# 605. What Do People Do All Day?  ## Episode metadata - Episode title: 605. What Do People Do All Day? - Show: Freakonomics Radio - Owner / Host: Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher - Guests: [James Suzman](https://share.snipd.com/person/e482007b-0a1e-4aa5-b25e-570612f2afcc), [David Autor](https://share.snipd.com/person/f3873cb4-421c-4bb7-8487-d899160a4671) - Episode publish date: 2024-10-03 - Episode AI description: David Autor, an MIT economics professor, and James Suzman, an anthropologist and author, explore the transformation of work in modern society. They discuss how 60% of today's jobs didn't exist in 1940, emphasizing the impact of automation and AI on traditional roles. Suzman shares insights from hunter-gatherer societies, contrasting their egalitarian practices with today's challenges in job satisfaction and stability. Together, they envision the future of work, considering how technology will shape employment and the nature of labor itself. - Mentioned books: [Working](https://share.snipd.com/book/ec2e21d4-4d36-4a13-8b63-73c1ed8b04ba) by [Studs Terkel](https://share.snipd.com/person/c981e3bd-694f-4689-992c-969c9a829325), [What Do People Do All Day?](https://share.snipd.com/book/64d670d9-48eb-4fb5-9391-be8ebbaa511d) by [Richard Scarry](https://share.snipd.com/person/4cbcf18f-13be-4bd9-ba69-b183e7128870), [Work](https://share.snipd.com/book/11222f00-c2ad-4551-8692-10ae3442639b) by [James Suzman](https://share.snipd.com/person/e482007b-0a1e-4aa5-b25e-570612f2afcc), [New Frontiers: The Origins and Content of New Work, 1940–2018](https://share.snipd.com/book/2aedc8dc-c1d6-43d4-b28d-4ea23cdf62be) by [Bryan Seegmiller](https://share.snipd.com/person/9811a490-c0be-4c1a-8110-ab18e89444ec), [Caroline Chin](https://share.snipd.com/person/561d4523-ebfa-4dfc-9959-b43e83f6402d), [Anna Salomons](https://share.snipd.com/person/45548c71-2f12-4629-94ce-a0eaa32a74a4), [David Autor](https://share.snipd.com/person/f3873cb4-421c-4bb7-8487-d899160a4671) - Duration: 01:00:48 - Episode URL: [Open in Snipd](https://share.snipd.com/episode/dd6b1dd3-b192-436f-b7ab-d5d1e8e571dd) - Show URL: [Open in Snipd](https://share.snipd.com/show/77af7fd9-dd24-4eb7-baf2-0910959d19bb) - Export date: 2026-05-08T10:38:03 ## Snips ### [2min snip](https://share.snipd.com/snip/564e1ad2-57fa-4599-9ee2-25a49b9b80c5) 🎧 23:14 - 24:34 (01:20) <iframe src="https://share.snipd.com/embed/obsidian-player/snip/45fafbbb-7c58-4641-a94e-a61b9e896c11" width="100%" height="100" style="border: none; border-radius: 12px;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-popups allow-clipboard-write" ></iframe> --- Created with [Snipd](https://www.snipd.com) | Highlight & Take Notes from Podcasts