With technological innovations seemingly breaking the speed of sound, it’s easy to believe that we’re always on the verge of revolutionary breakthroughs. The hype machine tells us that thing X or Y is going to “change the game”, and, most of the time, many of us fall for it, especially at the early-adopter end of the bell curve.
Someone asked an online community, “What was supposed to be ‘The Next Big Thing’ but totally flopped?” and netizens didn’t hold back with their answers. From NFTs to Cybertrucks, here’s a collection of some of our favorites.
More info: Reddit
#1
Cyber truck.
WeeklyMath9 reply:
They’re just so ugly. I always felt like the design team stopped like 25% in and said “we’re done”
Image credits: Ok-Resort2364
#2
Segway.
vikki_1996 reply:
SNL news once discussed the Segway launch by saying ‘this amazing invention is going to revolutionize…the way people get hit by cars.’
Image credits: anon
#3
NFTs.
Capt_Rons_Lost_Eye reply:
I still don't understand the purpose of them
Image credits: Sprzout
Every few years, the world gets swept up in hype over something promised to be revolutionary. Whether it’s tech, fashion, food, or entertainment, anticipation builds, headlines scream, and investors salivate. Sometimes, however, the glittering future turns out to be fool’s gold, leaving us all wondering how we got so easily convinced.
Remember Google Glass? Tech media hailed it as the dawn of wearable computing, a sleek visor for the sci-fi generation. Instead, the device became a punchline. Privacy concerns, awkward design, and a sky-high price tag meant only geeks wore them. The dream of seamless augmented reality collapsed before our very... eyes.
#4
Facebook's MetaVerse.
prettythings87 reply:
Yes LOL I still think about the lame thumbnails they released to show what it looked like
Image credits: no-guts_no-glory
#5
Y2K.
peternormal reply:
Y2k might have been the last time we listened to scientists as a society.
It happened, and it would have been bad, but we knew it was going to happen and put resources into fixing it ahead of time.
As someone who worked in banking software at the time. It was a big big deal, the fact that nothing happened was a testament to executives and the government actually believing computer scientists and spending money to fix the issue.
Image credits: realheadphonecandy
#6
AI. Mark my words.
Tech companies are already tempering expectations.
wagwa2001l reply:
AI shares a lot in common with Flat Earthers - it doesn’t have the ability to distinguish good information from bad and so mostly just regurgitates garbage that confuses some people into thinking it’s intelligent.
Image credits: RiskyMFer
In the late 2000s, 3D televisions were going to revolutionize living rooms. Studios raced to release 3D versions of blockbusters, electronics stores filled with bulky glasses, and marketers promised depth like never before. Reality? Headaches, clunky eyewear, limited content, and inflated costs. By the mid-2010s, companies quietly abandoned the gimmick as Netflix bingeing dominated instead.
Let’s not forget the Segway. Launched with grand secrecy and Steve Jobs-level hype, it was supposed to change cities forever. Instead of futuristic metropolises filled with self-balancing scooters, Segways mostly found homes in mall security patrols and tourist groups. Expensive, impractical, and uncool, it became proof that not every invention reshapes human mobility.
#7
As an American I was told we would be switching over to the metric system when I was growing up in the seventies. Never did see that really happen.
Image credits: Ok-Dress-4791
#8
Google+ was supposed to be facebook big rival.
BituminousBitumin reply:
It couls have been if Google hadn't fumbled so hard. It came about at a time when Facebook was making some very unpopular changes. The platform was actually really good.
Image credits: Powerful-Papaya-2411
#9
Virtual reality, like two or three times.
LordsOfFrenziedFlame reply:
I wouldn't say it flopped. It comes in waves, with each wave bringing progress
Image credits: WranglerNew673
When it comes to food, trends can burn out fast. Cronuts, the croissant-doughnut hybrid, had lines around the block in New York. Copycats popped up worldwide, and Instagram fueled the frenzy, but after the sugar rush faded, so did the obsession. Cronuts still exist, sure, but they’re more quirky pastry than cultural revolution now.
In fashion, Google’s Jacquard smart jacket promised to merge clothing with connectivity. Tap your sleeve, change your music. Swipe, and get navigation cues. It sounded futuristic but turned out clunky, overpriced, and pointless when you already had a smartphone in your pocket. It quietly disappeared, another reminder that not all “wearables” are, in fact, wearable.
#10
Russell Brand. When that dude hit the States he was shoved down our throats from all angles. Good to see he failed.
Image credits: mcrib
#11
3D tv.
dayofthedead204 reply:
Im still disappointed this didn't take off.
