The Indicator from Planet Money Why infinite scroll's inventor wants to kill his creation
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Apr 7, 2026 
Aza Raskin, entrepreneur and designer who created infinite scroll, reflects on its harms and his change of heart. He explains how incentives turned a simple UI into an attention trap. He recounts testifying in court, points to internal evidence, and suggests concrete design fixes to restore user control.
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Creator Confesses He Got Addicted To His Own Invention
- Aza Raskin invented infinite scroll in 2006 and later realized its harms when social media scaled its use.
- He described disappearing to the bathroom at dinner and writing software to break his own scrolling addiction.
Incentives Turn Interface Efficiency Into Addiction
- Incentives in tech can override the inventor's intentions so features designed as efficient interfaces become attention-hacking tools.
- Aza told jurors engineers ran millions of tests using psychology to keep users engaged, making it an unfair fight of willpower versus design.
Design, Not Content, Is The Legal Leverage
- Plaintiffs focused on app design rather than content to avoid Section 230 immunity and hold companies accountable.
- Jurors awarded damages in California and New Mexico, signaling legal exposure for engagement-driven designs.