economy: How do you provide dignified, well-paying jobs to people in an era where technology is steadily replacing human work and climate change is raising questions about the upper limits of consumption?
Matthew Moore, a farmer and artist in Phoenix who had been running a fabrication firm, lost six months of booked business. He had to lay off four employees. With the eight remaining under the brand Mateo Goods, he designed and is manufacturing a sit-stand desk in Phoenix, Ariz., with $160,000 of orders so far on Indiegogo and from other sources.
Moore is just heading out to try and raise impact capital for the company, which donates 5% of its profits to a nonprofit, Creative Capital.In the early 2000s, urbanist Richard Florida launched the idea of a creative class of worker, arguing that cities should try to attract a well-educated workforce capable of bringing a lot of creativity to jobs, which often called for it. The creative class, from graphic designers to hairstylists, comprise 40 million American workers, he argues.