I think this may just be the greater shift to programming and digital tools. This makes it more important to have fewer employees who are responsible for the productivity gains of large groups of workers.

I think the specific inflection point is a bit manufactured, but I the theme over these decades is tech.

I love tech because it allows for near zero marginal cost of distribution and one person to reach many. But I think it’s harsh on “analog workers” where it’s about lots of people instead of clever tech.