Skip to main content

Elon’s Cybertruck smash and more: The biggest on-stage screwups in tech history

 

Let’s face it, tech has a habit of screwing up at the worst possible moment. It’s certainly a brave person that strides onto a stage to demo a piece of new kit, the expectant audience and possibly millions around the world hanging on their every word. Tesla’s recent screwup where someone smashed the “unbreakable” window of the company’s new Cybertruck brought to mind a bunch of other cringeworthy flubs from over the years that we felt we just had to share…

Recommended Videos

Tesla’s Cybertruck

Cringe factor: 3/5

Telsa Cybertruck - Elon Musk accidentally breaks windows made of armor glass

“Could you try to break the glass, please,” Elon Musk told his stage assistant. The Tesla CEO wanted to show off the strength of the “unbreakable” windows on the company’s just-unveiled Cybertruck. “Are you sure?” the assistant asked Musk, as if he knew something the billionaire entrepreneur didn’t. Musk gave him the nod, and sure enough, when the assistant threw the metal ball, it smashed the glass. A shocked Musk responded with an “OMG,” except that this OMG had an F-bomb inserted between the M and the G.

With the expletive still hanging in the air, the Tesla chief stood there, his hope of a hitch-free vehicle launch shattering like a … well, like a glass window that’s been hit by a metal ball. But then the assistant had a great idea — how about chucking the metal ball at the other window, thereby clawing back at least 50% of the truck’s credibility? Musk agreed. Of course, that window smashed too. “There’s room for improvement,” Musk said.

Samsung and Michael Bay

Cringe factor: 5/5

(Up-close alternate angle) Michael Bay Quits Samsung's CES Press Conference

Anyone with a heart would’ve felt nothing but sympathy for Hollywood director Michael Bay when his teleprompter packed up during a CES event touting a new Samsung telly. But anyone with a wicked sense of humor would’ve laughed their ass off.

It started off so well, with Bay telling the audience confidently, “I’m a director, I get to dream for a living.” But within seconds, the presentation had turned into a nightmare as the teleprompter decided to stop doing the only job it had.

In the blink of an eye, Bay’s demeanor went from roaring lion to petrified bunny rabbit as he realized that he knew nothing about Samsung’s latest television other than that it showed images and made noises. It was the kind of transformation that would’ve ended up on the cutting room floor if it’d been shot for his 2007 robot movie.

“It’s OK, I’ll just wing this,” Bay said as the teleprompter stayed stuck. But if winging it meant not saying anything and adopting the facial expression of someone in need of the bathroom, then this was a new kind of winging it. In the end, Bay did the only thing he could do and left the stage. Probably making a beeline for that bathroom.

Microsoft’s Satya Nadella

Cringe factor: 4/5

Satya Nadella had an epic Cortana fail in front of a huge crowd

It was 2015 when the then-recently crowned Microsoft CEO suffered an on-stage snafu while demoing some productivity tools during a keynote in San Francisco. The CEO decided to call on Cortana — what Microsoft describes as its “clever personal assistant” — and asked it to “show me my most at-risk opportunities.”

Clearly more used to being asked about the weather and traffic reports than someone’s at-risk opportunities, a flustered Cortana entered Nadella’s request into Google Search as, “Show me to buy milk at this opportunity.” Which doesn’t even make sense.

At the second time of asking, Cortana opened up Reminders, prompting the Microsoft boss to emit a desperate cry of “come on!” By this time, Nadella was probably wondering if it was possible to fire a digital assistant, but he gave it one more shot. And sure enough, that failed, too.

Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot

Cringe factor: 2/5

Boston Dynamics' Atlas Falls Over After Demo at the Congress of Future Scientists and Technologists

Everyone knows that Boston Dynamics’ robots are capable of some pretty extraordinary things. But it doesn’t always work out. Take Atlas, the company’s remarkable bipedal bot. During an on-stage appearance with company CEO Marc Raibert, Atlas earned the audience’s respect by lifting boxes and carrying them about. It was all very impressive.

