Читать книгу Side Hustles For Dummies - Alan R. Simon - Страница 22

According to Investopedia (www.investopedia.com/terms/g/gig-economy.asp), the term gig economy refers to an economic climate where “temporary, flexible jobs are commonplace and companies tend to hire independent contractors and freelancers instead of full-time employees.” (Investopedia also goes so far as to claim that “a gig economy undermines the traditional economy of full-time workers who often focus on their career development.”)

What’s relevant in this definition for understanding the concept of side hustles is the reference to “independent contractors and freelancers.” When Meghan takes the long way home from downtown Denver because she goes on the clock with Uber, she’s functioning as an independent contractor rather than as an employee of Uber. If you take a step back and look at the big picture of the ride-sharing business, one of the points of contention is that Lyft, Uber, and other ride-sharing companies use independent contractors to compete with taxi companies, limousine services, and airport shuttles.

From Meghan’s sort-of-microeconomic point of view, she has a little side hustle going a couple times a week to earn a little extra money. From the big-picture, macroeconomic view, however, Meghan’s side hustle “enables” the gig-economy concept and has helped disrupt longstanding business models.