I'm a developer for a major food delivery app. The 'Priority Fee' and 'Driver Benefit Fee' go 100% to the company. The driver sees $0 of it. : confession Kuk快充网络
Kuk快充网络
I'm posting this from a library Wi-Fi on a burner laptop because I am technically under a massive NDA. I don't care anymore. I put in my two weeks yesterday and honestly, I hope they sue me. I've been sitting on this for about eight months, just watching the code getting pushed to production, and I can't sleep at night knowing I helped build this machine.Kuk快充网络
Kuk快充网络
You guys always suspect the algorithms are rigged against you, but the reality is actually so much more depressing than the conspiracy theories. I'm a backend engineer. I sit in the weekly sprint planning meetings where Product Managers (PMs) discuss how to squeeze another 0.4% margin out of "human assets" (that's literally what they call drivers in the database schemas). They talk about these people like they are resource nodes in a video game, not fathers and mothers trying to pay rent.Kuk快充网络
Kuk快充网络
First off, the "Priority Delivery" is a total scam. It was pitched to us as a "psychological value add." Like I said in the title, when you pay that extra $2.99, it changes a boolean flag in the order JSON, but the dispatch logic literally ignores it. It does nothing to speed you up.Kuk快充网络
We actually ran an A/B test last year where we didn't speed up the priority orders, we just purposefully delayed non-priority orders by 5 to 10 minutes to make the Priority ones "feel" faster by comparison. Management loved the results. We generated millions in pure profit just by making the standard service worse, not by making the premium service better.Kuk快充网络
Kuk快充网络
But the thing that actually makes me sick—and the main reason I'm quitting—is the "Desperation Score." We have a hidden metric for drivers that tracks how desperate they are for cash based on their acceptance behavior.Kuk快充网络
Kuk快充网络
If a driver usually logs on at 10 PM and accepts every garbage $3 order instantly without hesitation, the algo tags them as "High Desperation." Once they are tagged, the system then deliberately stops showing them high-paying orders. The logic is: "Why pay this guy $15 for a run when we know he's desperate enough to do it for $6?" We save the good tips for the "casual" drivers to hook them in and gamify their experience, while the full-timers get grinded into dust.Kuk快充网络
Kuk快充网络
Then there is the "Benefit Fee." You've probably seen that $1.50 "Regulatory Response Fee" or "Driver Benefits Fee" that appeared on your bill after the recent labor laws passed. The wording is designed to make you feel like you're helping the worker.Kuk快充网络
In reality, that money goes straight to a corporate slush fund used to lobby against driver unions. We have a specific internal cost center for "Policy Defense," and that fee feeds directly into it. You are literally paying for the high-end lawyers that are fighting to keep your delivery guy homeless.Kuk快充网络
Kuk快充网络
And regarding tips, we're essentially doing Tip Theft 2.0. We don't "steal" them legally anymore because we got sued for that. Instead, we use predictive modeling to dynamically lower the base pay.Kuk快充网络
Kuk快充网络
If the algo predicts you are a "high tipper" and you'll likely drop $10, it offers the driver a measly $2 base pay. If you tip $0, it offers them $8 base pay just to get the food moved. The result is that your generosity isn't rewarding the driver; it's subsidizing us. You're paying their wage so we don't have to.Kuk快充网络
Kuk快充网络
I'm drunk and I'm angry. Ask me anything before this gets taken downKuk快充网络
Kuk快充网络
Why pay this guy $15 for a run when we know he's desperate enough to do it for $6?desperate拼命的Kuk快充网络
既然我们知道这家伙为了6美元就愿意做这件事，为什么还要花15美元请他跑一趟呢Kuk快充网络
I'm a developer for a major food delivery app. The 'Priority Fee' and 'Driver Benefit Fee' go 100% to the company. The driver sees $0 of it. : confession Kuk快充网络
我是一家大型外卖应用的开发者。“优先费”和“司机福利费”100%归公司所有。司机一分钱都看不到。: 坦白Kuk快充网络
I'm posting this from a library Wi-Fi on a burner laptop because I am technically under a massive NDA. I don't care anymore. I put in my two weeks yesterday and honestly, I hope they sue me. I've been sitting on this for about eight months, just watching the code getting pushed to production, and I can't sleep at night knowing I helped build this machine.Kuk快充网络
