TRUDI MAKHAYA: New platforms and equitable ecosystems needed in business innovation
The narrative about major technology companies has turned sour. The Economist wondered, in a piece published in September, if big technological firms should be regulated like industrial-era utilities with market power. There is an emerging genre of stories about the plight of "gig economy" independent workers. In March, the New Yorker ran an article about a woman who, while having contractions, squeezed in one last taxi ride before driving herself to hospital to give birth. The local press has covered the battle of Uber drivers to get recognition as employees. Some of the anxiety about the new tech barons is focused on the economics and the organisation of digital platforms. Companies like Uber, Facebook and Amazon offer a two-sided service that brings together two parties into a transaction.
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