In the 1990s the thing to do was work at a consumer website, in the 2000s it was hedge funds and finance, in the teens it was large tech companies.
While the technical skill required to work in any of these areas is considerable, many not involved in tech do not view the output as progress. This may be the greatest complement to those who work in Tech - or it could be a sign that the incentives for what is viewed as true innovation are misaligned.
That being said, as of 2021 we have the following items that would only be dreams when I was a kid.
- Private space companies planning mars missions within the decade.
- Solar and wind are the cheapest sources of energy
- Nearly everyone on the planet has a mobile computer connected to a broadband connection.
- Consumer cars can almost drive themselves in specific conditions
- The most desirable cars are electric and get 300 Miles per charge.
- Almost anything that can be done, can be done over the internet.
It's not quite the extreme shift from the 1940s to the 1960s, but progress is happening.