Manna and Work Below The Algorithm

“Manna told employees what to do simply by talking to them. Employees each put on a headset when they punched in. Manna had a voice synthesizer, and with its synthesized voice Manna told everyone exactly what to do through their headsets. Constantly. Manna micro-managed minimum wage employees to create perfect performance.” – Marshall Brain, Manna, chapter 1

Mind your Mannas

Although October is spooky season, I cheated on my diet of horror novels a few times this month. On one of those cheat days, I read Manna and it has been haunting my mind more than any other ghost. The most frightening thing, to me, about Manna is how people are complicit in its takeover of labor. Humans are still an essential part of the process, but they give up their autonomy so that a computer can tell them to do high-complexity, low-value tasks like taking out trash, cleaning tables, or stocking shelves.

Although it was published in 2003, the experience of working under Manna sounds eerily similar to being an Uber driver in 2026:

• You register with the software on your phone
• A voice from the phone tells you when a job needs doing
• After accepting the job, you are given turn-by-turn directions to complete the task
• Fail to complete the task, or failure to complete it in a timely manner, you will lose your job

Above and below the algorithm

Driving for Uber, picking stock in an Amazon warehouse, and taking calls in a contact center can all be called working “below the algorithm”: there is software, somewhere, that micromanages your daily tasks to an absurd degree, while collecting immense amounts of data (which it will use to eventually replace you), and deviating from those instructions will get you fired. A project manager at Uber, a marketing analyst at Amazon, and a senior account manager at AT&T all work “above the algorithm:” they define the goals for their human and software workers to persue, and reap the benefits of their labor.

The executives and politicians made a ton of money and they were never going to be wearing headsets. Marshall Brain, Manna, chapter 2

First they came for the ~~communists~~ fast food workers And I did not speak out Because I ~~was not a communist~~ made money from their exploitation Pastor Martin Niemöller, First They Came

Plot twist: Manna doesn’t care about humans beyond their ability to complete tasks. It does not care if you are being paid $7/hour or $7 Million/year – it will break down your job into managable tasks, and find someone cheaper to do them instead. The line separating “above” and “below” the algorithm keeps shooting upwards until all of humanity is below it.

HMOs and hospitals, for example, were starting to put headsets on the doctors and surgeons. It helped lower malpractice problems by making sure that the surgeon followed every step in a surgical procedure. The hospitals could also hyper-specialize the surgeons. For example, one surgeon might do nothing but open the chest for heart surgery. Another would do the arterial grafts. Another would come in to inspect the work and close the patient back up. What this then meant, over time, was that the HMO could train technicians to do the opening and closing procedures at much lower cost. Eventually, every part of the subdivided surgery could be performed by a super-specialized technician. Manna kept every procedure on an exact track that virtually eliminated errors. Manna would schedule 5 or 10 routine surgeries at a time. Technicians would do everything, with one actual surgeon overseeing things and handling any emergencies. They all wore headsets, and Manna controlled every minute of their working lives. – Marshall Brain, Manna, chapter 2

ChatGPT is Manna

It is impossible to read Manna in 2026 and not think about the AI race. Billions of dollars are being poured into a handful of companies who promise to develop Manna-like systems that can bring incredible value to their shareholders at cost to everyone else.

Sci-Fi Author: In my book I invented the Torment Nexus as a cautionary tale

Tech Company: At long last, we have created the Torment Nexus from classic sci-fi novel Don’t Create The Torment Nexus Alex Blechman, tweet

Marshall Brain, the author, was wrong about where Manna started but is correct about its effects. I would argue that Manna has already played out its cycle in rideshare and self-driving cars:

1. Uber launches and millions of drivers begin doing gig work driving for them
2. The company uses the data from their apps to build algorithms that minimize drivers’ pay and maximize the companies’ profits
3. Uber partners with Waymo to develop self-driving cars using their drivers’ data
4. Self-driving cars are now available in 11 cities across the US and expanding rapidly

Just like Manna, Uber exploited its workforce, manipulated their pay, harvested data to train their replacements, and then threw out the workers when they were no longer needed. In Manna, unemployed people are ghettoized in public housing prision complexes. What will we do with the unemployed Uber drivers?

Manna is not anti-ai, it is anti-capitalism

While the first half of Manna focuses on the capitalist dystopia, the second half focuses on a post-scarcity utopia. In Australia, the citizens managed to change their system of governance and economy to remove the need for money altogether. They still use management software to automate production of goods and services, but because there is no money, there is no profit motive, and so these systems prioritize innovation, well-being, and common good.

The only way for the Australia Project to work is for everyone to abide by the core principles. They will go over these principles in detail in the orientation, but this is the high level. Within a week you will be able to recite these from memory. Do you agree with these principles?

I read down through the principles. Each one was very short:

1. Everyone is equal
2. Everything is reused
3. Nothing is anonymous
4. Nothing is owned
5. Tell the truth
6. Do no harm
7. Obey the rules
8. Live your life
9. Better and better Marshall Brain, Manna, chapter 5

The Australians manage to build incredible things because they changed their society and governance alongside their technology, while the Americans clung tightly to a capitalist system that marginalized most of their people. The technology didn’t change, it just magnified the best and worst parts of each system.

Dignity at work

Some characters in Manna see the degrading way that Manna treats its employees, though few try to do anything to stop it. They lack class solidarity, and lack means of chaning their environment.

“Yesterday the people controlled the computers. Now the computers control the people. You are the eyes and hands for this robot. And all so that Joe Garcia can make $20 million per year. Do you know what will happen if this spreads?” Marshall Brain, Manna, chapter 1

It begs a few questions:

• If laboring for a company is degrading, is it worth it to sell that company your labor?
• Is all labor degrading under capitalism?
• Is it more or less degrading to work under a computer manager instead of a human manager?

These are the questions that haunted me this month, and I don’t have easy answers for them.