16 episodes
Peak Salvation Spark Anvil, LLC
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- Society & Culture
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4.9 • 39 Ratings
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Former CEO and tech millionaire Philip Su is saved from spiraling depression when he becomes an Amazon warehouse worker during Peak 2021, the company‘s busiest season from Black Friday to Christmas. Philip explores not only what it‘s like to go from earning seven figures in an air-conditioned office to working mandatory overtime for just above minimum wage, but also the impact of technology and automation on our collective futures and the unexpected blessing of resetting the hedonic treadmill.
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2: Landing the Job
Philip secures a warehouse job at Amazon in surprisingly little time and engages in his first-ever drug test. Full transcript at https://peaksalvation.com/landing-the-job
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3: Day Zero
Philip tells his family he's accepted a job in an Amazon warehouse. He watches the surprising mandatory training videos and discovers gems in the employee newsletter prior to his first day. Full transcript at https://peaksalvation.com/day-zero.
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4: Day One
Philip enters an Amazon warehouse for the first time and beholds its splendor. He's given a hilarious gift by Amazon. Full transcript at https://peaksalvation.com/day-one.
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5: Day Two - The Real Job Begins
Philip experiences his first full day of the real job, getting a feel for not only the job but the characters within. Full transcript at https://peaksalvation.com/day-two.
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6: You Get What You Measure
Philip begins to get the hang of various warehouse jobs and is confronted with associates' different approaches to the work. He questions the consequence of ways performance is measured. Full transcript at https://peaksalvation.com/you-get-what-you-measure
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7: Peak Begins
The long-awaited Peak season begins, with Amazon giving all warehouse associates a Costco pumpkin pie worth $5.99. Philip recounts two below-minimum-wage jobs he's held and the odd management strategies used at Amazon. Eleven hours a day, five hours a week, are now required of all workers. There's also a bit about Georgian economics, and a tax that many economists call "the perfect tax."
Customer Reviews
Excellent Podcast
This is an engrossing, entertaining, well written and thoughtful podcast about an unemployed depressed overachiever who takes a job at a massive Amazon warehouse to combat his depression. The details of the inside of the warehouse are fascinating as is the author’s commentary about the effect of the work, and the metrics used, on his and his coworkers’ behavior. I hope management at Amazon is listening.
Varied storytelling that works on multiple levels
This is more than a story about a tech overachiever trying out a blue collar job. Philip touches on themes of depression, labor law, the stark divide between the wealthy and the working class, and the sometimes maddening inefficiencies at one of the country’s largest employers. Give this podcast a try. Every episode is a welcome surprise.
Loved 1st 4 episodes- can’t wait for the 5th
It turns out Philip Su is a terrific & engaging storyteller. I listened to the first four episodes with rapt attention and was disappointed when episode 4 ended and there wasn’t a new episode up yet.
I can’t wait to hear what happened on day two at Amazon.