Recycle-bin Memes

The Windows Recycle Bin icon had a good run from 1995-1998, but then Microsoft decided to use it as a dumping ground for their failed browser experiments. Internet Explorer in 2000? Straight to trash. IE again in 2010? Still trash. Then they pivoted to throwing their entire product lineup in there: Teams in 2016 (because who actually likes using Teams?), Edge in 2020 (Chromium-based redemption arc aside), and apparently by 2026 they're planning to toss in Windows Copilot with that rainbow gradient disaster. The recycle bin has evolved from a simple trash receptacle to a graveyard of Microsoft's "this will definitely work this time" initiatives. At least they're self-aware enough to keep the metaphor consistent.

The Windows Recycle Bin peacefully evolved for decades, minding its own business. Then Microsoft decided to start throwing Microsoft Teams and Copilot in there, because apparently that's where they belong. The joke writes itself when your own users are already planning which of your new products will end up in the trash before they even ship. Fun fact: The 2025 Teams icon and 2026 Copilot icon are already being pre-emptively deleted by developers who just want their IDE to open without launching seventeen AI assistants and three chat clients.