27 Years to Build the Future
Things that didn’t exist 27 years ago:
Tesla
SpaceX
iPhone
YouTube
X
Gmail
Bitcoin
Netflix streaming
TikTok
iPad
Snapchat
Amazon Prime
Skype
Airbnb
Etsy
Lyft
Uber
Wikipedia
App Store
Spotify
Skype
Fitbit
emojis
Tinder
Stripe
Nest
Slack
Xbox
Shopify
Kindle
Zoom
Chrome
Minecraft
ChatGPT
Alexa
DraftKings
Quora
Salesforce
Messenger
Coinbase
Alibaba
Ethereum
Peloton
Crocs
Google Maps
Telegram
Roblox
Swiffer
Mailchimp
Beyond Meat
Samsung Galaxy
Amazon Web Services
FaceTime
Wayfair
Dropbox
Twilio
DocuSign
AirPods
Roku
Chewy
Spanx
Zillow
Venmo
Avatar
iPod
Instacart
Coke Zero
Palantir
Canva
Twitch
Bumble
BuzzFeed
S’well
Moderna
hashtags
Fortnite
Pumpkin Spice Latte
Toms Shoes
Stitch Fix
Alexa
DoorDash
Warby Parker
Everlane
Discord
Carvana
Casper
Square
McGriddle
Tide Pods
Elf on the Shelf
FanDuel
Shake Shack
The Hunger Games
PlayStation 2
Nokia 3310
Imagine 1997. No YouTube. No iPhone. No Uber. No Tesla. Wild, right?
This tweet from @stats_feed smacks us with one point: the world changes fast.
The Marketing Lesson
Every product we now treat as “essential” once didn’t even exist. Which means new markets are always forming. The winners? Those who spot the wave before everyone else.
Why It Works
- It triggers curiosity + shock (“Wait, Netflix streaming is only 17 years old?”)
- It reframes innovation as opportunity, not luck
- It rides the nostalgia + progress combo perfectly
- It’s hyper-shareable because everyone wants to marvel at change
Examples
- Airbnb turned “I need a hotel” into “I’ll stay in someone’s house”
- Uber changed “call a cab” to “tap a button”
- Spotify replaced buying music with streaming it
- Tesla made electric cars cool, not quirky
The next 27 years? Someone’s building the next list right now.