I'm starting to think that making a bunch of tech companies the most valuable companies on Earth, and tying their value to everyone's ability to retire so the number must always go up was perhaps not the wisest thing to have done.

They could close shop and you could print the money and give to the retirements fonds and everyone would be better off. Maybe Apple would be missed.

gpus go obsolete faster than fiber backbone equipment

Do they? I figured each speed increase requires new optical equipment, but I guess I was just making assumptions.