It seems that they're all focused extremely precisely on tiny efficiency gains in standardised tests and stuffing in unwanted hostile "smartness" at the expense

It seems that they're all focused extremely precisely on tiny efficiency gains in standardised tests and stuffing in unwanted hostile "smartness" at the expense of longevity and simplicity. At least the former is mostly due to regulations; and there have been some good changes recently in that area, although it's hard to tell whether they'll have any effect: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43065757 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43065757