In what can only be described as an optimistic mix-up that would make even the most seasoned inventors scratch their heads, a local tech startup has accidentally invented a time machine — but somehow managed to miss the very meeting they planned to celebrate the breakthrough.
ChronoCraft Innovations, a modest company known for developing quirky productivity apps, made the discovery last Tuesday when an engineer’s coffee spill triggered a bizarre sequence of events involving their latest prototype wearable device. Originally designed to help users “optimize multitasking through augmented reality,” the device instead hurredly flung the entire design team 30 minutes into the future.
“At first, we thought it was a weird glitch,” said CEO and part-time caffeine enthusiast Lucy Greaves. “Then we realized we were holding empty coffee mugs, yet our watches showed a time half an hour ahead. That’s when panic set in, because we had a meeting scheduled to discuss this very invention.”
Ironically, ChronoCraft’s team intended to host a celebratory meeting Thursday afternoon to announce their revolutionary product. However, their newfound ability to manipulate time left them out of sync with their own schedules. A frantic flurry of missed calls, confused calendar alerts, and time zone mismatches ensued, resulting in the meeting room sitting empty while the company’s chatbot dutifully recorded minutes addressed to “All Present.”
“It’s like we invented the future, but couldn’t RSVP on time,” remarked software developer Jamie Patel, who narrowly avoided a temporal paradox by showing up exactly when no one else was there.
The startup’s mishap has caught the interest of scientists and comedians alike. Dr. Helen Choi, a theoretical physicist from the local university, commented, “If ChronoCraft’s device can be stabilized, it could revolutionize physics and business meetings everywhere. Imagine never being late again — except for moments like these when time itself seems to have a sense of humor.”
For now, the team at ChronoCraft is working on “Version 2.0,” a refinement they hope will let them control time jumps more precisely — and ideally prevent future celebrations from being missed. In the meantime, the company is also exploring a new app idea: a calendar that adjusts itself to avoid clashes with time travel-induced absences.
When asked if they regret accidentally reinventing time, Greaves laughed, “Not really. If anything, we’ve learned not to schedule too many meetings too close together — time might not be on your side, but that doesn’t mean you have to be.”
Readers are encouraged to check their watches — just in case.