The author certainly has a couple of valid points, especially that there is a certain amount of equality distribution and trust-breaking provided by the "gig economy".
However, what the author totally misses is that the regulation movements are not without merits, often due to blatant abuse and profiteering:
- Uber gets flak because of surge pricing, whereas (at least in Germany) taxis are mandated to provide the same price to all customers, no matter source or destination, or the skin color or BAC of the passenger
- AirBNB gets flak because instead of people renting out their spare rooms, a lot of "hosts" abuse the system and run straight hotels in residential areas, with all the problems this incurs (noise, drunkards, sometimes illegal prostitution). In addition for many years AirBNB dodged the hotel and tourist taxes that hotels had to pay, thus depriving the cities of tax revenue.
- Google, well, is Google - their customer service is non-existing unless you are handing them over dollars (which isn't even possible for many services).
- Facebook/Twitter/Youtube... same problem and their "algorithms" were abused by hackers and right wing trolls to feed the population vile conspiracy theories and xenophobia.
Turns out that the state does have to provide regulatory frameworks or the "free market" will simply screw over the weakest people in society.
However, what the author totally misses is that the regulation movements are not without merits, often due to blatant abuse and profiteering:
- Uber gets flak because of surge pricing, whereas (at least in Germany) taxis are mandated to provide the same price to all customers, no matter source or destination, or the skin color or BAC of the passenger
- AirBNB gets flak because instead of people renting out their spare rooms, a lot of "hosts" abuse the system and run straight hotels in residential areas, with all the problems this incurs (noise, drunkards, sometimes illegal prostitution). In addition for many years AirBNB dodged the hotel and tourist taxes that hotels had to pay, thus depriving the cities of tax revenue.
- Google, well, is Google - their customer service is non-existing unless you are handing them over dollars (which isn't even possible for many services).
- Facebook/Twitter/Youtube... same problem and their "algorithms" were abused by hackers and right wing trolls to feed the population vile conspiracy theories and xenophobia.
Turns out that the state does have to provide regulatory frameworks or the "free market" will simply screw over the weakest people in society.