> As it turns out, billions of dollars tends to get people's attention. As Sir Tony Hoare lamented: > At first I hoped that such a technically unsound project

> As it turns out, billions of dollars tends to get people's attention. As Sir Tony Hoare lamented: > At first I hoped that such a technically unsound project would collapse but I soon realized it was doomed to success. Almost anything in software can be implmented, sold, and even used given enough determination. There is nothing a mere scientist can say that will stand against the flood of a hundred million dollars. I get the feeling that a lot of modern products are boondoggles on the merits but "doomed to success" because FAANG et. al. put them on a pedestal and the media is all too happy to go along with corporate marketing narratives if it grabs eyeballs (see e.g. the ridiculous amount of hype around foldable phones, which are sort of neat but hardly a revolutionary advance).