The Vanishing Present: 250 Things That Will Disappear from Our Lives by 2040

We’re living amid the final generation of everyday artifacts—steering wheels, cash, and keys—soon to vanish in the age of automation and AI.

We stand at a peculiar moment in history—surrounded by objects, practices, and systems that feel permanent but are actually in their final act. The steering wheel you grip, the cash in your wallet, the keys jangling in your pocket: all artifacts of a world that’s already disappearing.

What follows isn’t science fiction. It’s a systematic catalog of the infrastructure of daily life that’s becoming obsolete, based on converging trends in automation, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation that are already well underway.

Transportation and Mobility: 10 Casualties of the Autonomous Revolution

The shift to autonomous vehicles will trigger cascading changes far beyond transportation itself. Cities will reclaim thousands of acres from parking infrastructure, converting them to housing and parks. An entire generation born after 2025 will grow up viewing manual driving the way we view horseback riding—a recreational activity, not transportation.

1. Steering wheels in new vehicles – Banned in most urban areas, optional luxury in rural zones
2. Driver’s licenses for people born after 2025 – No longer required or issued in many jurisdictions
3. Gas stations in urban centers – Converted to EV charging hubs or demolished for housing
4. Traffic lights at most intersections – Replaced by vehicle-to-infrastructure communication
5. Parking lots in downtowns – Repurposed into housing, parks, urban farms
6. Car ownership among urban millennials/Gen Z – Robotaxi subscriptions dominate instead
7. Traffic cops for moving violations – Automated systems handle all enforcement
8. Auto insurance as we know it – Shifted entirely to vehicle manufacturers/fleet operators
9. The daily commute as distinct from “being at work” – Work happens during autonomous travel
10. Parking meters and parking tickets – No longer needed with autonomous dropoff/pickup

By 2040, cash will be a relic—ATMs gone, bank branches shuttered, and everyday transactions fully digital.

Money and Transactions: 10 Financial Artifacts Going Extinct

Physical currency will become illegal or so rare that it’s collectible in developed nations—Sweden and other countries are already functionally cashless. By 2040, the transition will be complete across the developed world. The ripple effects are enormous: ATMs will disappear, bank branches will close by 80-90%, and even the social contract around tipping will vanish.

11. Physical cash in developed nations – Illegal or so rare it’s collectible
12. Credit cards with numbers on them – Entirely biometric/phone-based authentication
13. Bank branches in most neighborhoods – Reduced by 80-90%, mostly for elderly services
14. Checks (personal or business) – Completely obsolete except for some legal contexts
15. Wire transfer fees and delays – Real-time settlement is free/near-free standard
16. ATMs – Unnecessary when cash doesn’t exist
17. Tipping service workers – Automated/included in pricing or entirely replaced by service bots
18. Tax preparation services for most people – AI handles automatically with near-zero error
19. Waiting for payment processing – Everything settles instantly
20. Foreign currency exchange for travelers – Digital currencies auto-convert transparently

Work and Office Life: 12 Professional Norms Disappearing

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated trends that were already inevitable, and by 2040, those trends reach their logical conclusion. The “9-to-5” workday will be extinct, replaced by asynchronous work norms that make the concept of “business hours” meaningless in a globally connected workplace. Email as primary work communication will be replaced by AI-mediated asynchronous tools, while most middle management positions disappear as AI coordinates teams and humans focus on vision and culture.

21. The “9-to-5” workday – Asynchronous work norms dominate most industries
22. Commuting to an office daily – 2-3 days monthly for social connection only
23. Desktop computers for most workers – Everything mobile/wearable/ambient
24. Email as primary work communication – Replaced by AI-mediated async tools
25. Performance reviews conducted by humans – AI provides continuous feedback/evaluation
26. Administrative assistants – AI handles scheduling, travel, correspondence
27. Expense reports – Automated capture and approval
28. Most middle management positions – AI coordinates teams, humans provide vision/culture
29. Résumés and cover letters – Skill verification and AI-matched hiring instead
30. The concept of “business hours” – Global async work makes this meaningless
31. Printed business cards – Digital identity sharing via proximity tech
32. Cubicles and assigned desks – Hot-desking with AI-optimized space allocation

Shopping and Retail: 11 Commerce Practices Becoming Obsolete

The weekly shopping trip will become invisible, handled by autonomous delivery systems that monitor consumption and restock automatically. Shopping malls—the few that remain—will be converted to mixed-use housing and experience centers. Even the physical experience of shopping will transform completely: size tags will disappear as body-scanned, custom-fitting becomes standard, and shopping without augmented reality overlays will be as unusual as shopping without the internet is today.

