Why Uber and Lyft drivers are striking ahead of IPO

On Friday, Uber will start publicly trading on the New York Stock Exchange, and drivers want to see some of that money.


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  • Uber and Lyft drivers have organized small-scale protests and strikes in about 20 cities worldwide.
  • They're demanding benefits, higher wages, and better worker protections.
  • It seems like the situation might only get worse for drivers after Uber goes public, considering the company will face pressures from shareholders to turn profits.
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Politics & Current Affairs

Apple, Amazon, and Uber are moving in on health care. Will it help?

Big tech is making its opening moves into the health care scene, but its focus on tech-savvy millennials may miss the mark.

Apple COO Jeff Williams discusses Apple Watch Series 4 during an event on September 12, 2018, in Cupertino, California. The watch lets users take electrocardiogram readings. (Photo: NOAH BERGER/AFP/Getty Images)
  • Companies like Apple, Amazon, and Google have been busy investing in health care companies, developing new apps, and hiring health professionals for new business ventures.
  • Their current focus appears to be on tech-savvy millennials, but the bulk of health care expenditures goes to the elderly.
  • Big tech should look to integrating its most promising health care devise, the smartphone, more thoroughly into health care.
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Sponsored by Northwell Health

Wealth inequality is literally killing us. The economy should work for everyone.

This economy has us in survival mode, stressing out our bodies and minds.

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  • Economic hardship is linked to physical and psychological illness, resulting in added healthcare expenses people can't afford.
  • The gig economy – think Uber, Lyft, TaskRabbit, Handy – is marketed as a 'be your own boss' revolution, but it can be dehumanizing and dangerous; every worker is disposable.
  • The cooperative business model can help reverse wealth inequality.
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Videos

Uber drivers are earning 53% less than they did in 2013

The report outlines some bleak numbers for drivers who work for ride-hailing apps like Lyft and Uber, though those companies don't quite agree with the researchers' methodology.

  • A new report suggests earnings have been steadily falling for drivers with companies like Uber and Lyft
  • Uber suggests the results are misleading because they don't examine hourly earnings
  • However, other reports suggest that even hourly earnings for ride-sharing drivers are often comparable to minimum wage
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Technology & Innovation

How to predict a company crisis: Uber, Lego, Marvel Comics

How did Lego survive a near-total financial ruin? Why is Lyft way more popular that Uber amongst drivers? And how did Marvel gain a second wind some 60 years after it was founded?

What makes certain companies succeed and others fail? Bain & Company partner Chris Zook has the answer. The answer lays mostly in the companies ability - or inability - to figure out what it's really all about. Simplicity of core values is key. For instance, Lego was facing a crisis when it over-extended itself by getting into theme parks and clothing brand territory, but managed to save itself by scaling back to just the toys. Flexibility is also important: 20 years ago Marvel wasn't selling comic books but understood that the characters were the real draw and that they could translate easily to movies and video games. Chris Zook goes on to explain what else makes a business successful, and espouses some great lessons for companies looking to stick around longer than a VC runway. Chris's latest look is The Founder's Mentality: How to Overcome the Predictable Crises of Growth.

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Technology & Innovation