about 15 years ago the joke was, `cat /etc/services | mail apply@ycombinator` as at the time it seemed like startups were just doing file transfer, email, network file systems, etc. it wasn't far off, as unix is file based, and the internet is also file based.
And to a point they were correct; file transfer 15 years ago was closely linked to piracy and dodgy websites that scam you into pressing an ad instead of a download button. It's only thanks to e.g. dropbox / cloud file storage suppliers, wetransfer, etc that that bit has been resolved.
Dunno about email though, the last real innovation in that space that I can remember with lasting impact was gmail. There were a few more tidbits like inbox (RIP), the inbox zero methodology, and Airmail (?) but none of them really took off.
