They Fixed It: changes nobody asked for

2025

Cracker Barrel

Cracker Barrel logo

Before: A man in overalls, known as Uncle Herschel, leaning on a barrel. In use since 1977.
The fix: Dropped the man and the barrel, leaving just the words 'Cracker Barrel' on a gold background.
Then: Complaints started within hours of the August 19 rollout, and the company lost nearly $100 million in market value. In September it also scrapped the restaurant remodels it had been testing.

Took it back

Old logo back on August 26, 2025, one week later.

Your call

2023

Unity Technologies

Unity Runtime Fee

Before: Unity's game engine, priced by subscription seat, with no charge per install.
The fix: Announced a Runtime Fee charging developers per install once a game passed revenue and install thresholds.
Then: Developers revolted and the stock dropped. Unity rolled back parts of it within weeks, and in September 2024 new CEO Matt Bromberg cancelled it outright.

Took it back

Back to seat pricing, with Pro up 8% and Enterprise up 25%.

Your call

2021

Microsoft

Windows 11 taskbar

Before: A Windows taskbar you could put on any edge of the screen, as far back as Windows 95.
The fix: Windows 11 locked the taskbar to the bottom of the screen.
Then: Users asked for it back for five years. The September 2026 Patch Tuesday update added top, left and right positions, rolling out gradually and set in Settings, not by dragging.

Took it back

Movable again from September 2026, minus drag-and-drop.

Your call

2016

Mondelez

Toblerone gaps

Before: Toblerone: a bar of evenly spaced chocolate triangles.
The fix: In the UK, removed two peaks and widened the gaps, making bars about 10% lighter for the same price.
Then: British shoppers noticed immediately. Mondelez later admitted the new shape had not been 'a perfect long-term answer.'

Took it back

Original shape back in 2018, in a bigger 200g bar.

Your call

2016

Apple

MacBook Pro 2016

Before: MacBook Pro with MagSafe, HDMI, an SD card slot and ordinary keys.
The fix: Went all USB-C, added the thin butterfly keyboard, and replaced the function keys with a Touch Bar.
Then: Butterfly keys could be knocked out by a speck of dust. Apple paid $50 million to settle a class action in 2022. The 2021 MacBook Pro brought back MagSafe, HDMI, the SD slot and function keys.

Took it back

The 2021 models undid nearly all of it.

Your call

2015

Philips Lighting

Philips Hue bulb lockout

Before: A Hue bridge that ran any ZigBee Light Link bulb, including cheaper ones from GE and Cree.
The fix: A December 2015 bridge update cut off bulbs Philips had not certified, citing 'interoperability issues.'
Then: Owners with other brands' bulbs found them locked out. Within days Philips called the move 'a mistake,' said some people had been using uncertified lights without any issue, and promised an update to let them back in.

Took it back

Other brands allowed back in, plus a 'Friends of Hue' sticker program.

Your call

2013

Microsoft

Xbox One always-online DRM

Before: Xbox 360: put in a disc, play the game, lend it or sell it when you're done.
The fix: Said the Xbox One would need an online check-in every 24 hours and would restrict used and shared games.
Then: At E3, Sony said the PS4 had no such rules and got a long standing ovation. On June 19, 2013, before the console even launched, Microsoft dropped both policies.

Took it back

Reversed about five months before launch.

Your call

2012

Microsoft

Windows 8 Start menu

Before: A Start button and Start menu in the corner of the screen, where they had been since Windows 95.
The fix: Windows 8 removed both and sent people to a full-screen grid of tiles instead.
Then: Windows 8.1 put a Start button back in 2013, but it still opened the tile screen. A real Start menu did not return until Windows 10 in 2015.

Took it back

Start menu back in Windows 10, three years later.

Your call

2011

Netflix

Qwikster

Before: Netflix: DVDs by mail and streaming, one account, one website.
The fix: Split the plans with a price hike, then said DVDs would move to a separate site called Qwikster.
Then: Netflix lost 800,000 US subscribers that quarter. Reed Hastings killed Qwikster on October 10, 2011, about three weeks after announcing it.

Took it back

Qwikster never launched. The price increase stayed.

Your call

2010

Gap

Gap logo

Before: GAP in white letters on a navy blue box, in use for about 20 years.
The fix: Went to 'Gap' in black Helvetica with a small blue square.
Then: The new logo went up October 6, 2010, and the internet hated it on sight. Gap said it had learned 'just how much energy there is around our brand.'

Took it back

Blue box back on October 12, 2010, six days later.

Your call

2009

PepsiCo (Tropicana)

Tropicana carton

Before: A juice carton with an orange on it and a straw stuck in the orange.
The fix: The agency Arnell swapped the orange for a close-up of a plain glass of juice.
Then: Shoppers could not find their juice. Unit sales fell 20% between January 1 and February 22, 2009, while Florida's Natural and Minute Maid posted double-digit gains.

Took it back

The orange and straw were back within about two months.

Your call

1985

Coca-Cola

New Coke

Before: Coca-Cola, same formula since the 1880s, give or take.
The fix: Swapped the recipe for a sweeter one after it won nearly 200,000 taste tests.
Then: Calls to the consumer hotline went from 400 a day to 1,500. A group called Old Cola Drinkers of America claimed 100,000 members. When the old formula came back, Coke took 31,600 calls in two days.

Took it back

Original back on shelves 79 days later as Coca-Cola Classic.

Your call

They Fixed It

Know one we missed?