Tech companies that made NFTs, the metaverse, Google Glass, and Windows Phone are now heavily promoting AI as the next transformative technology. The post uses pattern recognition to highlight Silicon Valley's cyclical hype cycles — these same companies have repeatedly backed products that flopped with consumers, then pivoted to the next big thing. The Verge article confirms this framing, noting that tech industry leaders struggle to identify what consumers actually want between cycles. What the post doesn't capture: some of these companies (especially Meta and Google) have genuine AI research depth and investment that differs from their previous hype cycles, even if their track record for consumer-facing products remains mixed.