IT'S NOT YOU, IT'S THE ALGORITHM

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🖋️ Story of the Week

THE ALGORITHM IS NEVER WRONG

It was only 8:30 in the morning and Adolfo was already on his second coffee. Lately, he’d been sleeping poorly. Maybe it was those damn screens: the phone, the tablet when his wife put something on TV that didn't interest him. Or maybe he was just getting old.

He had spent twenty-five years in that job. He had survived restructures, mergers, and branch changes. Even an attempted robbery where he nearly wet himself when the guy pointed a gun at him.

He hadn't been a brave man, but he was a reliable one.

Perhaps that’s why the algorithm had declared him expendable.

After cross-referencing data from every worker, the application's report had slapped him with a clean, clinical label: “Non-profitable in the future.”

The message arrived devoid of emotion, as if drafted by an artificial intelligence. It was the only email in his inbox that morning. His colleagues—all of them younger—looked at him with pity. Adolfo curled his lip in an ironic smirk. They were so arrogant they didn't think they could be next, as soon as they ceased to be profitable.

He walked to the human resources office with a dull, steady pace. He was met with tense faces, forced smiles, and empty clichés, delivered in the same tone someone uses to announce the weather or sports results.

He returned to his desk without a word. Resigned. It didn't entirely surprise him; he had seen it before.

He gathered his few belongings and put them in a medium-sized transparent plastic bin, the kind used for storing clothes, undoubtedly bought at some discount shop. He walked out the door without saying goodbye and without looking back.

Back home, he picked up his tablet and scanned the news. One headline brought a sarcastic smile to his face.

His bank—the same one that had just fired him—had granted credit to a client with debts, penalties, and open lawsuits. The algorithm considered him risky, but profitable.

The algorithm is never wrong.
It just decides who is worth saving.

✒️ Writing Tip

Injustice works best when it is mundane.

This story works because it doesn't need grand speeches or futuristic settings. Everything is recognizable: the coffee, the office, the cold email, the cheap plastic bin to carry away an entire life.

When writing about unjust systems, narrow the focus. Don't talk about the algorithm as a concept, but about how it affects someone specific, with a name, an age, and routines. Reader identification is where the real punch lies.

📚 On Technology and Dehumanization Stories

These kinds of stories aren't really about machines, but about how humans hide behind them. The algorithm doesn't fire, doesn't judge, doesn't decide: people do, but without taking responsibility.

They are uncomfortable stories because they question a widespread idea: that what is automated is fair. And there is nothing more dangerous than injustice presented as neutral.

The machine has no conscience.
But someone decided that didn't matter.

📖 Publishing News

The promotion for my novels continues. This past week I was signing books at the Madrid Book Fair. A dream come true (I hope there will be more opportunities). I met readers who already had El secreto del Nazareno and wanted to continue with El anillo de Boabdil. If you want to get your hands on them, I’ll leave a link here so you can find them quickly. If you prefer buying in bookshops (I love to), you can give the title to your local bookstore and you’ll have it in 2-3 days.

On the other hand, El predicador is still available on Amazon for €2.99 or for free if you have Kindle Unlimited. And if you’ve already read it, I would greatly appreciate it if you could leave me a review on Amazon.

That’s all for now, we continue with fairs and presentations.

See you next week.

Antonio de Rosa.