33. Cashiers and checkout lines – Fully automated scan-and-go everywhere
34. Shopping malls (most remaining ones) – Converted to mixed-use housing/experiences
35. Clothing stores with inventory in-store – Showrooms only, delivery next-day
36. Grocery shopping as a weekly chore – Autonomous delivery makes it continuous/invisible
37. Impulse buying at checkout aisles – Disappeared with cashiers
38. Returns requiring you to ship things back – Drones pick up, instant refund
39. Size tags on clothes – Body-scanned custom fitting is standard
40. Black Friday shopping in person – Entirely online, algorithmic deal-finding
41. Loyalty card keychains – Biometric ID handles automatically
42. Shopping without augmented reality – AR overlays are the default shopping interface
43. Wondering if store has item in stock – Real-time inventory visible always

The era of shared media fades as AI-curated, on-demand entertainment replaces cable, theaters, radio, and traditional album releases.

Media and Entertainment: 12 Cultural Institutions Fading Away

The scheduled, centralized media experience gives way to personalized, on-demand everything. Cable and satellite TV will be fully replaced by streaming, while 80% of movie theaters close—only premium experience venues survive. Album releases as major cultural events will disappear in favor of continuous singles and content flow, while AI analyzes your taste and recommends content more effectively than any human critic.
Cable/satellite TV subscriptions – Fully replaced by streaming

44. Cable/satellite TV subscriptions – Fully replaced by streaming
45. Movie theaters (80% of them) – Only premium experience venues survive
46. DVDs, Blu-rays, physical media – Completely obsolete
47. TV programming schedules – Everything on-demand always
48. Waiting for a show’s next season – AI generates continuation episodes between seasons
49. Album releases as major events – Continuous singles/content flow instead
50. Paparazzi photography – Deepfakes make candid photos unverifiable/worthless
51. Movie critics as gatekeepers – AI analyzes your taste, recommends perfectly
52. Video game consoles – Cloud gaming dominates
53. Printed magazines – Even holdouts finally surrender
54. Radio stations with human DJs – AI curation with synthetic personalities
55. Autographs from celebrities – Unverifiable due to deepfakes, lose value

Communication and Social: 10 Interaction Patterns Transforming

The friction in human communication—miscommunication, barriers, lost connections—gets systematically engineered away through AI mediation. Phone numbers will be replaced by identity-based calling, while voicemail becomes automatically transcribed and responded to by AI. Language barriers in communication will dissolve through seamless real-time translation, and AI will maintain weak social ties automatically, preventing the unintentional loss of relationships.

56. Phone numbers – Replaced by identity-based calling
57. Voicemail – AI transcribes/summarizes/responds automatically
58. Spam calls – AI screening makes them impossible
59. Group text message chaos – Better collaboration tools replace
60. Email spam filters you manage – AI handles perfectly without user input
61. Having to remember anyone’s contact info – AI maintains relationships automatically
62. Miscommunication due to tone in text – AI detects/clarifies emotional intent
63. Language barriers in communication – Real-time translation is seamless
64. The question “can you hear me now?” – Network quality issues solved
65. Losing touch with people unintentionally – AI maintains weak ties automatically

Healthcare and Medicine: 11 Medical Practices Being Revolutionized

The waiting room full of sick people becomes a relic as healthcare becomes continuous, predictive, and primarily home-based. Annual checkups as primary health monitoring will be replaced by continuous wearable surveillance that catches problems before they become serious. Many currently terminal cancers will become survivable through early detection and treatment, while routine surgeries requiring hospital stays become same-day robotic procedures.

