Skip to main content

Big Tech and Big Talk: Did tech giants deliver on any of their promises in 2019?

Most marquee tech companies stepped into 2019 with a mountain of responsibilities on their shoulders.

Mired in lawsuits and with a Congress teeming with inexorable questions hot on their heels, tech giants this year came to terms with the fact that their jobs were simply not just building new, shiny slabs of glass or figuring out how to emulate human emotions in virtual assistants. They will remember 2019 as a precursor to a new era — one where they could no longer escape the broader implications of their actions and products.

Recommended Videos
The span of time between 2010 to 2020 brought some of the most amazing technological advances the world has ever seen, so in the spirit of reflection, we’ve compiled a series of stories that take a look back at the previous decade through a variety of different lenses. Explore more of our Ten Years of Tech series.
ten years of tech tenyearsoftech 4

No longer are these organizations perceived as the ones shaping our future. They are instead being put under the proverbial microscope and considered threats to our present due to alarmingly adverse effects on culture, environment, and politics.

So in 2019, tech companies scrambled to shake that image off through fresh commitments and bold promises. However, it has quickly become evident that they have forgotten that the issues they vowed to address and fix are deeply sewn into the very fabric of their businesses and, indeed, their very existence. As the year progressed, those promises began to fall apart.

Broken promises to go green

Last month, prominent tech leaders including Apple’s Tim Cook, Google’s Sundar Pichai, and others signed a renewed commitment to the Paris Agreement. “Humanity has never faced a greater or more urgent threat than climate change — and it’s one we must face together. Apple will continue our work to leave the planet better than we found it and to make the tools that encourage others to do the same,” tweeted Cook.

Yet, the actions of the companies Cook and his counterparts manage have largely contradicted their vows to save the Earth.

Apple CEO Tim Cook and Apple's Chief Design Officer Jonathan Ive
BRITTANY HOSEA-SMALL/Getty Images

That irony was on full display a few weeks ago when Apple, Google, Amazon, and other manufacturers actively promoted Black Friday and Cyber Monday, raking up billions in sales. These shopping frenzies are known to be detrimental to the environment. With new items making their way into people’s homes, millions of discarded electronics end up in landfills, releasing toxic chemicals into the soil. On top of that, as e-commerce platforms like Amazon rush to deliver hundreds of thousands of new orders in a matter of hours, more diesel trucks and airplanes leave packaging hubs, causing air pollution to spike. Producing these products itself is a carbon-intensive process. While Amazon has ordered 100,000 electric delivery vans from automaker Rivian, they likely won’t be fully deployed for another decade.

This year especially, Cyber Week sales faced public backlash across the globe. Protests broke out against consumerism in the United States, Europe, and other locales. For the tech companies, unfortunately, it was business as usual. In Paris, dozens gathered outside Amazon’s French headquarters and blocked various shopping and logistics centers across the city. Amazon, in a statement to the BBC, said that “it respected the right to protest but disagreed with the actions of these individuals.”

A disturbing pattern

Apple spent much of the year lobbying against the Right to Repair legislation that would potentially allow consumers to easily and economically fix their broken devices instead of being left with no option other than to buy new ones. Earlier this year, an Apple lobbyist managed to postpone the bill through what seemed to amount to fearmongering, telling members of the California State Assembly’s Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee that iPhones’ batteries may explode if consumers tried to get them replaced through third-party services.

The iPhone maker also makes it harder for anyone to disassemble and assemble its products. It even went as far as to limiting its phones’ functions when owners swapped a defective part out for a genuine Apple replacement through third-party repair programs.

iFixit

On a personal note, when my MacBook Pro’s SSD died a couple of months ago, I was told by the Apple service rep that I had to get the entire motherboard replaced, which would cost me nearly as much as a new computer. Luckily, I did research online and found that it was possible for me to keep the laptop alive through an external SSD — and that’s just what I did.

Google also blocks ads from third-party repair programs, including trusted names like iFixit, arguing that third parties could give misleading tech support.

Apple does boast about how it now employs recycled components in a handful of its latest products like the MacBook Air. But those efforts barely make up for the impact new Apple devices have on the environment. The company, like most others, also runs a trade-in program, but that only gets you Apple Store credits or a discount on an Apple product. Meanwhile, the amount of waste Apple sends to landfills continues to be on the rise.

What’s more, true-wireless earphones — which are all the rage of late — like the Apple AirPods are nearly impossible to repair mainly because the internals of these devices are glued together at the factory to achieve that sleek, creaseless look. In iFixit’s repairability index, AirPods and the Beats Powerbeats Pro (also made by Apple) got abysmal 0/10 and 1/10 ratings, respectively.

In 2015, Apple sent over 13 million pounds of waste to landfills. Last year, that number reached 36.5 million pounds.

In order to achieve the sustainability promises, hardware makers like Apple and Google will also have to rethink their annual launch strategies. Releasing a new phone or laptop every year, sometimes without significant improvements but always with a big marketing push to convince users to upgrade, doesn’t fall in line with their supposed green goals.

