to wear. I’ll stay glued to my screen for now!
😂 So, there you have it — the biggest tech flops of 2023. I won’t even go into all the drama from the social media companies. Threads? Yeah, that was a blip. Things are also still a hot mess over at X.
Meanwhile, over at the Komando Radio Ranch …
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