Why the explosive growth of e-commerce could mean more jobs

@innocentbystander you might like this piece and this reminds me I still have to read and respond to your earlier post

This article is deeply flawed in its analysis. It says this new automated factory *created* more jobs. It did **not**. It eliminated a bunch, but the article goes through some mental gymnastics to try and claim the opposite. They opened an entire new factory without having to hire many people. That is a large number of potential jobs eliminated. The article even admits near the end that the little gains they did see are temporary, and the machines will catch up and replace the humans later. I'll say it again, because this article has changed nothing: *Automation will eliminate the need to have full-time employees in any significant numbers.* Business will not pay anyone to do something a machine can do better and cheaper. We must plan for that. Wishful thinking is not going to provide an income. Nobody is going to pay you for your hobbies. Capitalism can not work without a demand. Job numbers will fluctuate. It wont be a straight line, but it will trend downwards. [We already see it hapeneing](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-walmart-robots/wal-marts-new-robots-scan-shelves-to-restock-items-faster-idUSKBN1CV1N4)