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The Man Who Can Fix Your Roof Is Invisible to Your Search Engine

The rain has entered your ceiling. You need a roofer, not a sermon about innovation. Somewhere nearby, a skilled worker owns the tools and needs the job. Yet you may spend the afternoon asking cousins for a number, phoning someone who has moved away, and negotiating with a stranger whose only credential is that another stranger once used him. The problem is not a shortage of talent. It is a shortage of trustworthy connection. I have been thinking about this while considering how people find and book neighbourhood artisans. The phrase “Uber for artisans” sounds convenient. It is also dangerously incomplete. A leaking roof is not a ride across town. The work can fail after the worker has gone, and the customer may not know enough to judge the repair until the next rain. The artisan faces a different uncertainty. Will the customer pay? Is the address genuine? Who absorbs transport costs when the job turns out to be something else? A platform that merely places both parties on a map has...