I still have 3D Blu Rays and a 3D Projector home theatre at home - and Jurassic Park kicks a*s in 3D. It's basically the only way you can watch 3D movies at home (unless I'm mistaken). And the only way you can watch a 3D movie is when it's in theatres.
Which is kinda disappointing.
Image credits: Flaky-Debate-833
#12
Countries coming together to combat climate change.
Image credits: swimming_in_agates
The gaming industry has also had its fair share of flops. The Ouya console arrived on Kickstarter with massive fanfare: a tiny, affordable device to disrupt the giants. Backers celebrated. Reality? Weak hardware, bad games, and no reason to ditch PlayStation or Xbox. It just became another notorious example of hype crashing hard.
Even transportation gets swept into hype cycles. Hyperloop, Elon Musk’s high-speed vacuum train, was once sold as the future of travel. Yet years later, billions of dollars have been spent with little to show. Safety issues, cost overruns, and physics itself conspired against it. Today, Hyperloop feels less like tomorrow and more like vaporware.
#13
When Radio Shack rebranded itself as "The Shack". It was one of the stupidest rebrands in history.
Image credits: G-Unit11111
#14
Democracy.
Carma_626 reply:
I wouldn’t say democracy failed. Of all the forms of government it seems to be the lesser of evils.
No regime is going to be flawless. As long as humans are involved, with their greed and self interest, it is virtually impossible to have a fair and equal government body.
If only the general population weren’t so completely stupid…
Image credits: RamblinLamb
#15
Olean was supposed to be the future of healthy potato chips.
Training-Athlete4348 reply:
I loved when they added the warning "do not assume it is gas".
Image credits: Upstairs_Principle48
Hype isn’t always bad. It demonstrates our hunger for progress and imagination made real. However, these disasters remind us that not every shiny promise becomes reality. Some inventions stumble, some trends fade, and some are just ahead of their time. Either way, the “next big thing” is always waiting around the corner... until it isn’t.
What do you think of the famous flops in this list? Upvote your favorites and let us know if you’ve ever shelled out top dollar for something that didn’t turn out to be all that!
#16
Augmented reality glasses.
eac292625 reply:
They still have limited use in warehouses. We use them to quickly show item info and they’re really cool for that.
Image credits: Dakota1228
#17
Minidisk.
BlacksmithInformal80 reply:
Early 90’s my uncle took me out with him to rent some CDs (yeah you could rent CDs), and he pointed to some stand and said “those are the wave of the future. They’ll replace CDs in a few years”. They were mini disk. The first last and only time I had ever heard of them.
Image credits: Tasty_Celery_5124
#18
Google glass.
kytheon reply:
Tried it, hated it. The idea is great, the e*******n was so bad that nobody else tried ever since.
Image credits: crazycatlady331
#19
Microsoft Zune.
TypicalDaydreem reply:
Haha I asked my grandma for an iPod for Xmas one year and I got a pink zune. 😂
Image credits: Dont_Touch_Me_There9
#20
Windows phone.
Rikers-Mailbox reply:
Had one, loved it. I was so disappointed that MSFT whiffed the smartphone afte being the leader for so long.
Image credits: Repulsive_Side2492
#21
Betamax.
co0p3r reply:
Betamax flopped commercially but became the standard for professional use and had a very good run.
Image credits: HolymakinawJoe
#22
Curved screen TVs. I thought I was in the future the first time I saw one of those.
Image credits: makinglunch
#23
Self driving Teslas
Image credits: Silver_Mousse9498
#24
I would argue Blockchain never attained its promise of a transformative technology. I would not be surprised if Bitcoin ends up in the same place.
Image credits: AusTex2019
#25
HD DVD lost out to Blu-ray pretty spectacularly.
No-Author-2358 reply:
The picture quality of Blu-ray is amazing. So much better than DVD.
Image credits: _paaronormal
#26
Crystal Pepsi.
rakozink reply:
It was better than regular Pepsi. Not a high bar but I did appreciate it.
Image credits: Habibti143
#27
Sub Prime Mortgages.
Image credits: godzillabobber
#28
I remember when I was in middle school during the Bush administration we were told about how great hydrogen fuel cells were going to be and how every car would run on them. Haven’t heard much about hydrogen fuel cells since.
Image credits: Pometacomet
#29
Those Apple 🍎 Glasses 👓
Image credits: Ok_Respond2064
#30
Dippin’ Dots.
Admiral_Ash reply:
I'm from Kansas and Dippin Dots are everywhere here. Still going strong.
Image credits: westex74
