You know what doesn't have any active electronics at all?

Regular headphones.

It's just wire and magnets, with some plastic.

That wire and magnets isn’t gonna do anything unless it’s hooked up to at the very least an amp (+ a dac if were talking digital)

Such functions have historically (for many decades) been provided by devices with which headphones are intended to be used.

She every computer still come with a floppy drive? Times and needs and technology change.

No, of course not.

But the floppy drive was supplanted by other means of data transfer and storage that were broadly perceived to be bigger/better/faster/stronger.

Is there some aspect of active headphones that is bigger/better/faster/stronger than regular passive headphones?