Why Did Big Tech Stop Building Useful Products?

Cal Newport reacts to Tesla's demo of a rocket-powered Roadster performing a "kick-flick" over a parked car, a moment he says seemed to epitomize negative changes in the tech sector. In this solo episode he develops his thinking around why big tech has stopped building useful products, laying out three factors: the difference between growth and stable companies, what he calls "engagement-pilling," and the inherent difficulty of building genuinely useful products. He closes by explaining why this decline is a problem and what listeners can do in response.