Cheaper Without You?

A video went viral of a man standing in the lawn, silently watching a robotic lawn mower buzz around. At first glance, it’s just another “aww, look at the future” moment. But here’s the kicker: that man spent years mowing lawns by hand.

Half a century of sweat, sunburns, and grass stains, replaced in one afternoon by what looks like a Roomba with a mullet. This isn’t really about grass. It’s about work. If a simple household chore that’s been around since cavemen invented grass (don’t fact-check that) can be automated, then nothing is safe. Today it’s lawns, tomorrow it’s your spreadsheets, your Zoom calls, your marketing copy.

One day you’re “Employee of the Month,” the next you’re standing on your porch like that man, watching a machine do your job with zero coffee breaks. Think about calculators. Teachers once called them a “cheat.” Now, we wouldn’t survive paying a restaurant bill without one. That’s exactly how automation sneaks in. First, it looks like a silly toy.

Then one day, your boss says, “Actually, the toy doesn’t need PTO… or health insurance… so, uh, thanks for your service.” If you’re running a company, the question isn’t whether to adopt AI, it’s whether you want to be Blockbuster or Netflix. Managers? You need to figure out which parts of your team’s jobs are going to disappear before you have an awkward Monday morning meeting that starts with, “So… funny story…” Employees?

Time to ask yourself: am I learning something a bot can’t do, or am I basically one software update away from unemployment? And even if you’re just the average person who doesn’t care about “business stuff,” you should still pay attention, because this isn’t only about paychecks. It’s about purpose.

That man didn’t just mow lawns, mowing was part of who he was. Imagine if one day a gadget showed up and did the one thing that defined your routine. It’s like Alexa suddenly learning to nag your kids, and now you’re not even the “responsible parent” anymore. This isn’t marketing fluff. It’s not “yay, shiny gadget.” It’s a warning shot. Automation is moving faster than our emotions can keep up. Machines aren’t just taking the work; they’re rewriting what “a day’s work” even means.

Here is the uncomfortable truth: when the machine shows up for your job, are you going to be the person standing there like that man, staring in disbelief? Or will you already have moved on to the next thing that proves you’re still valuable? Because one thing’s for sure, the robot won’t stop to ask how you feel about it.

- Matt Masinga