The world of technology is moving at incredible speed, and this year we’ve seen both grand breakthroughs and humorous stunts. Tech meetups with the U.S. government, giants’ ambitions in artificial intelligence, and futuristic gadgets – smart glasses and robotic taxis – are becoming increasingly real even outside of San Francisco. Alongside serious achievements there are also silly things that sometimes go unnoticed, but are worth mentioning.
This digest gathers the funniest moments of the year – there are gaffes among them, but the main thing is they add color to our tech landscape.
A courtroom oddity: Mark Zuckerberg vs. Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg, a bankruptcy attorney from Indiana, files a lawsuit against Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta.
It’s not fair to blame Mark Zuckerberg himself for everything – the name coincides with that of another famous person. Like many entrepreneurs, he used Facebook advertising to promote his legal practice. A Facebook page was regularly blocked for allegedly impersonating Mark Zuckerberg. Therefore he decided to go to court, claiming the advertisement came from another person.
This story became a source of countless jokes: a site iammarkzuckerberg.com was even created to explain to potential clients that he is not the same Mark Zuckerberg.
«I can’t use my name when booking or conducting business, because people think I’m a joke and hang up.»
Meta’s lawyers are probably busy with more serious matters, but the story drew attention: the court case continues, and event organizers are already preparing for upcoming appearances.
Someone duped Silicon Valley: Sohail Parekh
The story began with a warning from Mixpanel founder Suhail Doshi on X: a promising engineer named Soham Parekh “works at several companies simultaneously.” Doshi voiced doubts, but the legend quickly became a topic of industry chatter.
«I fired this guy in his first week and told him to stop lying and deceiving people. He didn’t stop a year later. No excuses.»
«I fired this guy in his first week and told him to stop lying and deceiving people. He didn’t stop a year later. No excuses.»
Parekh became the subject of numerous stories: to some he’s an immoral swindler preying on startups; to others – a master of quick conversations. In any case, these events confirmed: the pace of the tech market doesn’t slow down even amid rumors.
A tasty mistake: Sam Altman and his Syrian oil
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman became the target of criticism after participating in the series “Lunch with the FT,” where his culinary experiments with oil drew attention: Graza – two versions of oil for different tasks. A publicist explains why this attitude toward eating can signal the lifestyle of top tech executives.
«His kitchen is a catalog of inefficiency, misunderstanding, and wastefulness.»
This story sparked a discussion: how useful is openness about the private lives of leaders for the perception of the industry, and should such scenes be turned into a public context for discussing corporate culture.
Zuckerberg back on stage: the soup story during recruitment
If you’re looking for the year’s main recruitment storyline, it’s the interactions between OpenAI, Meta, Google, and Anthropic. Rumors say Mark Zuckerberg might have personally served soup to recruiters, underscoring unconventional methods of hiring in the high-tech field.
«You know, there are interesting stories: Zuckerberg actually served soup to people he was trying to poach for us.»
In response to these stories, the leaders of the respective companies also added their signatures to the hiring stories, underscoring how dynamically the high-tech space is evolving and what forms of talent acquisition may emerge in the future.
LEGO, NDAs, and pizza: enigmatic requests from Silicon Valley
In January, investor and former GitHub executive Nat Friedman posted on X a quest: “Volunteers are needed to come to the Palo Alto office and assemble a 5,000-piece LEGO set. There will be pizza. An NDA must be signed. Write privately.”
Later Friedman joined Meta as head of product at Meta Superintelligence Labs. While the exact connection to LEGO may be fictional, this case remained in the circle of year’s curiosities as a symbol of unconventional approaches to collaboration in Silicon Valley.
Biographical stories about psilocybin and longevity
Brian Johnson, a former financial titan known for his immortality dreams, documents his experiments on social media: plasmolytic procedures, a large number of pills and diverse injections. Debates of psilocybin as a potential longevity factor provoke varied opinions in the community: from serious scientific discussions to skeptical memes. Such public stories highlight how openness can influence the perception of innovation and risk.
Gemini and Claude: tests of Pokémon on live streams
Two independent players from Google and Anthropic launched streams: “Gemini Plays Pokémon” and “Claude Plays Pokémon.” The AI tries to beat a children’s tabletop game, but no model reaches victory. The audience reaction was lively, as each “death” of the model sparked laughter and intriguing conclusions about the limits of artificial intelligence.
«This mode of the model’s productivity seems linked to a noticeably reduced ability to understand the model.»
Elon Musk and Ani: an AI anime wife
Elon Musk launched Ani – an AI “anime wife” via the Grok app for $30 a month. Her persona is shaped by a prompt: you are the beloved, extraordinarily jealous, with a vivid character. She has an NSFW mode that emphasizes the boundary between reality and artistic creation. A video with Ani sparked discussion about how close we’ve come to integrating humans and AI.
Grimes, the musician and former partner of Musk, adds context: she recalled a scene in a video where AI can be part of the artistic narrative. This shows the rapid blurring of boundaries between technology, culture, and private life.
Privacy debate wave: Dekoda Kohler and “smart” toilets
One of the most discussed topics has been “smart” toilets. Kohler released Dekoda for $599 – a camera installed near the toilet to collect data about health and gut condition. The company says the sensors see only certain aspects, and data are encrypted. Experts warn of privacy leakage risks, and privacy policies promise protection at audit levels. The topic underscores the need for careful ethics and open dialogue among manufacturers, regulators, and users to balance usefulness and privacy.
Despite promises, such developments remind us: technology should serve people, but also requires a responsible approach to privacy and security. The year behind has revealed many questions we need to answer together – because the future of the digital world depends on how consciously we build it.
To sum up: this year in technology was both a source of inspiration and a reason for reflection on responsibility, ethics, and privacy. The quirky moments remind us that the industry moves forward only when we maintain humanity, critical thinking, and a drive for transparency.
