Uber is a company that relies on people being in difficult situations. It got started in the 2008 recession when people were really hard up as well and took advantage of that. Uber has effectively been pushed out of Barcelona twice, first in 2019 and in 2021. There's always tried to find ways to relaunch. But there's a key moment in July last year when the Catalan Parliament passed a legislation which effectively barred private higher platforms from up beyond passenger vans and limousines.
Paris Marx is joined by Ben Wray to discuss the fight to win a pro-worker Platform Work Directive in the European Union, Uber’s rollout of dynamic pricing, and how Barcelona taxi workers have fought back against ride-hailing.
Ben Wray is the coordinator of The Gig Economy Project and the co-author of Scotland after Britain: The two souls of Scottish independence. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @Ben_Wray1989.
Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.
The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.
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