The Cal Newport Show

Why Did Big Tech Stop Building Useful Products?

Donnerstag, 22. Oktober 2026 · 14 min

MP3

Shownotes

Tesla’s recent demo of a rocket-powered Roadster doing a kick-flick over a parked car touched a nerve in me. It seemed to epitomize changes to the tech sector in recent years that have been largely negative. In this short episode, I jump on the mic to explain some of my developing thoughts surrounding these ideas.

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Chapters

Intro
Factor 1: Growth companies vs. stable companies
Factor 2: Engagement-pilling
Factor 3: Building useful products is hard
Why this is a problem — and what we can do about it
Outro

Credits:

Podcast Production: Jesse Miller
Newsletter/Research: Nate Mechler
Theme Music: Jay Kerstens

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