Tech’s biggest losers of 2025

Honestly, rounding up Engadget’s biggest losers is more fun than talking about the winners. Although we haven’t reviewed anything as terrible as those ill-fated AI utilities from 2024, AI companies and services ranged from winners to losers.

You, the American consumer, may be the loser. (Sorry.) In the US, anyone who wants a drone has to find something not made by DJI. The company has been targeted by regulators since 2017 over concerns that its products could spy on sensitive US infrastructure on behalf of China.

The problem is that DJI has such a high market share (more than 75 percent) that its absence would turn the industry upside down. Oh, and her drones are always the best, too. The US government has not yet attempted to work with DJI to evaluate whether its products pose a risk. DJI recently filed a final request for a security review, sending letters to five US agencies that could evaluate its products. If that fails, America’s drone options will shrink dramatically.

In the same 12 months, worldwide electric vehicle sales are up nearly 25 percent this year. Germany set a record high in the first half of 2025, with electric vehicles accounting for nearly one in five new registrations. In China, electric vehicle sales are growing so rapidly (more than 50 percent market share) that the country is flooding the global market with gas-powered cars that it can’t sell at home. However – remember, this is about losers – in the US, the Trump administration ended the tax credit for electric vehicles. And shock! Electric vehicle sales have fallen in the United States, with some automakers, such as Ford, seeing a 60 percent year-over-year decline.

As Sam Rutherford puts it, this policy change puts more roadblocks (pun unintended, not mine) to cheaper battery-powered cars. It is also affecting investment in electric vehicles and could mean that US automakers fall further behind their competitors elsewhere.

We also point and shake our heads at the Xbox, Grok, and TV streaming. Check it all out here.

– Matt Smith

Other big stories (and deals) this morning

News, trailers and award winners. Most of them are from Claire Obscure.

If you missed The Game Awards 2025, you missed Sandfall Interactive’s historic win Claire Obscure: Expedition 33. The Belle Epoque saga, which was expected to win several categories, was named Game of the Year and ultimately had more wins than any title in the show’s 12-year history.

Naturally, there were also trailers and reveals for the game, which were pleasantly noticeable. We got our first look at He controls sequel, ringing, Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic is coming, headed by Mass Effect veterans, as Larian Studios returns to the Divinity series following its success Baldur’s Gate 3. Well, if you want a good shot at winning The Game Awards, hire Jennifer English to voice one of your main characters – she’s been in both. B C3 and Claire Obscure.

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Slob Wars, Sloppy Game and more!

Disney announced a three-year licensing agreement with OpenAI to bring more than 200 of its characters, including Star Wars and Pixar characters, to the Sora app and ChatGPT. With the deal in place, OpenAI users will be able to ask ChatGPT to create images that leverage Disney’s intellectual property, covering costumes, props, vehicles and environments. Additionally, Disney will invest $1 billion in OpenAI, with the option to purchase additional shares in the future.

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Learn about tennis from Serena Williams or music from John Legend.

If you’re having a hard time finding a good gift for the holidays, MasterClass has discounted its subscriptions by up to 40 percent. I got a similar deal for myself and was pleasantly surprised by the robust interface and number of courses. I also forgot to update my subscription, oops. Maybe this offer will get me back on board.

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She actually got details wrong in her own programs.

Amazon’s plan to offer AI-generated summaries of Prime Video shows isn’t off to a great start. Company summary of the first season of He falls It has multiple errors. First, the AI-generated synopsis incorrectly identifies the era of the flashbacks set in Los Angeles as the 1950s — it’s actually the year 2077. Perhaps most egregious about the synopsis is that it misunderstands the ending of Season 1, which sets up the Season 2 partnership between basement dweller Lucy and The Ghoul.

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