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Not to mention that the self-driving vehicle used for elevator travel has been readily available and reliable for over a century, yet we still hire elevator ope

Not to mention that the self-driving vehicle used for elevator travel has been readily available and reliable for over a century, yet we still hire elevator operators in niche situations. Even if self-driving truck tech was perfect, it's probably not going to 100% replace the job. There will always be some outlier situation where the human is needed and replacing one or two people is never worth enough to invest even more money into automating for that specific situation.

rrrrrrrrrrrryan 5y ago
I am 33 years old, decently well-traveled, and I'm not sure I've ever encountered an elevator operator where they were required. I've seen them in a couple spiffy places, but it felt like the establishment was trying to flex on the patrons by paying a well-dressed man to push a button for me. I've also seen elevator operators in old-timey historical buildings, but here it feels like the operator is employed just because the elevator has a museum-esque status. There are still people that know how to drive a horse and buggy as well - do you think this would be any consolation to the horse and buggy drivers of yesteryear?
- randomdata 5y ago
  > I've seen them in a couple spiffy places, but it felt like the establishment was trying to flex on the patrons by paying a well-dressed man to push a button for me. Or, more likely, the operator is doing something closer to the job of security guard under the guise of elevator operator. Which, as it happens, is a really nice fit for long haul trucker discussion. It is almost certain that at least some trips will demand someone to ride along if for no other reason than to care for the load. That would be fairly considered the job of a long haul trucker. But, if we want to say that 100% of elevator operator jobs have been eliminated and that people appearing as elevator operators today are really doing some other job (security guard, wealth flexer, museum curator), the idea of long haul trucker being the first to go at the hand of a self-driving vehicle as stated earlier doesn't jive.

rrrrrrrrrrrryan 5y ago

I am 33 years old, decently well-traveled, and I'm not sure I've ever encountered an elevator operator where they were required. I've seen them in a couple spiffy places, but it felt like the establishment was trying to flex on the patrons by paying a well-dressed man to push a button for me. I've also seen elevator operators in old-timey historical buildings, but here it feels like the operator is employed just because the elevator has a museum-esque status. There are still people that know how to drive a horse and buggy as well - do you think this would be any consolation to the horse and buggy drivers of yesteryear?

randomdata 5y ago
> I've seen them in a couple spiffy places, but it felt like the establishment was trying to flex on the patrons by paying a well-dressed man to push a button for me. Or, more likely, the operator is doing something closer to the job of security guard under the guise of elevator operator. Which, as it happens, is a really nice fit for long haul trucker discussion. It is almost certain that at least some trips will demand someone to ride along if for no other reason than to care for the load. That would be fairly considered the job of a long haul trucker. But, if we want to say that 100% of elevator operator jobs have been eliminated and that people appearing as elevator operators today are really doing some other job (security guard, wealth flexer, museum curator), the idea of long haul trucker being the first to go at the hand of a self-driving vehicle as stated earlier doesn't jive.