Marcus works in a highly-automated corporate innovation hub. He observes that employees consistently work in complete physical isolation: they sit inside individual acoustic pods, wear noise-cancelling headsets, communicate exclusively via text-based software, and avoid any direct eye contact or verbal greeting.

One afternoon, there is a sudden, total network and power failure that shuts down all screens and cuts off all digital communication. A low-frequency safety hum begins to emit from the backup generators. Instantly, employees step out of their pods, start laughing, sharing physical snacks, talking animatedly about their projects, and collaborating to organise a group lunch outside.

When Marcus discusses this dramatic shift with his department head, the department head suggests that human cooperation and social communication are entirely learned behaviours shaped by the rewards and structures of our environment, rather than being innate.