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  • September 14, 2025
  • Written By: Emran

Why $15 Billion Daily Tech Spending Can’t Stop a Single War

$15B Daily Tech Spending vs. One Glass of Water

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Three children died of hunger today while you argued about iPhone 17’s camera upgrade.

That sentence hits different, doesn’t it? Yet here we are, spending $15.75 billion daily on technology globally while basic human needs remain unmet for millions. Yesterday, Apple’s latest launch generated billions in pre-orders. Google’s Gemini image processing sparked Silicon Valley euphoria.
Meanwhile, 117 million people faced acute food insecurity while we debated pixel quality.

I appreciate innovation. As a designer, I’ve seen technology transform lives. But something feels fundamentally broken when we engineer solutions for imaginary problems while ignoring the ones killing people.

Latest Hype vs. Human Reality: 

A Stark Comparison

  • iPhone 17 Pre-Orders: $12 billion(est.) in 48 hours.
  • Google Gemini 2.0 investment: $6 billion for enhanced image processing.
  • Meta’s AR glasses development: $13 billion annually.

While tech enthusiasts celebrated these advances, here’s what happened simultaneously:

  1. Ukraine: 31,000 civilians killed, 6.3 million refugees
  2. Gaza: 40,000+ deaths, 2.3 million people displaced
  3. Sudan: 150,000+ deaths, 10.7 million internally displaced
  4. Syria: 306,000+ deaths, 6.8 million refugees
  5. Yemen: 377,000+ deaths, 4.5 million displaced
  6. Myanmar: 50,000+ deaths, 2.6 million displaced

The world is experiencing conflict levels not seen since World War II. Yet our biggest debates center around camera megapixels and AI chatbot responses.

Daily Tech Spending

That Could Change Everything

Here’s what $15.75 billion buys us every single day:

  • IT Services: $4.73 billion daily
  • Communications: $3.89 billion daily
  • Software: $3.42 billion daily
  • Devices: $2.22 billion daily
  • Data Centers: $1.11 billion daily

Meanwhile:

  • 1 billion people lack clean water
    Solution cost: $114 billion total -7 days of tech spending
  • 244 million children are out of school
    Universal education: $39 billion annually – 2.5 days
  • 828 million people face hunger
    End world hunger: $330 billion – 21 days of spending

In Ukraine, families huddle in basements without heating, while we debate the benefits of smart thermostats.

In Gaza, children draw on rubble with charcoal while we launch digital art platforms.

In Sudan, mothers walk miles for contaminated water while we perfect water-resistant phone cases.

The math isn’t just uncomfortable – it’s morally devastating.

When Innovation Ignores Humanity

Last month, I sat across from a startup CEO pitching their “revolutionary” AI-powered meditation app. Funding ask? $50 million. Target market? “Stressed professionals with disposable income.”

“What about people who can’t afford therapy?” I asked.

“That’s not our demographic,” came the reply.

That same week, I saw footage of children in Gaza using broken concrete as drawing tablets. In Sudan, families shared single smartphones to stay connected across refugee camps. In Ukraine, teenagers learned coding on donated laptops in bomb shelters.

I thought about my grandmother in Dhaka, who found peace in simple dhikr, costing nothing but attention. Here was technology creating solutions for manufactured problems while ignoring those who desperately needed help.

We’re investing billions in tomorrow’s luxuries while people die from today’s basic needs.

Foundation We’re Ignoring:

Education, Health, and Stability

Innovation sounds inspiring. But without ensuring education, social stability, and health for all, we can’t achieve real progress.

Even in 2025:

  • 617 million children can’t read or do basic math
  • 2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water
  • 3 billion people can’t afford healthy diets
  • Half the world’s population lacks access to essential health services

Big tech giants are blind to today’s crisis, investing for decades ahead.

  • Apple committed $500 billion over four years for AI infrastructure and AR development, targeting mixed reality dominance by the 2030s.
  • Google expects 15% annual earnings growth from AR innovations, betting on mainstream adoption in 5+ years.
  • Meta pours $60-100 billion into metaverse development, projecting their AR/VR investments could double stock prices by 2030.

The global AR market is expected to grow from $57 billion in 2023 to over $500 billion by 2030. Yet, currently, AR/VR revenue represents less than 1% of these companies’ total sales. They’re building computing platforms for 2035 while people are dying from 2025’s solvable problems.

Hidden Costs Nobody Discusses

Environmental Destruction

Data centers consume 70 billion kWh annually, 7% of global emissions. Manufacturing one smartphone requires 12,760 liters of water. We generate 57.4 million metric tons of e-waste yearly.

While chasing digital transformation, we’re destroying the physical world.