66. Waiting rooms full of sick people – Telemedicine and home monitoring eliminate
67. Annual checkups as your main health monitoring – Continuous wearable monitoring instead
68. Filling out medical history forms repeatedly – Universal health records
69. Waiting weeks for test results – Most available within hours
70. Medical records on paper or fax – Finally extinct everywhere
71. Surprise medical bills – Price transparency and AI negotiation prevent
72. Dying from many currently terminal cancers – Early detection/treatment makes most survivable
73. Routine surgeries requiring hospital stays – Robotic procedures enable same-day discharge
74. Prescription refill phone calls – Automated monitoring and delivery
75. Dental cavities (mostly) – Prevention technology improves dramatically
76. Reading glasses for most people – Corrective procedures so cheap/safe they’re routine

I will replace memorization and standardized testing with personalized, experiential learning and continuous skill verification.

Education: 11 Learning Traditions Becoming History

Standardized tests, physical textbooks, and traditional homework transform beyond recognition as AI enables truly personalized learning. The entire concept of memorizing facts for exams becomes pointless when AI knows everything and instant access is universal. University as the only path to credentials will be challenged by micro-credentials and continuous skill verification, while lectures as the primary teaching method flip to interactive and experiential learning.

77. Standardized tests (SAT, ACT, etc.) – AI-based continuous assessment instead
78. Textbooks (physical) – Fully replaced by adaptive digital content
79. Homework as we know it – AI tutoring makes it personalized and unnecessary in traditional form
80. Memorizing facts for exams – Completely pointless when AI knows everything
81. Lectures as primary teaching method – Flipped to interactive/experiential
82. University as only path to credentials – Micro-credentials and skill verification dominate
83. School libraries as book repositories – Transformed into maker spaces
84. Classroom seating in rows – Collaborative spaces are universal
85. Summer break (in many districts) – Year-round flexible scheduling
86. Tenure battles – Education system restructured entirely
87. Handwriting as critical skill – Still taught but not emphasized

Home and Daily Life: 19 Domestic Routines Disappearing

The smart home becomes invisible, anticipating needs and eliminating manual tasks without requiring conscious interaction. Physical keys vanish completely, replaced by biometric and phone-based access, while manual thermostat adjustment seems comically primitive as AI optimization becomes universal. Even domestic arguments change: thermostat disputes end as AI satisfies everyone’s preferences through zoning, and running out of household essentials becomes impossible with auto-ordering systems.

88. Keys (physical) – Biometric/phone access everywhere
89. Light switches – Voice/presence-sensing replaces
90. Thermostats you adjust manually – AI optimizes automatically
91. Doing laundry and dishes yourself – Automated appliances handle completely
92. Grocery lists – AI tracks consumption, orders automatically
93. Wondering what’s for dinner – AI suggests based on inventory/preferences/nutrition
94. Lawn mowing – Robotic or replaced with native landscaping
95. House keys under the doormat – Hilariously obsolete security concept
96. Smoke detectors that beep annoyingly – Smart sensors prevent issues before alarms needed
97. Paying utility bills manually – Automated optimization and payment
98. Arguing about the thermostat – AI satisfies everyone’s preferences via zoning
99. Running out of toilet paper – Auto-ordering prevents ever
100. Vacuuming – Robotic systems clean continuously
101. Passwords for home systems – Biometric everything
102. TV remote controls with 47 buttons – Voice/gesture interface
103. Losing things in your house – Item tracking makes it impossible
104. Alarm clocks as separate devices – Phone handles everything
105. Holding doors open for people – Automatic doors sense approaching people
106. The question “got a light?” – Smoking rates so low, lighters are rare

Government and Bureaucracy: 10 Administrative Burdens Eliminated

Government finally joins the digital age, automating most citizen interactions and eliminating the painful friction points of bureaucracy. Waiting at the DMV becomes a memory as most services automate, while filing taxes manually ends as governments simply use the data they already have to file for citizens. Physical driver’s licenses and paper birth certificates give way to digital identity standards and blockchain identity from birth.

