[hellothere1337]

What's more innovative a new frontend framework or getting to the moon? A more efficient way to show ads and monetize user experience or creating the first semiconductor? A large amount of innovation nowadays is just rent seeking and very gradual refinement of 80-100 year old ideas. Without new fundamental breakthroughs we're hitting diminishing returns here

[Aulig]

Yes, that's what the paper argues too. The inventions made during the industrial revolution were so massively impactful that today's inventions are nothing by comparison.