As the proverb goes, fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Truth be told, few have been fooled by the Philadelphia 76ers’claim that their proposal to build a basketball arena atop SEPTA’s Jefferson Station is “more than an arena.”
The 76 Place development team’s X/Twitter timeline is a stream of jackleg preachers and numbers plucked out of thin air.
I asked Microsoft’s chatbot how many construction workers were involved with One World Trade Center:
During the construction of One World Trade Center, more than 10,000 workers were involved in building this iconic complex in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The scale of this project required careful coordination, and at any given time, there could be as many as 1,100 workers on-site. These dedicated individuals worked tirelessly to create a symbol of resilience and hope, and their efforts culminated in the completion of the 94-story tower that now stands as the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.
I gave the same prompt to ChatGPT:
One World Trade Center, also known as the Freedom Tower, was constructed by thousands of construction workers over several years. The exact number of workers involved in the construction process can vary depending on the source, the phase of construction, and the specific tasks being carried out. However, it’s estimated that at its peak, there were approximately 3,500 workers on-site daily during the construction of One World Trade Center. This number includes various trades such as ironworkers, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and many others who contributed to the building’s construction.
I pity the fool who thinks that building a big box arena on Market Street would create “12,200 construction-related jobs.”
PHL Watchdog 