How the Gig Economy Changed the Way We Work

Wharton professor Lindsey Cameron reflects on the history, impact, and future of the gig economy as part of Knowledge at Wharton's "American Business Innovation" series ahead of the USA's 250th anniversary. Learn how companies like Uber, the gig economy, and algorithmic management reshaped work, and what these innovations mean for workers, businesses, and the future of employment.

Cameron is an assistant professor of management and the Dorinda and Mark Winkelman Distinguished Faculty Scholar at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and holds an appointment in the sociology department. She is a Faculty Affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, the Data and Society Research Institute in New York City, and a former fellow (member) at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.

A scholar of the future of work, her research focuses on how algorithmic management and artificial intelligence is changing the modern workplace, with an emphasis on the gig economy. Professor Cameron has an on-going, eight-year ethnography of the largest sector of the gig economy, the ride-hailing industry, examining how algorithms management changes managerial control. She recently completed a study on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected workers on various gig platforms (TaskRabbit, Instacart, AmazonFlex, Uber, Lyft, DoorDash). She is currently completing a project on how the gig economy’s business model adapts in the Global South, with a focus on the implications for management and workers. Other ongoing research projects focus on workforce development, particularly as it relates to technology.

ABOUT THE SERIES As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, hear from Wharton faculty experts as they explore the American business innovations that transformed industries, reshaped markets, and changed the way the world works. From the assembly line and modern branding to the internet and artificial intelligence, this series examines the ideas and institutions that helped define American enterprise and continue to influence business today.

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