Deep Questions with Cal Newport
“Why Did Big Tech Stop Building Useful Products?” from “Deep Questions with Cal Newport” by pods4.me
October 22, 2026 · 14 min
Tesla’s recent demo of a rocket-powered Roadster doing a kick-flick over a parked car touched a nerve in me. It seemed to epitomize changes to the tech sector in recent years that have been largely negative. In this short episode, I jump on the mic to explain some of my developing thoughts surrounding these ideas.
More from Cal
Download Cal’s FREE guide to cultivating a deeper life: calnewport.com/ideas
Learn more about Cal’s books: calnewport.com/books
Listen to Cal’s podcast: thedeeplife.com/listen
Chapters
00:00 Intro
02:40 Factor 1: Growth companies vs. stable companies
05:40 Factor 2: Engagement-pilling
08:00 Factor 3: Building useful products is hard
10:43 Why this is a problem — and what we can do about it
13:49 Outro
Credits:
Podcast Production: Jesse Miller
Newsletter/Research: Nate Mechler
Theme Music: Jay Kerstens
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