107. Waiting at the DMV – Most services automated/remote
108. Physical driver’s licenses – Digital identity standard
109. Passport photos – Biometric data replaces photos
110. Filing taxes manually – Government has all data, files for you
111. Jury duty as random selection – AI-optimized jury selection
112. Voting on a single Tuesday – Secure digital voting over weeks
113. Paper ballots in most jurisdictions – Digital with blockchain verification
114. Immigration stamps in passports – Digital travel records
115. Birth certificates on paper – Blockchain identity from birth
116. Most in-person government offices – 90% of services fully digital

By 2040, cables, mice, and keyboards will fade away as seamless voice, gestures, and wireless interfaces connect humans and technology.

Technology and Devices: 15 Gadgets and Interfaces Vanishing

The physical connection points between humans and technology dissolve into wireless, voice, and gesture interfaces. USB cables mostly disappear as wireless charging and data transfer become standard, while computer mice give way to gesture and voice controls. Keyboards diminish on most devices as voice dictation and AI composition improve to the point where typing becomes the slower, more cumbersome option.

117. USB cables (most types) – Wireless charging/data transfer standard
118. Computer mice – Gesture/voice controls dominate
119. Keyboards on most devices – Voice dictation and AI composition
120. Printer/scanner ownership – When would you ever need?
121. Desktop towers – Everything mobile or cloud-based
122. DVD/CD drives – Haven’t seen one in years
123. Headphone jacks – Fully wireless audio is universal
124. HDMI cables – Wireless display standard
125. Phone charging cables (mostly) – Wireless/long-range charging
126. Laptop bags – Devices so thin/light they’re pocket-sized
127. Computer passwords – Biometric authentication everywhere
128. Two-factor authentication texts – More secure methods replace
129. Plugging things in to sync – Everything cloud-synced automatically
130. Tech support phone calls – AI troubleshooting solves 99%
131. Wristwatches that only tell time – Smartwatches dominate or watches are jewelry only

Food and Dining: 10 Culinary Experiences Transforming

The restaurant experience and home cooking both undergo radical transformation as AI and automation reshape every aspect of food. Waiters taking orders with pens give way to tablet and voice ordering everywhere, while meal planning as a chore disappears as AI handles it based on nutrition, preferences, and inventory. Food poisoning becomes mostly preventable through comprehensive supply chain monitoring, and the price gap between fast food and healthy food narrows dramatically as automated farming and preparation equalize costs.

132. Waiters taking orders with pens – Tablet/voice ordering everywhere
133. Wondering about ingredients/allergens – AR displays full information
134. Food poisoning (mostly) – Supply chain monitoring prevents
135. Grocery store checkout lanes – Scan-and-go everywhere
136. Wondering if food in fridge is still good – Smart packaging/sensors tell you
137. Meal planning as a chore – AI handles based on nutrition/preferences/inventory
138. Restaurant reservations that get lost – Digital booking is perfect
139. Tipping anxiety – Service charge included or no human servers
140. Drive-through ordering speaker systems – AI takes orders perfectly, no miscommunication
141. Fast food as significantly cheaper than healthy food – Automated farming/prep equalizes prices

Travel and Hospitality: 10 Journey Hassles Eliminated

Travel becomes frictionless as biometrics and AI remove most pain points from the journey. Hotel check-in desks disappear in favor of automated room access via phone, while paper and digital boarding passes give way to biometric boarding. Lost luggage becomes impossible through RFID tracking, and language barriers while traveling dissolve with real-time translation earbuds that make every conversation seamless.

142. Hotel check-in desks – Automated room access via phone
143. Boarding passes (paper or even digital) – Biometric boarding
144. Lost luggage – RFID tracking makes it impossible
145. Language barriers while traveling – Real-time translation earbuds
146. Getting lost in a new city – AR navigation is perfect
147. Traveler’s checks – Already dying, fully dead by 2040
148. Hotel room keys (cards) – Phone/biometric access
149. Asking for directions from strangers – AR guidance means you never need to
150. Currency exchange fees gouging travelers – Digital currency transparency
151. Long TSA security lines – Biometric/AI screening is instant for most

Childhood and Parenting: 10 Growing-Up Experiences Changing

Technology makes children simultaneously safer and more independent while fundamentally changing what skills matter for success. Children walking to school alone becomes safer and more common again through autonomous pods and monitoring, while getting lost in a crowd becomes preventable through tracking technology. The question “what do you want to be when you grow up?” becomes meaningless as career fluidity replaces lifelong vocations.

