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Context is everything.
Detailed stories on technology startups, business and economic current affairs.
Detailed stories on technology startups, business and economic current affairs.
Editor's note: The app-based gig economy emerged as a disruptor almost a decade ago. Today, it’s crumbling under its own weight, exposing millions of workers to the uncertainties of the future. Platforms such as Uber, Swiggy and UrbanClap were seen as the future of work by many, but as the gig economy scaled up, it also developed several fault lines. The sheer pace of expansion didn’t give enough time for policymakers to devise guidelines to shape its growth. Workers’ incomes have fallen, they have become slaves to algorithms and have no way out. Regulatory intervention seems to be the need of the hour. And ever since the California state government in the US passed the famous Assembly Bill 5, or AB5, there have been increased calls for similar policy action across the world. The law has the potential to reclassify a lot of workers in the platform economy space as employees from independent contractors and hence could mark the beginning of the end for the gig economy as we know. In India, the Karnataka state government is close to drafting a new …
Editor's note: The app-based gig economy emerged as a disruptor almost a decade ago. Today, it’s crumbling under its own weight, exposing millions of workers to the uncertainties of the future. Platforms such as Uber, Swiggy and UrbanClap were seen as the future of work by many, but as the gig economy scaled up, it also developed several fault lines. The sheer pace of expansion didn’t give enough time for policymakers to devise guidelines to shape its growth. Workers’ incomes have fallen, they have become slaves to algorithms and have no way out. Regulatory intervention seems to be the need of the hour. And ever since the California state government in the US passed the famous Assembly Bill 5, or AB5, there have been increased calls for similar policy action across the world. The law has the potential to reclassify a lot of workers in the platform economy space as employees from independent contractors and hence could mark the beginning of the end for the gig economy as we know. In India, the Karnataka state government is close to drafting a new …
A string of deals and bets signal the ride-hailing company’s ambition to dominate delivery, but questions and challenges remain.
Exploitation of unskilled workers is at the heart of quick-delivery service businesses in India. They should be valued for what they are and not what they pretend to be, a trait that has taken a devious form of wanting it both ways.
The decade-old company is reportedly planning to venture into food delivery and fintech. Its no-commission model might just come in handy for its expansion plans.
A string of deals and bets signal the ride-hailing company’s ambition to dominate delivery, but questions and challenges remain.
Exploitation of unskilled workers is at the heart of quick-delivery service businesses in India. They should be valued for what they are and not what they pretend to be, a trait that has taken a devious form of wanting it both ways.
The decade-old company is reportedly planning to venture into food delivery and fintech. Its no-commission model might just come in handy for its expansion plans.
