Outages, exoduses, bricked bots, and pricey headsets; for every tech triumph in 2024, there was a turkey. Ann-Marie Corvin considers which tech endeavours were top of the feathered flop this year.
Cybersecurity own goals don’t come much bigger than the CrowdStrike/Microsoft IT outage. A botched automated update in the cyber security firm’s endpoint security tool Falcon caused a global outage that grounded planes, shut down cash points and TV stations, and caused hospitals to resort to pen and paper.
The outage, which occurred during one of the busiest periods in the summer calendar, affected around 8.5 million Windows devices who were hit with the blue screen of death. A fix was delivered in just over an hour, an apology from the security firm’s CEO, George Kurtz, took a bit longer.
There was no ‘quick fix’ for many however, with companies reporting having to work through every single device and manually reboot in ‘safe mode’.
Compounding the issue, threat actors exploited the situation by creating malicious domains and distributing malware disguised as recovery tools, exacerbating the challenges for affected users and businesses.
However, for a sector built on trust, the most damaging outcome was a broken trust in cyber security products, meaning that CTOs and CIOs already working hard to convince boards to invest more in security tooling now face a greater task.
X, the micro-messaging platform formerly known as Twitter, already entered the year reeling from the reaction to its premium service tier, which many users found underwhelming and overhyped.
Operationally, Twitter/X had struggled with significant technical challenges and controversies since it was acquired in 2022 by Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
The rapid reduction in content moderation staff contributed to a rise in misinformation and extremism on the platform, while system reliability issues emerged due to a high turnover of engineers.
Financially, the company continued to experience advertising losses, with a 24% year-over-year decline. Its subscription-based revenue models remained insufficient to offset these challenges.
Even brands who used the platform to engage with audiences left in droves this year, citing concerns over brand safety, content moderation, and the platform’s increasingly polarising environment as the main reasons.
These included a slew of accounts representing a diverse range of organisations, from The Guardian newspaper to The Clifton Suspension Bridge. Others to quit the platform included Best Buy, Target, 3M, UnitedHealth Group, and Magers & Quinn Booksellers.
The chief beneficiaries of these departures were its rivals, including Twitter founder Jack Dorsey’s new social network, Bluesky, and Meta’s Threads — a former TI Turkey whose fortunes could yet improve.
While we’re on Musk, it would be prudent to mention the recall of Tesla’s Cybertruck.
The most recent recall involved about 2,500 Cybertrucks produced between late 2023 and mid-2024. This issue was linked to a faulty drive inverter component that could lead to sudden propulsion loss, increasing collision risks.
Additional issues included malfunctioning windshield wipers, trim detachment, accelerator pedal issues, and a delayed rearview camera display.
Two turkeys for the price of one. And yet, the Musk name guarantees both hits and headlines – meaning that he’s the most likely shortlisted candidate for Time’s Person of the Year.
Amazon Astro, a home robot designed for domestic patrolling tasks, introduced in 2021, faced production setbacks and criticism for limited functionality relative to its high price point.
In 2023, the tech giant pivoted with the bot into enterprise by giving it a better job as a camera-equipped patrol dog.
It used an HD periscope and night vision technology to autonomously patrol and map up to 5,000 square feet of space. It followed preprogrammed routes and routines and could be controlled manually and remotely via the Amazon Astro app.
But in July, Amazon notified its customers that every one of the 20-pound wheeled robots would stop working on 25 September. The tech giant then automatically issued full refunds for the $2,349.99 bot, plus a $300 credit.
The bricking of Astro comes during a tumultuous time for Amazon’s devices business as it seeks to transform its ten-year-old Alexa voice assistant into a generative AI-powered bot.
When it was first announced, Apple’s Vision Pro was greeted with much fanfare. However, its high price point positioned it as an elite device, limiting its appeal in a market dominated by cheaper alternatives like Meta’s Oculus.
Some users reported health concerns, although these seem largely related to overuse and wearers forgetting to blink while using it, leading to dry eyes and irritation.
Prolonged use of a headset that is already bulky also led to reports of neck fatigue and strain.
Regarding enterprise use cases, limited integration into professional workflows has hindered adoption. The Vision Pro’s software ecosystem is still developing.
Unlike other headsets designed for specific professional use cases (e.g., CAD design, virtual collaboration), the Vision Pro lacked robust, enterprise-grade applications at launch.
In short, it is not the game-changer Apple envisioned. Yet.
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