The Middleman Tax: How Tech Hijacked Convenience

Last weekend, I craved some birria tacos and turned to DoorDash for a quick fix. As I proceeded to checkout, I was floored. A $17 delivery fee. Opting to pick it up myself, I couldn’t help but wonder: when did convenience become such a luxury?

Food delivery platforms like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub entered the market with promises of ease and efficiency. They offered a bridge between consumers and a variety of dining options, all accessible with a few taps on a screen. However, this convenience often comes at a steep, and sometimes hidden, cost.

A typical DoorDash order includes several fees:

• Delivery Fee: Ranges from $1.99 to $4.99, varying based on distance and demand.

• Service Fee: Approximately 15% of the order subtotal.

• Additional Fees: Some orders may include small order fees or expanded range fees for distant restaurants.

These fees are in addition to the actual cost of the food and any gratuity for the driver.

Beyond explicit fees, some customers have reported hidden costs. Class action lawsuits have alleged that DoorDash includes hidden delivery fees within the purchase price of items, leading to customers unknowingly paying more. 

Restaurants also feel the pinch. Delivery services often charge commissions up to 30%, squeezing the already thin margins of local eateries. Some establishments, like Dolce Napoli in Sydney, have severed ties with platforms like Uber Eats and DoorDash, citing unsustainable costs. 

In response to criticism, DoorDash has made efforts to enhance transparency by providing detailed breakdowns of fees and rolling back certain regulatory response fees.

While the convenience of food delivery apps is undeniable, it’s essential for consumers to be aware of the full spectrum of costs involved. As the landscape evolves, both users and providers must advocate for a system that balances convenience with fairness and transparency.

Spotlight: Rescale

Research and development has always been slow, expensive, and full of frustrating dead ends. Rescale is working to change that.

Founded by aerospace engineer Joris Poort, Rescale lets companies run high-powered simulations in the cloud. This eliminates the need for on-site infrastructure and allows for faster, more flexible innovation. Companies can test crash scenarios, chip layouts, and fluid dynamics virtually and at scale.

Major players like General Motors, Samsung, and the U.S. Department of Defense are already using it. The platform uses AI to help businesses manage simulations across different cloud providers, optimizing for cost and performance. Nvidia is one of the big-name investors betting on its success.

As budgets tighten and AI accelerates the pace of development, Rescale offers a modern solution for building smarter and faster without burning cash.

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Wild Card

Paige Bueckers might enter the WNBA with more star power than any rookie since Diana Taurasi. Not just because of her game—though it’s elite—but because she’s already built a personal brand in the NIL era. She’s media-savvy, marketable, and has been in the spotlight since high school. If she lands with the right franchise, she could become the face of the league faster than Caitlin Clark. And if they end up rivals? The WNBA might finally get its Magic vs. Bird moment.