New York University
Arun Sundararajan is Professor of Information, Operations and Management Sciences at New York University, where his research studies how digital technologies transform business and society. He is the author of The Sharing Economy; The End of Employment and the Rise of Crowd-based Capitalism.
The gig economy grows up We are fast becoming a nation of freelancers, temps and on-call hired help. In 2015 nearly 16% of workers had freelance jobs, a 10% jump from a decade ago. In fact, all of the net employment growth between 2005 and 2015 came from what's now referred to as the sharing or gig economy. Nearly a third of American workers have some kind of non-traditional gig, and by 2025 freelancers could make up half the workforce. This seismic shift away from 9-to-5 employment offers freedom and flexibility, but it comes with a steep price: few benefits, low wages, and little protection for the older workers who are increasingly drawn to the hustle. As the gig economy grows, will labor policy and protections keep up? We talk about the winners and losers in a world where more people are their own boss.
Uber, "Big Taxi" and the Sharing Economy As commercial ridesharing becomes more popular, it's eating into the business of traditional cab companies. Licensed cabbies are being replaced by part-time, unlicensed drivers using their own cars to make extra money. Hundreds of taxi drivers protested last week at Los Angeles City Hall against Uber , Lyft and Sidecar , what they all “bandit cabs” that use apps to find passengers and don't have special licenses or insurance coverage. Yesterday, London cab drivers brought gridlock to the center of that city. Is mobile technology spawning a mobile black market or is ridesharing the wave of the future?
Crossing borders, in mind and in the flesh The U.S. border with Mexico has become a linchpin in American politics under the administration of Donald Trump.
A California car that takes solar power seriously Cars and trucks are some of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. And so a number of automobile companies are exploring ways to meet governmental - and consumer - demands for cleaner drives.
Rebecca Traister and the Power of Women’s Anger One of America’s leading feminist writers says women have changed history since Ancient Greece. And, she says, they’ll do it again. The backlash to President Trump was just the beginning. Record numbers of women are running for congress, state governorships and local offices. She tells Warren about her latest book,“Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger.”