This situation is the Tesla syndrome, and it’s everywhere. “Innovation” all too often makes everything worse. Ubers are often more expensive than taxis now. Streaming services that once offered us infinite movies now force us all to watch Suits. Information markets that were supposed to distribute goods and money more equitably by means of the market alone have led to unprecedented inequality. Management consultants using the “innovation Bible” have suggested that a major university replace all its language classes with subscriptions to DuoLingo. Twitter is now “X.” Tweets are now “posts.”
Tesla didn’t cause any of this on its own. But it is the poster child for the slick substitution of actual functionality for nebulous “innovation”; the replacement of products and services that really work, with sleek but dysfunctional machines, “master algorithms,” and corporate boardrooms.
CHUCKYSCARNAGE 