The GIG Economy Podcast

We would love to hear your feedback! We trade late-night rideshare stories with real safety lessons, then dig into Uber’s background check controversy, the pace of misconduct reports, and what policy changes could actually protect people. We also explore Uber’s EV charging push, a new trash-day gig app, Life360’s family integration, Waymo’s assertive maneuvers, and DoorDash’s retail surge. • fast-driving Uber and Lyft rides, phone mount risks, rating and reporting choices • lifetime bans for...

We would love to hear your feedback! A pizza goes to the right address—until the app decides it didn’t. That’s where our night begins: inside a double-order mix-up that flips a completed delivery into a fresh task 10 miles away, and a support chat that insists the driver is at fault. We unpack what really happened, why third-party systems like Toast can scramble instructions mid-route, and how to protect your tips, ratings, and sanity when the software gets it wrong. From there we hit the me...

We would love to hear your feedback! News Links for Ep 289 A tipping point is here for the gig economy, and we felt it the moment two verdicts landed: Uber facing an $858.5M judgment in a sexual assault case under “apparent authority,” and Instacart ordered to pay nearly $16M after a fatal crash. We unpack what these rulings actually mean—where platform liability starts, where driver accountability remains, and how this could finally force safety to become a real product priority instead of a...

We would love to hear your feedback! News Links from Ep 288 We dig into the week’s wild mix: snow closures and NTI days, shrinking gig hours, the end of Dovetail screenshots, Spark incentives that don’t always land, and a sober look at autonomy after Waymo’s low-speed child impact and an impatient merge around a semi. Safety, strategy, and sanity lead the way. • school shutdowns, NTI days, local differences • dovetail payouts ending and data value • spark curbside incentives vs real earnings...

We would love to hear your feedback! Ep 287 News Links Two friends tackle a frozen week of gig work—how storms stall demand, why some apps shut down, and where the money still flows—then zoom out to taxes, tips, and the fight for transparency. We also dig into AV stumbles, teen ride safety, and Amazon’s shifting retail play. • ice storm impacts on scheduling and safety • spark incentives and whether cold boosts earnings • 1099 tip reporting inconsistencies across apps • NYC’s 10% tip prompt ...