Well, reading all the answers makes me realize that there might have been a kind of evolution when it comes to TV remotes. I just didn’t come across back lit remotes when I saw them with people in my social circle. Maybe my people just don’t have the latest TV set.

Neat.

The thing that bothers me whenever I see a TV remote is that there doesn’t seem to be a remote control with illuminated keys, like on a computer keyboard. That way you can see the buttons even under dim lit conditions. Also, why aren’t there any remotes with a built-in battery that could be charged like a smartphone?

I don’t own a TV, but I know that back in the days of bulky CRT TV’s there were some remotes that could be iluminated. White LEDs weren’t a thing back then, so they used incandescent lamps which drained the 9V battery fast.

Why aren’t back llit and rechargeable TV remotes a thing today, especially because white LED’s and batteries are quite efficient today?

Sadly, in this world you accomplish nothing for being nice and considerate. If you want to leave an impact (anything - a new invention, a new product, a new idea, anything with impact to contemporary culture) you have to bully yourself to the top, including stealing ideas and screwing people over, as well as to exploit people. All “great” people who accomplished something did that: Gates (Microsoft), Jobs (Apple), Musk (Tesla, Twitter), Bezos (Amazon), Thiel (PayPal, Palantir), Zuckerberg (Meta), Huffman (Reddit), as well as many politicans. It’s a personality treat.

Here is a video that explains the issue, albeit it focuses on designers: