Hello, 

We’ve come to the last episode in this season of “The Uncertain Hour,” and this week we’re going to talk about one of the newest kinds of “nonemployee” work that’s arrived at the doorstep of this economy: app-based gig work. (If you’re thinking, “Finally,” you’re not alone.) 

Over the past year, when I’ve mentioned to people what our team was working on — looking into all the ways that companies shed employees and the responsibilities that come with them — many assumed we were talking about Silicon Valley. But as you’ve heard over the past seven episodes, ride-hailing and food-delivery apps are just the tip of the iceberg. The battles over what employment really means have been going on for much longer, and they affect so many more people in the American workforce.

This question, of who is an employee and who is an independent contractor, has been argued about in a lot of industries. And it can start to feel like as soon as it’s litigated in one context, the same problem arises somewhere else. So this week we’ll explore how tech-based gig companies sell themselves to workers by offering flexibility — and how it’s often the workers who end up having to be flexible and accommodating when they’re working for an app.

We also heard so much from you, and we’re going to share some of your great thoughts and stories at the end of this episode. Thanks for joining us for this season of “The Uncertain Hour.” Please rave about us to all your friends — and the people you don’t agree with, too.

— Krissy

Season 5 | Episode 8

My boss is an app

The gig-app workforce has arrived at our doorstep. But Silicon Valley’s innovations in hiring are only the latest round of this long-running battle over what employment means in the American economy. (Listening time, 48:13)

Uncertain Terms: "deactivation"

This season we learned a lot of new terms, and we’re taking a little space here each week to explain them.

This week, we wrap up “Uncertain Terms” with a look at a word used by many of Silicon Valley’s gig-app giants: “deactivation.” It’s their way of saying a worker has been fired. Since gig workers aren’t technically employees of gig companies, getting “deactivated” can leave them without any income or safety net. Companies don’t have to pay into unemployment insurance for nonemployees. 

Gig companies have argued that it’s the technology platform they’re selling, not the services provided by the vast workforce of people making deliveries or giving rides. If those people miss deadlines or don’t complete shifts set by the technology, they could get deactivated from the app. (There are also lots of other broad reasons app companies cite for deactivation.)

The word deactivation abstracts from the reality of a person losing her or his job. There’s a lot of abstraction that happens when companies talk about the workers who drive their business. People become “resources” or “units.” Or, let’s not forget: nonemployees. It’s all pretty clinical. And the battles over what “employment” means — and who’s entitled to the protections it’s meant to provide — are ongoing. They’ve been around since employment laws were written, and they’ll continue to be waged as companies develop new business models. One thing we know for certain: Those battles will hinge on language.

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