Good point, although the only Uber driver I know is an economist who does it occasionally on the side. 

It got me thinking about whether I should look into that or similar things and only accept jobs that are basically on my way, anyways.

Undisciplined

> So a second role of the sharing platforms is to circumvent traditional regulations via the amateur labeling of their suppliers.


That, too, is an extra important benefit!


denlillaapan

Uber's an interesting case because I'm not sure what percent of its activity is actually 

To the extent that Uber was able to get such a quick foothold into the market for professional taxi services, i'd also argue that it was due to lack of competition / regulatory restrictions in the supply of taxis.  So a second role of the sharing platforms is to circumvent traditional regulations via the amateur labeling of their suppliers.

econ

The Ownership Obsession: What Uber and AirBnB Really Sell (TDE, Munger)

Uber's an interesting case because I'm not sure what percent of its activity is actually *sharing*, vs. full-time professional driving.

To the extent that Uber was able to get such a quick foothold into the market for professional taxi services, i'd also argue that it was due to lack of competition / regulatory restrictions in the supply of taxis.  So a second role of the sharing platforms is to circumvent traditional regulations via the amateur labeling of their suppliers.