Does anyone else feel like the world, especially tech, has lost its color and soul?
Minimalism and modernization has had its grip on not just the tech industry, but just about everything, for a decade plus now. From products and branding to entire company cultures, I believe it's all harming us in the long-run and the effects have been showing for awhile now.
You can even take a look at AI as well, so many tools feel sterile and transactional, entirely focused on automation, maximizing business operations and maximizing profits. It's efficient, sure, but where's the soul? The creativity? The humanity?
I’m not here to bash anyone here that's running one of those type of businesses, but I'm very curious to start this much needed conversation about our current society. Have we traded too much emotion and artistry in tech for “clean design” and optimization?
Would love to hear others’ perspectives on this, especially if you’re building something different.
Best,
Jordan Poyner-Rouse, Founder of MVP.ai
Replies
Nomadful
I couldn't agree more. Tech is now super transactional, and it seems like there is homogeneity in the digital world. It seems like we've lost track of creativity and just rush to launch something that will make money. I also feel terrible that tech has an enormous environmental impact, and only a handful of small brands are focused on minimising their impacts while still offering something that's actually, valuable, useful, and hasn't lost that creative touch.
@manuelzarroca Couldn't agree more, it's a bubble waiting to burst I believe, but that just means that something that speaks to humanity, rather than take advantage of them will be key for brands and products moving forward, that's what I see happening.
I'm all about solutions, and the solution is to bring what we believe is missing from the world to truly make it change, that's the only way things will shift.
P.S.: I just followed your Nomadful launch, looking forward to your launch!
Nomadful
@jordansvision Thank you so much for your kind words! An all-about-solutions person here too. I'm pretty sure Nomadful is a step in my career to try and contribute to that humane approach to tech. Thanks for following along :)
IXORD
The market really loves such innovative things as AI or automation products. I think that products are doing better, but honestly sometimes I like to remember how I used those products when I first started programming. But this is more nostalgia :)
@ixord Yes I totally agree, the demand is very high there for sure, but I feel that it's only scratching the surface.
We're mainly seeing AI agents and automation as the dominant use case right now and for the foreseeable future, but there's so many other areas or use cases people could branch into when it comes to AI startups and creating AI products, you know?
IXORD
@jordansvision I understand that it is very difficult to choose directions for AI, because it captures most of what can be done. I think that it is necessary to do an analysis of each market in order to choose where to go.
The real wave of creativity is just around the corner ... aided by AI :)
Health care and research is going to gain immensely.
Incidentally, I covered a part of this in my recent webinar on AI in Sales.... we are now moving more towards growth enablement and innovation ...beyond just efficiency.
Exciting world ahead -- we haven't even scratched the surface yet in terms of application of AI :)
Yeah Jordan, I do! And it's a shame. I grew up on the 90's internet, where there was strong sub culture, art, lots of open source code, people making things for the fun of it.
That spirit is how I do business, and love, care, attention and humble goals drive everything I do.
I wish more people realised that true happiness comes not just from good outcomes (sometimes bad, in fact), but from enjoying the journey, making art, putting soul into things.