The legend of John Henry holds new relevance for workers across all industries.
That is, until a salesman showed up with a steam-powered drill.
Henry’s boss staged a contest between his best worker and the newfangled machine. Henry hollowed out 14 feet to the machine’s 9, but collapsed and died after the whistle blew. The company buried Henry in the sandy soil nearby, and though the song doesn’t say it, the central office probably placed an order for a dozen machines the next day and laid off the rest of the steel-driving men.Productivity-boosting automation has underlain American business success since the […]
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