gig economy

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When platforms mediate work – whether delivering food, driving cars, or being an influencer, trouble is only under the surface. And despite all the hype, the red hot creator economy is in middle of a crisis, notes its biggest (and best) proponent, Li Jin. This is worth a read — it is a long one, but worth the time.

Just as the gig economy mode of work brought about negative consequences, strong parallels are emerging between the gig economy and creator economy, rooted in the commoditization of work and erosion of worker leverage.

Read article on Li Jin's Newsletter

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What Work

Uber and Lyft, in response to a California court ruling that all drivers must be reclassified as employees with benefits, are threatening to quit doing business in the state. Putting the news, and the legal posturing of Uber and Lyft aside, the judgment and its possible impact on other gig-economy companies that rely on independent contractors will … Continue reading What Work

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California is so stupid

California is so stupid….Golden State legislators outdid themselves by passing Assembly Bill 5, signed last month by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Effective Jan. 1, the law reclassifies most independent contractors as full-time employees. This codifies the state Supreme Court’s 2018 Dynamex decision about “misclassified” freelancers. …The new law was pitched as a simple measure to provide contract workers with benefits like sick leave and health care. Yet as the dust clears, many ugly details are emerging. But here’s something weird: Freelance journalists are limited to 35 submissions a year per “putative” employer. Wait, what? The law was aimed at Uber and Lyft drivers. Yet now scriptwriters, actors, housekeepers, gardeners and many other types of contract workers will have their livelihoods threatened by Sacramento saps.

Andy Kessler, the Wall Street Journal. (or on FB)

Andy is not one to pull punches. When reading this latest column of his, I was reminded that our headline-oriented, attention seeking media culture rarely scratches the surface and doesn’t really dig into the dirty details of the news.