152. Children walking to school alone – Autonomous pods/monitoring makes it safer, more common again
153. Getting lost in a crowd – Tracking tech prevents
154. Not knowing where your teenager is – Consent-based location sharing is standard
155. Memorizing multiplication tables – AI handles math, focus shifts to concepts
156. Saturday morning cartoons – Kids watch what they want, when they want
157. Allowance in cash – Digital money management from age 5+
158. The question “what do you want to be when you grow up?” – Career fluidity makes this meaningless
159. Stranger danger as taught in the 2020s – Monitoring makes children simultaneously safer and more independent
160. Report cards sent home – Continuous digital feedback to parents
161. Pen and paper for most people – Typing/voice is faster for everything

By 2040, AI will become the unseen matchmaker and mediator of human relationships, guiding everything from first dates to breakups.

Dating and Relationships: 8 Romance Rituals Transforming

AI mediates more of our intimate lives, from meeting to breaking up, fundamentally changing how relationships form and dissolve. Meeting people “organically” without apps still happens, but becomes rare, while first date anxiety about conversation topics diminishes as AI suggests talking points in real-time. Pre-date AI compatibility scoring prevents bad first dates that waste entire evenings, and AI even mediates difficult breakup conversations.

162. Meeting people “organically” without apps – Still happens but rare
163. First date anxiety about conversation topics – AI suggests talking points in real-time
164. Wondering if someone likes you – Biometric/AI analysis reads interest
165. Bad first dates that waste entire evenings – Pre-date AI compatibility scoring prevents
166. Anniversary cards – AI handles remembering and personalized messaging
167. Breakups via ghosting – AI mediates difficult conversations
168. Custody schedules requiring complicated coordination – AI optimizes based on everyone’s schedules
169. Dating someone without knowing their health/genetic compatibility – Full disclosure is standard/expected

Privacy and Security: 8 Anonymity Assumptions Inverted

Perhaps most profound: true anonymity in public spaces disappears entirely as facial recognition becomes ubiquitous. Getting away with minor crimes becomes impossible due to surveillance density, while identity theft becomes nearly impossible with biometric identification. The entire concept of privacy inverts: rather than privacy being the default assumption with public life being opt-in, transparency becomes the default, and privacy becomes an opt-in luxury.

170. True anonymity in public spaces – Facial recognition is ubiquitous
171. Getting away with minor crimes – Surveillance density makes impossible
172. Identity theft a major problem – Biometric ID makes it nearly impossible
173. Losing your wallet and being screwed – No physical wallet to lose
174. Forgetting passwords – No passwords to forget
175. Privacy as default assumption – Transparency is default, privacy is opt-in luxury
176. Unsolved crimes in areas with cameras – AI analysis solves most within hours
177. Alibi verification being difficult – Digital footprint proves location constantly

Waste and Inefficiency: 10 Resource Drains Being Eliminated

Environmental pressures and smart systems dramatically reduce waste across all domains of life. Physical junk mail finally becomes illegal or uneconomical, while single-use plastics in most contexts give way to biodegradable alternatives. Food waste from poor planning becomes preventable through AI inventory management, and inefficient home heating and cooling are reduced by 70%+ through AI optimization.

178. Junk mail (physical) – Finally illegal or uneconomical
179. Plastic bags at checkout – Banned or phased out everywhere
180. Single-use plastics in most contexts – Biodegradable alternatives dominate
181. Food waste from poor planning – AI inventory management prevents
182. Recyclables going to landfill – Automated sorting achieves 90%+ capture
183. Inefficient home heating/cooling – AI optimization reduces waste 70%+
184. Peak electricity demand problems – Smart grid/batteries smooth completely
185. Water waste from poor timing – Smart systems optimize usage
186. Yard waste – Composting automation makes it a resource, not waste
187. Fast fashion’s worst excesses – Body-scanned custom clothing reduces waste

From bar debates to weather surprises, AI erases uncertainty and boredom from everyday life.

