Tech Empire #08: Uber and worker exploitation in the transportation industry with Veena Dubal

This episode welcomes Veena Dubal to discuss Uber and workers in the transportation industry. The show is divided into three parts. First, it explains how “e-hailing services” like Uber and Lyft work, with a focus on how they impact workers. Next, we discuss Proposition 22 in California, a ballot proposal to exempt “gig workers” from classification as employees. [This was passed by CA voters after this podcast episode was recorded.] Finally, we discuss alternative models of how ride hailing should work in the internet era. Veena Dubal is a Professor of Law at the University of California, Hastings in San Francisco. She has been cited by the California Supreme Court, and her scholarship has been published in top-tier law review and peer-reviewed journals, including the California Law Review and the Berkeley Journal of Empirical and Labor Law. Professor Dubal is currently writing a book manuscript – Driving Freedom, Navigating Neoliberalism – on how five decades of shifting technologies and emergent regulatory regimes changed the everyday lives and work experiences of ride-hail drivers in San Francisco. She has been published in numerous media outlets, including The Guardian, Slate, and the Los Angeles Times. You can follow her on Twitter at @veenadubal.