In tech, there's always something exciting going on. What were the highlights of 2022? Here's a look back at the 2022's most surprising, crazy and what the heck moments.
Figma Swallowed up by Giant Adobe
The news was a bombshell in the design world, to say the least. 20 million dollars. That's how much Adobe had to pay to stifle its talented competitor.
Figma made a high-profile appearance in 2015 after a few years of underground development, with its vector-based, collaborative interface prototyping editor and brainstorming whiteboard FigJam. It was a stunning entry at a time when Adobe was presenting its own prototyping tool. It's not as intuitive, but Figma had set the bar very high.
Co-founder Dylan Field will remain at the helm and gradually integrate Adobe's expertise in image processing, illustration, video, 3D, and typography. It remains to be seen whether the soul of this software, which is the darling of UX designers, product managers and entrepreneurs, will be preserved.
Google Retired Google Analytics Universal
Another big earthquake in the tech microcosm was Google's announcement in March 2022 that it would sunset Google Analytics Universal on 1 July 2023. It's true that regulatory advances in user data protection, especially in Europe, had rendered this product obsolete.
After 10 years of data collection on this emblematic tool (if you are a data analyst, you must have shed a tear!), Google will offer GA4, the alternative. Unlike its predecessor, this tool will be based on events and their parameters.
So you officially have 7 months left to migrate your data collection system or adopt the new GA. Friendly advice: if this is your plan, start collecting data on it now!
Twitter Acquired by Elon Musk
SpaceX's boss announced his interest in Twitter in July; three months later, he had acquired it for $44 billion. Easy. The rest of the story, as you probably know, is rather gloomy. But it's hard to miss, so let's have a look at the highlights!
As soon as the acquisition is complete, Musk tweeted: "The bird is free." Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner for Digital Affairs, replied straight away: "In Europe, it will fly according to our rules." The tone was set.
But this is the least of the billionaire's worries. As soon as he took over, Musk cut the workforce with a knife. On 21 November, there were only 1000 employees and 1100 contract workers left, an 86% staff reduction. The hashtag #quittwitter arises after Musk explained to the remaining staff that they will have to work long hours or leave. And on and on it goes.
DALL-E: the Artificial Intelligence Artist Unveils its V2
Let us return to a happier subject. Funny and even poetic at times: DALL-E.
The concept? This IA creates images from your own key words. This gives creative and sometimes crazy ideas to the 1.5 million people who use it every day to create 2 million images. V1 of the tool was so popular that you had to be on the waiting list to use it but fortunately, V2 is now open to all, within the limit of 50 creations.
Intrigued and want to see what it looks like? Check out our article on what's new for creativity in Web3, where we generated images with a competing service.
Architecture: Cultural Buildings Digitalized in Besieged Ukraine
It's been a trend since the Islamic State destroyed the sublime remains of Palmyra in Syria. Engineers, historians and entrepreneurs are using 3D to digitise historical monuments to keep track of them and facilitate their reconstruction.
This technology was used in 2022 by a Frenchman in Ukraine, Emmanuel Durand, who works for Amann Engineering in Geneva. He uses a laser that scans 500,000 points per second to create an exact digital replica of the building.
The issue here is as much artistic and cultural as it is political (in order to reconstruct, but also to use this data to prove war crimes). According to journalist Stéphan Siohan, the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture counted 367 "cultural war crimes" with the destruction of 29 museums, 133 churches, 66 theatres and bookshops, and even a Jewish cemetery after three months. For the Ukrainian government and historians, Russia is engaged in a strategy of "cultural genocide."
So what do you think? What's the craziest news you'll hear in 2023 in tech?
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