HYPE CEMETERY
The unfulfilled promises
An archive of overhyped future stories — what was promised, what really happened, and why the narrative lost the reality check.
3 entries in the archive
-
Web3 Replaces the Internet
- Promised
- Tokens, DAOs, and wallets replacing classic web logins and accounts.
- Reality
- Few productive apps, high complexity, market cap far below peak.
- Why overhyped
- Speculation pressure, token incentives skewed user numbers, weak UX.
-
Metaverse
- Promised
- A second full reality where we all live, work, and shop.
- Reality
- Headsets remain a niche, platforms lose users, enterprise use cases never materialise.
- Why overhyped
- Marketing outran the product; hardware was too expensive; use cases stayed generic.
-
Fully Autonomous Cars by 2020
- Promised
- Multiple makers promised Level-5 autonomy on public roads by 2020 starting around 2015.
- Reality
- Today Level-4 runs only in tight geofenced areas, robotaxi fleets remain small.
- Why overhyped
- Long-tail edge cases underestimated; sensor stack and safety effort exploded.
