07/10/2024
Confession of the last office plankton
2034. London.
John Smith, 45, wakes up at 6:30 AM. Out of habit. Although he hasn't set an alarm for several years.
"Good morning, John," greets his AI assistant. "You have no scheduled meetings until 11:00 today. Would you like me to order coffee from your favorite cafรฉ?"
John sighs. He still can't get used to this new reality.
Flashback: 10 years ago
The office is buzzing like a beehive. John, then a young and ambitious manager, rushes to another meeting. "9 to 5" - this is his life, his rhythm, his comfort.
"Hey, John!" a colleague calls out. "Heard Reid Hoffman's, LinkedIn founder's, forecast? He says there won't be offices in 10 years. Can you imagine?"
John laughs: "Yeah, sure. And I'll be working from a beach in Bali, right?"
Present time
John sits in that very cafรฉ, sipping a latte ordered by his AI assistant. He opens his laptop and sees that half of his tasks have already been completed by the night AI programming assistant.
"Who would have thought," he mutters to himself. "I really can work from a beach in Bali. If only I knew how to get there..."
John recalls his first days in this new world. How he panicked, not knowing when to work and when to rest. How he feared that AI would replace him completely.
Epilogue
Evening of the same day. John closes his laptop. Today he finished at 6:00 PM, yesterday he worked until midnight, and tomorrow he plans to start at noon.
"Maybe it's not so bad after all," he thinks, watching the sunset. "At least now I can watch the sun set without fearing I'll be late for the evening train."
His AI assistant beeps: "John, don't forget, tomorrow you have a virtual meeting with the team from Tokyo at 11:00 PM."
John smiles: "Thanks. And... maybe look for tickets to Bali for me?"
The end of the "9 to 5" era has come. And John, it seems, is finally ready to accept it.
Do you like such a future?