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minutes ago someone called and asked me that same question and I told them and they
said； 'Good； I thought you were going to tell me you were in New Delhi。'〃
〃Where do you live？〃 I asked。
〃Salt Lake City； Utah；〃 said Dolly。 〃We have a two…story home； and I love working
here； especially in the winter when the snow is swirling and I am up here in the office
at home。〃
〃How do you get such a job？〃 I asked。
〃You know； they don't advertise；〃 said Dolly in the sweetest possible voice。 〃It's
all by word of mouth。 I worked for the state government and I retired； and ＇after
a little while＇ I thought I have to do something else and I just love it。〃
David Neeleman； the founder and CEO of JetBlue Airways Corp。； has a name for all this。
He calls it 〃homesourcing。〃 JetBlue now has four hundred reservation agents； like
Dolly； working at home in the Salt Lake City area； taking reservations…in between
babysitting； exercising； writing novels； and cooking dinner。
A few months later I visited Neeleman at JetBlue's headquarters in New York； and he
explained to me the virtues of homesourcing； which he actually started at Morris Air；
his first venture in the airline business。 （It was bought by Southwest。） 〃We had 250
people in their homes doing reservations at Morris Air；〃 said Neeleman。 〃They were
30 percent more productive…they take 30 percent more bookings； by just being happier。
They were more loyal and there was less attrition。 So when I started JetBlue； I said；
'We are going to have 100 percent reservation at home。'〃
Neeleman has a personal reason for wanting to do this。 He is a Mormon and believes
that society will be better off if more mothers are able to stay at home with their
young children but are given a chance to be wage earners at the same time。 So he based
his home reservations system in Salt Lake City； where the vast majority of the women
are Mormons and many are stay…at…home mothers。 Home reservationists work twenty…five
hours a week and have to come into the JetBlue regional office in Salt Lake City for
four hours a month to learn new skills and be brought up to date on what is going
on inside the company。
38
〃We will never outsource to India/' said Neeleman。 〃The quality we can get here is
far superior 。 。 。 ＇Employers＇ are more willing to outsource to India than to their
own homes； and I can't understand that。 Somehow they think that people need to be
sitting in front of them or some boss they have designated。 The productivity we get
here more than makes up for the India ＇wage＇ factor。〃
A Los Angeles Times story about JetBlue （May 9； 2004） noted that 〃in 1997； 11。6 million
employees of U。S。 companies worked from home at least part of the time。 Today； that
number has soared to 23。5 million…16％ of the American labor force。 （Meanwhile； the
ranks of the self…employed； who often work from home； have swelled during the same
period…to 23。4 million from 18 million。） In some eyes； homesourcing and outsourcing
aren't so much competing strategies as they are different manifestations of the same
thing： a relentless push by corporate America to lower costs and increase efficiency；
wherever that may lead。〃
That is exactly what I was learning on my own travels： Homesourcing to Salt Lake City
and outsourcing to Bangalore were just flip sides of the same coin…sourcing。 And the
new； new thing； I was also learning； is the degree to which it is now possible for
companies and individuals to source work anywhere。
I just kept moving。 In the fall of 2004；1 accompanied the chairman of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff； General Richard Myers； on a tour of hot spots in Iraq。 We visited Baghdad；
the U。S。 military headquarters in Fallujah； and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit
encampment outside Babil； in the heart of Iraq's so…called Sunni Triangle。 The
makeshift 24th MEU base is a sort of Fort Apache； in the middle of a pretty hostile
Iraqi Sunni Muslim population。 While General Myers was meeting with officers and
enlisted men there； I was free to walk around the base； and eventually I wandered
into the command center； where my eye was immediately caught by a large flat…screen
TV。 On the screen was a live TV feed that looked to be coming from some kind of overhead
camera。 It showed some people moving around behind a house。 Also on the screen； along
the right side； was an active instant…messaging chat room； which seemed to be
discussing the scene on the TV。
〃What is that？〃 I asked the soldier who was carefully monitoring all the images from
a laptop。 He explained that a U。S。 Predator drone…a small pilotless aircraft with
a high…power television camera…was flying over an Iraqi village； in the 24th MEU's
area of operation； and feeding real…time intelligence images back to his laptop and
this flat screen。 This drone was actually being 〃flown〃 and manipulated by an expert
who was sitting back at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas； Nevada。 That's right；
the drone over Iraq was actually being remotely directed from Las Vegas。 Meanwhile；
the video images it was beaming back were being watched simultaneously by the 24th
MEU； United States Central Command headquarters in Tampa； CentCom regional
headquarters in Qatar； in the Pentagon； and probably also at the CIA。 The different
analysts around the world were conducting an online chat about how to interpret what
was going on and what to do about it。 It was their conversation that was scrolling
down the right side of the screen。
Before I could even express my amazement； another officer traveling with us took me
aback by saying that this technology had 〃flattened〃 the military hierarchy…by giving
so much information to the low…level officer； or even enlisted man； who was operating
the computer； and empowering him to make decisions about the information he was
gathering。 While I'm sure that no first lieutenant is going to be allowed to start
a firefight without consulting superiors； the days when only senior officers had the
big picture are over。 The military playing field is being leveled。
I told this story to my friend Nick Burns； the U。S。 ambassador to NATO and a loyal
member of the Red Sox Nation。 Nick told me he was at CentCom headquarters in Qatar
in April 2004； being briefed by General John Abizaid and his staff。 Abizaid's team
was seated across the table from Nick with four flat…screen TVs behind them。 The first
three had overhead images being relayed in real time from different sectors of Iraq
by Predator drones。 The last one； which Nick was focused on； was showing a Yankees…Red
Sox game。
40
On one screen it was Pedro Martinez versus Derek Jeter； and on the other three it
was Jihadists versus the First Cavalry。
Flatburgers and Fries
I kept moving…all the way back to my home in Bethesda； Maryland。 By the time I settled
back into my house from this journey to the edges of the earth； my head was spinning。
But no sooner was I home than more signs of the flattening came knocking at my door。
Some came in the form of headlines that would unnerve any parent concerned about where
his college…age children are going to fit in。 For instan