Earlier this week, the LA Times had an interesting article on the discriminatory nature of the gig economy’s algorithmic pricing model. Meaning different workers receive different offers with different “wages” simultaneously: “Avedian shared an experiment he ran in which two Uber-driving brothers in Chicago sat side by side with their apps open. They recorded in real time which rates they were offered for the same ride — and one brother was consistently offered more for every trip. The brother who kept getting higher offers drove a Tesla and had a history of accepting fewer rides, while his brother had a rental hybrid sedan and a higher ride acceptance rate. This suggests that Uber’s algorithm is offering higher rates to the user with the nicer car and who has historically been more picky, in order to entice him onto the road — and lower ones to the driver who was statistically more likely to accept a ride for less pay.”
Outsmarting Algorithms (and Firms): Anticipatory Behavior in the Labor Market
great article!
There is a typo: Many of re-position => Many of us re-position.