Grounded Takeover: The Empowered Economy

Digital platforms have, in many ways, democratized access to generating income but we are far from being able to say that we have created an ecosystem that allows us to have this desired flexibility with the security we need. True independence cannot exist without a system of security.

Worker co-ops or companies that are owned by employees is not a new concept. In fact, during the Great Depression, farmers who were struggling to access energy resources because investor-owned utilities were not interested in serving rural areas, set up electrical cooperatives that they collectively owned. That said, despite demonstrated benefits l... See more

There were 3.3M independent workers who earned more than $100K in 2018.

While the exact numbers are debated and not well tracked, it’s estimated that as many as 50M Americans have participated in the gig/freelancing economy. A survey conducted by economists Lawrence Katz of Harvard and Alan Kreuger of Princeton found that 94 percent of American jobs created between 2005 and 2015 were for “alternative work”, such as wor... See more

I expect the most important labor question we will have to answer in the 21st century is whether we can truly reconcile independence and job security, especially in an increasingly decentralized economy. As an optimist, I believe it is possible and once we achieve it we will get closer to the idea of an Empowered Economy - one where workers have th... See more

As we go from the peak of the gig economy era and enter into a period where we celebrate the micro-entrepreneur (or passion economy), I hear a lot of nostalgia for the age when everyone had a “good job” - one that was defined by a living wage, worker protections, good benefits, and a reliable retirement. But, funnily enough, as you look throughout ... See more