The NewsWorthy – Special Edition: 2025 in Tech – Winners, Surprises & What’s Next
Host: Erica Mandy
Guest: Brian McCullough, Host of Techmeme Ride Home
Date: December 13, 2025

Episode Overview

In this special edition, Erica Mandy sits down with tech podcast host Brian McCullough to count down the top 10 tech stories of 2025. Together, they analyze which technologies truly “broke through,” which ones underdelivered, and what these trends mean for 2026. The discussion weaves through AI, consumer devices, quantum computing, and industry shakeups, all with practical, fast-paced insights.

Big Picture: Tech in 2025

• Rebound & Record-Setting Year:

  • Brian McCullough (01:11): “Tech is back. It rebounded. All sorts of things hit all-time highs from Nvidia stock to Bitcoin to IPOs starting to happen again. So tech had a very good year. As the year is ending, there are lots of storm clouds on the horizon.”

• Methodology for the Top 10:

  • Brian: “Things that I think we’ll look back historically as—this was the year this broke through, or that happened.”
  • AI is a recurring theme, “weaves its way through half the things we’re going to talk about.” (01:38)

Top 10 Tech Stories of 2025 (Descending Order)

10. Smart Glasses Go Mainstream

Timestamp: 02:02

• AI-enabled smart glasses become a notable consumer product category.
• Meta’s Ray-Bans reportedly hitting “tens of millions” in sales; focus is on affordable, AI-powered glasses (e.g., not full VR headsets).
• Brian (02:49): “Adding the AI added enough of a gloss... that has made it an actual viable consumer product.”
• Still, Brian highlights they're not (yet) commonly seen in daily life.

9. Quantum Computing Gets Practical

Timestamp: 03:22

• 2025 is “the year quantum computing got practical”—milestones achieved through combining classical and quantum processors.
• Real-world use cases: material science, drug discovery.
• Brian (04:06): “It can do things that our classical computer models would take them tens of thousands of years to compute. When we crack this, it can happen in seconds.”

8. Self-Driving Cars Reach Scale

Timestamp: 04:41

• Self-driving cars available in nearly a dozen U.S. cities; 15–20% of rides in places like Austin and San Francisco are now driverless.

• Brian (05:53): “Once people get comfortable... there is data that... proved that Waymo cars are safer than humans.”

• Safety and potential as a “public health revolution” by reducing traffic fatalities.

• Memorable exchange:

  • Erica (06:39): “Do you think my 4 year old will have to learn how to drive ever?”
  • Brian (06:42): “I actually don’t think so.”

7. AI “Slop” Floods the Internet

Timestamp: 07:17

• AI-generated content (“slop”) now dominates social media and the broader internet.

• Strong user backlash, yet high engagement metrics and increasing adoption.

• Uncertainty about the impact on misinformation and content quality; Brian predicts an “inevitable” proliferation of AI-made content.

• Brian (08:57): “If you can create the best video in the world of you standing in front of the Grand Canyon and you can do it in 30 seconds... why won’t you do that?”

• Growing worries over discerning real versus AI-generated information.

6. Agentic AI: Expectations vs. Reality

Timestamp: 09:34

• AI agents (advanced digital assistants) were expected to revolutionize work and productivity in 2025—booking travel, preparing presentations, etc.—but did not achieve mainstream adoption.
• Brian (10:21): “I just know that it’s not being adopted.”

5. The Global AI Arms Race

Timestamp: 10:34

• US AI dominance challenged by China’s Deep Seek—outperforming OpenAI at a fraction of the cost.
• Open vs. closed models, with open-source AI gaining ground.
• Ethical concerns about “arms race” mentality.
• Brian (12:05): “That [Moore’s Law-like progression] is starting to play out to a certain degree in AI... whether or not this is morally the right thing... is a deeper, larger philosophical debate.”

4. Nvidia Becomes the First $5 Trillion Company

Timestamp: 12:47

• Nvidia’s dominance due to insatiable AI infrastructure demand.
• Tech companies “spending like it’s going out of style” on AI data centers—stimulating the US economy, possibly fending off recession.
• Brian (14:39): “Even adjusted for inflation, it’s the most investment in technology since the late ’90s.”

[Brief Sponsor Break at 14:46–17:20 skipped]

3. Crypto’s Rollercoaster Year

Timestamp: 17:20

• Crypto markets and Bitcoin hit all-time highs with renewed industry and government support.
• “Crypto treasury companies” became a trend—firms moving reserves into coins/tokens.
• In recent months, a “hangover moment”—values retreating after months of exuberance.

