Is long-term thinking becoming rare in the technology industry?

[megri]

Many tech companies optimise for speed and visibility. Few optimise for durability. A recent 34-year retrospective from Megri Soft Limited raises some interesting questions about growth and longevity.

Discussion Questions:

1. What do you think actually keeps a technology company relevant over decades?
2. Can AI-driven businesses still prioritise long-term thinking, or does speed dominate?
3. How important are people and culture compared to tools and platforms?
4. Have you seen companies fail by chasing trends too aggressively?

Read the context here:

https://www.megrisoft.com/blog/megrisoft-34-anniversary

Would love to hear real-world experiences from the community.

[Campbell]

Long-term thinking isn’t gone, but it’s definitely harder to practise in a fast-moving tech world. What keeps a company relevant for decades is a mix of consistent innovation, strong leadership, and the ability to adapt without losing its core values.

AI-driven businesses can think long-term, but only if they balance speed with sustainability—rapid iteration is useful, but not at the cost of stability or trust. In the end, people and culture matter more than any tool or platform. Teams that stay curious, customer-focused, and grounded tend to outlast the hype cycles.

And yes, I’ve seen companies burn out quickly because they chased every trend instead of building something solid. Durability still wins, even if it’s not as flashy.

[Tanjuman]

Long-term thinking does feel rarer in the tech industry as rapid innovation, short product cycles, and pressure for quick results dominate. Still, the companies that invest in vision, sustainability, and scalable foundations are the ones most likely to endure and lead over time.

[lisajohn]

It feels rarer—short-term profits often overshadow thoughtful, long-term innovation and responsibility in tech today.

[Russell]

Megrisoft story highlights how people, culture, and clarity keep companies relevant across decades.

[ethanmiller]

It does feel like durability is being sacrificed for momentum in a lot of tech today. The companies that last tend to focus less on hype and more on consistency—strong relationships, disciplined execution, and the willingness to evolve thoughtfully. Speed matters, but staying relevant is about direction, not just pace.

[Oliver James]

Long-term thinking has not disappeared from the technology industry, but it has undeniably become harder to sustain in practice.

Several structural pressures work against it. Public markets reward quarterly performance. Venture capital often prioritises rapid growth and fast exits. Product teams are pushed to ship, iterate, and monetise quickly, sometimes at the expense of durability, ethics, or long-term resilience. These incentives naturally favour short feedback loops over multi-year vision.

That said, long-term thinking still exists—just unevenly distributed. It is more visible in areas such as core infrastructure, foundational research, and companies building platforms rather than features. Organisations investing in AI safety, semiconductors, climate tech, or cybersecurity often operate on timelines measured in decades, not sprints, because failure to do so would undermine their entire value proposition.

The real shift may be where long-term thinking happens, not whether it exists. It has moved away from surface-level product decisions and into strategy, architecture, and governance. Unfortunately, these layers are less visible to users and commentators, which can create the impression that the industry is purely short-term focused.

In my view, the tension between short-term execution and long-term vision is now a defining challenge for technology leaders. The companies that endure are usually those that manage to satisfy immediate market demands without losing sight of structural sustainability—technical, social, and economic.