Having done its bit to wow the audience, the robot began to leave the stage. But as it did so, Atlas tripped on a floor light, causing it to crash into a heap. As the crowd roared in delight at seeing Atlas hit the deck, a smiling Raibert responded with: “I wish I could pretend it was supposed to do that.”

Microsoft Azure

Cringe factor: 3/5

Microsoft Azure Demo on Edge Browser Fail

After launching its Edge web browser in 2015, Microsoft spent much of its time trumpeting its benefits over rival browsers. Rival browsers that included Google Chrome.

But when a live Azure demo went south in 2017 because of an issue with Edge, the presenter was forced to switch to Chrome to ensure the exercise could continue. “I love it when demos break,” the presenter told the audience while at the same time admitting that he was going to have to download Chrome get the show back on the road.

Of course, the audience rather enjoyed the embarrassing bungle, even more so when the presenter unchecked the box that read, “Help us make Google better by automatically sending usage statistics …” as he set up Chrome.

Apple’s Steve Jobs

Cringe factor: 4/5

Steve Jobs tells the media to switch off their wifi mifi for his demo

In 2010, the late Apple boss Steve Jobs took to the stage in his trademark black top, blue jeans, and white sneakers to unveil the iPhone 4. But his plan to show off some of the phone’s features was scuppered when the new device took an eternity to load the New York Times website. “You could help me out — if you’re on Wi-Fi, you could just get off,” Jobs told the audience. Everyone laughed, but Jobs wasn’t joking.

Following a short break, the Apple co-founder returned to the stage to confirm that the issue was due to all of the reporters and bloggers in the audience using Wi-Fi on their laptops, and therefore had nothing whatsoever to do with the phone itself. Adopting the demeanor of a stern head teacher, Jobs proceeded to spend much of the presentation trying to get everyone to turn off their devices, even asking people to check on others around them to make sure it happens.

Microsoft’s Steve Sinofsky

Cringe factor: 5/5

Surface presentation FAIL

At the much anticipated Microsoft event unveiling the company’s first Surface tablets in 2012, then-Microsoft Windows president Steve Sinofsky was tasked with giving the device the best possible launch.

Of course, the display decided to freeze at the very moment Sinofsky swiped his finger across the screen while saying, “I can browse smoothly.” Unlike Jobs’ audience, which responded as if the Apple co-founder was doing a standup routine, Sinofsky’s crowd remained deadly silent as the put-upon executive perhaps pondered whether to utter something about too many people being on Wi-Fi. Thankfully, there was a back-up Surface on hand. And it actually worked.

Honda’s Asimo robot

Cringe factor: 4/5

asimo?

Honda’s now-retired Asimo robot managed to dazzle and delight during its lifetime with skills that included running, hopping, dancing, and even entertaining American presidents. But climbing up stairs? Well, that was another challenge altogether, and one that didn’t always go to plan.

During a demo in Japan in 2006, the diminutive droid managed to get halfway up a flight of steps before losing its footing and tumbling all the way back down again. Check out the stagehands rushing on with large screens in an effort to protect Asimo’s dignity. Or to stop people filming it and posting it on YouTube …

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Zoox recalls robotaxis after Las Vegas crash, citing software fix
zoox recall crash 1739252352 robotaxi side profile in dark mode

Amazon's self-driving vehicle unit, Zoox, has issued a voluntary safety recall after one of its autonomous vehicles was involved in a minor collision in Las Vegas. The incident, which occurred in April 2025, led the company to investigate and identify a software issue affecting how the robotaxi anticipates another vehicle’s path.
The recall, affecting 270 Zoox-built vehicles, was formally filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Zoox said the issue has already been addressed through a software update that was remotely deployed to its fleet.
Zoox’s robotaxis, which operate without driving controls like a steering wheel or pedals, are part of Amazon’s entry into the autonomous driving space. According to Zoox’s safety recall report, the vehicle failed to yield to oncoming traffic while making an unprotected left turn, leading to a low-speed collision with a regular passenger car. While damage was minor, the event raised flags about the system’s behavior in complex urban scenarios.
Establishing safety and reliability remain key factors in the deployment of the relatively new autonomous ride-hailing technology. Alphabet-owned Waymo continues to lead the sector in both safety and operational scale, with services active in multiple cities including Phoenix and San Francisco. But GM’s Cruise and Ford/VW-backed Argo AI were forced to abandon operations over the past few years.
Tesla is also expected to enter the robotaxi race with the launch of its own service in June 2025, leveraging its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software. While FSD has faced heavy regulatory scrutiny through last year, safety regulations are expected to loosen under the Trump administration.
Zoox, which Amazon acquired in 2020, says it issued the recall voluntarily as part of its commitment to safety. “It’s essential that we remain transparent about our processes and the collective decisions we make,” the company said in a statement.

