The core shift isn’t just automation, it’s the transfer of decision-making power
from labor to the platform. When the algorithm becomes the supervisor, the worker
is no longer negotiating with a human institution, they are negotiating with an
opaque optimization function.
This is why many gig workers describe the job not as “work” but as a kind of
ongoing test they can never see the scoring rules for.
The result isn’t just efficiency. It’s dependency.
This is why many gig workers describe the job not as “work” but as a kind of ongoing test they can never see the scoring rules for.
The result isn’t just efficiency. It’s dependency.