An employee at a Japanese financial services company was given a labor-intensive task — modify an enormous spreadsheet of data manually, using a mind-numbing repetitive process. It would have taken days.
He chose instead to combine some AI and automation tools — available in the company for anyone to use — and completed the task in an hour.
Was he praised for his innovative ingenuity and initiative?
Far from it.
His colleagues were angered that he demonstrated how their jobs could possibly be replaced — or how he made it more difficult to justify overtime pay, which many rely on to supplement their income. His managers were annoyed that he did not seek permission before using a more efficient method. He was sternly reprimanded. He was so universally pilloried that he began to question his own mental stability and his perception of the world, because he could not understand what he did wrong. He sought the help of a mental health professional. The professional assured him he is not crazy.
So what the hell is going on?
Japanese 
English