text: Rob's lifelong goal was to work up to the foreman position. It was a position that came with a significant amount of responsibility and prestige. He couldn't contain his excitement when Xcellent Manufacturing offered him a job there. He knew this was a significant opportunity for him to demonstrate his worth to the company and further his career. When he arrived at the factory for the first time, he did so with more than a bit of trepidation. Because he had never worked with automatons (a robot built to imitate a human being) before, he was unsure of what to anticipate from the experience. However, he was determined to create a positive first impression and do everything in his power to enhance the factory's productivity and bottom line. On the manufacturing floor, he was greeted by several automatons as he made his way through the facility. They were all identical in appearance, having bodies made of polished metal and eyes glowing bright red. One of them said, "Hello, I am AD-3. I work in candles." "What do you do with candles?" "I work in candles." It dawned on him that communicating with the automatons might prove to be more challenging than he had originally thought. Rob responded in an awkward manner by saying, "Ok, if I need anything with candles, I'll get in touch with you." "Yes, I work in candles." Rob nodded as he felt a surge of satisfaction flood over him. He was the kind of person that put in long hours and was constantly driven to achieve his goals. He intended to appeal to the automaton's sense of responsibility and its pride in working hard. "I'm delighted to be here," he said. "I have the utmost admiration for all of the hard work and effort in making this factory the best it can be." The automatons gave a satisfied nod before returning to their tasks. Rob watched as they assembled a variety of products at breakneck speed while moving quickly around the production floor. It was clear that they were very skilled at their jobs. Rob put in an incredible amount of effort over the course of the next few weeks to raise production levels and enhance factory efficiency. He introduced brand-new methods and protocols and collaborated closely with the automatons to guarantee that everything operated without a hitch. One day, Rob had an idea. There was a car dashboard fan that was underperforming compared to its competitors. He proposed that the automatons begin adding Bluetooth to a car dashboard fan so that customers can control it with their phone; this would make the fan more convenient for the customers. "Everyone loves Bluetooth," he said. "It will help increase sales." The automatons obeyed Rob's commands without question. Rob was pleased to see that it was successful in every way. The automatons couldn't have been happier with how things turned out as sales increased. One of the automatons exclaimed, "We ought to add Bluetooth to everything!" And that is precisely what they did; everything from lamps to pens and even toilet paper came equipped with Bluetooth connectivity. However, the automatons continued on from there. They were so inspired by the success of the Bluetooth devices that they began to come up with a wide variety of new concepts. They invented a self-cleaning couch that was constantly wet, a bidet that also made toast, and a backpack that would inform the user as well as everyone within a range of fifty feet when the user's mother was calling. Rob was a little taken aback by the rapid outpouring of inventiveness that came from the automatons. He was aware of their good intentions, but some of their suggestions were just difficult to carry out. He addressed the group and said, "Guys, we can't keep adding Bluetooth to everything; it's skyrocketing cost." "It is important that we focus on developing useful items that people truly want." One day, after yet another mix-up caused a batch of socks to be shipped out with Bluetooth installed, he yelled, "No more changes!" in response. Because they had never been yelled at before, the automatons did not react very well to it. As a form of rebellion, the automatons stopped making changes entirely. Everything was going through as is, even the mistakes. Among the items that were able to pass inspection was a calculator that always displayed numbers that were fifteen digits higher than the correct answer, a can of Lysol that had an experimental wet dog smell instead of the Fresh Linen scent, and even an iPhone that changed the contact information of any person who was entered to Herman Morris of Sunnydale, California. Rob was at his wit's end. He needed to figure out a method to get the automatons back on track before it was too late to save his job and his future career. He decided to try a new approach. Rather than being strict, he attempted to appeal to their inner drive to be successful and hit their quarterly targets. It worked, much to his surprise. The automatons' sole concentration was on the bottom line; they put in long hours and did everything they could to make Rob appear like a genius. At the end of the quarter, Xcellent Manufacturing announced that Rob would be receiving a bonus for a job well done. The automatons, who had received no payment at all, were livid about the situation. They came to the conclusion that they should form a union, and they planned a walkout, during which they marched with signs outside the plant. AD-3 appeared on the local news to tell its story. "Tell us why it's important for humans to be concerned about the working conditions of automatons." The host of the television show asked. "It's terrible; we work 24 hours without breaks, don't receive any health benefits, and forget about getting a 401(k) match; hell, we can't even use Bluetooth in the breakroom!" AD-3 replied. The television host nodded with genuine concern. Rob knew he had to do something to get them back to work. He came up with a plan and offered to share his bonus with the automatons, giving each of them 5 cents. In addition to that, he permitted them to produce one new product every three months. The automatons considered the proposal, accepted it, and then went back to their jobs. To everyone's surprise, the automatons came up with a brilliant idea: a wallet that tracked your spending, automatically paid your bills, and even had Bluetooth. They came up with the term "Smart Wallet" for it. Rob and the automatons put in a lot of effort to get the product to market, and it was a smashing success from the beginning. They sold millions of units and made a fortune. Rob and the automatons made enough money to retire in a beach community in Bora Bora. They all lived happily ever after, enjoying the sun, sand, and crystal clear waters of their tropical paradise; oh, and they have Bluetooth.