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I'm Adam Clark, Sist, Deputy Editor of Recode. You're listening to Recode Daily. This week, I'll be

choosing some of my favorite episodes from the past

year, and there are episodes that I think exemplify what we do here at Recode. We try to expose both the

promise and peril of technology. Technology companies can do great things for us, and technology itself

makes our lives a lot easier, but sometimes that comes

with consequences that aren't always apparent. And with big tech companies becoming even bigger,

it's important to think about their role in society moving forward. So first up is an interview

that recodes Peter Kafka did with an Instacart delivery driver. This one stands out because I feel like you don't always hear about the other side of delivery business. And delivery drivers have a tough job. And the companies that they work for don't always treat them well. And I think we hear about that in pretty stark fashion straight from the source.

When the pandemic hit last year, Americans had to start thinking carefully about how to safely go about day-to-day tasks and errands like grocery shopping.

Fears about crowded supermarkets meant an opportunity for an app like Instacart, which recruits

gig economy workers to shop for other people's groceries with the promise that workers can earn up to $25 an hour.

The pandemic pushed Instacart to prioritize customers and their safety, but some of Instacart's workers feel neglected.

I'm Peter Kafka. Today I'm joined by Ehud Sofer, who works for Instacart as a shopper and deliverer,

and he's here to tell us more. Welcome, Ahood. Thanks for having me. Ehud, you recently wrote a story

for Vox about your experience working for Instacart as a shopper and delivery person. And in that

piece, you argue that Instacart's system for rating customer experience puts workers like you

in a tough spot. Could you explain the basics of Instacart and for rating customer experience puts workers like you in a tough spot.

Could you explain the basics of Instacart and how it works and for folks who haven't used the app and what it's like for you to work for Instagram?

Sure.

So it's a third-party grocery shopping app.

...