04 – Optimised & The Banker

Hello! After a short break we’re back with another couple of short stories to keep you entertained. This episode features a story set in the not-to-distant future where robots are taking all the work away from humans, and another story about an unlikely CEO of an investment bank. Enjoy!

Optimised

When robots take over all the human work we have to find new ways to find meaning in our lives. That’s the basic issue at the centre of this story where our hero is “optimised” out of the workforce and has to make sense of the new world he lives in. It may sound far-fetched at first but there’s increasing chatter about the potential for technology to make a lot of jobs obsolete in the next fifty years.

This is the story of the humans left behind when the robots take over. It asks the question, “Can compassion be outsourced to robots?” Listen to the story to find out the answer.

The Banker

Inadvertently inspired by Trading Places and The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perin, this story covers the unlikely success of a CEO for an investment bank that was plucked out of the unemployment line. Despite being set up to fail, he finds a way to succeed in a world completely hostile to him, with the help of his charming personality and a nasty incident involving a stapler.

Music credits

Thanks to Nikolai Heidlas for the background music, called Pacific Sun. You can find more of his work on Soundcloud.

Want to contribute?

I hope to feature a wide range of authors on the podcast in the future. If you’re interested in reading out a short story on a future episode then please visit the contribute page of the website to find out more.