Travis Kalanick seems intent on bringing Uber down rather than seeing it succeed. Kalanick added two new board members Thursday. albeit excellent executives, in a power play that will disrupt negotiations with SoftBank and other investors. It will certainly lead to a showdown with new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. More drama will lead to more executive […]
Month: September 2017
The U.S. labor force has changed dramatically in recent years, with larger numbers of independent contractors and temporary workers than ever before. Today, more than one in three Americans are part of the so-called “gig” economy,1 and this growing workforce expects to be paid when the job is done, rather than weeks, or even days, […]
Mavenlink surveyed executives about their use of on-demand workers. To download the report: http://go.mavenlink.com/the-white-collar-gig-economy-four-workforce-trends. Top findings include: 94 percent of business leaders plan to continue using or expand their use of skilled contractors for specialized roles in the next year. 79 percent of executives state leveraging contractors is a competitive advantage, citing an increase in […]
A genuinely interesting strategic move in local on-demand. Ikea will obviously combine products with service. Interior designers who arrive with Ikea products, for example. However, does this raise a walled garden around TaskRabbit, tying its services to one retail brand and its products? More details will emerge, and I’ll break it down when we get […]
Travis is on the outside. SoftBank committed to keeping him there. Khosrowshahi has privately indicated support for a deal with SoftBank at the right price, according to one of the people. His other priorities include allowing employees to sell stock more easily at a fair price, resolving the fight between Kalanick and Benchmark, and leveling […]
As predicted here, the slashing of Uber divisions is beginning. How the leasing business was allowed to misproject or misreport results by a huge multiple is a question investors should ask before assuming any of the company’s numbers are valid. Uber Technologies Inc. on Wednesday confirmed it is shutting down its U.S. auto-leasing business, months […]
Addison Lee, a rival to Uber, has suffered a legal blow after a London tribunal ruled that drivers for the company were “workers” owed holiday pay and the minimum wage. Source: Uber rival’s drivers are ‘workers’, employment tribunal rules
This is a smart acquisition for Managed by Q, which provides in-office services on-demand. Hivy collects employee requests Managed by Q responds with services. Vertical integration in a nutshell. New York City-based on-demand office services startup Managed by Q just acquired another office management startup, Hivy. This is the first-ever acquisition for the four-year-old company […]
Lyft ups its level of driver service on two fronts, a call center and a scheduling tool. Drivers for Uber and Lyft have frequently told me they feel unsupported when they encounter a problem a rider or the app. Uber added support calls a few months ago. Lyft is updating its app for drivers, adding […]
Entering the U.K. market may be in Lyft’s long-term plans, but it won’t happen soon. The fact Lyft is considering moving demonstrates why Uber’s ongoing PR problems are a serious threat to Uber’s valuation. According to a news report in The Telegraph citing freedom of information records, while the talks don’t state Lyft is getting […]