Tech winners and losers of 2024: For every triumph, a turkey

The 12 months 2024 delivered all of the drama know-how followers may need: AI dominance, chip wars, sensible units that had been something however, and a social media implosion that is already a case research in company mismanagement. From monumental wins to jaw-dropping failures, here 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 would possibly 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 staff, sparked accusations of “quiet firing,” and triggered a mass exodus of expertise. Staff 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 street 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 appeared like a failed geometry task. Certain, it turns heads, however solely as a result of individuals cannot imagine it exists.

4. Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional: $3,500 value of ‘why?‘

Apple’s Imaginative and prescient Professional wowed in demos and dazzled on paper, however in follow, 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 fee. Apple followers drooled, however most customers shrugged. A technological marvel? Sure. Vital machine? 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 customers 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: hold techniques safe. As a substitute, it botched a software program replace that precipitated a worldwide IT outage, affecting thousands and thousands of Home windows units and denting its popularity. For a corporation constructed on belief, this colossal failure had prospects second-guessing their investments. Cybersecurity large? 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 you need 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 prospects and delayed {hardware} launches. Worker warnings in regards to 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 residing 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 method again into the AI race. OpenAI’s GPT collection remained the gold normal, tackling every part from authorized briefs to code fixes, whereas Adobe’s Firefly turned non-designers into artistic 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% leap, 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 limitations. 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 moveable, 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 severe 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 selection 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 an alternate—it was the brand new normal.

6. Matter Protocol: Good properties that truly work

Matter Protocol lastly made sensible properties purposeful by forcing Apple, Google, and Amazon to collaborate. Units that could not talk earlier than had been now seamlessly built-in, making sensible house setups much less of a headache. It is about time.

7. Meta’s Ray-Ban sensible glasses: AR with out the cringe

Meta stunned 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’ll be able to nonetheless dominate with brute {hardware} pressure, even when your AI sport is… underwhelming. The bottom mannequin packed the brand new A18 chip, boasting a 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, and 8GB of RAM — a severe efficiency enhance that left Android rivals scrambling. The cameras? A 48MP foremost shooter and improved 12MP ultra-wide lens delivered gorgeous images, even when the selfies nonetheless seem like you.  

See you subsequent 12 months

As we enter 2025, the tech trade stays a unstable and unpredictable panorama. The winners will proceed to push boundaries, whereas the losers will battle to adapt to the quickly altering technological panorama. One factor is definite: The way forward for tech is filled with promise and peril, and the following 12 months guarantees to be one other thrilling journey.