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Out of Line
The Contractors
Audible narration by Lea Salonga (Aladdin)
A split-screen view of the tech industry’s underbelly—and the unifying campaign of two distant women seeking to expose their employer—by Lisa Ko, award-winning author of The Leavers.
In this eye-opening short story, a tech reporter’s mistake unites two women eight thousand miles apart. One in New Jersey, one in the Philippines. Same name: Sandra Guzman. Same job: content moderators for a mega social media website. What transpires between them is a friendship that changes their perceptions of each other’s privilege and challenges the power of the very industry they work for.
Lisa Ko’s The Contractors is part of Out of Line, an incisive collection of funny, enraging, and hopeful stories of women’s empowerment and escape. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single thought-provoking sitting.
A split-screen view of the tech industry’s underbelly—and the unifying campaign of two distant women seeking to expose their employer—by Lisa Ko, award-winning author of The Leavers.
In this eye-opening short story, a tech reporter’s mistake unites two women eight thousand miles apart. One in New Jersey, one in the Philippines. Same name: Sandra Guzman. Same job: content moderators for a mega social media website. What transpires between them is a friendship that changes their perceptions of each other’s privilege and challenges the power of the very industry they work for.
Lisa Ko’s The Contractors is part of Out of Line, an incisive collection of funny, enraging, and hopeful stories of women’s empowerment and escape. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single thought-provoking sitting.
29 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2020
425 people are currently reading
822 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Ko
9 books1,042 followersHi! I'm the author of MEMORY PIECE (Riverhead, March 2024) and THE LEAVERS (Algonquin, May 2017). THE LEAVERS was a national bestseller that won the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction and was a finalist for the National Book Award. I'm a believer in the long game: I started writing stories when I was 5 years old and published my first book at 41.
Learn more about me and my work on my website.
Learn more about me and my work on my website.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 273 reviews
October 5, 2020
The Contractors by Lisa Ko
Two women of the same name, working for the same company, as contractors in different countries, start comparing their work and life experiences. Sandra, a high school graduate, works in the United States, barely scraping by and that's only because she lives in the house of a boyfriend. Sandie, a college graduate with a double major, lives in the Philippines. This story highlights the unfairness of the company they work for, with different pay, standards, and opportunities for each woman. Mostly what is highlighted is that contract workers for companies, such as this website company, are given inadequate hours, breaks, support, and benefits while being expected to meet impossible goals and checkpoints.
These two women accidentally "meet" when they are both sent the same email. As they get to know more about each other, working the same job in different companies, each woman mistakenly envies the other woman for the "better" life that they think exists for their counterpart. We know that both women are existing on the edge of despair, with no hope for a better future. Each woman takes steps to change her situation, vastly different steps.
According to Amazon's blurb, Lisa Ko’s The Contractors is part of Out of Line, an incisive collection of funny, enraging, and hopeful stories of women’s empowerment and escape. Descriptions of animal abuse and vaguer description of every type of abuse, violence, and depravity. This was a Kindle Unlimited selection.
Two women of the same name, working for the same company, as contractors in different countries, start comparing their work and life experiences. Sandra, a high school graduate, works in the United States, barely scraping by and that's only because she lives in the house of a boyfriend. Sandie, a college graduate with a double major, lives in the Philippines. This story highlights the unfairness of the company they work for, with different pay, standards, and opportunities for each woman. Mostly what is highlighted is that contract workers for companies, such as this website company, are given inadequate hours, breaks, support, and benefits while being expected to meet impossible goals and checkpoints.
These two women accidentally "meet" when they are both sent the same email. As they get to know more about each other, working the same job in different companies, each woman mistakenly envies the other woman for the "better" life that they think exists for their counterpart. We know that both women are existing on the edge of despair, with no hope for a better future. Each woman takes steps to change her situation, vastly different steps.
