The Long View
Every generation meets a new technology with the same hope and the same fear.
The fears are sincere, and some come true. Here is how it tends to end, and who pays.
1900–1950
The Elevator Operator
Adoption runs on trust, and trust can be designed.
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1898At Launch
When an Industry Asked to Be Regulated
The electric industry argued that ending competition would protect the public. The commissions it helped create still set the price of power.
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1964Next
The Automation Scare
Outside experts warned President Johnson that machines would need less and less human labor. His own commission answered that technology ends jobs, not work.
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At Launch
The Switchboard Operators
The economy adjusted. The women already in those jobs paid for it.