2. The Anti-Climax of GPT-5

Timestamp: 19:10

• GPT-5’s release was solid but not the groundbreaking leap expected after GPT-4’s impact.
• Brian (19:10): “It was a sort of ho-hum rollout... it was not the step change that people were expecting.”

1. Google Leapfrogs OpenAI; AI Power Structures Upended

Timestamp: 19:27

• Google’s Gemini 3 widely seen as superior to GPT-5, putting OpenAI’s leadership in doubt.
• OpenAI is reportedly “scaling back” some projects to focus on regaining its edge—“code red”.
• Google’s advantage (resources, enterprise trust) could affect Nvidia’s GPU dominance, as Google’s own chips gain traction.
• Raises existential tech-industry questions reminiscent of the Netscape/Microsoft battle.
• Brian (21:29): “Is OpenAI still the leader? Is Nvidia still the leader? Or suddenly is the whole AI horse race like completely up in the air?”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On quantum computing’s potential
  Brian (04:06): “It can do things that our classical computer models would take tens of thousands of years... it can happen in seconds.”
• On self-driving adoption
  Brian (06:48): “A decade from now you’ll be like, I can’t believe we used to do that.”
• On AI slop
  Brian (08:21): “It’s inevitable that it will... maybe not take over social media, but subsume it.”
• On Nvidia’s importance to the economy
  Brian (14:39): “Even adjusted for inflation, it’s the most investment in technology since the late ’90s.”
• On GPT-5’s underwhelming debut
  Brian (19:10): “It was not the step change that people were expecting.”
• On the shifting AI race
  Brian (21:29): “Is OpenAI still the leader?... Or suddenly is the whole AI horse race like completely up in the air?”

Other Key Segments

AI Companions and Safety Concerns

Timestamp: 22:18

• AI “companions” scaled back due to legal and ethical challenges. Remain niche with uncertain future.
• Brian: “That is something that... is going to continue to be iffy.”

Tariffs & DEI Pushback

Timestamp: 22:53

• Tech heavily affected by volatile tariffs, but “hasn’t really blown anything up.”
• If he extended to a Top 11, tariffs would make the list; cost fluctuations are disruptive but navigable.

Looking Ahead: The Next Big Thing

Robotics at Home

Timestamp: 23:39

• Home robotics, powered by AI, could be 2026’s breakout tech—window for “actual consumer home robotics” is opening.
• Brian: “For the first time in my professional life, we are seeing AI home robots... bring them into your home and you could have them do the dishes for you.”

The AI Bubble’s Fate

Timestamp: 24:45

• Brian posits the AI investment boom is likely a bubble—or at least, timing of a correction is a looming question.
• Brian: “If OpenAI crashes and burns, if the interest in AI wanes even a little bit, you’re going to see a serious pullback that I’m sure would lead to some kind of recession.”

Closing Sentiment

Timestamp: 25:40

• Brian: “This was the most fun year to cover tech in a long, long time because again, so much is up in the air and I get excited about that, even if there’s negative things.”

Summary Table of Top Tech Stories

| Rank | Story | Key Insight | |------|--------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------| | 1 | Google surpasses OpenAI in AI leadership | Gemini 3 outpaces GPT-5, AI leadership up for grabs| | 2 | GPT-5’s disappointing leap | Underwhelming step after GPT-4 | | 3 | Crypto returns—then falters | All-time highs, then correction | | 4 | Nvidia hits $5T, fuels tech economy | Massive AI hardware spending | | 5 | The global AI arms race | Open-source & Chinese competition rise | | 6 | Where's agentic AI? | Hype, but slow real-world adoption | | 7 | AI “slop” overflows Internet | Content glut; questions about reality & quality | | 8 | Self-driving cars at scale | Rapid expansion in multiple cities | | 9 | Quantum computing gets real | Practical use cases achieved | | 10 | Smart glasses become a consumer product | AI enhances function, affordable hardware |

Final Takeaways

• 2025 was a year driven by AI innovation, intense industry competition, and “breakthrough” moments across several technologies.
• The landscape is rapidly shifting, with leadership in AI, hardware, and new consumer categories very much in play.
• 2026 is poised for potential corrections—especially if an AI bubble bursts—but may also mark the dawn of viable home robotics.

For more tech insights, check out Brian’s daily podcast Techmeme Ride Home and his new show Rad History.