Huge Tech went on a homicide spree in 2023. We noticed the top of many once-loved services, all swallowed up into the nice darkish pit of company consolidation. Few corporations saved their knives sheathed, and if this yr taught us something, 2024 is more likely to be simply as bloody.
This was a foul yr to be a tech employee, and doubtless simply as unhealthy to be tech itself. The good tech layoff spree continued on from 2022 as Silicon Valley tried to cut costs by tossing staff to the curb and killing any services or products deemed too extraneous. Because the trade’s newest fascination with synthetic intelligence turns into an outright obsession, one can count on we’ll discover much more shallow graves dug across the campuses of Google, Apple, TikTok, Microsoft, and Amazon.
This occurs yearly, however in 2023 we noticed greater than the standard quantity of fats trimming. Huge Tech didn’t simply homicide merchandise individuals had been utilizing, it shuttered companies that individuals trusted. As streaming has continued to refute its preliminary promise by forcing ads on users who can’t pay a premium, quite a few companies reminiscent of Apple Music and Netflix have lower off lower-cost subscription tiers.
If there have been a most needed board hanging up within the Silicon Valley sheriff’s workplace, then Google would have the largest bounty on its head. The Mountain View large has refocused its whole equipment on pushing AI merchandise, and meaning different tasks gotta go. On the top of the list is Google Stadia, the corporate’s cloud gaming platform that took a full six months earlier than the coroner may file their full report. However that’s simply the tip of the iceberg.
We noticed the impacts that mega-mergers just like the multi-billion Warner Bros. Discovery had on user-end merchandise and content material. To not put too advantageous a degree on it, everything got worse. Subsequent yr, we’ll begin to see the true affect of the $69 billion Microsoft merger with Activision Blizzard. Regardless of exec’s assurances that everything will be just fine, now we have a sense we’ll simply find yourself with fewer apps and fewer competitors, all whereas paying extra for degraded experiences.