According to Amazon's blurb, Lisa Ko’s The Contractors is part of Out of Line, an incisive collection of funny, enraging, and hopeful stories of women’s empowerment and escape. Descriptions of animal abuse and vaguer description of every type of abuse, violence, and depravity. This was a Kindle Unlimited selection.
May 8, 2021
This 24 page short story is part of the Out of Line Collection which is currently available on Kindle Unlimited.
What happens when women step out of line and take control of their own lives?
Sandra is based in the US employed by the current biggest social media platform and spends her days watching video clips of self harm, rapes, murders etc etc to check if they violate the platforms posting guidelines.
Sandie is based in the Philippines, working for the same company and she content tag's those same videos for self harm, rape etc etc.
Despite the distance these two women bond and I won't say more as this story is extremely short but it certainly packs a punch.
I haven't read anything by this author before but I really enjoyed the writing style and would definitely read more by her in the future.
This 7 book collection is exclusive to Amazon and a great way to try out some new authors.
What happens when women step out of line and take control of their own lives?
Sandra is based in the US employed by the current biggest social media platform and spends her days watching video clips of self harm, rapes, murders etc etc to check if they violate the platforms posting guidelines.
Sandie is based in the Philippines, working for the same company and she content tag's those same videos for self harm, rape etc etc.
Despite the distance these two women bond and I won't say more as this story is extremely short but it certainly packs a punch.
I haven't read anything by this author before but I really enjoyed the writing style and would definitely read more by her in the future.
This 7 book collection is exclusive to Amazon and a great way to try out some new authors.
June 11, 2022
The Contractors was an interesting story, but unfortunately the audio was marred by a melodramatic narrator who seemed to be going for a combination of one-woman show and TED Talk. Fiction should be read as if the narrator is telling a story to one person (you, the reader), not to an entire auditorium. It's hard to know how this story might have landed for me if the audio had been more appropriate to the text, or if I'd read it in print instead. I did enjoy the story itself and will plan to read more Lisa Ko, but I need to subtract a star for the narration of the audio.
October 2, 2020
Short story about the human side to big tech social media. The thought the grass is always greener..... came to mind while reading it.
September 6, 2024
This reminded me of We Had to Remove This Post in that it follows two people who work for a large corporation, going through and removing social media posts of a highly sensitive nature. Some trigger warnings for animal cruelty and abuse, although it's very brief. In The Contractors the reader follows two women who share the same name and job, but in two very different cities. We see the parallels and differences between the two, as well as the wider injustices they face. It was an interesting read but could have done with being longer to leave any kind of lasting impression.
November 23, 2020
Honestly, I liked this, but it didn't fit very well with the rest of the collection as a whole. I thought there were some interesting and messed up things going on in this short story. It definitely read as anti-capitalist and shows you the in and outs on how big companies can and will screw over their workers. I just wish it had tied more towards the overall concept of what makes a woman, mother, daughter, etc. like the other stories did IMHO. Though the two main characters are women, that didn't really seem to come into play. Instead the story focused on their working conditions and how they were dealing with things in two different countries.
October 23, 2020
This a short story written by Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers.
It is about two young women with the same name who work for the same company. One works in the US and the other in the Philippines.
Sandra Guzman, is a young mother of Philippine origin, who lives in the US with her young 10 year old daughter and a friend in run down housing. She is a high school grad, with a low paying job doing contract work for a social media company. Her mother and all of her family still live in the Philippines. The family depends on Sandra to send money home to the Philippines.
Sandy Guzman lives in the Philippines with all of her extended family. She has no children. She is a college grad who works in the same low paying job as a contractor for the same social media company. Sandy has this particular job, because of lack of other opportunities.
Sandra and Sandy “meet” online, when Sandy learns that she has a counterpart with the same name in a different country. The young women get to know each other through regular e mails. Each envy the other for their perceptions of a better lifestyle.
I downloaded this as an Amazon Prime free e book / audiobook combination.
