Look at that chart. I don&#x27;t think that general productivity swings that widely.<p>The other thing to consider is that productivity tools like automation and outsourcing can bite back. When you lose your competency in &quot;non-core&quot; activity, you&#x27;re now beholden to a vendor, whose incentives are often not aligned with the business.<p>Also, we have lots of middlemen skimming profits for services of questionable value. My underwear was made in North Carolina in 1990, now it&#x27;s made in Bangladesh or China, but costs more. That money is going somewhere!