Last October, I read Chernyshevsky’s What Is to Be Done? and, as often happens with books that require time to settle, I let it drift into the background of my mind. It resurfaced unexpectedly a few weeks ago when I was asked to give a lecture to master’s students on the meaning of work and the effects of digital transformation. Preparing for the lecture led me down a familiar path: back to my own master’s thesis, where I had explored the worth of platform-based gig work from the perspectives of employees and society.

There’s a particular kind of joy in watching someone’s eyes light up when they realize that a tedious task they’ve been wrestling with can be simplified—or even automated—into a few clicks. Recently, I had the pleasure of experiencing this firsthand with a couple of friends who run a computer hardware business in Tartu.

They handle everything from selling and repairing to renting out computer equipment. Over the years, I’ve casually brought up the idea of automating some of their processes. Each time, it felt like trying to explain the allure of jazz to someone who only listens to heavy metal—not much resonance there.