CEO Jeff Bezos promised Amazon will be carbon-neutral by 2040. But the truth is that time frame is simply not acceptable as a climate emergency looms over our planet. Reports say the world is nowhere close to avoid global warming, and companies like Amazon are among the biggest contributors to greenhouse emissions.

Not paying their way

Tech companies incessantly exploit legal loopholes to pay less tax. A recent report alleged that in the last decade, they have successfully avoided paying a total of $100 billion in taxes. The study declared Amazon as the worst offender and found the e-commerce company paid just $3.4 billion this decade despite earning $960.5 billion in revenues. That brings Amazon’s effective tax rate to about 12.7%, whereas the headline tax rate in the United States has been 35%.

When Bezos announced a $98.5 million (0.09% of income) donation to several nonprofits supporting the homeless population, U.K. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn called him out and asked him to “just pay his taxes”.

Profiting from your personal data

Another topic these tech companies waxed lyrical about in 2019 was data privacy.

“Consumers shouldn’t have to tolerate another year of companies irresponsibly amassing huge user profiles, data breaches that seem out of control, and the vanishing ability to control our own digital lives.” wrote Apple’s Cook in a Time op-ed.

Earlier this year, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg outlined his vision for a privacy-focused future and social network. Google’s Pichai, in a New York Times op-ed, said: “We have a responsibility to lead. And we’ll do so in the same spirit we always have, by offering products that make privacy a reality for everyone.”

The White House

But those words began to lose weight as the year unfolded. Facebook suffered about a dozen data breaches and was at the center of a security scandal every other week. In April, a leak compromised the Facebook data of over 540 million users. In September, phone numbers of 419 million users were found on an unsecured server. These oversights ended up costing the tech giant billions over just the past year.

In July, the Federal Trade Commission slapped a $5 billion fine — the largest ever imposed on any company for violating user privacy — on Facebook for unlawfully compromising data of millions in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. On top of that, the social network was forced to pay an additional $100 million for issuing misleading statements.

In August, it was revealed that human contractors have been covertly listening to private conversations from voice assistants such as Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa, as well as Skype calls, and more. When called out, companies either made it optional or abandoned the practice altogether. But significant damage had already been done to their credibility as none of them, including the self-proclaimed pro-privacy Apple, alerted its users beforehand.

Despite explicitly saying it doesn’t on multiple occasions, Apple was also recently found collecting location data from iPhones, even when the owner had the setting turned off. It also accepts upward of $10 billion from Google, which it often likes to poke at for all the data it collects, in exchange for setting Google as the default search engine on Safari.

Google also rolled out a range of new security features in 2019. Most notably, it began allowing users to set their data on self-destruct mode. But the shortest duration you can configure is three months and experts say, by that time, Google’s algorithms would have already harvested and processed your data, rendering it mostly useless for users.

Political concerns

Moreover, the lines between politics and tech continued to blur as the U.S. gears up for the 2020 presidential elections — and no company was more in the Senate’s crosshairs than Facebook. The social network played a pivotal role in the 2016 elections and enabled organizations to misuse its reach to sway and manipulate voters.

At the end of 2018, Zuckerburg, in a lengthy post, reflected on his company’s past year and claimed they’ve “fundamentally altered their DNA to focus more on preventing harm in all our services.”

But that barely seems to be the case today. Facebook continues to overlook and undermine its platform’s impact on societies across the globe. The company, unlike Twitter, also refuses to fact-check political ads, allowing anyone to easily push propaganda and misinformation.

As actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen put it in his recent speech: “Freedom of speech is not freedom of reach.”

Those are just the big ones. There are many sother examples of Silicon Valley’s biggest companies not living up to its lofty rhetoric.

Google, which “doubled down on its commitment to be a representative, equitable, and respectful workplace,” is still cracking down on unions and rally organizers. Most recently, the search engine giant fired four employees who protested against the company doing business with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The National Labor Relations Board is now investigating Google over the firings.

Amazon signed the following statement in August: “Investing in our employees. This starts with compensating them fairly and providing important benefits.” Yet, just weeks after that, the e-commerce company cut medical benefits for hundreds of part-time Whole Foods workers.

This year marked itself as a period of great change for several of these companies. Apple parted ways with its renowned head of design, Jony Ive. Zuckerburg spent more time in Washington than Facebook’s California headquarters. Google faced the inevitable as its founders took a back seat and handed over the rains to Pichai.

2019 set the stage for how tech companies will be perceived for the next decade. Their breakthroughs will not be celebrated, but scrutinized. They oversee our generation’s most powerful communication channels and each one of their actions will have far greater ripples than they have before. The question is are they capable of looking past their stock values to deliver on the promises?

