A decade in Tech: the good & bad from the 2010s!

A decade in Tech: the good & bad from the 2010s! | Tech in :60 | GZERO Media

Nicholas Thompson, editor-in-chief of WIRED, recaps the past decade in tech!

It's the end of a decade! What was the good and bad in tech from the last 10 years?

That is too big a question, so, I'm going to give a one-word answer: Facebook. Went public in 2012, connected communities, did all kinds of wonderful things for many of its users, but also disrupted elections, disrupted our privacy and has been accused of fomenting genocide. The arc of technology and the backlash against it can probably be best seen through that one company.

What technological advances will be made in the 2020s?

I am very hopeful for self-driving cars. I think they will be awesome despite a little slowdown in our optimism. I think we'll see a lot and augmented reality. Possible breakthroughs in quantum computing. And if we're lucky, flying cars too.

Are AI and cybersecurity the most concerning tech issues of the next decade?

Cybersecurity, definitely. AI? Yes, we should be concerned about losing jobs, but net-net, I think AI will create more jobs in the next decade than it takes away. And the thing we really need to be concerned about is the split with China into two tech spheres.

More from GZERO Media

The biggest story of our G-Zero world, Ian Bremmer explains, is that the United States – still the world’s most powerful nation – has chosen to walk away from the international system it built and led for three-quarters of a century. Not because it's weak. Not because it has to. But because it wants to.

Wreckage of public transport buses involved in a head-on collision is parked at a police station near the scene of the deadly crash on the Kampala-Gulu highway in Kiryandongo district, near Gulu, northern Uganda, October 22, 2025.
REUTERS/Stringer

A horrific multi-vehicle crash on the Kampala-Gulu Highway in Uganda late last night has left 46 people dead. The pile up began after two buses traveling in opposite directions reportedly clashed “head on” as they tried to overtake two other vehicles.

U.S. President Donald Trump attends a bilateral meeting with China's President Xi Jinping during the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

As China’s Communist Party gathers this week to draft the country’s 15th five-year plan, the path it’s charting is clear: Beijing wants to develop dominance over 21st century technologies, as its economy struggles with the burgeoning US trade war, a slow-boil real-estate crisis, and weak consumer demand.

When Walmart stocks its shelves with homegrown products like Fischer & Wieser’s peach jam, it’s not just selling food — it’s creating opportunity. Over two-thirds of what Walmart buys is made, grown, or assembled in America, fueling jobs and growth in communities nationwide. Walmart’s $350 billion commitment to US manufacturing is supporting 750,000 jobs and empowering small businesses to sell more, hire more, and strengthen their hometowns. From farms to shelves, Walmart’s investment keeps local businesses thriving. Learn how Walmart's commitment to US manufacturing is supporting 750K American jobs.

Last week, Microsoft released its 2025 Digital Defense Report, highlighting the evolving cybersecurity landscape and Microsoft's commitment to defending against emerging threats. The report provides an in-depth analysis of the current threat environment, including identity and access threats, human-operated attacks, ransomware, fraud, social engineering, and nation-state adversary threats. It also outlines advancements in AI for cyber-attack and defense, as well as the emerging cybersecurity threat of quantum technology. The report emphasizes the need for international collaboration, proactive regulatory alignment, and the development of new tools and practices to enhance cybersecurity resilience. Explore the report here.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman chairs the inaugural session of the Shura Council in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 10, 2025.

Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS

There are a lot of good vibes between the United States and Saudi Arabia right now. Whether that stretches to the Riyadh normalizing relations with Israel is another matter.