Bottom line Quote by Omar El Akkad
““Interviewing one of Uber’s earliest executives, who demonstrated the company’s route-finding algorithms with the unbridled enthusiasm of a small child at Christmas, I couldn’t help but think what this company had really innovated was not some brilliant new solution to the traveling salesman problem, but the establishment of a new, lower norm of employee treatment. Success, growth, profit came from taking what might at one time have been decent, stable jobs and rebranding them as side hustles. The brilliant business idea was persuading people to expect less.””
About This Quote
Companies may lower employee expectations, turning stable jobs into precarious side gigs, prioritizing profit over wellbeing.
In simple terms: Workplaces can exploit workers by reducing job security.
Key Takeaway
Beware of eroding employee standards.
Themes
labor rights
gig economy
corporate culture
employee welfare
profit motives
Mood
critical
concerned
Type
analytical
cautionary
When to use this quote
- startup hiring
- corporate policy
- employee contracts
Key Concepts
exploitation
norm shifting
job security
Questions to Reflect On
- What are the long‑term effects of treating jobs as side hustles?
- How can companies maintain profit while respecting workers?
A Different Perspective
Balancing flexibility with fair treatment is challenging.
![“The classes of problems which are respectively known and not known to have good algorithms are of great theoretical interest. [...] I conjecture that there is no good algorithm for the traveling salesman problem. My reasons are the same as for any mathematical conjecture: (1) It is a legitimate…” quote by Jack Edmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/43a/jack-edmonds-61996_algorithms_the-classes-of-problems-which-are-respec_50487.jpg)
