On February 26, 1928, the New York Times ran a headline: "March of the Machine Makes Idle Hands." The subhead: "Prevalence of Unemployment with Greatly Increased Industrial Output Points to the Influence of Labor-Saving Devices as an Underlying Cause." This was still two years before John Maynard Keynes would coin the term "technological unemployment" -- but over a century after people had begun to fear the concept.

I hadn't had that kind of feeling in 20 years. It was back in grad school. I had a professor who taught a class on entrepreneurship. As he regaled us with the story of building his company, he mentioned missing the births of his children and much of their early lives. He wore that like a badge of honor, not a lick of remorse or regrets, despite having many years to reflect on it. It was awkward. I'd never seen a presenter so misaligned with an audience, until recently.