Starbucks is selling an experience and it's central to this experience that there be a human putting a little TLC into what happens, whether it's a friendly gre

Starbucks is selling an experience and it's central to this experience that there be a human putting a little TLC into what happens, whether it's a friendly greeting, a product recommendation, remembering your name and writing it on the cup, etc. The key is literally for there to be a human involved, because we get emotional satisfaction from a positive interaction with other humans. There's nothing new in this discussion -- we've been automating away manual labor since the Industrial Revolution. We end up creating these human touch jobs with the resulting productivity gains (this is the transition from a manufacturing economy to a service economy, the value isn't in the muscle anymore, it's in the relationship). In fact, thanks in no small part to capitalism's ruthless efficiency, loneliness and isolation are at record highs. The demand for a little TLC has never been higher. We'll have fewer pizza makers but more people whose job is essentially to make you feel good.