--- title: "Former Delivery Drivers Are Getting Weird New Jobs as Delivery Robots Take Over" description: "Drivers across the US are being upstaged by cutsey delivery robots as companies like Coco and Serve Robotics expand their operations." date: "2026-03-01" modified: "2026-03-01" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/robots-and-machines/robot-wranglers" categories: - "Finance" - "Future Society" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" --- # Former Delivery Drivers Are Getting Weird New Jobs as Delivery Robots Take Over ![A four-wheeled delivery robot with a teal and gray body, equipped with lights and a yellow flag, is on a sidewalk near a pedestrian crossing button. A man wearing a brown jacket, gray shirt, and striped pants is walking nearby, carrying a black bag and a rolled-up mat. Cars are visible in the background on the street.]() *Mario Tama / Getty Images* Gig delivery workers, already earning poverty wages, are now being undercut by robots that don't need tips. These days, one of the fastest growing new gigs in California is "robot wrangler": workers paid to tend delivery robots behind the scenes as they trundle around the real world, [the *Los Angeles Times* reports](). When delivery units operated by companies like Coco or Serve Robotics run into real-world obstacles — like a [garden](), for example — these robot wranglers spring into action, freeing them from potholes, helping them upright after a fall, and ferrying them back to headquarters for maintenance. Much of the work happens behind the scenes, the *LA Times* notes. The robots need daily recharging and cleaning, plus constant maintenance for software updates and hardware malfunctions. Still, a crucial component of the work happens in the streets, where the US' notorious urban infrastructure can make life hell for a young robot. As the paper explains, it's not uncommon for robot wranglers to have to come to the aid of their wards, helping them navigate crosswalks and physically drop off food to customers who refuse to come outside. "They are the kind of jobs that scale with the robots," Serve Robotics CEO told the *LA Times*. "If you build more robots, you're going to still have people whose job is to operate the fleet." Be that as it may, delivery drivers in urban settings see the robots as a [direct threat]() to their livelihoods by way of automation, as the new robot wrangler jobs make clear. In Los Angeles, for example, Coco is hiring "robot delivery specialists" to support its fleet of robots across the city, 24/7. "You'll transport robots to merchant partners, perform basic maintenance, and even complete in-person deliveries when necessary," the [job listing reads](). *Do you work as a robot wrangler? We want to hear from you. Email us at [*tips*@*futurism.com*](). We can keep you anonymous.* Wages for this illustrious work start at $21 an hour and top off at $23 — a yearly take-home hovering around $45,760. While that may be higher than what an [average Los Angeles delivery driver earns](), it's still well below what's required in California for a single adult with no children to care for themselves — $63,402, according to [MIT's Living Wage calculator](). And as robotics companies take over gig delivery jobs, they eliminate a low-barrier income source for workers who already have limited options. Of course, delivery work is far from an [ideal safety net](), but it nonetheless functions as an [important financial stopgap]() for marginalized workers like migrants, single parents, the elderly, and people with disabilities. If apps like Uber and DoorDash [deskill drivers](), robots complete the degradation — reducing workers to little more than remote babysitters. When a DoorDash driver closes the app, they presumably drop their obligation to fill orders for the company. Robot wranglers, contracted by the hour, have no such freedom. Whatever long-term impact delivery robots will have on overall job numbers remains unclear. The business case for the tech is still relatively young, and [municipal regulations]() may slow their rollout to a crawl. At this pivotal juncture, it's worth asking: do delivery robots represent progress for all, or just Silicon Valley's latest scheme to cut labor costs under the banner of innovation? **More on robots:** *[Residents Rage Against Fleet of Delivery Robots Taking Over Chicago]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()