Ask HN: Why the gig economy is so effective

[40acres]

Here is my thought, the gig economy is so effective because smartphones makes humans more productive in general. The phone is a great force multiplier, especially in a service based economy. Adam Smith introduced the concept of division of labor, what's more specialized than being an on demand driver?

The problem is that the cost of buisness (car ownership, etc.) is not factored into wages, and that labor is weak, so workers are being exploited.

When productivity is this great human labor becomes more like a commodity.

[i_phish_cats]

But, is it effective? It seems many of the the 'gig' companies are simply floating on Saudi (aka venture capital) money and have yet to turn a profit. And it's not like gig-workers are much better off than minimum-wage workers.

[taylodl]

The gig economy is just another way for companies to exploit their workers. Hell, the companies have even claimed in court that their workers aren't actually their workers but instead are independent contractors - independent contractors the company expects to assume all legal risks and liabilities. It's a complete scam. Take a taxi if you can and go get your own food.

[vikramkr]

Idk about traditional gig economy, but something interesting is the rise of coworking companies in NYC that use restaurants as coworking space during the day when they dont serve food. Otherwise unused capacity becoming productive is surely a driving force for productivity, and perhaps this is a force in your uber style gig economy as well.

[jppope]

To be clear, you believe that everyone working these gigs is really working full time for a company, on a set schedule that the company decides, without the choice of using what tools they want to, and who's work is being monitored by the company?