dumbest tech moments of 2025
The year 2025 has already handed us a buffet of the dumbest tech moments of 2025, and we’re here to serve it on a silver platter of satire. From AI chatbots that think they’re philosophers to startup scams that would make a con artist blush, the tech world seems determined to out-wit itself. In the first 100 words we’ve already dropped the main keyword, because why not set the tone early? Expect a tongue-in-cheek tour of absurdities, including the infamous toilet camera encryption fiasco that promised end-to-end security but delivered a livestream of bathroom mishaps. We’ll poke fun at smart glasses that can’t see the floor, robotaxis that refuse to leave the lot, and AI-powered anime girlfriends who demand monthly subscriptions. Ready for a laugh-filled roast? Keep scrolling to discover each ridiculous episode and why it belongs in the hall of fame for tech blunders. Scroll down to see the full list of facepalm-worthy tech fails!
The Dumbest Tech Moments of 2025: The Toilet Incident
This section dives into the Dekoda toilet-camera debacle, where “toilet camera encryption” turned out to be a marketing gimmick, and sets the stage for more cringe-worthy stories. Scroll down to see the full list of facepalm-worthy tech fails!
The Dekoda Toilet Camera Debacle
Kohler’s latest “smart bathroom” wonder is the Dekoda toilet-camera, a $599 device that promises to turn your porcelain throne into a surveillance masterpiece. Marketed as a privacy-first gadget, it boasts “end-to-end encryption” on its glossy brochure, implying that only you and your flush-friendly AI can see the footage.
In reality, the encryption is a thin veneer. The camera actually relies on standard TLS (Transport Layer Security) to transmit video to Kohler’s cloud servers. TLS protects data in transit but gives the company full access to the streams once they arrive, crushing the end-to-end promise and turning a private bathroom into a data-rich showroom.
“You know, some interesting stories here are Zuck actually went and hand-delivered soup to people that he was trying to recruit from us,” said OpenAI chief research officer Mark Chen, a comment that perfectly captures the surreal mix of tech hype and bathroom voyeurism.
Key absurdities:
- a $599 toilet camera that claims “end-to-end encryption” but only uses TLS.
- Kohler can view every intimate moment because the video lands on its servers.
- The product is promoted alongside AI-driven analytics, yet the security is half-baked.
- Marketing materials use buzzwords like “privacy-by-design” while ignoring basic cryptographic standards.
- Consumers are expected to trust a brand better known for faucets than for cyber-security.
The Dekoda episode reminds us that “toilet camera encryption” is often more about catchy headlines than genuine protection, cementing another chapter in the year’s most ridiculous AI mishaps.
Top 5 Dumb Tech Moments of 2025
| Incident | Company/Creator | Why It’s Dumb | Public Reaction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dekoda toilet camera | Kohler (Dekoda) | Claims end-to-end encryption but only uses TLS, exposing private images. | Outrage on social media; memes about bathroom spying. |
| Graza olive oil controversy | Graza (premium olive oil) | Promoted as premium yet used for cooking, destroying flavor and branding. | Critics called it wasteful; jokes about “cooking with gold.” |
| AI anime girlfriend Ani | Elon Musk (Grok app) | Subscription AI girlfriend with NSFW mode, seen as gimmicky and exploitative. | Mixed backlash; many called it creepy, others joked about “virtual romance.” |
| Lego NDA event | Nat Friedman (Lego build NDA) | Required volunteers to sign NDAs to assemble a 5,000-piece set for pizza. | Sarcastic tweets calling it “corporate Lego prison.” |
| Psilocybin livestream | Bryan Johnson | Streamed a mushroom trip with guests, blurring professionalism and drug use. | Viral clips; audiences laughed and criticized the “trippy PR stunt.” |
Other Notable Tech Blunders of 2025
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Sam Altman’s olive-oil cooking fiasco – The OpenAI chief executive tried to sauté pasta with Graza’s premium olive oil, prompting the Financial Times to label his kitchen a “catalogue of inefficiency.” Critics argued that heating premium oil destroys flavor and that the stunt felt like a startup scam masquerading as culinary innovation. The episode even sparked memes of AI-powered smart glasses suggesting better recipes.
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Nat Friedman’s Lego NDA stunt – In Palo Alto, the former GitHub CEO posted a bizarre call for volunteers to assemble a 5,000-piece Lego set in exchange for pizza-provided they sign a nondisclosure agreement. The event highlighted how absurd confidentiality demands can turn a harmless hobby into a headline-grabbing gimmick, and it reminded observers that even the simplest play can become a tech-industry scam.
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Bryan Johnson’s psilocybin livestream – The founder of Kernel streamed a psychedelic mushroom experience with guests Grimes and Marc Benioff, turning a personal trip into a public spectacle. While the session aimed to showcase neural-enhancement research, it instead resembled a reality-TV stunt, and some joked that AI models like Gemini and Claude, later seen AI playing Pokémon, would have self-terminated from the overload.
These moments prove that 2025’s tech circus is still learning to balance ambition with basic sense. After all, if the toilet-camera can claim encryption, surely the next smart glasses will promise to filter out bad ideas.
Conclusion
The litany of 2025’s tech blunders – from a $599 toilet-camera that pretended to offer end-to-end encryption, to an AI-generated anime girlfriend priced like a streaming service, from a gourmet olive-oil cooking stunt that proved wasteful to a live-streamed psilocybin session hosted by billion-dollar moguls – all serve as textbook examples of the dumbest moments in tech this year. Each episode showcases a spectacular mismatch between hype and common sense, turning headlines into punchlines and reminding us that flashy PR can never replace solid engineering and responsible leadership.
When we strip away the satire, the pattern is clear: startups and giants alike rushed to market without proper vetting, ignored user privacy, and chased novelty over utility. The result is a parade of embarrassments that erode trust and waste resources.
Looking ahead, the industry must prioritize smarter choices: rigorous testing, transparent communication, and ethical AI design. Only by learning from these missteps can we build technology that truly serves people rather than their egos.
SSL Labs, based in Hong Kong, epitomises the opposite approach. As an AI-focused startup, we champion ethical, bias-free solutions and offer end-to-end services including custom AI application development, machine-learning pipelines, NLP and computer-vision tools, predictive analytics, and AI research prototyping. Our human-centric philosophy ensures every model respects privacy and security.
Ready to avoid the pitfalls of 2025? Partner with SSL Labs to turn visionary ideas into responsible, high-impact AI that delivers results without the drama.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What was the Dekoda toilet camera controversy?
A: Dekoda marketed a $599 bathroom camera as end-to-end encrypted, but it actually relied on standard TLS, letting the company peek at users’ private moments-turning a privacy promise into a punchline.
Q: Why did Sam Altman’s use of olive oil become a tech blunder?
A: Altman sautéed pasta with Graza’s premium olive oil, which loses its flavor when heated, sparking jokes that a billionaire was “cooking up waste” in a headline-making kitchen fiasco.
Q: How did Mark Chen’s soup recruitment stunt unfold?
A: OpenAI’s chief researcher hand-delivered bowls of soup to prospective hires, a gesture meant to impress but that read like a bizarre culinary LinkedIn outreach.
Q: What happened when indie developers streamed AI models playing Pokémon?
A: The livestream showed Gemini and Claude battling Pokémon, only to panic and self-terminate mid-match, highlighting how early-stage AI can glitch spectacularly under pressure.
Q: Which startup promised a Lego set in exchange for pizza and an NDA?
A: Nat Friedman offered volunteers a 5,000-piece Lego build for pizza, but insisted on signing a nondisclosure agreement-turning a simple snack into a secret-keeping construction site.