AI’s new job? Creative accounting. Workers are having it whip up fake receipts for business lunches that never happened. Plus, Amazon’s big layoffs, Chess makes an online comeback, and how to have AI help with lost stuff.
Get paid to stand in line for someone else
ChatGPT
When I saw this, my first thought was, “That’s strange.” But I hate standing in lines. And what if you physically can’t do it but need to?
Then yesterday, I read a story in the WSJ (paywalled) about what a nightmare DMVs are right now with everyone scrambling to get a new ID. Starting May 7, you need a REAL ID to travel. The lines are wrapped around the buildings by people who need it. (I’m one of them!)
Roughly 70% of people won’t wait more than 15 minutes in line. And if you thought, “I don’t mind waiting,” keep reading. You can make money doing it.
⏰ Toe the line
Just like you can hire someone to put together a desk or walk your dog, you pay someone to stand in line. Simply open the app or website (like TaskRabbit or Spotblaze), and choose the “Line Sitter” or “Wait in Line” task.
Enter the time, place and any instructions. Browse workers, review their hourly rates, book and pay securely through the app (no awkward cash exchange, woo!).
It’s a great option if you have mobility issues. People also use line sitters for:
- Broadway rush tickets
- Product launches, sneaker drops and limited-edition merch
- Bin store restock days
- College admissions and registration
- Passport and DMV appointments
- Meet-and-greets, festivals and chances to meet a celeb
💵 OK, how much does it cost?
Pricing depends on your location, how long the line is and how popular the time slot is.
On TaskRabbit, most line sitters charge $25 to $35 an hour. Spotblaze has similar pricing, averaging around $30/hour.
Big cities (think NYC, LA, San Francisco) have higher rates, sometimes beyond $40/hour during peak events.
🪓 Amazon trims the suits: Amazon axed 14,000 corporate jobs, about 4% of its white-collar crew. Yep, it’s not the warehouse workers getting replaced this time, it’s the middle managers (paywall link). Gartner says one in five companies will flatten management with AI by 2026. AI can handle reports, strategy planning and meetings without needing HR drama sessions, paid paternity leave or sabbaticals.
72 hours
That’s the weekly grind for typical AI startup workers. It’s the infamous “996” warning label, that’s 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week, that feels more like working in the 1950s (minus the pensions, drinks, cigars and long lunches). AI may replace us eventually, but until then, it’s replacing our sleep.
🏗️ Flying 3D printers: Is it me, or does looking up get more crowded every decade? Carnegie Mellon’s developing drones that double up as construction workers. Really. Picture a swarm of little bots 3D-printing shelters and bridges after a disaster. These things use AI to turn “build a bridge” into an actual blueprint, then adjust midair if something goes wrong. 90% success rate so far! Who would have thought that would ever be possible?
📦 Santa’s little workforce: Amazon’s hiring 250,000 U.S. workers for the holidays, nearly half of the nation’s entire seasonal workforce. Competitors like Target and Kohl’s are keeping quiet, maybe because they’re not hiring much at all. Average pay? Up to $23 an hour. If you’re interested, apply before the jobs are all scooped up.
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🧽 AI’s dirty dishes: AI was supposed to save time. Instead? You’re cleaning up its mess. A new Stanford study says 41% of workers are busier with “workslop” since tools like ChatGPT and Copilot showed up, thanks to sloppy drafts, useless decks and bad edits. The bots aren’t just taking your job, they’re trying to give you theirs.
Over 1 million
That’s how many robots are working in Amazon warehouses. They do everything from moving packages to sorting items. The scary part? Robots already help with 75% of deliveries and are on track to outnumber human workers soon. First they take our jobs, then it’s the world. Better be nice to your Roomba.
AI vs. call center workers — July 5th, Hour 3
AI is changing the voices of call center reps. You may never hear a thick accent again. Plus, criminals mail out ransomware, and Gen Z’s dream jobs. Plus, Kelly in Pennsylvania found details of her parents’ nasty court case online and wants it erased.
👨💼 AI coworkers are here: Bank of New York Mellon is now using “digital workers” alongside staff. They have company logins and handle tasks like coding and payment instruction validation on their own, then report to managers for approval. Next up? Giving them email addresses and Teams access to chat with colleagues.
📞 Hackers love call centers: They’re bribing low-paid call center workers to bypass security (paywall link) and loot crypto wallets. Coinbase alone may be out $400 million. All it took was screenshots, Chrome bugs and $2,500 Venmo bribes.
One chatbot replaces 700 workers — June 21st, Hour 3
Klarna’s customer service team got replaced by one chatbot. Also, MrBeast spent $4 million on one YouTube video. If it flops, he says he’ll cry. Plus: Your receipts are covered in poison, and a ChatGPT story that goes way too far.
Days of hanging out drinking coffee are ending: Cafes across the country are cutting off Wi-Fi or banning laptops altogether. Why? They’re tired of remote workers hogging tables for hours on Zoom calls with a single cup of joe. Yeah, can’t say I blame them.
🤲 Amazon’s touchy new robot: Vulcan has a “sense of touch,” which is either a sci-fi dream or the start of our future metal overlords politely handing us our orders. Amazon swears it’s “not replacing workers,” just lifting the heavy stuff so humans can … watch? For now, it’s just in Spokane, but Germany’s next.
🧠 AI’s climbing career ladders: One venture capitalist just said the thing that makes headlines: AI isn’t just “augmenting” workers, it’s replacing them. Victor Lazarte of Benchmark (backers of Uber and Snap) said lawyers and recruiters are first on the chopping block. Somewhere out there, a robot is bingeing caffeine to cram for the LSAT.
61%
Of employees have been backstabbed at work. The main culprits? Gen Z and millennials, who are twice as likely to throw someone under the bus to climb the ladder. One in four workers say their boss has set them up to fail. Coworkers by day, betrayal speedrunners by lunch.
📺 The real “Lumon”: Watch Severance? Companies that share their name with the fictional Lumon Industries from the Apple TV+ show are getting tons of comments from fans online. Lumen Technologies and Lumon Dental are leaning into it. But a glazing biz didn’t find it funny when asked why they treat workers poorly. It’s a fake TV show, people.
$539
Lost to the average deepfake call. Criminals use AI to impersonate Medicare workers, politicians, Amazon reps, insurance agents, you name it. When in doubt, hang up.
Corporate playground: I want to see this thing IRL. There’s a $2.5 billion office called The Round being built in London to lure the youngest of Gen Z workers. It’ll have nap pods, space for breathwork classes, a gym and all sorts of other luxuries (paywall link). It probably comes with participation trophies, too.