Learn Spanish (Latin America): Con tener menos fricción, el diseño se desplomó de todos modos. - Despite having less friction, the design plummeted anyway.

When con is followed immediately by an infinitive verb like tener, it creates a concessive structure. This means it acts like a pesar de (despite) or aunque (even though). It shows that the second part of the sentence happens despite the condition mentioned in the first part.

Why is the pronoun se used with desplomó?

The verb here is desplomarse, which is a pronominal verb (a verb that requires a reflexive pronoun). While desplomar means to knock something down or make it collapse, adding se focuses on the subject undergoing the action itself without an outside actor. So, el diseño se desplomó means the design collapsed or plummeted on its own.

Could I use a conjugated verb here instead of the infinitive, like con tiene?

No, the preposition con must be followed by an infinitive when used in this specific concessive structure. You cannot say con tiene. If you wanted to use a conjugated verb to express the same idea, you would have to use a different connector, such as aunque tiene menos fricción (even though it has less friction).

What is the function of de todos modos at the end of the sentence?