I think part of the problem is that we are confused by the language around these things, too. Rhetorically, theoretically, we are building tools that allow peo

I think part of the problem is that we are confused by the language around these things, too. Rhetorically, theoretically, we are building tools that allow people to build. That opens the door to all kinds of positive ideas, and press: freedom, expressiveness, creativity, etc. In practice though, we seem to have passed a point where things that enable that truthfully gain traction. My go-to example is the Firefox phone. For what it was it was 'effin amazing: a way for anyone using HTML and CSS to directly program their phone, and make apps knowing little more than what you'd see in a w3schools tutorial. Everyone could be an app developer! It was such a leap from where we are today that it was incredible. So, here you had an inexpensive tool that actually manifested the values we claim to care about: openness, creativity for all, a balance of simplicity and DIY. But when it was released, what happened? Nobody cared. A few hobbyists did, but nowhere near the numbers you would expect, based on the ideals above. So it died, and was buried as an embarrassing failure. In my experience, most projects with similar aims die pretty quickly too, or stay within very, very tiny hobbyist circles. The digital world we really live in, in 2020, seems to be mostly about fun-and-ez flashy entertainment. So maybe you make an app that makes it easier to share video; that may take over the world. Maybe it gamifies something usually boring: that may have productivity benefits, and do some good. I do think the small, elite class of developers will continue to exist, and we'll make further improvements with the languages we use today, and things in that sense will get incrementally better. It's just not a quantum leap. The FaceBook-ization of the world will continue, even if FaceBook dies and is replaced. Basically, digital entertainment will expand and continue to gobble up the economy. It'll keep people employed. But when that's digital technology's actual purpose, it's unsurprising that the outcomes are pretty uninspired, too.