While the narration is just one hour, the author packs a lot of thought-provoking material into the story. This is a story about inequality, contemporary norms, cultural differences, and social injustice. I highly recommend it. Initially, I thought I had read Lisa Ko’s book, The Leavers. I realized that I had not, but I will definitely read it in the near future.
I rate it 4.5, rounded up to 5. I had a bit of a problem following the story at points, but it was original, and engaging.
It is about two young women with the same name who work for the same company. One works in the US and the other in the Philippines.
Sandra Guzman, is a young mother of Philippine origin, who lives in the US with her young 10 year old daughter and a friend in run down housing. She is a high school grad, with a low paying job doing contract work for a social media company. Her mother and all of her family still live in the Philippines. The family depends on Sandra to send money home to the Philippines.
Sandy Guzman lives in the Philippines with all of her extended family. She has no children. She is a college grad who works in the same low paying job as a contractor for the same social media company. Sandy has this particular job, because of lack of other opportunities.
Sandra and Sandy “meet” online, when Sandy learns that she has a counterpart with the same name in a different country. The young women get to know each other through regular e mails. Each envy the other for their perceptions of a better lifestyle.
I downloaded this as an Amazon Prime free e book / audiobook combination.
While the narration is just one hour, the author packs a lot of thought-provoking material into the story. This is a story about inequality, contemporary norms, cultural differences, and social injustice. I highly recommend it. Initially, I thought I had read Lisa Ko’s book, The Leavers. I realized that I had not, but I will definitely read it in the near future.
I rate it 4.5, rounded up to 5. I had a bit of a problem following the story at points, but it was original, and engaging.
March 15, 2021
"The Contractors" is another story part of the "Out of line" collection, and to be frank, it was a disappointment. I was bored.
The story tells us about two women, that live in different places, but both work for the same media company. It centres on discrimination against women in the workplace, which yes, is a very important subject matter, and unfortunately, is still very much at large today.
I understand what Ko was attempting to do here, but it was just too drab for me to care about any of it.
The story tells us about two women, that live in different places, but both work for the same media company. It centres on discrimination against women in the workplace, which yes, is a very important subject matter, and unfortunately, is still very much at large today.
I understand what Ko was attempting to do here, but it was just too drab for me to care about any of it.
May 7, 2021
This is not a happy book, none in the series are. It made me think though, which again they all do. It is a sad story but to be honest I can imagine it not being fiction. We have two women in different countries with the same name and the same job. An awful stressful job with low pay and no benefits. Reading how these women struggled with their lives inside and out of the ‘office’ it was awful to think plenty do this kind of thing every day with no way out in real life.
I didn’t love the ending of this, it is a short story so not much could happen but it seemed a bit convenient and then vague as to what really happened to both of them. I can guess what happened though; they won small battles but still spent their lives struggling to make ends meet.
3*/5, an ok book but nothing to get excited about.
I didn’t love the ending of this, it is a short story so not much could happen but it seemed a bit convenient and then vague as to what really happened to both of them. I can guess what happened though; they won small battles but still spent their lives struggling to make ends meet.
3*/5, an ok book but nothing to get excited about.
December 10, 2022
‘The Contractors’ by Lisa Ko is very emotionally moving. I was deeply touched by the travails of the main characters, two women who are exploited labor working for the same company, Convergion, a contractor. They share the same awful job of watching and removing torture porn for a major social media company. They meet online through the accident of having the same name Sandra Guzman because of an email gone astray. But Sandi Guzman lives in the Philippines, and Sandra Guzman lives in New Jersey.
I have copied the book blurb because it is accurate:
”A split-screen view of the tech industry’s underbelly—and the unifying campaign of two distant women seeking to expose their employer—by Lisa Ko, award-winning author of The Leavers.
In this eye-opening short story, a tech reporter’s mistake unites two women eight thousand miles apart. One in New Jersey, one in the Philippines. Same name: Sandra Guzman. Same job: content moderators for a mega social media website. What transpires between them is a friendship that changes their perceptions of each other’s privilege and challenges the power of the very industry they work for.
Lisa Ko’s The Contractors is part of Out of Line, an incisive collection of funny, enraging, and hopeful stories of women’s empowerment and escape. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single thought-provoking sitting.”
What an excellent story! The horrors are real, unfortunately. Mistreatment is mistreatment is mistreatment.
I have copied the book blurb because it is accurate:
”A split-screen view of the tech industry’s underbelly—and the unifying campaign of two distant women seeking to expose their employer—by Lisa Ko, award-winning author of The Leavers.
In this eye-opening short story, a tech reporter’s mistake unites two women eight thousand miles apart. One in New Jersey, one in the Philippines. Same name: Sandra Guzman. Same job: content moderators for a mega social media website. What transpires between them is a friendship that changes their perceptions of each other’s privilege and challenges the power of the very industry they work for.
Lisa Ko’s The Contractors is part of Out of Line, an incisive collection of funny, enraging, and hopeful stories of women’s empowerment and escape. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single thought-provoking sitting.”
What an excellent story! The horrors are real, unfortunately. Mistreatment is mistreatment is mistreatment.
November 26, 2020
Another thought-provoking and compelling short story in the 'Out of Line' collection which also made me keen to pick up the author's other work!
January 17, 2025
Entertaining relationships listening 🎶🔰
This kindle e-book novella is from my Kindle Unlimited account
This novella is about two women with the same name working for the same company in different parts of the world 🌎.
I would recommend this series and various authors to readers of relationships adventure novels 👍🔰. 2025 😊😯
This kindle e-book novella is from my Kindle Unlimited account
This novella is about two women with the same name working for the same company in different parts of the world 🌎.
I would recommend this series and various authors to readers of relationships adventure novels 👍🔰. 2025 😊😯
May 17, 2021
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"What do you do with all that hurt? You eat it and keep it inside you. You watch and delete, but every day there are two thousand new posts waiting."
The Contractors tells the story of social and class disparity between two Filipino employees of the same name (Sandra) and employed under the same international company - one is working in the Philippines and the other in the U.S. office. They are both content moderators for a mega social media website. As content moderators, they have to watch disturbing videos and categorize them.
I love how it tackled the privilege that the U.S. Sandra experiences that the PH Sandra assumes U.S. Sandra has better: higher pay and no quotas at work. The short story was able to show how both Sandra's are dealing with the same challenges just from different perspectives and backgrounds.
It also dabbles on corporate misogyny as the story shows how men are put in higher positions while women were placed on higher pedestals but with lesser benefits and opportunities for growth.
The Contractors is part of the Out of Line collection that features funny, empowering, and enraging stories about strong women.
Trigger/Content Warnings: blackmailing, description of disturbing content (graphic animal cruelty, rape, killings)
"What do you do with all that hurt? You eat it and keep it inside you. You watch and delete, but every day there are two thousand new posts waiting."
The Contractors tells the story of social and class disparity between two Filipino employees of the same name (Sandra) and employed under the same international company - one is working in the Philippines and the other in the U.S. office. They are both content moderators for a mega social media website. As content moderators, they have to watch disturbing videos and categorize them.
I love how it tackled the privilege that the U.S. Sandra experiences that the PH Sandra assumes U.S. Sandra has better: higher pay and no quotas at work. The short story was able to show how both Sandra's are dealing with the same challenges just from different perspectives and backgrounds.
It also dabbles on corporate misogyny as the story shows how men are put in higher positions while women were placed on higher pedestals but with lesser benefits and opportunities for growth.
The Contractors is part of the Out of Line collection that features funny, empowering, and enraging stories about strong women.
Trigger/Content Warnings: blackmailing, description of disturbing content (graphic animal cruelty, rape, killings)
August 21, 2022
Reflective, relatable, and sad. We’re all just tired.
December 9, 2020
İşləri sosial mediada qadağan olunan məzmunu ağır mövzulu postları izləyib filterləməli olan, ikisinin də adı Sandra olub biri Amerikada, digəri Filippində yaşayan iki qadınən həyatlarını öz əllərinə alma hekayəsi. Sevdim!
November 21, 2022
thought provoking
I loved how this story did touch on some important issues about how different companies do take advantage of workers and how it’s not right but unless someone takes that step to say something nothing will be done about it!!
I loved how this story did touch on some important issues about how different companies do take advantage of workers and how it’s not right but unless someone takes that step to say something nothing will be done about it!!
October 4, 2020
Two women in opposite sides of the world connect and change their lives
Sandra Guzman in New Jersey, and Sandie Guzman in Manila, get accidentally connected by a careless journalist. Soon they are exchanging emails, seeing each other's problems and advantages--and changing their lives.
The two women are contractors working as contract moderators for "the largest social media company in the world." As contractors, not direct employees, they don't get the company salaries, don't get the company benefits, and are overworked and struggling to make ends meet.
As content moderators, they have to look at a lot of really vile stuff.
Sandra is a single mother, living with a boyfriend who isn't a bad guy but whom at this point she'd rather leave if either of them could afford it.
Sandie is a few years younger, with the university degree Sandra never got, living with her family in an apartment smaller than she grew up in.
Sandra's mother is in Manilla, having moved back after Sandra's father died. Sandra, when she can, is sending her mother money to help cover her expenses.
Initially, the two women look at each other's lives, and are a bit resentful. Sandra looks at Sandie in Manila, and thinks of the lower cost of living, and having all her family around her. Sandie looks at Sandra in New Jersey, with higher pay, not smothered by family all around, and surely able to afford a plane ticket to visit her mother anytime she wants.
The more they exchange information about their lives and work, though, the more they realize they're both being exploited.
And then they start thinking, and making decisions to take their lives back.
Recommended.
I got this book as part of the Amazon Prime Reading program, and am reading it voluntarily.
Sandra Guzman in New Jersey, and Sandie Guzman in Manila, get accidentally connected by a careless journalist. Soon they are exchanging emails, seeing each other's problems and advantages--and changing their lives.
The two women are contractors working as contract moderators for "the largest social media company in the world." As contractors, not direct employees, they don't get the company salaries, don't get the company benefits, and are overworked and struggling to make ends meet.
As content moderators, they have to look at a lot of really vile stuff.
Sandra is a single mother, living with a boyfriend who isn't a bad guy but whom at this point she'd rather leave if either of them could afford it.
Sandie is a few years younger, with the university degree Sandra never got, living with her family in an apartment smaller than she grew up in.
Sandra's mother is in Manilla, having moved back after Sandra's father died. Sandra, when she can, is sending her mother money to help cover her expenses.
Initially, the two women look at each other's lives, and are a bit resentful. Sandra looks at Sandie in Manila, and thinks of the lower cost of living, and having all her family around her. Sandie looks at Sandra in New Jersey, with higher pay, not smothered by family all around, and surely able to afford a plane ticket to visit her mother anytime she wants.
The more they exchange information about their lives and work, though, the more they realize they're both being exploited.
And then they start thinking, and making decisions to take their lives back.
Recommended.
I got this book as part of the Amazon Prime Reading program, and am reading it voluntarily.
April 25, 2022
Two women working for the same company (a big social media website), in the same role (content moderator), with the same name (Sandra Guzman) connect because of an email sent to both. That's where the similarities end. One is in the New Jersey office, and the other one in Manila, Philippines. They thought the grass on the other side is greener but their exchanges reveal they couldn't be more wrong. This fast-paced, reflective account of what content moderators do, how for meager pay they work insane hours. Both the women challenge and inspire each other to take the bull by horns and do something about their life negatively impacted by their jobs. I enjoyed learning about content moderators. #TriggerWarningForMurder and other vague descriptions of crimes like #AnimalAbuse. This is breezy, short story that gives it straight with a reasonable yet happy ending.
October 10, 2020
Two Together
Review of the Amazon Original Kindle eBook (September 2020)
This was a more inventive story than most of the Out of Line collection which often seemed to slip into variations of women rebelling against dystopias derivative of The Handmaid's Tale. Two women, half-way across the world from each other, who work for the same social media contractor company, provide each other inspiration and incentive to better their life and work situations.
The Contractors is one of seven Amazon Kindle eBooks released September 1, 2020 as part of their Amazon Original Out of Line collection of short stories about women taking control.
Review of the Amazon Original Kindle eBook (September 2020)
This was a more inventive story than most of the Out of Line collection which often seemed to slip into variations of women rebelling against dystopias derivative of The Handmaid's Tale. Two women, half-way across the world from each other, who work for the same social media contractor company, provide each other inspiration and incentive to better their life and work situations.
The Contractors is one of seven Amazon Kindle eBooks released September 1, 2020 as part of their Amazon Original Out of Line collection of short stories about women taking control.
August 24, 2021
3.5 ⭐️
I imagine that there are few jobs as depressing and grim as content moderators for social media companies. This short story focuses on two women doing the job, one in the US and one in the Philippines. It doesn’t quite pack the punch it could, but it’s still a good read and makes you want to run a mile from the algorithm.
I imagine that there are few jobs as depressing and grim as content moderators for social media companies. This short story focuses on two women doing the job, one in the US and one in the Philippines. It doesn’t quite pack the punch it could, but it’s still a good read and makes you want to run a mile from the algorithm.
July 25, 2021
Read this morning as I couldn't be bothered to get out of bed run downstairs, and grab the book I am actually reading. I am increasingly loving the (free) books I have access to on Kindle due to prime membership. I think more people should. This book was intriguing to say the least.
October 4, 2021
3.5 stars - interesting and thought provoking. I needed a short story after reading two slow moving novels back to back.
January 2, 2022
Very interesting short story. Really appreciated the women speaking up when they were being treated unfairly at work in both the Philippines and New Jersey.
February 10, 2022
A very satisfying short story, looking at one of the dark sides of social media.
May 7, 2024
Read for AAPI month
January 3, 2025
i’m sorry but no
July 24, 2021
Legit fuck the wage gap and exploitative labor. What a great short story!
January 8, 2021
This was one of those stories that make you think not only about your won situation, but about others, and how much worse things could be. I didn't enjoy Ko's style of writing, despite thinking the story itself was worthwhile.
September 15, 2020
A short story from Amazon’s Out of Line Collection. The entire collection is one of the best Amazon has released. I really liked the idea of two women with the same name working for the same company. Each one believes the other is living a better life but as the story unfolds we learn perspective matters.
September 23, 2020
Real World Problems
Sandra and Sandie have the same employer and the same job, but their lives couldn't be more different. They work for a social media company, weeding out content that goes against the TOU. Sandra is a single mother, living in New Jersey with her boyfriend, Sadie is a single woman, living in the Philippines with her parents. After a case of mistaken identity, the two become email denials, and slowly realize how unjust their situations are, leading to a case of whistleblowing.
The attitudes and values of the characters are worlds apart, even though their backgrounds and employment is the same. I imagine this piece is meant to be a commentary on the corruption of morality in the US, and the exploitation of employees everywhere. In that endeavor it succeeds.
Sandra and Sandie have the same employer and the same job, but their lives couldn't be more different. They work for a social media company, weeding out content that goes against the TOU. Sandra is a single mother, living in New Jersey with her boyfriend, Sadie is a single woman, living in the Philippines with her parents. After a case of mistaken identity, the two become email denials, and slowly realize how unjust their situations are, leading to a case of whistleblowing.
The attitudes and values of the characters are worlds apart, even though their backgrounds and employment is the same. I imagine this piece is meant to be a commentary on the corruption of morality in the US, and the exploitation of employees everywhere. In that endeavor it succeeds.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 273 reviews