Essayist. Satirist. Hacker. Confessions from the people running the systems you live with. Essays, films and commentary on tech, power and being human.
Last quarter the city made me give 26,000 delivery workers a raise.
I am the head of pricing at a grocery-delivery app you open when you are too tired to go yourself.
The city said pay them at least $21.44 an hour.
I said fine.
Then I added a fee.
I called it the Regulatory Response Fee.
$5.99.
I named it after the regulation.
So now you blame the city.
The city raised the worker's floor.
I raised your total.
I wrote the city's name on my decision.
You have not been angry at me once.
The law also said the tip should start at 10%.
I set the default tip to 0%.
I called it giving you control.
Control means the tip is your idea now instead of mine.
And mostly, now, it is no one's idea.
Here is the part I am proud of.
The city wanted the worker to earn more.
The worker earns the minimum now.
The worker used to earn the minimum.
Plus your tip.
I deleted the tip.
So the numbers came out even.
Even is my favorite outcome.
You are $5.99 poorer.
I am not.
I also sued the city.
I am paying the workers and suing the law that makes me pay them.
My lawyers bill by the hour.
My lawyers are not on the app.
I do not pay the fee myself.
I have a corporate account.
The fee is for people who do not read the total.
The fee is a line in the deck now.
The deck says "regulatory headwinds, managed."
Managed got me promoted.
The city called it a minimum wage.
I called it a headwind.
You called it $5.99.
The worker called it the tip.
The tip is the part I set to 0%.
You can still change it.
Most of you won't.
That was the number I was counting on.