I wonder if this is partially a function of decreased attention spans. It takes more discipline than ever to turn off distractions and focus on innovative solutions to hard problems.

EDIT: This quote seems relevant[1]:

> It is fair to say that, in general, no problems have been exhausted; instead, men have been exhausted by the problems.

[1] https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-most-important-scient...