Ride-sharing apps such as Uber and Lyft are expected to prevail as California counts votes on Proposition 22, a ballot measure supporting the gig economy that exempts drivers for app-based transportation and delivery companies from being classed as employees.
A recently filed lawsuit accuses Uber of discriminating against minority drivers through its rating system. A former driver claims that he was unfairly terminated after his “star rating” dropped below a certain threshold after negative reviews from riders.
Uber drivers are reportedly suing the ride-sharing firm for allegedly pressuring them to support Prop 22, a ballot initiative to make gig workers independent contractors instead of employees as mandated by a recent state law.
In a recent article, Uber software engineer Kurt Nelson explained why he would be voting against California Prop 22 despite being employed by the company pushing it. Prop 22 seeks to classify gig economy drivers as independent contractors, a cause Uber has spent many millions of dollars supporting. It would in effect reverse the recently passed AB 5 law that forces gig economy companies like Uber and Lyft to classify their drivers as employees instead of contractors.
This week, Seattle’s city council passed an ordinance that will require Uber and Lyft to pay their drivers a minimum hourly wage of $16. Lyft has already pushed back at the new policy, claiming that it may force them to lay off 4,000 drivers in Seattle alone.
A recent report from the Information details internal turmoil at Uber surrounding the company’s $2.5 billion investment in self-driving cars, which has yet to produce any usable products.
Tim Cook stated in a recent tweet that the Masters of the Universe at Apple stands with NBA players who recently boycotted a number of games in protest of the recent shooting of Jacob Blake. Apple supports “those who refuse to accept the status quo” because “we must do better.”
Federal prosecutors have reportedly charged former Uber Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan with covering up a massive 2016 data breach by paying hackers $100,000. The personal data of 57 million Uber passengers and drivers was stolen in the breach.
Uber and Lyft narrowly avoided shutting down their California rideshare services late Thursday after an appeals court granted the companies a last-minute extension in their legal battle against the state over a new law that requires them to reclassify their gig economy drivers as employees.
Uber could shut down services in California as early as Friday as the ridesharing company continues to fight the state over a new law that requires its gig economy drivers to be re-classified as employees. The threat of a stoppage comes after Uber posted a whopping $1.8 billion loss during the second quarter as the Chinese coronavirus pandemic continues to take a financial toll on the company.
Uber claims it may have to temporarily shut down in California after a judge ruled earlier this week that Uber and Lyft must classify their gig drivers as employees.
Uber is handing over contact tracing data to public health authorities to assist in tracking down people suspected of coming in contact with someone who has the Chinese virus, according to a report from Reuters.
Some Lyft drivers are reportedly upset that the ridesharing company is making them purchase their own personal protective gear in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, saying the company ought to provide PPE for free.
Ridesharing giant Uber is reportedly set to purchase the fourth-largest food delivery service, Postmates, for $2.65 billion in stock. Postmates is a direct competitor for Uber Eats, the Silicon Valley company’s food delivery subsidiary.
According to a recent study analyzing the pricing algorithms of ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft, prices for rides to or from non-white areas are higher, leading to accusations of racial bias.
Uber Eats is offering free delivery from black-owned restaurants for the rest of the year as part of the company’s response to the #BlackLivesMatter protests that have engulfed major cities during the past seven days. But questions about the promotion’s legality have arisen, with some experts saying that it violates civil rights laws.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi’s pay package has come under fire from a group of shareholders who are questioning why his sign-on deal potentially entitles him to $100 million while employees are facing layoffs in the wake of the Chinese virus pandemic.
Ride-sharing giant Uber has announced that it will be laying off 3,700 employees, or around 14 percent of its workforce, due to the drop in its business suffered during the Chinese virus pandemic.
In days past, if you were risking your life for low pay, that likely meant you were a soldier. The upside: survival skills, high status, a free college degree, and good benefits. These days, though, you can risk your life for low pay and get none of those benefits, as a member of the pandemic “Gig Economy.”
Rideshare company Lyft said it is laying off 982 employees, or 17 percent of its workforce, and is furloughing hundreds more due to financial pressure from the Chinese virus pandemic.
An Uber driver in Memphis, Tennessee, recently made it her mission to help feed healthcare workers fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
A recent report from AP News investigates how the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic has forced Silicon Valley’s most popular companies, including Airbnb, to face a number of harsh truths.
In a surprising turn of events, it seems that online meal delivery services are having a hard time dealing with the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. Analysts at Deutsche Bank commented, “Whilst the COVID-19 outbreak could intuitively be seen as beneficial to online food delivery players, with millions of people under lockdown, we conclude that this is not the case.”
In a recent interview, billionaire short-seller Jim Chanos stated that gig economy companies such as Uber will be “harmed, not enhanced” by the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic.
Unemployment benefits will reportedly be extended to groups including gig economy workers like Uber drivers based on a bipartisan deal struck this week.
Ride-sharing giant Uber announced on Tuesday that it would suspend shared rides with strangers on its platform in the United States and Canada to limit the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus.
An Uber Eats driver allegedly kicked in a drive-thru window at a fast food restaurant in West Allis, Wisconsin, on February 23.
Investors fear that people will avoid movie theaters, concert venues, and gyms if the coronavirus hits the U.S. hard.
According to a recent study, ride-hailing trips with Uber and Lyft result in an estimated 69 percent more climate pollution on average than the trips they displace.
According to Uber’s fourth-quarter earnings released on Thursday, the company lost $1.1 billion for the three-month period but expects to be profitable by the end of 2020. Overall, the ridesharing company lost $8.5 billion in 2019.
Ride-sharing company Lyft is reportedly putting together a council of experts to advise the company on various safety initiatives for passengers. The “Safety Advisory Council” is being formed in response to many problems between drivers and passengers, including the rape and sexual assault of women — 14 rape victims have sued Lyft claiming their drivers sexually assaulted them.
Alvin Campbell Jr., the brother of Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell, has been accused of posing as an Uber driver in order to sexually assault a woman.
An Atlanta, Georgia, woman’s dreams of going back to college are finally coming true thanks to the help of a good Samaritan passenger on an Uber ride who paid it forward.
Ride-sharing giant Uber and courier service Postmates have filed a lawsuit aimed at putting the brakes on California’s new law that will reclassify gig workers as employees, potentially burdening tech companies with millions of dollars in new personnel costs.
In a display of unapologetic defiance, Silicon Valley giants including Facebook and Uber are planning to ignore new California laws scheduled to take effect in 2020, laying the groundwork for a collision course between the tech giants and state lawmakers.
The online grocery delivery app Instacart is facing an internal rebellion among its sprawling network of gig workers who are unhappy about changes in compensation, including the company’s tipping policy.
A new Silicon Valley baby food delivery service has raised millions of dollars investors in a round of funding including high tech darlings Warby Parker and Harry’s. Yumi delivers fresh baby food directly to its customers as the Masters of the Universe hope to replace Gerber and other traditional baby food brands.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Uber, as part of along anticipated safety report, revealed that more than 3,000 sexual assaults were reported during its U.S. rides in 2018.
The attorney general of Washington, D.C. has just delivered a lawsuit to DoorDash, alleging that the popular food-delivery company skimmed tips from its drivers and misled customers into thinking that their gratuities would end up in drivers’ pockets.
VICE News recently published an article outlining how progressive workers in Silicon Valley are fighting back against their employers.
