I get what you're saying, and you're right that a lot of early tech was janky. But it was also built to solve problems for the user, not to self destruct within 5 years so they buy another one. Engineers and experts in companies used to have more sway when they put their hand up, now there are professionally designed mechanisms in companies to silence and undermine them.

I grew up in the 1990s, and there genuinely was a shared belief that technology could make life better, that systems could become more humane, more efficient, and more empowering over time. Even when the solutions were rough, they were often built by people who cared deeply about understanding the problem and improving things incrementally. Not to boost their share price or go viral on social media.

What feels different now isn't that the tech is imperfect, but that large parts of the tech industry have deprioritised understanding and craftsmanship in favour of growth, optics, and financial engineering. The jank used to come from constraints; today it often comes from misaligned incentives. I am weary of attending 'tech' events because the focus isn't science, innovation or improving peoples lives - it's about fundraising and networking.