Increasing complexity as a fundamental property of the universe
The trend towards more complex systems is a fundamental property of our universe. Note that the second law of thermodynamics does not mean that all entities increase in entropy, only systems as a whole. When you clean your desk, the entropy of the desk decreases, even though the entropy increased from the effort to do so. A snowflake has lower entropy than the cloud where it formed, even though entropy increased from the process of forming it.
The trend towards greater complexity emerges from the nature of rule-based systems -- any system governed by consistent laws. In "A New Kind of Science" Stephen Wolfram demonstrates how the iteration of simple rules gives rise to complex systems. When stars first formed out of gas clouds, new complexity emerged. Stars generate entropy in the form of electromagnetic radiation, but also new complexity in the form of heavier elements. These new elements are then able to form more complex structures than the elements that formed the stars. This process continues all the way to the formation of life, and ever more complex human social structures.
Furthermore, the process towards complexity is exponential in time. The more complex a system, the fewer iterations are needed to create a further increase in complexity. That's why it took ~9 billion years for the earth to form, ~4 billion from life to sapiens, ~2 million for homo sapiens to develop culture, ~70K from culture to civilization, ~10K from civilization to machine power, ~300 from machines to computers, etc.