We’re officially on the home straight: We’ve turned our out-of-office on, the advocaat is on ice, and 2025 is just days away. As we get ready for the new year, there’s no better time to reflect on the one we just had and think about what we liked, what we didn’t like, and what we’re expecting to see over the next 12 months.
So, that’s exactly what we’ve done. Here at Tech.co HQ, some of our team got together to talk about the year in tech and picked our highlights and lowlights of 2024 and what made them so memorable. We’re exited to share them with you.
Because we spend a lot of time writing about the news. But we never talk about how we feel about it. Until now…
Tech.co Content Manager, Aaron Drapkin
Aaron’s tech lowlight of 2024
I would say my tech lowlight of the year is the way X/Twitter has descended into a bit of a cesspit in terms of the content present on the platform, and still not a truly viable alternative has been built. It seemed to get particularly bad during the US election cycle.
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Aaron’s tech highlight of 2024
My highlight of the year is that 2024 brought with it more positive studies and trials relating to the four-day work week, which feels like it’s morphed from a distant aspiration to a potential reality for millions of workers in just a few years, accelerated by the mass shift to remote working that was made during the pandemic. I presume we’ll continue to see studies with positive outcomes published in 2025, and who knows? It might be coming to your work place sooner than you think.
Tech.co Senior Writer, Isobel O’Sullivan
Isobel’s tech lowlight of 2024
AI trailblazer and ChatGPT-maker OpenAI hasn’t done a very good job of staying out of hot water in 2024. After a dramatic boardroom coup late last year, dozens of staff members have left the company over its decision to prioritize “shiny products over safety” – including former co-founders Ilya Sutskever and John Schulman, and more recently former CEO Mira Murati.
Several whistleblowers have also alleged that OpenAI illegally banned employees from speaking out to regulators about the risks could pose to humanity – a pretty sobering claim considering the amount of influence the company has over the tech industry. While OpenAI CEO Sam Altman claims the company has been taking steps to increase transparency, its decision to consistently silence safety concerns has continued to be a lowlight for me in 2024.
As the company continues to work towards creating an artificial “superintelligence” – a development that Altman himself admits could be more disruptive than people expect – I hope the company becomes more mindful of potential risks these breakthroughs could have on society going forward.
Isobel’s tech highlight of 2024
If we needed more evidence that social media is taking over our lives, “brainrot” has officially become Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year. The dangers of social media are well documented, and we’ve covered them a lot at Tech.co. Yet, while screentime averages may be off the charts, a lot of Gen Zers are countering the infinite scroll with digital detoxes.
Whether it be by scheduling social media-free days or going back to basics with brick phones, there’s a big movement amongst younger generations to use social media more mindfully to protect their mental health. While the addictive nature of these apps means that curbing use isn’t always easy, the efforts younger users are making to use social media to enhance, not erode, their lives gives me hope for the future and is my biggest tech highlight of 2024.
Tech.co Editor, Jack Turner
Jack’s tech lowlight of 2024
Since the end of the global pandemic, here on Tech.co we’ve written a lot about companies calling staff back to the office, but it felt as though things really ramped up in 2024. Whereas previously we’d seen staff asked to return to the office for a few days a week, we’re now seeing a trend towards a full five day week, with the likes of tech companies such as Amazon, Dell, and AT&T issuing these directives.
The incoming Trump government has already proved itself as down on remote working, buoyed by Musk’s DOGE department, which may further empower employers looking for an excuse to issue return to work mandates.
As we’ve reported on numerous times here on Tech.co, remote work is beneficial for employees and employers, with numerous studies backing this up. Hopefully remote work-friendly companies, such as Microsoft and Spotify, will continue to prove that flexibility for workers is only a positive thing.
Jack’s tech highlight of 2024
We’ve seen a real push in 2024 for accountability from social media platforms and more enforced restrictions, especially when it comes to young people. As usual, technology has outpaced government policy, and it’s too easy for the tech industry to take a “break it now, fix it later” stance in the name of progress.
Where this shouldn’t have happened, is with social media. There have been numerous studies that have found prolonged exposure to social media platforms such as Twitter/X, Instagram and others have a negative effect on mental health, which can be especially devastating for young minds.
This year we’ve seen some countries, such as Australia and Greece, mandate enforced age limits by law on social media platforms, in order to protect children and teenagers. It’s a step in the right direction, and hopefully we’ll see other countries follow suit in 2025.
Tech.co Gus Mallett, Senior Writer
Gus’s tech lowlight of 2024
For me, it’s hard to look much further than the appointment of Elon Musk to the newly-created role of “cost cutter-in-chief.” Make no mistake, Musk is a man with an agenda who now has the unshakeable trust of the leader of the free world.
Commentators have been quick to cry “conflict of interest,” but it appears to be falling on deaf ears. He has already promised extensive cuts – of staff, of red tape, of entire departments. How wide his remit is is still anyone’s guess, but the early signs do not bode well.
As an addendum to this, I just think Musk’s increasing stranglehold over US politics is extremely troubling. Reportedly, he gave more than $277 million to the Trump campaign, far outstripping any other donor. He stumped for him in Pennsylvania, gave millions away to registered voters, and generally played the part of ringmaster in the whole absurd carnival that was the Trump presidential campaign.
Gus’s tech highlight of 2024
The overwhelming amount of evidence that remote and hybrid working is good for productivity, morale, employee sentiment, and everything in between. Remote work was possibly the only good thing to come out of the Covid pandemic, and it’s great to see that, four years later, we’re still finding out benefits.
I love putting together our monthly remote jobs pieces. I find it really heartening to know that so many tech companies are still carrying the torch for hybrid and remote work – even as Amazon, Dell, Ubisoft, and other big players bite the hand that feeds them.
Special shoutout to Microsoft, which wears its remote-friendliness like a badge.
