> cause they help you become smarter

Solving them is a question of knowing the algorithm and applying it. It makes you better at pattern matching.

> everyone wants to get smart

In most social situations people want to have fun. They'll intentionally consume substances which reduce their "smarts" in an effort to achieve this more easily. They will lie to your face about this because _appearing_ smart is all they actually care about.

> Now the market is flooded with cubes.

That are lower quality than what was being made prior to the subsidy.

> This is what's happened with EVs.

Inflation also halved the value of money. The story seems simple but it's obviously more complex than a simple analysis would allow for.