我之所以用临时笔记本通过图书馆的Wi-Fi发布这条信息，是因为我目前严格遵守保密协议。我不在乎了。昨天是我入职两周的纪念日，说实话，我希望他们能起诉我。我坐视不理这件事已经八个月了，眼睁睁看着代码被推到生产环境，知道我参与了这台机器的构建，我晚上都睡不着觉。Kuk快充网络
You guys always suspect the algorithms are rigged against you, but the reality is actually so much more depressing than the conspiracy theories. I'm a backend engineer. I sit in the weekly sprint planning meetings where Product Managers (PMs) discuss how to squeeze another 0.4% margin out of "human assets" (that's literally what they call drivers in the database schemas). They talk about these people like they are resource nodes in a video game, not fathers and mothers trying to pay rent.Kuk快充网络
你们总是怀疑算法对你们不利，但现实实际上比阴谋论更令人沮丧。我是一名后端工程师。我参加每周的冲刺计划会议，产品经理（PM）们在会上讨论如何从“人力资产”（这是他们在数据库模式中对司机的称呼）中再挤出0.4%的利润。他们谈论这些人时，就像是在谈论电子游戏中的资源节点，而不是努力支付房租的父亲和母亲。Kuk快充网络
First off, the "Priority Delivery" is a total scam. It was pitched to us as a "psychological value add." Like I said in the title, when you pay that extra $2.99, it changes a boolean flag in the order JSON, but the dispatch logic literally ignores it. It does nothing to speed you up.Kuk快充网络
首先，“优先配送”根本就是个骗局。它被宣传为一种“心理增值服务”。正如我在标题中所说，当你额外支付2.99美元时，它会在订单JSON中更改一个布尔标志，但配送逻辑实际上会忽略它。它并不能让你更快收到货物。Kuk快充网络
We actually ran an A/B test last year where we didn't speed up the priority orders, we just purposefully delayed non-priority orders by 5 to 10 minutes to make the Priority ones "feel" faster by comparison. Management loved the results. We generated millions in pure profit just by making the standard service worse, not by making the premium service better.Kuk快充网络
去年我们实际上进行了一项A/B测试，在此测试中，我们没有加快优先订单的处理速度，而是故意将非优先订单延迟5到10分钟，以使优先订单“感觉”更快。管理层对结果非常满意。我们仅仅是通过降低标准服务的水平，而不是通过提高优质服务的水平，就创造了数百万的纯利润。Kuk快充网络
But the thing that actually makes me sick—and the main reason I'm quitting—is the "Desperation Score." We have a hidden metric for drivers that tracks how desperate they are for cash based on their acceptance behavior.Kuk快充网络
但真正让我感到恶心——也是我辞职的主要原因——是“绝望指数”。我们为司机设定了一个隐藏指标，根据他们的接单行为来追踪他们对现金的渴望程度。Kuk快充网络
If a driver usually logs on at 10 PM and accepts every garbage $3 order instantly without hesitation, the algo tags them as "High Desperation." Once they are tagged, the system then deliberately stops showing them high-paying orders. The logic is: "Why pay this guy $15 for a run when we know he's desperate enough to do it for $6?" We save the good tips for the "casual" drivers to hook them in and gamify their experience, while the full-timers get grinded into dust.Kuk快充网络
如果一个司机通常在晚上10点登录，并且毫不犹豫地立即接受每一笔3美元的垃圾订单，算法就会将他们标记为“极度渴望”。一旦他们被标记，系统就会故意停止向他们展示高薪订单。逻辑是：“既然我们知道他为了6美元就愿意跑一趟，为什么还要花15美元请他跑一趟呢？”我们把好订单留给那些“随意的”司机，以吸引他们，并使他们的体验游戏化，而全职司机则被压榨得体无完肤。Kuk快充网络
Then there is the "Benefit Fee." You've probably seen that $1.50 "Regulatory Response Fee" or "Driver Benefits Fee" that appeared on your bill after the recent labor laws passed. The wording is designed to make you feel like you're helping the worker.Kuk快充网络
In reality, that money goes straight to a corporate slush fund used to lobby against driver unions. We have a specific internal cost center for "Policy Defense," and that fee feeds directly into it. You are literally paying for the high-end lawyers that are fighting to keep your delivery guy homeless.Kuk快充网络
然后是“福利费”。你或许已经注意到，在最近的劳动法通过后，你的账单上出现了1.5美元的“监管响应费”或“驾驶员福利费”。这种措辞旨在让你觉得自己在帮助工人。Kuk快充网络
事实上，这笔钱会直接流入一家企业用于游说反对司机工会的贿赂基金。我们内部有一个专门的“政策辩护”成本中心，这笔费用会直接流入其中。你实际上是在为那些竭力让你的送货员无家可归的高端律师买单。Kuk快充网络
And regarding tips, we're essentially doing Tip Theft 2.0. We don't "steal" them legally anymore because we got sued for that. Instead, we use predictive modeling to dynamically lower the base pay.Kuk快充网络
至于小费，我们基本上是在实施“小费盗窃2.0”策略。我们不再合法地“偷”小费了，因为我们曾因此被起诉。相反，我们使用预测建模来动态降低基本工资。Kuk快充网络
If the algo predicts you are a "high tipper" and you'll likely drop $10, it offers the driver a measly $2 base pay. If you tip $0, it offers them $8 base pay just to get the food moved. The result is that your generosity isn't rewarding the driver; it's subsidizing us. You're paying their wage so we don't have to.Kuk快充网络
如果算法预测你是个“高小费者”，并且你可能会给10美元的小费，那么它会向司机提供微薄的2美元基本工资。如果你一分钱小费都不给，它就会向司机提供8美元的基本工资，只是为了让他们把食物送过来。结果是，你的慷慨并没有奖励司机；而是在补贴我们。你在支付他们的工资，这样我们就不必支付了。Kuk快充网络
I'm drunk and I'm angry. Ask me anything before this gets taken downKuk快充网络
我喝醉了，也很生气。趁这个还没被撤下，问我任何问题吧Kuk快充网络
Kuk快充网络 |
