Tech Won't Save Us Silicon Valley Doesn’t Know What Makes a Good City w/ Joanne McNeil
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Oct 23, 2025 
Joanne McNeil, a freelance writer and author of 'Wrong Way' and 'Lurking,' dives deep into the world of delivery robots and robo-taxis. She shares her observations from trailing a delivery robot and discusses why its behavior feels intrusive to pedestrians. Joanne connects the rise of these technologies to ghost kitchens, revealing how they disrupt local businesses. She also warns about the hidden human labor behind automation and critiques the misleading promises of tech improving urban life while highlighting societal pushback against these trends.
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Automation Is Often A Facade
- Delivery robots and robo-taxis present an illusion of full automation while relying heavily on hidden human labor.
- Companies maintain the automation myth because admitting teleoperation would undermine their narrative.
Following A Delivery Robot Through Echo Park
- Joanne McNeil followed a Cocoa delivery robot through Echo Park and recorded it cutting through sidewalks close to pedestrians.
- She observed it slow only when detecting people, forcing walkers to yield and feel unsafe near its knees.
Robots Feeding Ghost Kitchen Hubs
- Joanne trailed a robot to a large cluster of ghost kitchens called Echo Park Eats and found it returned there after deliveries.
- She witnessed traffic and congestion as people drove to that distribution hub, changing neighborhood dynamics.
