Exponential: Order and Chaos in an Age of Accelerating Technology

by Azeem Azhar

These people and millions of other gig workers are managed by computers. Their work is scrutinised through a stream of quantitative performance assessments. Rideshare drivers may only have 10–20 seconds to respond to an offered ride, without knowing in advance where they’re expected to go or how much they can expect to make. If they refuse too many rides in a row, they can be kicked off the platform.71 And this is not limited to ride-sharing. The warehouse workers who put together your grocery delivery are commanded by scanners, which tell them how much time they have to collect each item.72 None of Taylor’s lackadaisical soldiering here. Deliveroo drivers, meanwhile, can be punished if they arrive later than the time of arrival calculated by an algorithm – regardless of the local weather conditions or traffic. This system of management works like Taylorism on steroids – with all the dehumanising downsides but without the commensurate high pay or job stability.