The 12 months 2024 delivered all of the drama expertise followers might need: AI dominance, chip wars, sensible units that had been something however, and a social media implosion that is already a case examine in company mismanagement. From monumental wins to jaw-dropping failures, this is the definitive breakdown of the 12 months’s tech highs and lows.
Losers
1. X (previously Twitter): A masterclass in self-destruction
Elon Musk spent 2024 doubling down on the chaos that turned X right into a punchline. Advertisers fled after baffling coverage shifts, verified checkmarks grew to become meaningless, and customers deserted ship for Bluesky and Mastodon in droves. Engagement plummeted, and what was as soon as a cultural establishment grew to become a meme of its former self. Musk may nonetheless name it “the city sq.,” however in 2024, X was extra just like the native landfill.
2. Amazon: Innovation takes a espresso break
Amazon’s five-day return-to-office mandate alienated workers, sparked accusations of “quiet firing,” and triggered a mass exodus of expertise. Employees who could not — or would not — transfer nearer to places of work had been pressured out, and with them went years of experience and innovation. This was the HR equal of smashing a robotic with a sledgehammer for an organization obsessive about effectivity. Quiet quitting? Extra like loud mismanagement.
3. Cybertruck: Trapezoids of doom
Tesla’s Cybertruck lastly hit the highway in 2024 — and instantly rolled right into a ditch. Recollects for faulty inverters, cameras that did not work, and windshield wipers that could not deal with drizzle made the truck a laughingstock. Its resale worth tanked, and its polarizing design nonetheless regarded like a failed geometry project. Positive, it turns heads, however solely as a result of folks cannot imagine it exists.
4. Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional: $3,500 price of ‘why?‘
Apple’s Imaginative and prescient Professional wowed in demos and dazzled on paper, however in observe, it was an answer looking for an issue. At $3,500, it was extra curiosity than game-changer, with no killer app to justify the associated fee. Apple followers drooled, however most shoppers shrugged. A technological marvel? Sure. Essential gadget? Not even shut.
5. Intel: Relic of a bygone period
In 2024, Intel continued to float additional into irrelevance. Its “AI PCs” barely moved the needle, and the thirteenth and 14th Gen Core processors — repackaged variations of final 12 months’s chips — left shoppers unimpressed. In the meantime, Arm-based chips like Apple’s M4 and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite set new benchmarks for efficiency and effectivity. Intel used to steer the cost; now it is trailing behind, yelling on the clouds.
6. CrowdStrike: Belief misplaced
CrowdStrike had one job: preserve techniques safe. As a substitute, it botched a software program replace that brought on a world IT outage, affecting thousands and thousands of Home windows units and denting its repute. For a corporation constructed on belief, this colossal failure had clients second-guessing their investments. Cybersecurity big? Extra like cybersecurity headache.
7. AI wearables: The dumbest ‘sensible’ devices
The Rabbit R1 and Humane AI Pin proved that simply because you can also make one thing “sensible” does not imply it’s best to. The Rabbit R1 was clunky, impractical, and destined for the junk drawer, whereas the Humane AI Pin overheated, lacked options, and got here with a ridiculous price ticket. AI wearables promised innovation however delivered irrelevance.
8. Sonos: The sound of failure
Sonos hit a brand new low with a buggy app replace that pissed off clients and delayed {hardware} launches. Worker warnings concerning the rollout had been ignored, resulting in a $30 million fiasco, a 25% inventory drop, and layoffs. For a corporation synonymous with high-quality sound, 2024 was a tone-deaf efficiency.
Winners
1. AI instruments and platforms: Lastly dwelling as much as the hype
2024 was the 12 months AI began incomes its buzz. Google’s rebranding of Bard to Gemini got here with the discharge of Gemma 2 fashions, which gave builders highly effective instruments and helped Google claw its means again into the AI race. OpenAI’s GPT collection remained the gold normal, tackling every little thing from authorized briefs to code fixes, whereas Adobe’s Firefly turned non-designers into inventive execs. For as soon as, the AI hype did not really feel overblown.
2. NVIDIA: Ruler of the AI kingdom
NVIDIA dominated 2024, promoting out its Blackwell chips for 2025 earlier than the 12 months even ended. The corporate raked in $35.1 billion in quarterly income, a 94% soar, and pocketed $19.3 billion in revenue. It additionally launched Fugatto, an AI instrument for producing and remixing audio, and kicked Intel out of the Dow Jones Industrial Common. NVIDIA did not simply win 2024; it owned it.
3. Open supply software program: Proving collaboration wins
Open supply thrived in 2024, with AI fashions like LLaMA 3, Falcon, and Gemma 2 empowering builders to construct with out obstacles. In the meantime, proprietary overreach backfired — HashiCorp’s restrictive Terraform license spawned the favored OpenTofu fork. And whereas the Open Supply AI Definition (OSAID) sparked debate, it underscored open supply’s rising affect. When corporations closed doorways, open supply opened new ones.
4. Arm-based chips: The way forward for computing
Arm processors continued their meteoric rise, led by Apple’s M4 and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite. The Mac Mini M4 made desktops transportable, the M4 MacBook Execs redefined laptop computer efficiency, and the M4 iPad Professional rendered conventional laptops out of date. Snapdragon turned Home windows units into critical contenders, leaving Intel within the mud. Arm wasn’t simply the longer term—it was the current.
5. Bluesky: The cool child on the block
Whereas X imploded, Bluesky soared. Its decentralized mannequin, modern interface, and user-first insurance policies made it the social media platform of alternative for anybody fleeing Musk’s circus. Each time X rolled out a brand new coverage, Bluesky gained customers. By 12 months’s finish, it wasn’t simply another—it was the brand new normal.
6. Matter Protocol: Good houses that really work
Matter Protocol lastly made sensible houses useful by forcing Apple, Google, and Amazon to collaborate. Gadgets that could not talk earlier than had been now seamlessly built-in, making sensible residence setups much less of a headache. It is about time.
7. Meta’s Ray-Ban sensible glasses: AR with out the cringe
Meta shocked everybody with Ray-Ban Good Glasses that had been light-weight, fashionable, and helpful. Palms-free calls and refined AR overlays made the glasses sensible, not gimmicky. For as soon as, AR tech did not really feel embarrassing—it felt modern.
8. iPhone 16: Stellar {hardware}, meh intelligence
Apple’s iPhone 16 proved you may nonetheless dominate with brute {hardware} pressure, even when your AI recreation is… underwhelming. The bottom mannequin packed the brand new A18 chip, boasting a 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, and 8GB of RAM — a critical efficiency increase that left Android rivals scrambling. The cameras? A 48MP fundamental shooter and improved 12MP ultra-wide lens delivered gorgeous photographs, even when the selfies nonetheless appear to be you.
See you subsequent 12 months
As we enter 2025, the tech trade stays a risky and unpredictable panorama. The winners will proceed to push boundaries, whereas the losers will wrestle to adapt to the quickly altering technological panorama. One factor is for certain: The way forward for tech is stuffed with promise and peril, and the subsequent 12 months guarantees to be one other thrilling trip.
