Bewildering? Quality is dropping so profit margins can increase.

This is exactly how post-capitalism was predicted to go. As consolidation eliminates competition, there’s no reason to maintain quality. If it’s crap or nothing, people have to buy the crap.

There’s nothing bewildering about this.

It’s a logical step in the chain after having fully imbibed neoclassical economics and its bullshit.

the author seems to defend the AI-ification of customer service, lol

Bewildering. No one who runs anything knows anything. Anyone who knows anything is doing not leading.