It was kind of chilling to see the author’s depiction of “throw-away workers” twenty years ago in a modern context. The aside of “maybe he’s about due for his pension” might have seemed so heartless then, and yet today, someone in the same position as that 50-year-old has, at best, a fickle 401(k), and at worst, simply nothing, as a participant in the gig economy.

Maybe that 50-year-old is trying to make ends meet delivering for Caviar, and a short series of slip-ups and consequent low ratings causes his “position” to be automatically terminated by an algorithm. Throw-away workers indeed.