Morning Brew Daily – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Seasonal Jobseekers in Trouble? & Waymo Will DoorDash Your Burrito
Date: October 17, 2025
Hosts: Neal Freyman & Toby Howell
Main Theme:
Today’s episode dives into America’s tightening seasonal job market, gig economy shifts (including Uber’s new “digital tasks”), and the rise of autonomous food delivery with Waymo and DoorDash, along with a rapid-fire tour through striking numbers and quirky headlines.

Key Topics & Insights

1. Seasonal Holiday Job Market Squeeze

• Toughest Christmas Hiring Since 2009:
  • Neal reports that demand for seasonal jobs is surging—searches up 27% YoY and 50% compared to 2023—but postings are up just 2.7%. Retail plans project fewer than 500,000 seasonal hires, the lowest in 16 years (03:24).
• Amazon Dominates Seasonal Hiring:
  • Half of all seasonal jobs (250,000) come from Amazon alone—a sign that the company has become the engine of the holiday hiring market (05:50).
  • Smaller retailers like Bath & Body Works and Michaels have slashed hiring targets, and major companies like Target, UPS, Macy’s, and Kohl’s haven’t even disclosed plans, which Toby notes could signal worse conditions than expected (06:27).
• Reflections on the Labor Market:
  • Toby connects the seasonal squeeze to the wider market: “This is indicative of the broader job market as well, the low-hire, low-fire environment… They just want to stick with the people that they got” (04:54).
  • Advice: If you want a holiday job, start now—competition will be fierce (04:40).

2. Gig Work Evolves: Uber’s ‘Digital Tasks’

• Digital Micro-Assignments for Gig Workers:
  • Uber will soon let drivers complete digital micro-tasks—like uploading menus or recording audio—for small payments during their downtime (07:38).
  • Neal clarifies: these tasks are done away from cars; Uber leverages its workforce for booming data-labeling contracts as AI models demand increasing amounts of training data (08:38).
  • “Maybe your first thought… are these drivers going to be fidgeting with their phones…? But no, Uber says that it will be away from their cars.” — Neal (08:38)
  • Quick earnings: $1 to upload a menu. Not life-changing, but extra cash (10:03).
• AI Underpinnings and PR Risks:
  • Toby probes: “Are drivers actually training their replacements right now?” Uber insists this data will not be used to develop driverless vehicles—an attempt to sidestep bad optics as automation looms (10:03).

3. Autonomous Food Delivery: Waymo x DoorDash

• Robot Delivery Rolls Out in Phoenix:
  • Waymo teams up with DoorDash to offer autonomous meal delivery; customers may need to walk to the car, retrieve food from the trunk, and consider tipping differently (11:28).
• Will Americans Accept Extra Effort?
  • Neal wonders if people will balk at fetching food from the curb, even though the aim is to eliminate drivers’ costs:
    “It will be interesting to see… whether consumers say, well, I’d rather do that than maybe add three or four dollars tip for a driver” (12:30).
• Behind the Tech:
  • Toby describes logistical changes (restaurant staff loading cars, not handing food to people), and notes Waymo’s oscillation between moving people and packages.
  • Last-mile delivery is trending driverless with sidewalk robotics and car delivery, raising questions about convenience versus cost (13:25).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Gambling, Politicians, and Tax Returns

• J.B. Pritzker’s $1.4M Blackjack Winnings:
  • Neal: “Pritzker… said the windfall came from a single trip to Vegas… His spokesperson said the money would be donated to charity” (01:04).
  • NYT’s pro gambler on filing IRS returns:
    “Oh my God, someone actually declared their gambling winnings” (01:42).

Uber’s Gig Experiment

• “Uber is essentially the seasonal job market at this point. It is a monoculture…” — Toby (06:27)
• “Uploading a menu yields you a single dollar. So again, it’s not life-changing money.” — Toby (10:03)
• On replacement anxiety: “Uber said that… the data obtained from Driver Task will not be used to develop driverless vehicles. So that’s just a little bit of a PR landmine they’re trying to skirt…” — Toby (10:03)

Autonomous Delivery: Will People Fetch Their Burritos?

• “This is going to be a key test of Americans’ laziness… Are American consumers going to balk?” — Neal (12:30)

Segment Timestamps

• Pritzker Gambling Story – 01:04
• Seasonal Job Squeeze – 03:18
• Amazon’s Seasonal Dominance – 05:50
• Uber’s ‘Digital Tasks’ – 07:38
• Waymo & Driverless Deliveries – 11:28
• Last-Mile & Restaurant Logistics – 13:25
• Transition to Neil’s Numbers – 16:20

“Neil’s Numbers” – Fast Facts (16:20–24:58)

1. U.S. Passport Power Declines

• U.S. passport drops out of global top 10 for first time in 20 years—now #12, as visa-free access erodes due to lack of reciprocity (16:20).
  • “The steep decline… is a sign of its waning superpower status… Nations that embrace openness and cooperation are surging ahead…” — Christian Kahlen (17:59)
  • Americans increasingly seek dual citizenship for greater mobility (18:10).
• Leaderboard: Singapore (193 visa-free destinations), South Korea (190), Japan (189).

2. London Phone Thefts Soar

• London notched 80,000 stolen phones last year (+25%).
  • “This is no Oliver Twist level pickpocketing, but a sprawling global crime network.” — Neal (19:06)
  • E-bikes have become the “perfect getaway vehicle” (20:50).
  • Aluminum foil wraps block tracking when smuggling phones to China.

3. American Confidence in Practical Skills

• Pew: 95% say they can “definitely or probably” remove a stain; 76% know which household chemicals to avoid mixing.
• Only 29% say they can fix a car engine.
• Generational gaps appear in calculating a tip—older adults more confident (23:46).
  • “Just move the decimal…and double it. You got this.” — Toby (24:48)

Rapid-Fire Headlines & Quirky News

• Regional Banks in the Hot Seat:

  • Two U.S. banks suffer major losses over alleged frauds; investors watch for signs of a new contagion (25:08).

• TiVo Era Ends:

  • The TV-recording icon ceases device sales, signaling the end of an age. “TiVoing” became a verb for a reason (26:59).

• Chicago’s ‘Rat Hole’ Actually a Squirrel Hole:

  • Viral sidewalk imprint thought to be from a rat turns out to be made by a squirrel according to scientific analysis (29:49).
  • “I don’t think anyone cares. They’re not going to start calling it the squirrel hole.” — Toby (30:37)

Tone & Style

Conversational, witty, and focused on sharp economic and technological trends, Neal and Toby blend humor with actionable insights ("If you want a holiday retail position… start your search now" – 04:40) and occasional friendly ribbing (“Uploading a menu yields you a single dollar. So again, it’s not life-changing money.” –10:03).

In Summary

Today’s Morning Brew Daily unpacks America’s chilling seasonal job forecast, Uber’s pivot into AI data hands, and Waymo’s robot-delivered burrito future. From playful pokes at passport power and urban thieves, it’s a lively, timely roadmap for the shifting labor and tech landscape—plus a dash of nostalgia and sidewalk rodent for flavor.