The Green Marketing Illusion

Apple and other giants talk about “carbon neutrality” and “recyclable materials,” but these environmental initiatives make up only a small portion compared to their real environmental damage. When a company generates billions in revenue from devices designed for planned obsolescence, claiming environmental responsibility feels like marketing tactics rather than sincere commitments. They spend more money advertising their “green” programs than actually funding them.

Mental Health Crisis

Heavy tech use leads to:

  • Increased anxiety and depression
  • Social isolation despite “connectivity”
  • Reduced attention spans
  • Sleep disruption and physical health issues

We’re literally paying billions to make ourselves sicker.

The Inequality Gap

Technology investments widen gaps rather than bridge them. Nearly 580,000 Americans are homeless, many own smartphones but lack computers or stable internet for meaningful digital participation.

We build solutions for people who are already connected while ignoring those left behind.

Where Technology Actually Helps vs. Empty Hype

Research from China shows that internet access among farmers increased agricultural productivity, employment opportunities, and financial credit access—genuinely reducing poverty long-term. In rural Mexico, internet connectivity measurably improved household economics. Technology works when it meets basic human needs.

The Hype Machine: AI’s Broken Promises

Despite $30-40 billion in generative AI investments globally, 95% of organizations report no meaningful financial returns. We fund solutions seeking problems while real problems go unfunded.

Media amplifies every AI breakthrough while humanitarian crises fade into the background noise.

Appreciating Innovation

While Prioritizing Humanity

I’m not anti-technology. I deeply appreciate innovation. Smartphones connect families across continents. Medical AI diagnoses diseases earlier. Educational apps help children learn languages.

But we must care about humans most.

Technology should amplify human potential, not replace human connection. Innovation should solve poverty, not profit from it. Digital advancement should serve everyone, not just those who can afford premium subscriptions.

The Path Forward: Human-Centered Innovation

For Tech Leaders

  • Evaluate social ROI alongside financial returns
  • Invest in solutions addressing basic human needs first
  • Consider environmental costs in every decision
  • Ask: “Would this matter if I were homeless, hungry, or in a war zone?”

For Designers and Creators

  • Design for accessibility first, enhancement second
  • Question whether digital solutions are truly necessary
  • Measure impact beyond engagement metrics
  • Challenge assumptions about “revolutionary” features

For All of Us

Vote with attention and money. Support companies prioritizing human welfare. Demand transparency about social impact. Choose tools that enhance life without replacing human connection.

Allah says in the Qur’an:

“And whoever saves a life, it is as if he has saved all of mankind.” (Qur’an 5:32)

5. Surah Al-Ma’idah, Verse. 32

Every dollar invested is a choice about whose life matters. When we spend billions perfecting virtual worlds while children lack clean water, we’re not just wasting money; we’re failing a fundamental test of humanity.

The same God who blessed us with intelligence gave us responsibility for each other. Technology should fulfill that responsibility, not escape from it.

The Glass of Water That Tech Giants Forgot

Tonight, as Tim Cook celebrates record sales and Sundar Pichai demos Gemini’s features, a mother in Gaza searches debris for a clean cup. A father in Sudan walks 15 miles for water that might kill his children. A grandmother in Yemen chooses between medicine or food – not because they’re expensive, but because war took everything.

Apple’s quarterly profit: $25 billion.
Google’s AI investment: $70 billion annually.
Cost to provide clean water globally: $114 billion total.

We have the money. We’ve always had the money.
What we lack isn’t resources, it’s courage to admit that a child’s life matters more than a camera upgrade. Human dignity is worth more than another AI breakthrough.

Every iPhone swipe could have been a meal.
Every Gemini query could have been clean water.
Every AR filter could have been a warm shelter.

We chose to save pixels instead of people.

Start today:

Challenge one assumption about “necessary” technology. Research how your skills could address basic human needs. Support organizations using tech for social good.

The choice isn’t between technology and humanity. The choice is between technology serving humanity versus technology serving itself.

The next time you hear about a revolutionary tech launch, remember: somewhere, someone is dying for want of a simple glass of clean water.

Which future will you design?

Disclaimer: All data and statistics presented in this article may vary depending on sources, timing, and methodological differences. The information should be viewed as a framework to visualize the scale of global crises and current situations, rather than precise fixed numbers.

Data Sources & References
Credits
  • Emran’s thoughts
  • Perplexity
  • Claude
  • Google

Author’s Info

Emran Hossain is a UI/UX designer and creative practitioner with 7+ years of experience in digital product design. He writes about design, psychology, business leadership, and Islamic wisdom, exploring how purpose-driven creativity shapes better user experiences. Beyond design, Emran enjoys photography, long rides, and meaningful conversations. Learn more at hiemran.com.