Delivery startups don’t deliver — that is the gist of the big feature story on GoPuff, a delivery service that started selling hookahs and other smoking paraphernalia in Philadelphia. The company is the latest in what seems to be a long line of money-losing attempts at instant (or near-instant) delivery. From Amazon to Deliveroo to … Continue reading So is the On Demand Economy Dead?
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On tech-enabled labor arbitrage
“It’s amazing how many celebrated startups have been revealed as essentially labor arbitrage schemes disguised as cool new apps. A decade of high-frequency trading algorithms, but instead of tightening bid-ask spreads on oil futures they just find the lowest possible clearing price for human work.” Kevin Roose, New York Times columnist on Twitter. The above … Continue reading On tech-enabled labor arbitrage
In Silicon Valley, Hypocrisy is the new normal
The November writing challenge has been much harder than I thought. It turns out that writing daily is a difficult habit to form. I missed a day last week, so technically, the challenge is already lost. Still, I am going to redouble my efforts not to miss another day. After years of writing constantly, sometimes … Continue reading In Silicon Valley, Hypocrisy is the new normal
GrubSnub & what’s really wrong with Gig Economy
A few days ago, when feeling under the weather, I decided to do what I do when my nose and head are stuffed — order a very spicy curry and some rice. Normally, I use either Caviar or DoorDash (which will soon be the same), but this time, I decided to go with Grubhub. I … Continue reading GrubSnub & what’s really wrong with Gig Economy