I’m tired. Not the kind of tired where I need a vacation. And not the kind where another cup of coffee – or an energy drink – fixes it. I’m talking about that slow, creeping-in, building-up kind of tired that comes from looking around & wondering when common sense left the planet.
I’m tired of a lot of things…
Like monthly subscriptions for things we used to own. I’m tired of watching physical media disappear, replaced by licenses that can vanish the moment a company decides it no longer wants to support them. We don’t seem to own much of anything these days – we just rent it with extra steps.
I’m tired of politics. Well more accurately, I’m tired of politics becoming everyone’s identity. And of the anger. I’m tired of people who can’t enjoy a family barbecue, a football game, or even a conversation about the weather without somehow steering it back to D.C.. Definitely tired of politicians acting like celebrities, and celebrities acting like politicians. I’m especially tired of people who treat political parties like sports teams, loyal to “their side” no matter what… and booing the other side simply because they’re wearing a different jersey.
I’m tired of influencers trying to convince me that every new product/gimmick changed their life. And fly-by-night automotive reviewers who’ve owned a vehicle for 48 hours… acting like they’ve uncovered truths that somehow escaped the engineers, technicians, journalists, and owners who’ve spent years with it. Somehow – opinions have become more valuable than the truth derived from experience. I could keep going… we all could. And that’s the crazy thing: We practically all share in our distaste for this looming digital dystopia. Yet we all tolerate & even buy-into-it routinely. Here’s a question…
When did we stop building things for the people who actually use them?
I’m not tired of technology. And I’m not tired of progress. But – a lot of this new technology is not actually progress. Why does a toothbrush need an app?! I’m tired of watching companies solve problems nobody actually had… while ignoring the ones we’ve been siting for years.
And the more I think about it, the more I realize these aren’t separate issues. They’re all connected. These are symptoms of the same philosophy. At some point, we stopped building products for customers, and started subtly trapping them instead… to please the shareholders’ pocket books & make quarterly earnings reports look good.
I’m Tired of Insurance Companies Telling Me to Drive Less…
I recently saw an insurance commercial that annoyed me in the worst way. It wasn’t dramatic. In fact, it was cheerful. You know the type – happy music, smiling family, somebody tossing a football in the yard. Then the narrator proudly tells you how much money you could save if you simply drive less. WTF?!
Driving is one of the greatest expressions of personal freedom we’ve ever created. So instead of cheerfully stripping that away, how ’bout we tackle the very real issues of overregulation, making vehicles increasingly complicated & expensive to repair. Or – how ’bout we tackle the #1 reason for accidents in the first place – grossly distracted & unskilled drivers. And on that note…
I’m Tired of Dashboards Disappearing…
And I’m tired of making simple things complicated. Open the door of a lot of new vehicles and what greets you isn’t really a dashboard anymore. It’s a screen… with just enough dashboard around it to keep the screen from falling on the floor. I’m exaggerating, if only slightly, but there was a time when dashboards had personality. Gauges had character. Buttons had weight. Knobs clicked and twisted with purpose. Things were tactile. You could easily reach-over and adjust the temperature without ever taking your eyes off the road… because your hand already knew where everything lived.
Now – screens are absurdly distracting & dangerous, and we’re acting like it’s not a problem?? Don’t misunderstand me – I’m not anti-technology. I use Apple CarPlay every day, and backup cameras are one of the best safety innovations we’ve ever introduced. Technology isn’t really the problem. BUT – replacing good, intuitive automotive design – with tablets – is a problem. The best technology quietly helps you; the worst technology constantly reminds you it’s there.
I’m Tired of Shareholders Becoming the Customer
Here’s a question that keeps bouncing around in my head: Who are companies designing products for now? The people who buy & use them? Or the people (or should I say hedge funds) who buy shares of the company? Because sometimes it actually feels like customers have become an afterthought. Buttons disappear because software is cheaper. Repairs become impossible because replacements are more profitable. Ironic in a “let’s make everything sustainable” society.
Physical controls become subscriptions. Customer service becomes a chatbot. The spreadsheet says it makes sense, but the customer asks, “What happened?” Businesses should absolutely make money. That’s how businesses work. But there was a time when the best way to make money was building rapport with your customers. Building something so good – that it earned loyalty. Now it sometimes feels like the goal is simply convincing you to finance the next one before the current one reaches middle age.
I’m Tired of Products That Are Designed to fail
A technician was repairing a roughly ten-year-old Carrier air-conditioning system. He figured the replacement circuit board would cost a few hundred dollars. But instead, the quote came back for more than $8,000. Not the whole new HVAC unit… just the circuit board. At that point, with that price, replacing the entire system seems reasonable. Not because it is reasonable, but because it’s the only decision that makes financial sense.
Think about that for a minute. The unit that came out of our home had served faithfully for nearly 30 years. It wasn’t glamorous, and it needed maintenance from time to time. But when something broke, you fixed it. Nobody suggested replacing the entire system because one component failed.
Sound familiar? Because the automotive industry has been headed towards that same end-goal for years now. They are not using technology in the best interest of their customers and/or fanbase. A failed LED headlight/taillight assembly forces you to change the entire assembly – not just a bulb. Radar sensors are unfortunately tied into multiple systems, and cause cascading failures. Touchscreen that seems glamorous new – unfortunately have vital vehicle functions running through them. Control modules control other control modules for unknown reasons. The reality is: A perfectly good newer vehicle – is one expensive electronic component away from becoming economically disposable.
Vehicles today are safer, more efficient, and more capable than ever, but they also seem increasingly designed around replacement instead of repair. I have to say – that’s not progress, that’s a business model.
And Maybe That’s What I’m Really Tired Of
When I started writing this, I thought I was going to rant about an insurance commercial lol – that’s it. But then I realized that wasn’t really it. Here’s the thing: I’m tired of elegance & authenticity becoming gimmicks. I’m tired of durable things becoming disposable. And I’m tired of products demanding my attention… instead of quietly doing their job. I’m tired of ownership feeling more like a glorified subscription.
But most of all… I’m tired of companies forgetting that the customer – not the quarterly earnings report – is supposed to be the reason the product exists. Technology should make life simpler. Products should get better & last longer. Driving should still feel like freedom. And the companies that earn our money should never forget who earned it in the first place. If that makes me old-fashioned – well – I think I’m okay with that.
