This is the last edition of this year's "Tech, What the Heck!?" newsletter. Just like in 2023, all the editors at HackerNoon got together again to discuss what they thought were the most important themes and news bites of 2024. Hereâs what we thought:
Sheharyar - 2024 Made Me an AI Skeptic
Last year, I said I was a crypto skeptic. This year, Iâm an artificial intelligence AND a crypto skeptic.
By far, one of the most submitted stories on HackerNoon this year had to do with artificial intelligence and its supposed benefits in literally any and all sectors of the world. Never mind the fact that most of the authors making those claims seemed to be relying a little too much on ChatGPT, but even after accounting for the ungodly amount of articles rejected for being AI-generated (a big no-no at HackerNoon), I couldnât help but notice similar themes in the submissions.
Chatter around artificial intelligence is quite varied. Wall Streetâs optimism about generative artificial intelligenceâs potential, which propelled Nvidia to one of the most valued companies in the world, is turning into agitation and impatience over its increasing capital requirements and lack of meaningful returns.
Worryingly still, the bulk of the success from artificial intelligence is being reaped by a select few corporations âNvidia, chiefly, but also the likes of Amazon and Microsoft, and is not being evenly distributed across the economy as one would hope. Instead, as one meme on the internet put it, AI is being used for creative work while humans are left with menial and boring tasks â an ironic contradiction, given AI was supposed to do the exact opposite.
Far from the utopia it was supposed to usher all of us into, generative AI became a buzzword that smaller corporations desperately tried to capitalize on in hopes it would boost their stock prices. Some even went so far as to lay off employees in hopes AI could do their work, only to hire back people so they could fix the AIâs output.
Despite all that, I noticed that the same language that I had seen being used by pro-web3/crypto/blockchain/whathaveyou crowd in the past, was now being co-opted by a new segment of the population that treated generative AI like it was the second coming of Jesusâshoehorning the technology anywhere they could and providing overly simplistic explanations of how AI could solve [enter problem here].
Yes, generative AI may be useful to some. Yes, I did/do sparingly use generative AI in my day-to-day work. Yes, the technology underpinning generative AI is interesting, no doubt. But it is by no means without its limitations and is in no way a substitute for artistic, creative, or even serious professional work.
The sheer amount of resources needed to continue improving generative AI and the diminishing rate of return means that the AI bubble is
Yet, that wonât stop corporations and the pro-AI crowd from singing praises of this supposed messianic technology in ending the planetâs woes.
My biggest takeaway from generative AI is that itâs great for speed, but not so much for depth. It can certainly supplement oneâs skill, but cannot magically make them a master of their craftâthat takes time, effort, and repeated practice.
Generative AI also depressingly exposes the massesâ struggle with language, specifically when it comes to writing. It inadvertently gives people the impression that they too can become prolific thought leaders by simply telling ChatGPT to write something tailored to their specific prompt.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
I think it is only fitting that I end my key takeaway for the year with one of my favorite quotes, which I believe fits perfectly with where we find ourselves today with ChatGPT and such.
âImitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness,â Oscar Wilde.
Asher â The Stars Feel Closer Than Ever
Faith, borders, skin tone, sexual orientation, and a myriad of time-wrought biases are the lines that divide us. But, ever so often, in the face of extraordinary challenges or triumphs, Humanity puts its many differences aside, uniting to fight a greater enemy or applaud a greater good.
In Q4 2024, SpaceX, the brainchild of Mr. Elon Muskâworldâs richest man and self-proclaimed champion of free speechâgave us a reason to forego incessant infighting (if only for a few moments), look up to the sky and applaud one of humanityâs greatest space-related achievements.
Why is this such a big deal?
Well, historically, rockets have been single-use machines, discarded after a single launch. This approach is terribly expensive, with costs ranging from tens to hundreds of millions per launch. Take NASAâs Space Launch System, for exampleâitâs
Even from the POV of a layman, I could go on and on about the implications of this breakthroughâlower launch costs mean more frequent launches which in turn could mean accelerated scientific research. And if SpaceX can pull it off, itâs only a matter of time before *Monkey see Monkey doâ*more companies worldwide will inevitably step up to a plate and innovate with a vengeance.
