“Who moved my cheese?” is a short allegorical novel which became an instant bestseller. Published in 1998, it is even more relevant today. The central idea of the novel (which can be read in 40 minutes) is: ‘change is inevitable; adapt to the changing times or perish’. (AI is a classic example).
There are 4 characters in the novel: two mice named Sniff and Scurry, and two small men named Hem and Haw. All 4 live in a maze of tunnels underground. Their main food is cheese, of which they have a large amount. Hem and Haw are content to sit back eating the cheese. They become indolent and complacent. On the other hand, Sniff and Scurry keep running up and down the maze of tunnels all day long in search of more sources of cheese. Then one day the stock of cheese is exhausted. Sniff and Scurry know where to find more cheese. Hem and Haw are confused and do not know what to do. They did not adapt to the changing times.
Allegorically, Hem and Haw represent our local taxis which have served us well in the past, but not any longer. Sniff and Scurry have adapted to the changing times and represent the aggregator taxis.
