Sarfraz S

There’s a famous paper about fishing villages in Kerala, India. Before cell phones, fishermen would return to shore and sell their catch to whatever market they happened to reach first. Prices swung wildly from village to village, some fish spoiled while buyers in the next town had none. Then cell phones arrived. Fishermen could call ahead to find the best market for their haul. Prices stabilized, waste plummeted, and outcomes improved for both buyers and sellers. This image has stuck with me for years as a reminder that when people have access to complete information, they make better decisions. For decades, economic research (and @Rich_Barton companies) have chased this idea of “turning the lights on” so participants can see clearly. Homebuyers have @zillow. Job seekers have @Glassdoor. But one place the lights have never been fully turned on is how companies spend, operate, and make decisions. That’s changing. At @tryramp, we’re building one of the fastest-growing datasets in the world on how the best companies spend and operate: every transaction, policy, and purchase decision mapped against outcomes. And we’re just scratching the surface of what’s possible when AI, productivity, and economics intersect. That’s why we’re hiring an economics intern for next summer! Someone who’s not just interested in theory, but in uncovering real-world insights about how modern companies allocate capital, structure work, and make decisions in the new AI-driven economy. If you’re excited by the idea of bringing the same clarity to business spending that cell phones brought to fishermen: @arakharazian and I would love to talk!