We’ve always been fascinated by the concept of the “tech jerk”—that sudden, often uncomfortable change in the acceleration of a product or service that disrupts the user’s experience. Borrowed from physics, where jerk describes a change in acceleration (think of a lurching elevator or a car braking too hard), the term perfectly captures how poorly managed technological change can leave users feeling disoriented, frustrated, or even abandoned.
In a recent conversation, we reflected on the most memorable tech jerks of 2025. These ranged from frustrating platform overhauls to unexpectedly positive shifts in how we interact with technology. Below is a summary of our discussion, highlighting the good, the bad, and the lessons learned.
The Bad Jerks: When Change Feels Like a Step Back
Windows 11: The Upgrade Nobody Wanted
Heidi kicked things off by calling out Windows 11. Despite Microsoft’s push for an “AI-enhanced” experience, over 500 million eligible users have refused to upgrade. For many, especially corporate users and gamers, Windows 10 still works just fine. The perceived lack of meaningful improvement—coupled with significant UI changes and compatibility concerns—has created a massive adoption hurdle. As James noted, this isn’t new for Microsoft, but it’s a stark reminder that users won’t move unless the value is clear.
HBO Max’s Identity Crisis
Kim shared her frustration with HBO’s streaming service, which has rebranded and relaunched multiple times in recent years. Each transition required downloading a new app, losing watch history, and retraining recommendation algorithms. The final straw was the loss of content and a clunky, slow interface. Forced migrations with no continuity are a classic jerk—users are left feeling penalized for a change they didn’t ask for. (Read more.)
British Gas’s “Smart” Meter That Wasn’t
James recounted a personal experience with British Gas, which installed a “smart” meter that failed to connect to the network right out of the gate. The installer casually mentioned that connectivity issues were common—effectively admitting they’d shipped a brick. It’s a prime example of how overpromising and under-delivering can erode trust, especially when the fix involves navigating a cumbersome support process.
Solar Panel System Hostage Situation
Adam described a solar panel nightmare: his provider, SunPower, went bankrupt, leaving him with a broken inverter and no support. He was forced to migrate to a new system by Enphase, the original equipment manufacturer, to regain functionality and data access. While the new system works better, the transition was involuntary, costly, and stressful. It’s a jerk caused by ecosystem fragility and poor customer continuity planning.
The Good Jerks: Change Done Right
Gemini’s Gentle Integration
Kim pointed to Google’s Gemini as an example of a well-managed rollout. On Android and in Google Workspace, AI features are introduced as opt-in enhancements—summarizing emails, improving documents, or assisting with search—without forcing the change. Users can ignore or disable them. This respectful, user-controlled approach reduces friction and encourages exploration rather than resistance.
Cycloid’s Feature-Flagged AI
James highlighted Cycloid, a platform provider that built an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server to bring AI into its internal developer platform. Crucially, they placed the feature behind a flag. Nine out of ten on-prem customers chose to leave it off—a clear signal that enterprises are cautious about AI in sensitive environments. By letting users decide when to adopt, Cycloid preserved trust and avoided a potential jerk.
Slack’s Spooky Seasonal Fun
Heidi praised Slack for its Halloween-themed “Spooky Slack” options—customizable icons, colors, and backgrounds that were entirely opt-in and automatically reverted after the holiday. This temporary, playful change acknowledged that users sometimes want novelty without permanence. It’s a small but thoughtful example of progressive delivery in action.
mRNA Vaccines + ML: A Jerk That Saves Lives
Adam brought up mRNA vaccines and how they’ve been impacted by advances in machine learning (ML) as a positive technological jerk with monumental impact. Initially accelerated during COVID-19, the technology saw breakthroughs in 2025 for cancer treatment. This rapid, life-saving acceleration demonstrates that jerks aren’t inherently bad—they can represent transformative progress when the value is profound and well-communicated.
The AI Jerk: A Double-Edged Sword
AI dominated our conversation as both a source of good and bad jerks.
OpenAI’s Model Rollouts often feel like a rollercoaster—initial excitement followed by backlash when models behave unpredictably (e.g., “grumpy” GPT-5.2). James noted that evals (evaluation frameworks) and tools like Statsig (recently acquired by OpenAI) are becoming essential for measuring and mitigating AI jerks before wide release.
Google Search’s AI Overviews have rewritten the rules of SEO and content discovery. While some users appreciate quicker answers, creators and publishers face an existential challenge as clicks decline. As Heidi put it, “We’re eating the seed corn of future knowledge.”
AI Slop and Misinformation are now pervasive, but as Kim reminded us, “slop” existed long before AI—search engines have always battled low-quality content. The difference now is the speed and scale at which AI can generate and amplify it.
Lessons for Managing Jerks in 2025
Our discussion reinforced core principles from Progressive Delivery:
- Give Users Control. Whether through opt-in features, feature flags, or rollback options, choice reduces friction.
- Test Before You Ship. Avoid “shipping bricks” by validating functionality and user experience early.
- Respect Different Adoption Speeds. Enterprises, individuals, and industries move at different paces. Allow for gradual uptake.
- Communicate Value Clearly. If users don’t understand why a change is beneficial, they’ll resist it.
- Embrace Temporary Changes. Not every innovation needs to be permanent. Seasonal or experimental features can delight without disrupting.
Share Your Tech Jerks!
We’d love to hear about the tech jerks you’ve experienced in 2025—good or bad. How did they affect you? How could they have been handled better? Your stories might even feature in a future podcast or blog post.
Let’s continue the conversation. After all, in a world accelerating faster than ever, managing jerk isn’t just a technical challenge—it’s a human one.
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This article is based on a conversation from the Progressive Delivery Third Loop podcast. This series will be launching soon, stay tuned for more info.
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