The algorithm is the boss, and the workers are revolting. 🤖✊ We investigate "Algorithmic Resistance," the sophisticated and desperate tactics used by gig workers and creators to fight back against the platforms that control their livelihood. We break down why hanging a phone in a tree isn't "cheating"—it's survival.

1. The Phone in the Tree: We expose the wild reality of Amazon Flex drivers. To beat the algorithm's latency by milliseconds, drivers are hanging smartphones in trees outside Whole Foods warehouses, syncing them to their own devices to grab delivery blocks before anyone else . We analyze this as a modern "Weapon of the Weak," proving that even the most advanced AI can be outsmarted by physical ingenuity.

2. The "Surge Club": Is it a strike or a hack? We discuss how Uber and Lyft drivers are coordinating mass "log-offs" at airports to trick the algorithm into thinking there is a driver shortage, artificially triggering Surge Pricing before logging back in en masse . We explain why this isn't just gaming the system; it's an "algorithmic trade union" forming in real-time.

3. The "Algospeak" Language: We explore the new dialect of the internet. From saying "Unalive" instead of "Dead" to "Mascs" instead of "Masks," creators are inventing a new language to evade automated censorship and demonetization . We discuss how this constant cat-and-mouse game forces humans to distort their own speech just to be visible to the machine.

The full list of sources used to create this episode can be found on our Patreon under ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/c/Morgrain