Read more
Mitsubishi’s back in the EV game—with a new electric SUV coming in 2026
mitsubishi bev 2026 momentum 2030 line up

Mitsubishi is officially jumping back into the U.S. electric vehicle scene—and this time, it’s not just dipping a toe. The company confirmed it will launch a brand-new battery-electric SUV in North America starting in summer 2026, marking its first fully electric model here since the quirky little i-MiEV left the stage back in 2017.
The new EV will be a compact crossover, and while Mitsubishi is keeping most of the juicy details under wraps, we do know it’ll be based on the same next-gen platform as the upcoming Nissan Leaf. That means it’ll ride on the CMF-EV architecture—the same one underpinning the Nissan Ariya—which supports ranges of up to 300+ miles. So yeah, this won’t be your average entry-level EV.
Designed in partnership with Nissan, the new model will be built in Japan and shipped over to U.S. shores. No word yet on pricing, battery size, or even a name, but Mitsubishi has made it clear this EV is just the beginning. As part of its “Momentum 2030” plan, the company promises a new or updated vehicle every year through the end of the decade, with four electric models rolling out by 2028. And yes, one of those might even be a pickup.
Mitsubishi says the goal is to give customers “flexible powertrain options,” which is marketing speak for: “We’ll have something for everyone.” So whether you're all-in on electric or still into gas or hybrid power, they're aiming to have you covered.
This mystery EV will eventually sit alongside Mitsubishi’s current U.S. lineup—the Outlander, Outlander PHEV, Eclipse Cross, and Outlander Sport—and help the brand move beyond its current under-the-radar status in the electric world.
In short: Mitsubishi’s finally getting serious about EVs, and if this new SUV lives up to its potential, it might just put the brand back on your radar.

Read more
Toyota unveils 2026 bZ: A smarter, longer-range electric SUV
toyota bz improved bz4x 2026 0007 1500x1125

Toyota is back in the electric SUV game with the 2026 bZ, a major refresh of its bZ4X that finally delivers on two of the biggest demands from EV drivers: more range and faster charging.
The headline news is the improved driving range. Toyota now estimates up to 314 miles on a single charge for the front-wheel-drive model with the larger 74.7-kWh battery—about 60 miles more than the outgoing bZ4X. All-wheel-drive variants also get a boost, with up to 288 miles of range depending on trim.
Charging speeds haven’t increased in terms of raw kilowatts (still capped at 150 kW for DC fast charging), but Toyota has significantly improved how long peak speeds are sustained. With preconditioning enabled—especially helpful in colder weather—the new bZ can charge from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Also new: Plug and Charge support for automatic payment at compatible stations and full adoption of the North American Charging Standard (NACS), meaning access to Tesla Superchargers will be standard by 2026.
Under the hood, or rather the floor, Toyota has swapped in higher-performance silicon carbide components to improve efficiency and power delivery. The AWD version now produces up to 338 horsepower and sprints from 0–60 mph in a brisk 4.9 seconds.
Toyota didn’t stop at just the powertrain. The exterior has been cleaned up, with body-colored wheel arches replacing the black cladding, and a sleeker front fascia. Inside, a larger 14-inch touchscreen now houses climate controls, giving the dash a more refined and less cluttered appearance. There’s also more usable storage thanks to a redesigned center console.
With the 2026 bZ, Toyota seems to be responding directly to critiques of the bZ4X. It’s faster, more efficient, and more driver-friendly—finally bringing Toyota’s EV efforts up to speed.

Read more