The big problem with modernization of gig work by these companies is that they’re screwing of the gig workers by inserting themselves in the middle and fucking over everybody else involved.

Town car services existed for years before Uber came to the scene. Before Uber you’d have to call a town car service that may be a single person operation, or a small group of people getting together and hiring a calling service.

The idea of the modern, centralized, gig services is not a terrible idea in itself. But running that as a capitalist business is terrible. This is one of those things that should be required to be a government service or a non-profit.