It Takes a New Kind of Worker to Make “Instant” Happen
recode.net
recode.net
What?? Is this really true? In 2014, UPS provides zero navigation options to its drivers who drive around all day from point to point?
That presumes low turnover, which we have to at least some degree in my home town of 55K, "metro area" of 200K.
- Give you a preprogrammed recommended stop route. - recommended stop route can auto-adjust throughout day based on variables like traffic etc - the only time you have to "look anything up" is when you need to manually change your recommended stop route. - and that could be done via simple voice commands
I really find it hard to believe UPS doesn't have some kind of great GPS like this for most of it's fleet.
Delivery routes in lower density parts of the country are going to be huge geographic areas too unlike a SF or NYC too.
They supposedly use software to determine how to store packages in the back of a truck efficiently, I can't see how they wouldn't throw their same weight at navigation.
as opposed to the post-WWII boom where value and growth were predicated on economies of scale/scope, the value of the sharing economy seems to be predicated on exploiting fractional employment to create a more fluid and continuous labor supply.
technology is enabling an economic shift (arguably an innovation) around labor, where value is derived from the efficiencies of better matching supply to demand as a result of being able to get some fraction of a person's labor capacity. on the other side, labor can mix and match jobs to suit lifestyle needs. unfortunately, power shifts further toward capital, leaving labor earning less.
If they're having you use your own vehicle and not forcing you to adhere to a specific schedule, they can probably do it.
Totally negates the value of some college degrees. And to be frank, it's unclear why some of those degrees exist in the first place (beyond just bringing in easy tuition money to the university while making the students feel that they are following their dreams).
Sure, some people are very self motivated and don't need a degree to help them grow. But for most, it lends them more options and also more ammunition for future career growth. Most high end jobs or opportunities today are intellectual/knowledge skill based.
Most of the US population lives (and will die having lived with) making less than that annualy.
He seemed to be targeting a specific group that's considered "ambitious." One could argue that everyone is ambitious but I'm sure his point was that those people who aren't satisfied with low-wage jobs and want to do something they see as important, would consider 80K "not enough."
The idea behind science is not to study it because you'll make a lot of money off of it. Even less it is so for humanitities.
Why now, in 2014, one with a B.S. makes about as much despite all that knowledge escapes me as well.
So you have to take into account current value of a college degree and value based on future evolution.
Automating a delivery driver is actually a harder problem than it appears unless you can convince people to accept packages dropped on the curb. I would not lay odds on that being the next job to be automated out of existence.
They just need to get transaction/delivery volume up, so that density of orders shrinks the coverage area for any given "driver agent".
Scaling while trying to maintain balanced supply and demand key.
Moderate increase in delivery density can mean step changes in efficiency and almost all other aspects of these businesses.
Source: I work at Munchery mentioned in the article but I'm from Nebraska originally and delivery drove in collge.
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