Christmas is upon us and, before the year is out, I thought it might be good to work through some of my biggest gripes with Europe’s startup scene — so we can start anew in 2026...
I’ve jotted down all the teeny irritations that come with covering the tech world, from minor outrages to unnecessary LinkedIn trends, that added up to a yearlong background hum of bother.
Here are the things I’d like to see less of in 2026.
AI getting too much credit
How many LinkedIn posts have breathlessly proclaimed that “AI just killed X” this year?
It probably didn’t. This dramatic reaction to any new AI creation — AI just killed email! AI just killed Hollywood! — is silly and I think we should spend the new year giving less credit to this newfangled tech. Its PR is too good: I still can’t believe we say “the AI hallucinated” (not an excuse that flies when I write nonsense).
A lot of AI stuff is, frankly, overrated. I’ve been using an “AI-powered email assistant” for a while, and I'm not all that impressed. (The silliest thing it does? Sending me a celebratory recap of the emails I’ve sent in the past week.) I’ve concluded that the undefeated inbox sorter is the delete button.
Needy notetaker bots
The bots that politely ask to join your video calls: has there ever been a bigger flash in the pan? Keep them waiting outside, I say, and have some real conversations in 2026: we should all be free to make fun of colleagues or clients without worrying about these little snitches quietly transcribing every word in the background.
Startups selling unfinished products
I’m worn out by tech’s “future-selling” tendencies, which appear to be all too alive and well.
Here’s an egregious example: Norwegian-American robotics company 1X announced this year that its flashy home robot, Neo, will be available to buy in the US in 2026: so far, so cool for early adopters with plenty of money.
But here’s the snag: the robot will have very limited autonomy. It’s not obvious from the promo videos, but this humanoid will be teleoperated in the beginning by humans wearing VR headsets. Not ideal. (And that’s before the wifi dips and Neo falls on the family dog.)
YouTuber/tech commentator Marques Brownlee had a strong reaction to 1X’s plan, decrying “the lost art” of selling finished products. “In the age of AI, you sell the dream before you sell the actual product,” he says.
In 2026, let’s see more realistic pitches.
996 mania
I received the occasional WhatsApp from founders lately on weekends suggesting an interview (“too busy building” during the week, they explain). Or if they are free during the week, it might not be until late in the evening (“How’s 7pm Friday?”).
Yes, folk are busy, it’s 996 or die. AI has us fearing our own obsolescence. But how about we do calls before 6pm? (and keep Saturdays and Sundays off the agenda).
Fewer INSANE founders
“Stockholm just had an absolutely INSANE funding week,” my LinkedIn timeline regularly screeched this year. Four AI raises? In this economy?
I get it. We’re all tap-dancing for the algorithm and I respect the creators out there. But while we have to make sacrifices to the virality gods, the caps-lock-ified INSANE — which I see all the time now — is a tad overcooked. Can I suggest: “Stockholm just had a RELATIVELY BUSY fundraising week”?
