When I was younger, before I could drive, I used to walk everywhere. Really long distances to go visit friends, get to school, or make my way to the mall. I didn’t have a phone, no music, nothing to distract me. So to pass the time, I’d fantasise.
Usually about winning the lottery.
I’m a visual thinker, so I’d go deep into it. What I’d do with the money, how it would change my life, where I’d live, who I’d help. The distances go away, I barely notice the steps while I’m deep in my thoughts. That habit stuck. I still find myself doing it now, especially when I go for long walks. Some days it’s wild ideas, others it’s dead serious. This morning, I had one of those moments.
If I had fuck-you money, one of the first things I’d do is take on the cookie policy popups that have ruined the internet.
I know there are far more important things in the world, but this has been bothering me for years. I’ve fantasised about all sorts of things, but today, that damn banner that invades my space every single day was the thing I wanted to kill.
I’m not talking about improving it or streamlining it. I’ve already looked into what it would take to challenge the rules around how these popups are presented, but if I had serious money, I’d go further than that.
I’d remove the whole thing entirely.
Hire the best legal team. Fund a challenge that forces regulators and platforms to come up with something better. Something invisible. Something smarter. Because this workaround, the thing we’ve all just accepted as normal, is a disgrace.
If you’ve ever worked with me, you’ll know how I feel about popups. I hate them. They’re one of the laziest solutions ever created, and when a popup shows up in a design review, I lose it. It’s always the last resort. I’ve never accepted that there’s no other way. There’s always a more elegant option. Always.
Cookie banners go against everything I believe in when it comes to creating great digital experiences. They interrupt, they repeat, they waste time, and 99% of people have no idea what they’re agreeing to or why it even needs to be there. So what’s the point?
We had an internet for decades without this nonsense. It was a better experience, simpler, more respectful. Now we’re stuck with the same clumsy interaction across almost every site, pretending it’s some kind of compliance win.
It’s lazy regulation, poor design, and a complete misunderstanding of how people actually behave online.
So yeah, if I had the money, I wouldn’t build an app. I wouldn’t buy a yacht. I’d go after the cookie popup. Because someone has to. And if no one else will, I’d be happy for that to be my legacy.
No click needed.