Planet Money Chef vs. Robot
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Mar 13, 2026 A 750 lb stainless-steel wok-bot takes on a seasoned Cantonese chef in a head-to-metalhead cooking showdown. Discussion of how automation is changing restaurant kitchens and which tasks robots can actually replace. A Nobel-winning economist weighs in on when machines displace workers versus when they complement them. Judges taste, score, and consider tradeoffs of speed, cost, and culinary technique.
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Robbie The 750 lb Wokbot
- Kenny Poon introduced Robbie, a 750 lb stainless steel wok-robot that can make over 5,000 dishes and never calls out sick.
- Robbie uses a rotating electric wok basket, squirts sauces, and auto-washes, replacing human stir and flip tasks.
Guangdong Chef Shows Wok Hei Expertise
- At Ting Wang restaurant we met Chef Feng Huanqiang, a Guangdong-trained chef with 13 years' experience who makes $35/hour and 20–30 dishes per hour.
- He demonstrated high-heat wok cooking and prized wok hei, the caramelized char humans produce.
Robots Displace More Than They Recreate Jobs
- Daron Acemoglu explains automation has two opposing forces: displacement of tasks and reinstatement of new jobs.
- Their study found one robot per 1,000 workers reduced employment by ~3 workers and wages fell ~0.4%.
