Samsung apologized for not meeting its customers' expectations: These 3 tech giants should follow its lead

Last week, Samsung made a surprising statement about its progress in artificial intelligence. The Korean tech giant, known for its range of top-tier smartphones and other consumer technology, publicly apologized for "not meeting expectations" when developing AI chips for its products, which resulted in revenue dropping substantially.

The announcement made me think about how nice it would be if other tech companies took a page from the Samsung playbook and apologized for the bad, boring, and nefarious things they've done over the last few years. I'm asking companies like Google, Apple, and Meta for an "I'm sorry." Forgive me for not holding my breath while I wait.

Related

I'm convinced AI will take over, but not in the way you think

We're outsourcing people skills

5

Apple for taking so long to adopt RCS messaging

A few weeks ago, Apple ended the years-long nightmare of texting between iPhone and Android devices, adopting RCS messaging in iOS 18. Due to Google's borderline petty marketing campaign, Apple has been improving the messaging experience between the two operating systems for a while. However, the company decided to hold off for as long as possible to attract more iPhone users who were sick of the broken yet fixable communication system.

Even worse, Apple didn't adopt RCS messaging out of kindness. Over the years, the company was flippant concerning users' complaints about texting between iPhone and Android. CEO Tim Cook told users to "buy your mom an iPhone" if they want to stop enduring the errors or glitches of the previous system. The EU essentially forced Apple to adopt the messaging protocol. So, getting an apology is likely not in the cards.

Google for ruining search

Source: Google

You'll know what I'm talking about if you've searched for anything on Google in the last few months. While the platform has enjoyed decades of success as the go-to search engine for billions of users worldwide, the experience has become tedious. The ads turn the task of asking a simple question into a full-on treasure hunt for any entry that didn't pay to be at the top of the list.

On top of that, the evolution of its AI chatbot Gemini has made the Google search experience more convoluted. AI Overviews give strange answers filled with misinformation and dangerous advice, like eating glue. To make matters worse, the only good thing about AI Overviews was that they appeared before the ads. However, AI Overviews is getting ads. If you want an apology, ask ChatGPT to write one.

Meta for the overall state of social media

One of Mark Zuckerberg's famous mantras in the early stages of Facebook development was "move fast, break things." This mantra was a nod to the company's commitment to growth, regardless of the consequences. The strategy paid off, with the differently-named social media giant now representing one of the world's largest and most influential businesses. However, it comes at the expense of the user experience on social media.

Whether your identity was stolen by a convincing bot or your conspiracy theorist aunt won't stop commenting about the agreed-upon shape of this planet, Facebook, Instagram, and social media have gone down the tubes. The days of playfully engaging with your friends and friends of your friends seem a distant past compared to the AI-powered misinformation-laden nonsense strewn across your timeline in 2024.

An apology isn't likely because Meta has repeatedly shown that the goal is to get people clicking, responding, and logging in. We don't want to admit it, but a bit of dysfunction makes that all the more possible.

Microsoft for discontinuing the Duo lineup

We'll be the first to admit that Microsoft doesn't have a great history with smartphones. The Windows phone era was as brief as it was unpleasant, and Microsoft discontinued it in 2016. However, the Microsoft Duo and the Microsoft Duo 2 (the company's dual-screen foldable device) were still fun pieces of technology that could have been a productivity improver for Microsoft fans.

Microsoft decided to throw in the towel on the Duo, with the company rolling out the final update for the Duo 2 on October 21st, ending another foray into the mobile device market. Does Microsoft owe us an apology for giving up, or do we owe Microsoft an apology for not buying its smartphones?

Big tech: an industry of errors

I'd love to see Mark Zuckerberg, Satya Nadella, Sundar Pichai, and Tim Cook join Samsung Vice Chair Jun Young-hyun in apologizing for what they've done. However, the reality is that the tech industry must be allowed to fail sometimes. When it comes to this level of innovation, trial and error is part of the process. Apologizing for every misstep isn't as time-conscious as it needs to be.

If these tech giants were all of a sudden hit with an ounce of humility and decided to apologize for one or two errors, I'd be willing to throw them a pizza party. Still, as employees of these companies know, that's rarely enough.