Twice a year, Americans drag themselves through the ritual of clock-switching: springing forward, falling back, and stumbling into work bleary-eyed while muttering that maybe—just maybe—this should be the last time. The arguments for permanent Daylight Saving Time are familiar. Health researchers decry the spikes in heart attacks, car accidents, and workplace injuries that accompany the shift. Parents grumble about sending kids to school in the dark. Politicians—sensing an easy populist win—introduce legislation promising to end the madness.

But while much has been written about who gains from the longer summer evenings of permanent DST, the overlooked truth is this: there are losers, too. And not just the abstract “society adjusting to change” kind of losers. There are concrete industries, revenue streams, and political machines that would quietly see their profit models undercut if we ever stopped flipping the clocks.

Morning Media and the Twilight Audience

Let’s start with the broadcasters. Television and radio stations depend on habitual viewers. Early morning news shows have long catered to people getting ready for work, exercising, or commuting. Permanent DST would mean darker mornings for much of the year—especially in winter—and fewer people eager to consume perky anchors cheerfully announcing the weather at 6 a.m. Dark mornings dampen activity. If you’re staying in bed until the sun rises, you’re not tuning in to the morning drive-time show or stopping by the convenience store for that extra cup of coffee.

In other words, permanent DST robs broadcasters and advertisers of their most reliable audience: the early risers who drive the morning economy.

Utilities and the Vanishing Argument

Utility companies have always been DST’s biggest defenders. For decades, the narrative was simple: later sunsets save electricity by reducing evening demand for lighting. The reality has gotten messier in the age of air conditioning and round-the-clock electronics, but the argument remains politically useful. When rates go up or infrastructure investments need justification, utilities can trot out the “energy savings” story attached to DST.

Make it permanent, and that talking point evaporates. Morning energy use could even climb as people wake to dark, cold mornings in January, but without the biannual switch, utilities lose a lever they’ve long used in public debates and lobbying campaigns. Permanent DST simplifies the landscape in ways utility companies might find financially inconvenient.

The Sleep Economy Takes a Hit

Strange as it sounds, even human misery has an economy. Every spring and fall, as circadian rhythms wobble and sleep cycles collapse, demand surges for sleep aids, caffeine products, and even medical consultations. Hospitals report bumps in ER admissions, and insurance companies quietly calculate their exposure to those disruptions.

Take away the semi-annual clock shock, and that recurring micro-economy shrinks. Pharmacies sell fewer sleep supplements. Coffee chains may notice fewer bleary-eyed customers demanding double shots on the Monday after the switch. The permanent alignment of schedules with daylight is healthier for society, but it’s less profitable for those who make money off our collective exhaustion.

Consultants Without a Crisis

There is also a vast, hidden industry that profits from nothing more glamorous than time synchronization. Twice a year, IT departments, contractors, and consultants bill hours to ensure that software, financial systems, airline schedules, and medical records update correctly when the clocks shift. It’s not sexy work, but it is steady and lucrative.

Permanent DST wipes out those contracts. Airlines still have to juggle time zones, but the expensive domestic churn of clock changes disappears. Banks and hospitals stop paying for extra testing cycles. The only people sadder than morning news anchors might be the consultants who lose one of their easiest recurring invoices.

The Breakfast Economy and the Politics of Habit

Restaurants and retailers that rely on early morning traffic—breakfast diners, coffee shops, corner groceries—will feel the pinch, too. Winter mornings already test their resilience; under permanent DST, dawn creeps even later. Customers who might once have swung by for a hot bagel on the way to work will opt to stay indoors until daylight returns. Dark mornings are not good for impulse sales.

And hovering above all of this are the lobbyists. Few public policies generate as much recurring chatter as Daylight Saving Time. Twice a year, legislators can introduce bills, governors can make pronouncements, and industry groups can submit testimony. Lobbying firms draft memos, convene task forces, and collect fees. If DST were made permanent, all that churn would evaporate. For the political industry that thrives on cyclical debates, permanent DST is bad for business.

The Irony of Progress

The irony here is stark: the very groups that lose money if we stop changing clocks are the ones that benefit most from the current confusion. Morning broadcasters, utilities, sleep-aid companies, consultants, and lobbyists all live comfortably off the churn. They’re not villains; they’re simply rational actors in a system that rewards chaos.

But public policy should not be hostage to who profits from disorder. Permanent DST—or permanent Standard Time, for that matter—would bring clarity and health benefits to millions of people. It would simplify business, reduce accidents, and align our lives more closely with the natural rhythms of light and dark.

Yes, some industries would lose out. But the only real losers, if we end the clock-flipping ritual, are those who make money from the pain of others. And maybe that’s exactly the kind of loss America could use more of.