Yet the net result of all this "waste" is to employ billions, to incentivize productivity to the point of surplus bringing much of civilization into a luxurious

Yet the net result of all this "waste" is to employ billions, to incentivize productivity to the point of surplus bringing much of civilization into a luxurious life - rather than scrimping bare sustenance. Remove the smart speakers, entertainment UAEs, luxury drinks, screen time, etc and the economic ripple effects will stop funding essentials that near all currently enjoy. We've driven world abject poverty from >90% to <10% in half a century. End the products you mention (and the like), and those buying them won't themselves have customers enough to fund their own work. End Starbucks etc, and coffee farms worldwide will crash. Money is the ultimate arbiter of value. Many deride whatever as "trinkets and gadgets" etc, but they're not putting up the sustenance calories to support life otherwise.