I think in context, Tesla was having quite the success story in the 2017-2022 time period, and their big screen and
frequent software updates was getting a lot of attention. A lot of the stories around then were:
* Tesla infotainment is fast, responsive, good software
* Other OEMs struggle to compete in this space
* Other OEMs have software updates that require dealer visits
So the OEMs tried to emulate having a big screen UI and shoving more functionality into software, so they can update it.
Not to say Tesla gets all the credit, or that OEMs didn't start leaning on screens more and more before then. As screens got cheaper, customers demanded bigger screens, and OEMs felt like getting rid of buttons and shoving the functionality in the screen UI was the best way to appease their customers.
* Tesla infotainment is fast, responsive, good software
* Other OEMs struggle to compete in this space
* Other OEMs have software updates that require dealer visits
So the OEMs tried to emulate having a big screen UI and shoving more functionality into software, so they can update it.
Not to say Tesla gets all the credit, or that OEMs didn't start leaning on screens more and more before then. As screens got cheaper, customers demanded bigger screens, and OEMs felt like getting rid of buttons and shoving the functionality in the screen UI was the best way to appease their customers.