Miscellaneous: 63 Additional Daily Experiences Vanishing

The remaining transformations span every corner of daily life, from the trivial to the profound. Wondering what song is playing becomes instantly answered by AI, while arguing about trivia facts gets settled immediately—ruining bar debates forever. Weather surprises become rare with hyperlocal forecasting, and boredom while waiting anywhere disappears as personalized content becomes always available.

188. Wondering what that song is – AI identifies instantly from seconds of audio
189. Arguing about trivia facts – AI settles instantly, ruins bar debates
190. Weather surprises – Hyperlocal forecasting is extremely accurate
191. Seasonal affective disorder (mostly) – Light therapy tech and treatment improve
192. Bad sleep from poor sleep hygiene – Monitoring and automated optimization help most people
193. Boredom while waiting anywhere – Personalized content always available
194. Photo printing – When would you even do this?
195. Asking “what time is it there?” – AI handles time zones transparently
196. The phrase “let me Google that” – Replaced by “AI, answer this”
197. Instruction manuals – AR guides you through anything
198. Assembly required furniture struggles – AR instructions make it trivial
199. Lost pets – Tracking implants/collars prevent
200. Printed receipts – Digital by default everywhere
201. Wondering if you locked the door – Smart locks confirm status remotely
202. Car keys – Phone/biometric vehicle access
203. Garage door openers as separate devices – Integrated into phone/car
204. Paper maps – Completely obsolete
205. Phone books – Already gone, fully extinct
206. Fax machines – Finally dead in last holdout industries
207. Pagers/beepers – Extinct even in hospitals
208. Answering machines – Replaced by visual voicemail/AI
209. Dial-up internet nostalgia – Too old to remember
210. Ethernet cables for most users – WiFi makes wired unnecessary
211. Replacing batteries in most devices – Wireless charging/long-life batteries
212. User manuals for software – AI assistance makes them unnecessary
213. “Press 1 for English” – AI detects language automatically
214. Hold music – Callback systems eliminate waiting
215. Busy signals – Network capacity makes impossible
216. Area codes meaning location – VoIP makes geography irrelevant
217. Collect calls – Obsolete concept
218. Phone cords – Haven’t seen one in ages
219. Rotary phones even as nostalgia – Too old to be retro
220. Pay phones – Already nearly extinct, fully gone
221. Phone booths – Kept only as historical artifacts
222. Operator assistance for calls – AI handles everything
223. Time/temperature phone numbers – Why would you call?
224. Wake-up calls at hotels – Phone alarm makes unnecessary
225. Hotel mini-bars – Drone delivery replaces
226. Room service menus – Digital ordering with AR food display
227. “Do not disturb” signs – Digital status via app
228. Hotel concierges (mostly) – AI provides better recommendations
229. Tour groups with flags – AR guidance eliminates need
230. Foreign language phrasebooks – Real-time translation makes obsolete
231. International calling cards – VoIP makes concept meaningless
232. Duty-free shopping as special – Price transparency eliminates advantage
233. Travel agencies (most) – AI planning is superior
234. Printed airline tickets – Long extinct
235. Luggage tags you write on – RFID/digital tags standard
236. Travel insurance companies (many) – Automated risk assessment changes industry
237. Car rental counters – Autonomous vehicles eliminate rental concept
238. Gas station attendants – Already rare, fully extinct
239. Full-service gas stations – Unnecessary with EVs
240. Oil change services – EVs don’t need them
241. Transmission repair shops – EVs have no transmissions
242. Muffler shops – EVs are nearly silent
243. Parking attendants – Automated systems handle
244. Valet parking (mostly) – Autonomous dropoff replaces
245. Parking validation stamps – Digital integration eliminates
246. Parking enforcement officers – Automated detection handles
247. Boot removal services – Digital enforcement eliminates boots
248. Traffic school in person – Online/AI-adaptive courses only
249. Smog check stations – EVs don’t produce emissions
250. The phrase “I need to find a parking spot” – Autonomous vehicles eliminate the concept entirely

Each innovation triggers the next—cashless economies, autonomous vehicles, and shifting work patterns cascade into a chain of disruptions redefining daily life.

