Future without smartphones? Zuckerberg, Musk, Gates and Altman say yes, Apple says not yet

Many believe that smartphones have changed the world more than any other invention in the human history, however, in recent months, major tech leaders have started outlining a future that leaves the smartphone behind. Tech giants like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman, and Bill Gates are each backing technologies that aim to replace smartphones with more integrated, ambient forms of computing in near future.

Musk and Neuralink

Elon Musk’s company Neuralink has been developing brain-computer interfaces that allows users to use devices through thought-driven control. Neuralink has even implanted its device in two human subjects, with the aim of removing physical interaction from computing.

Bill Gates and Chaotic Moon

Bill Gates supports Chaotic Moon, a company designing digital tattoos, which is a biotechnology-based technique that wants to analyze and collect information from the human body through it. These devices are still in the development phase, however they will be worn on the skin, use nanosensors to monitor health, track location, and transmit data. The goal, hence is, to turn the human body into a digital interface.

Zuckerberg and Meta

Mark Zuckerberg as well, through Meta, is focusing on augmented reality glasses. He believes AR devices will have the potential to replace smartphones by 2030, projecting data and communication tools directly into the user’s field of vision. This approach, also supports Meta’s wider plans for the metaverse, where users will interact through immersive digital spaces.

Altman and OpenAI

At the same time OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, advocates for seamless computing powered by artificial intelligence. While these are less focused on hardware, OpenAI's AI systems are seen as the underlying intelligence for new interface technologies, including both voice and vision-based systems.

Apple has a different approach

Apple, led by Tim Cook, however, is taking a different approach. The company’s newly launched iPhone 16, incorporates the AI-driven features but still retains the traditional smartphone design. Cook advocates gradual evolution rather than replacement, stating that smartphones shall continue to remain central to people’s daily lives. “We’re committed to improving what people already use,” Cook has stated.

According to Statista, close to about 7.21 billion smartphones were in use globally in 2024. This figure includes multiple devices per person and corporate ownership, meaning actual user numbers are lower. Still, it signals the widespread adoption of smartphones, hence it might be reflective of the fact that a device so much in use is not vanishing anytime soon.