Moreso, reusable rockets also mean less space debrisâand lord knows weâve polluted this planet enough for several lifetimes.
Musk is many things to many people, but regardless of what you(and I) may think about his quirks, tweets (or should I say posts?), and politicking, we canât deny his knack for pushing the envelope. The successful catch by Mechazillaâand Starship's
In the words of my favorite Toy Story characterâto infinity and beyond!
Jose - Layoffs, Layoffs, and Guess What? More Layoffs
When I was growing up, I heard one thing ad nauseam: If you want a good and steady job, you need a college degree. With a college degree, you are guaranteed a cushy job and wonât struggle anymore. Well, maybe that was true back in the day, but now, thatâs a long-gone dream.
And that is never clearer than when scrolling through social media/ the news feed and seeing headline after headline announcing more and more layoffs.
Iâve seen so many layoff headlines, so many recently laid-off employees announcing that theyâre looking for jobs that it doesnât even surprise me anymore. And it feels that Iâve seen more of that this year than ever before.
Microsoft
In January, it was reported that Microsoft would be letting go of
Then, in May, Microsoft
The man would come around two more times: In June, it was reported by
Intel
In one of the biggest layoff announcements of the year, Intel announced that they were going to cut 15,000 jobs which accounts for 15% of their workforce, according to a note from
âSimply put, we must align our cost structure with our new operating model and fundamentally change the way we operate. Our revenues have not grown as expected â and weâve yet to fully benefit from powerful trends, like AI. Our costs are too high, our margins are too low. We need bolder actions to address both â particularly given our financial results and outlook for the second half of 2024, which is tougher than previously expected.
These decisions have challenged me to my core, and this is the hardest thing Iâve done in my career. My pledge to you is that we will prioritize a culture of honesty, transparency and respect in the weeks and months to come.â
Amazon
Amazon started off the year by
Twitch, the popular live-streaming platform which is also owned by Amazon, also let go of
Tesla
In April, Tesla CEO Elon Musk sent out an
âI would like to thank everyone who is departing Tesla for their hard work over the years. Iâm deeply grateful for your many contributions to our mission and we wish you well in your future opportunities. It is very difficult to say goodbye.
For those remaining, I would like to thank you in advance for the difficult job that remains ahead. We are developing some of the most revolutionary technologies in auto, energy and artificial intelligence. As we prepare the company for the next phase of growth, your resolve will make a huge difference in getting us there.â
Cisco
This year, Cisco did two rounds of layoffs; both rounds saw thousands of people losing their jobs. In February, they
In total, it is estimated that almost
The tech boom that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic is in the rearview mirror, and weâre feeling the effects of it. Hopefully next year, weâll feel it less.
And there you have it folks -- 2024 from the eyes of HackerNoon editors. Letâs see what the cat brings in in 2025 :-)
In Other News.. đ°
- Crypto Scammers Are Now Stealing From Other Crypto Thieves â via
CoinDesk - Backed by a16z and QED, Brazilian startup Carecode puts AI agents to work on healthcare â via
TechCrunch - MAGA opponents of Elon Musk claim he stripped them of their X badges â via
CNN - Nvidia closes $700 mln Run:ai acquisition after regulatory hurdles â via
Reuters - What to know about Sriram Krishnan, whose AI appointment sparked MAGA outrage â via
Axios - OpenAI says it needs âmore capital than weâd imaginedâ as it lays out for-profit plan â via
CNBC
And that's a wrap! Don't forget to share this newsletter with your family and friends! See y'all next week. PEACE! âŽď¸
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*All rankings are current as of Monday. To see how the rankings have changed, please visit HackerNoon's
Tech, What the Heck!? is a once-weekly newsletter written by HackerNoon editors that combine HackerNoon's proprietary data with news-worthy tech stories from around the internet. Humorous and insightful, the newsletter recaps trending events that are shaping the world of tech. Subscribe