Workers in many industries have been disrupted and disintermediated due to technological advances over the centuries.The most recent, and perhaps unusual example of this is the writer’s strike that has most of us watching reruns.
NYU Professor and entrepreneur Scott Galloway offers a terrific analysis of what’s really going on with this strike. Some strikes sometimes occur because an industry is doing well, and the workers want their share. The writer’s strike is different because technology has offered new ways for us to be entertained that may not play to the “vendors” (i.e., writer’s ) skills.
If demand has changed…..then so must supply.
Dr. Galloway’s article is a cautionary tale for any industry. He cites the British coal industry strike in the 1980s. “British mining and scripted entertainment share one thing: Both were/are in structural decline and on the wrong end of a tsunami of alternatives…they screamed at change, but progress wouldn’t listen.”
Check out his blog post Struck. Will AI or some other new technology lead you to an economic cliff?
