D Skilled Labor

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Automating tasks and de-skilling labor has been integral to the growth of businesses like Amazon. The concept is to give the trickiest parts of the manufacturing process to robots and computers, making it easier to employ unskilled workers. This has been seen in the fast food industry, where automated grills replace skilled fry cooks. However, de-skilling tasks also leads to high turnover and less incentive to retain workers. From the Luddites smashing looms to Frederick Winslow Taylor's theories, the culture of scientific management has played a role in this evolution.

As the holidays approach, we are being reminded of the fragility of the global supply chain. But at the same time, the supply chain itself is a truly impressive and fascinating structure, made as it is from multiple components that must work together in synchrony. From building an item in a factory and shipping it worldwide to transporting it locally, processing it in a distribution center, and finally delivering it to an address, the system is simultaneously awe-inspiring and deeply dehumanizing. I talk with Christopher Mims about how things are made, how they get to us, and what it all means for the present and future of our work and our lives.

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Christopher Mims received a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and behavioral biology from Emory University. He is currently a technology columnist at The Wall Street Journal. He has previously written for publications such as Wired, Scientific American, The Atlantic, and Smithsonian. His new book is Arriving Today: From Factory to Front Door — Why Everything Has Changed About How and What We Buy.

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