Just a list of things that, as of mid-2025, feel “obvious”— not because everyone is doing them yet, but because the writing is on the wall, and most people who are paying attention see them as inevitable (or at least, the next logical step):

1. AI Agents Will Eat Mundane Knowledge Work

  • Everyone is using, or talking about using, AI agents to handle scheduling, customer support, basic research, email triage, coding tasks, and more.
  • It’s clear that “prompting” AI or setting up workflows is now as basic as Excel skills were in 2010.
  • Tons of startups and legacy companies are building “AI glue” into every workflow.

2. Remote/Hybrid Is the Norm for Knowledge Work

  • If a job can be done remotely, it will be. Even “holdouts” are now caving.
  • Companies recruiting “office only” are shrinking their applicant pools by 80%+.
  • Coworking and “work from anywhere” setups are everywhere, even for big companies.

3. Privacy Concerns Have Gone Mainstream

  • People expect encrypted messaging and private modes everywhere.
  • Consumers are suspicious of new tech that “feels creepy.”
  • Businesses have to show, not just say, that they respect privacy.

4. Wearables and Continuous Health Monitoring

  • Smartwatches, rings, and even clothing that tracks sleep, glucose, heart health, stress, etc. is common, even in less techy crowds.
  • Preventive and personalized medicine (including AI suggestions) is routine.

5. No-Code/Low-Code is Eating the Middle

  • Small businesses, solo founders, and even mid-sized companies use Notion, Airtable, Zapier, Softr, etc. to build tools without engineers.
  • Custom software is for the edges; the middle is “assembled,” not coded from scratch.

6. Subscription Fatigue and “Unbundling”

  • People are tired of paying for 12+ subscriptions. Bundles (like “everything streaming” or “all tools for X industry”) are coming back.
  • SaaS is fighting churn hard, and “lifetime deals” are back in some niches.

7. Social Media is Fragmented (and Transactional)

  • Gen Z and younger don’t care about Facebook or “old Twitter” (X). Instead, they use niche, group, or algorithm-driven communities (Discord, Telegram, Fizz, etc.).
  • Content creators are moving to places where they own their audience, or get paid directly (Patreon, Substack, paid WhatsApp/Telegram channels).

8. Energy Transition is Obvious

  • Renewables are winning. Solar and wind are default for new projects. Battery tech is way better.
  • Oil & gas aren’t gone, but everyone from carmakers to real estate assumes a green future.

9. Robots and Automation in Daily Life

  • It’s normal to see delivery robots, warehouse bots, even household cleaning robots.
  • Restaurants and stores quietly rely on automation behind the scenes.

10. Video + Voice Search / Interfaces

  • Searching with video or voice (“show me this shirt” with a picture, or “play that song that goes…” with your voice) is normal.
  • Shopping, customer service, and even coding sometimes start with a spoken or snapped query.

11. Digital Identity and Authentication

  • Passwordless is the Default:
  • Federated Identities:
  • “Wallets” for Everything:
  • Privacy is Key:

12. Global Payment Rails

  • Instant Transfers:
  • No More Borders for Payments:
  • New Use Cases:

13. Micro-Schools, Alt-Education, and Skills-Based Learning

  • Decline of Traditional Degrees:
  • Bootcamps & Cohorts:
  • Niche Learning Communities:
  • Stackable Credentials:

14. AI Content and Deepfakes

  • Everything Can Be Faked:
  • Verification Tools:
  • AI-Generated Content is Normal:
  • New Creative Jobs: