The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century

Friedman uses the metaphor of fat in two ways throughout the book. The first is in the negative sense of “fat and friction”—things that get in the way of efficiency and progress by creating a barrier, such as expense or excessive bureaucracy. The second one is positive: Fat represents something that tastes good and adds warmth. This type of fat stands for intangible aspects of life and work that add meaning, flavor, and pleasure to both. Companies that are “lean” and efficient can be cold and uncreative. Friedman shows the tension between the two meanings of the word fat by comparing the business models of Walmart and Costco: “Yes, the consumer in us wants Wal-Mart prices, with all the fat gone. But the employee in us wants a little fat left on the bone, the way Costco does it, so that it can offer health care to almost all its employees, rather than just less than half of them, as Wal-Mart does” (257). In Chapter 9, Friedman discusses how “good fat”— that is, social safety nets that cushion the harsh realities of the flat world—can help America succeed in a flat world.