Final Thoughts

These aren’t isolated predictions—they’re interconnected transformations that reinforce each other in ways that amplify disruption. Consider how one change triggers dozens of others: The death of cash enables the transformation of retail. Autonomous vehicles reshape cities. City restructuring changes real estate values and usage. Real estate changes fundamentally alter work patterns and commuting. Work pattern shifts transform hiring practices and career expectations. New hiring approaches restructure entire career trajectories. Career changes modify financial planning and life stages. Each domino triggers the next, creating a cascade that moves faster than our ability to adapt.

For Business Leaders: The Strategic Imperative

The critical question isn’t whether these changes will happen—it’s how quickly you position your organization for their arrival. Winners will recognize shifts early, restructure before transitions become crises, and build for the 2040 reality rather than optimizing for today’s comfort zone. They’ll view this list not as threats but as a map of opportunities—every disappearing practice creates space for new business models, new value propositions, new ways to serve customers.

Losers will wait for “proof” that never comes in time, optimize for a world that’s already disappearing, and confuse resistance with strategy. They’ll defend steering wheels while others build autonomous fleets, protect bank branches while others create digital banking ecosystems, invest in parking infrastructure while cities convert it to housing.

For Society: The Human Challenge

Managing these transitions humanely represents perhaps our greatest challenge. Each disappearing practice represents jobs lost, skills rendered obsolete, communities disrupted, and identities challenged. The question isn’t whether to resist—these changes are driven by fundamental efficiency gains that make resistance futile. The question is how to help people navigate the transition.

We need retraining programs at scale, social safety nets designed for disruption rather than stability, new definitions of meaningful work that go beyond traditional employment, and support systems for communities experiencing economic flux. The technology will arrive regardless; whether we thrive or fracture depends on our social and political responses.

The Uncomfortable Truth

The world of 2040 will be as foreign to us as our world would be to someone from 1985. The difference: our transformation will happen faster, with more disruption, across more domains simultaneously. Most of what we consider permanent is temporary. Most of what we think we understand about “how things work” is already wrong—we just haven’t noticed yet because the old systems still function. But functioning and thriving are different things. The VHS player worked fine in 2005; it was simply obsolete.

Key Themes Across All 250

Six powerful currents run through these predictions: Automation everywhere—tasks we assume require humans increasingly don’t. Invisibility of technology—the best tech disappears into the background until we can’t remember how we lived without it. AI mediation—an intelligence layer inserting itself between us and everything we do. Death of friction—every inconvenience, delay, and inefficiency getting systematically engineered away. Privacy inversion—the default flipping from private-unless-shared to transparent-unless-hidden. Physical becoming digital—atoms turning into bits whenever physics allows it.

Questions Worth Asking

Which of these 250 items is your business or career built on? What happens when it vanishes—not if, but when? Are you preparing for its replacement or defending its permanence? Is your strategy optimized for 2025 or 2040? What opportunities emerge as these things disappear? Who benefits from the transition and who gets hurt? What skills become worthless and which become priceless? How does your industry transform when five of these items vanish simultaneously?

The Final Question

Not: Will these things vanish? Not: Can we stop this? But: Are we ready for what replaces them?

The answer, for most people and organizations, is no. Most are operating as if 2040 will be 2025 with slightly better smartphones. It won’t be. It will be as different from today as today is from 1985—but compressed into half the time, affecting twice as many aspects of life.

The future isn’t something that happens to us. It’s something we’re building right now, one disappeared practice at a time. The opportunity isn’t in preventing these changes—that’s impossible. The opportunity is in being among the first to recognize what’s vanishing, understanding what replaces it, and positioning yourself on the right side of the transition.

The companies, communities, and individuals who thrive will be those who recognize that the future has already arrived—it’s just not evenly distributed yet. Your move is to find where it’s already happening, learn from it, and bring those lessons to where you are before disruption forces the change upon you.
These 250 items will vanish by 2040. Most will disappear sooner. The question is whether you’ll be ready.