Episode 049 — In Aggregate

Ben and James discuss the decision by the California Labor Commission that at least one Uber driver is an employee: will this affect the company’s valuation? More broadly, is this a good or a bad thing for society, and why is it that people blame Uber for societal shortcomings? Then, more on the alleged bubble, unicorn valuation, and how the next couple of years might play out.

In addition, Exponent will be on hiatus for the next two months. We may have an episode or two (and will likely repost some “greatest hits”), and will be back to a weekly schedule in the fall.

Note: Due to a failing mic, we had to re-record one side of the conversation for the last half of the episode. We apologize for any choppiness or mismatched tone

Links

• Ben Thompson: Uber, Contractors, and Employees — Stratechery Daily Update (members-only)
• Ben Thompson: Don’t Blame Uber — Stratechery
• Richard Florida: Finding Happiness in Creative Destruction — CityLab
• Ben Thompson: Unicorns — Stratechery
• U.S. Tech Funding — What’s Going On? — Andreessen Horowitz
• Ben Thompson: Unicorns Follow-Up — Stratechery Daily Update (members-only)

Hosts

• Ben Thompson, @benthompson, Stratechery
• James Allworth, @jamesallworth, Harvard Business Review

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