For the last 17 years, Stack Overflow—and the entire Stack Exchange network—has been the home of inquisitive and curious minds from across topics and industries. And every year, without fail, our sites are filled with never-before-asked questions and welcome answers from users both new and old.
2025 was a year filled with much newness and excitement at Stack Overflow, and part of that is thanks to those aforementioned curious minds that make up our communities and keep this very special place on the internet alive and well. As this year wraps, we want to spotlight some of the most popular and interesting questions from our sites.
Question 1: How can I resolve the "'Docker.app' will damage your computer" warning on macOS?
116 upvotes, Stack Overflow
With 116 upvotes each on two different questions, Docker’s newest update was a real conundrum for Stack Overflow users this year. The answer to this one was actually an age-old question: Have you tried uninstalling it and then reinstalling it? Like any great tech fix-it, it worked like a charm.
Question 2: "This telegram must be closely paraphrased before being communicated to anyone." Why?
104 upvotes, History Stack Exchange
The folks on the History Stack Exchange love digging up relics of time past, which is probably why this question got 104 upvotes. Top Secret US Military correspondence involved encrypting telegrams each time they passed hands—something they called “paraphrasing” in the pre-WhatsApp days.
Question 3: A new pythagorean proof
85 upvotes, Mathematics Stack Exchange
Not so much a question as a new way of thinking, this post by one Mathematics Stack Exchange user garnered 85 upvotes. The community on the Math Stack loved and validated this new visualization of pythagorean proof.
Question 4: uninitialized constant ActiveSupport::LoggerThreadSafeLevel::Logger (NameError)
83 upvotes, Stack Overflow
While this question on a Logger error received 83 upvotes, the succinct and helpful answer was really the star of this thread, with 107 upvotes.
Question 5: What is "Induced Atmospheric Vibration"?
71 upvotes, Physics Stack Exchange
Knowing your physics is always useful, especially if you’re living on the Iberian Peninsula and experiencing a blackout. With 71 upvotes, this question was one of the top of the year on the Physics Stack Exchange, but my favorite part of it was this quippy line in the accepted answer: “Real electrical systems have to deal with issues of reactance and other exciting math-heavy constructs designed to drive you into some other field of study.” Word.
Question 6: How can I explain 15 years no work history on my resume as a NEET?
62 upvotes, The Workplace Stack Exchange
The job market is no easy place to be in this day and age, especially if you are a NEET (defined as: Not in Education, Employment, or Training). But still, putting yourself out there and trying is better than nothing, at least according to members of The Workplace Stack Exchange, who gave this question 62 upvotes. Their solution: Have no fear, put in effort, and always be honest.
Question 7: How was the Universal Pictures 1936 opening logo created?
56 upvotes, Movies & TV Stack Exchange
Ah, the movies. They’re so magical that even in 2025, we’re marveling at things made in 1936. At least, that’s what the Movies & TV Stack Exchange was doing with this question, which has 56 upvotes. It apparently took those 1936 artists half a year to create this iconic 15-second intro. I won’t say what the AI-lovers of the world would have to say if they found that out, but some beautiful things just can't be rushed.
Question 8: How do we deal with trainees/students using LLM for higher academic work?
56 upvotes, Academia Stack Exchange
There’s no running from LLM usage, no matter what industry you're in. Of course, for those in research and higher education, the idea of the next generation of academics relying too much on ChatGPT is a real one, which is why this question received 56 upvotes. While there is some debate in this thread about what to do, ultimately they all seem to agree that AI is something their students will be using, whether their instructors like it or not.
Question 9: Do the people in Middle-earth realize that Frodo technically failed?
40 upvotes, Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange
To paraphrase the question of this user from the Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange: Wasn’t Gollum kinda the hero of the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy? Okay, maybe that wasn’t exactly their question, because if it had been, they wouldn’t have received 40 upvotes, making this one of the top questions of the year. The community agreed that as long as you’re pure of heart like Frodo, you’ll always be a hero.
Question 10: Legit or scam? What's a good filter when asked for emergency help?
35 upvotes, Personal Finance & Money Stack Exchange
In the year of 2025, scams abound, which is why this user got 35 upvotes—one of the highest-ranked questions of the year—on the Personal Finance & Money Stack Exchange when they asked, “How can a loved one prove they’re not a scammer?” Quite like when a Captcha asks you to prove you’re not a bot, your friend in need of an overseas Venmo is going to have to answer a few questions.
What were your top questions or moments of the year while on our sites? Did you ask a question or give a few answers yourself? We want to hear how your year was in our community. Share your stories in the comment section below!