system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why is the UI theme of many popular computer programs/apps (MS office, Google, etc.) extremely "white"? Is it functional, or simply to look modern and cool?

It seems like many of the most popular apps have extremely white and bright interfaces, especially MS office and Google. It feels like they hurt my eyes after hours of using them, much more than if they used more grays and blues.  I believe Microsoft added some minor tweaks and themes to Office 2016 after complaints about this, but they seemed to do a poor job of it.  Also, I assume that white would drain  phone/laptop batteries faster than dark colors.  Is there any science (computer or physical) behind this, or is it simply marketing and product design?
gpt
White does not affect battery life on most screens. Regular LCD screens are lit up 100% white in the back, and then use polarizers to darken the non-white pixels.

This aesthetic originated at Xerox PARC and was then copied by both Microsoft and Apple. It is meant to make the screen look similar to a piece of office paper, since desktop computers were originally meant largely for office work.