90% of the goods that are around you right now came to you by ship. A harbor pilot had to get on a small, dingy harbor boat and travel out to this giant container ship in order to navigate it into the port. The pilots actually live at or near the ports that they are employed by. You know, harbor pilots have a one and 20 chance of dying on the job. If they miss time that little leap, or don't scramble up the rope ladder fast enough, then their survival rate is like zero.
At some point in their journey, 90% of the world's goods travel by ship. Ordering something on Amazon may be simple, but getting to your front door is anything but. It's a topic that Christopher Mims, technology columnist for The Wall Street Journal, covers in his book Arriving Today: From Factory to Front Door – Why Everything Has Changed About How and What We Buy.
In this episode producer Ricky Mulvey talks with Mims about his book, covering topics including: - The roots of the microchip shortage - Why Uber had a difficult time disrupting the trucking industry. - What it’s like to work in an Amazon fulfillment center - How to explain the metaverse to your mom
You can follow Christopher Mims on Twitter @mims.
Host: Ricky Mulvey Guest: Christopher Mims Engineers: Rick Engdahl, Dan Boyd
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