Shubham Agarwal
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Shubham Agarwal is a freelance technology journalist from Ahmedabad, India. His work has previously appeared in Firstpost…
Nissan launches charging network, gives Ariya access to Tesla SuperChargers
nissan charging ariya superchargers at station

Nissan just launched a charging network that gives owners of its EVs access to 90,000 charging stations on the Electrify America, Shell Recharge, ChargePoint and EVgo networks, all via the MyNissan app.It doesn’t stop there: Later this year, Nissan Ariya vehicles will be getting a North American Charging Standard (NACS) adapter, also known as the Tesla plug. And in 2025, Nissan will be offering electric vehicles (EVs) with a NACS port, giving access to Tesla’s SuperCharger network in the U.S. and Canada.Starting in November, Nissan EV drivers can use their MyNissan app to find charging stations, see charger availability in real time, and pay for charging with a payment method set up in the app.The Nissan Leaf, however, won’t have access to the functionality since the EV’s charging connector is not compatible. Leaf owners can still find charging stations through the NissanConnectEV and Services app.Meanwhile, the Nissan Ariya, and most EVs sold in the U.S., have a Combined Charging System Combo 1 (CCS1) port, which allows access to the Tesla SuperCharger network via an adapter.Nissan is joining the ever-growing list of automakers to adopt NACS. With adapters, EVs made by General Motors, Ford, Rivian, Honda and Volvo can already access the SuperCharger network. Kia, Hyundai, Toyota, BMW, Volkswagen, and Jaguar have also signed agreements to allow access in 2025.
Nissan has not revealed whether the adapter for the Ariya will be free or come at a cost. Some companies, such as Ford, Rivian and Kia, have provided adapters for free.
With its new Nissan Energy Charge Network and access to NACS, Nissan is pretty much covering all the bases for its EV drivers in need of charging up. ChargePoint has the largest EV charging network in the U.S., with over 38,500 stations and 70,000 charging ports at the end of July. Tesla's charging network is the second largest, though not all of its charging stations are part of the SuperCharger network.

Read more
Juiced Bikes sold at auction for $1.2 million, report says
The Juiced Bikes Scorpion X2 adds more power, upgraded tires, and an improved battery to the popular moped style e-bike.

Juiced Bikes, the San Diego-based maker of e-bikes, has been sold on an auction website for $1,225,000, according to a report from Electrek.Digital Trends recently reported how the company was showing signs of being on the brink of bankruptcy. The company and its executives had remained silent, while customer inquiries went unanswered and its website showed all products were out of stock. In addition, there were numerous reports of layoffs at the company.Yet, the most convincing sign was that the company’s assets appeared as listed for sale on an auction website used by companies that go out of business.Now, it appears that Juiced Bikes’ assets, including a dozen patents, multiple URLs, and the company’s inventory in both the U.S. and China, have been sold at auction, according to the report. It is likely that the buyer, who remains unknown, can capitalize on the brand and the overall value of the 15-year old company. Founded in 2009 by Tora Harris, a U.S. high-jump Olympian, Juiced Bikes was one of the early pioneers of the direct-to-consumer e-bike brands in the U.S. market.
The company had quickly built a reputation for the versatility of its e-bikes and the durability of their batteries. Over the years, the popularity of models such as the CrossCurrent, HyperScrambler, and RipCurrent only bolstered the brand’s status.Last year, Digital Trends named the Juiced Bikes Scorpion X2 as the best moped-style e-bike for 2023, citing its versatility, rich feature set, and performance.Juiced Bikes’ getting sold quickly might be a sign of what consulting firm Houlihan Lokey says is a recovery in the North American e-bike market.
The industry has had a roller-coaster ride during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: A huge spike in demand for e-bikes had combined with disrupted supply chains to create a supply/demand mismatch of “historic proportions," Houlihan Lokey said.

Read more
Rivian gets Knight Rider spooky for Halloween
Michael Knight sitting on the hood of his car KITT in a scene from Knight Rider.

Rivian vehicles are known for giving drivers the chance to take the party on the road, whether it’s stowing a travel kitchen onboard or using its elaborate software systems to spice things up.With Halloween just around the corner, the automaker based in Plymouth, Michigan, is pulling out some treats from its bag of tricks: Rivian owners are getting a number of options to turn their vehicles into traditional spooky or full-on sci-fi entertainment hubs.A software update available on the Rivian Mobile App until November 4 provides Car Costumes, which take over the vehicle’s screen, lighting, and sound systems while in park to transform it into three different cars.Nostalgic fans of the Knight Rider TV series will be pleased with the option to turn their Rivians into the famous K.I.T.T. crime-fighting car. After choosing the option on the app, the car’s interior display system features K.I.T.T.’s diagnostics on screen while playing the original show intro music. Here's an extra treat for Rivian Gen 2 owners: The exterior light bar will feature K.I.T.T.’s iconic beaming red light while playing its scanner sound effect.No-less nostalgic fans of Back to the Future movies will also get their treat with a chance to turn their vehicle into the DeLorean Time Machine. With this option, the screen turns into the classic time-traveling interface while the audio system plays the movie’s music and acceleration sound effects. Once again, Rivian Gen 2 owners get an extra treat. Hitting the key 88 mph button will engage the car’s lighting and sound effects in the front and back of the car to whizz you through the sound barrier.For a more traditional spooky time, you can opt for the Haunted Rivian car costume, featuring eight different sound effects and three different color themes. Static and ghosts will take over your interior display.Rivian Gen 1 owners get a green animation on the outside of the vehicle. Gen 2 owners can turn the exterior light bar into whichever color option they find most frightful.

Read more