Structured briefcases were standard American business equipment for decades and are now unusual. What replaced them is a soft bag with an open top.
The case protected paper
A briefcase was designed around documents that had to arrive flat, dry and in order. Rigid sides and a flat base served that specific purpose.
Paper volume in professional work has fallen sharply, and what remains is rarely the version of record. Damaging a printout no longer means losing the document.
Once the contents stopped needing protection, the structure became weight carried for no reason. The case outlived its function by some years.
Laptop dimensions changed the problem
Early portable computers were thick and heavy, which justified a dedicated compartment and reinforced sides. Machines have since become thin, light and considerably more robust.
A padded sleeve inside a soft bag now provides adequate protection for the way most people commute. The dedicated case solves a problem that shrank.
Charging equipment, headphones and a water bottle became the bulkier items, and those suit a flexible interior rather than fitted compartments.
How people commute changed what they carry
A briefcase is designed to be carried in one hand, which suits walking from a car to an office. It is awkward on a crowded train, a bicycle or a long walk.
As commuting shifted toward transit and mixed modes in American cities, hands-free and shoulder-carried options gained a practical advantage.
Backpacks won part of the same contest for the same reason. The tote occupies the middle position, more casual than a case and more formal than a pack.
Dress codes removed the matching requirement
A leather briefcase belonged to a suit. It looked deliberate alongside tailoring and out of place alongside knitwear and sneakers.
As offices loosened, the accessory that matched the old code became conspicuous. Carrying one now reads as a specific choice rather than a default.
The tote carries no such requirement, which is exactly why it spread across professions with very different codes.
What the tote gives up
An open-top soft bag offers no security, poor weather resistance and no internal organization unless the user supplies it with pouches.
It also transfers all its weight to one shoulder, which becomes uncomfortable at the loads people actually carry. Many buyers cycle through several before settling.
The market response has been totes with structured bases, laptop sleeves and closures, which is the briefcase reassembled from softer parts. The requirements are returning one at a time.