The lead official's time was incredibly tight, so after a quick inspection and a few brief reports from Jeff and the other executives, he made his exit, flanked by a massive security detail and a satisfied expression.
After fielding a few generic questions from the press, Jeff also departed in his motorcade. Once the big players were gone, the rest of the invited guests began to filter out as well.
Nick found the whole ordeal pretty tedious. Throughout the entire ceremony, he felt like little more than a piece of corporate furniture—a human prop used to fill out the stage. He couldn't help but wonder what the point of his being there even was if he was just going to be sidelined.
If he had known it was going to be this much of a hollow formality, he would have made an excuse to stay at the office.
Then again, as he watched the other guests—most of whom didn't even get to touch the golden scissors and were just there to be seen—he realized his role had at least some weight. They had traveled from all over just for a glimpse of the action; compared to them, his seat at the table was a privilege.
Just as he was getting ready to make a quiet exit, a pack of reporters suddenly swarmed him. Ryan Orston, Calloway, and Alex—who had been keeping a close eye on him from the sidelines—immediately jumped into action, forming a protective barrier around him.
"Mr. Harryson, do you have a moment for a few questions?"
"Nick, what's your take on the impact of the automated warehouse system?"
"How are the talks with Apple going? We've heard rumors of a signed deal."
Facing the sudden barrage of microphones, Nick was momentarily stunned, but he quickly regained his footing. He knew that if he didn't give them at least a few soundbites, they'd follow him all the way to the parking lot.
He caught Calloway's eye and gave a small nod. She immediately stepped forward, raising her hands to quiet the crowd. "Everyone, please, let's keep it professional. We'll do a brief Q&A over here so we don't block the exit."
The media mob shuffled Nick toward an open area of the warehouse floor. As they moved, other attendees scrambled out of the way of the stampede.
Once he was in position, a female reporter pushed her mic to the front. "Mr. Harryson, seeing you here today, does this mean your company is a primary stakeholder in the $100 billion 'Super Logistics' project Mr. Bezos mentioned?"
Nick shook his head. "We are strictly a technical partner. We provided the backbone, but the grand strategic plan is entirely his vision."
"Then how do you view that vision?" she followed up.
Nick smiled. "It's ambitious. If it's fully realized, it will likely redefine the entire domestic logistics market."
"But a project this size will inevitably lead to massive layoffs for warehouse and delivery personnel," a male reporter cut in, his tone a bit sharper. "How do you justify that?"
Nick didn't hesitate. He'd seen this question coming from a mile away. "The progress of technology is a force of nature that pushes society forward. It's a process that never truly stops."
"The ultimate goal of tech and industry is to liberate people from backbreaking, repetitive labor," he continued. "It's about releasing human potential and serving society more efficiently. It's because of these kinds of breakthroughs that our standard of living is what it is today. You can't halt that momentum; it was true a hundred years ago, and it'll be true a hundred years from now."
"Look at it this way: if we don't take this step, someone else will. Another company or another country will beat us to it. If that happens, we don't just lose the lead on intellectual property—we end up paying a premium to license their tech just to keep up. By developing our own automated systems now, we're seizing the initiative."
"We've traditionally been a country with a massive labor force, but as our population ages, we're going to feel the squeeze of labor shortages. You've already seen the headlines about factories in the South struggling to find workers earlier this year."
"As labor costs rise and the workforce shrinks, companies will start moving offshore to find cheaper talent. For us, that isn't just a loss of tax revenue—it's a loss of our productive base. To stop that, we have to upgrade. We have to lean into smart manufacturing and reduce our reliance on manual labor."
"The logistics industry is the front line of this shift. We've all seen shipping prices climb over the last two years, largely because human labor is becoming more expensive and harder to find. Logistics companies are the most sensitive to these shifts, and what we're doing is giving them the tools to survive and grow."
By the time he finished, his throat felt like sandpaper. He hadn't intended to give a lecture, but facing such a high-profile, sensitive topic, he had to use the "corporate pivot" to move the conversation away from the negative. It was a trick he'd picked up from watching countless hours of PR training and executive interviews.
"But what about the workers who lose their jobs right now?" another reporter pressed. Nick's expression darkened slightly. This guy wasn't letting it go.
Under the glare of the cameras, he kept his voice steady. "The transition won't happen overnight. It's a gradual rollout, which gives the workforce time to adapt. I have two main suggestions: first, we need to encourage a shift into service sectors where a human touch is still indispensable. Second, there needs to be a push for upskilling so workers can handle the higher-level maintenance and oversight roles that these new systems require."
In truth, he was just echoing the company line that Bezos had already put out there, just through a technical lens.
He knew those suggestions were largely an "official stance" meant to soften the blow. Most of the people working these manual jobs didn't have the educational background to suddenly become high-tech systems analysts. A fully automated warehouse simply doesn't have a place for them.
The truth was harsh, and for many, it was unacceptable. But to avoid starting a riot, nobody was willing to say the quiet part out loud.