I began doing gig work while deathly ill and homeless. It was the only kind of paid work I had access to and the world absolutely wasn't throwing money at me out of compassion for my terrible sob story. (I have a genetic disorder, no criminal record etc etc so I'm one of the clearly "unfortunate and deserving poor.")

I happen to work for a service that is well designed and gives me control over the things that matter to me. It also has a low barrier to entry but doesn't have a low ceiling. It's possible to make a middle class income this way.

So I'm quite convinced that efficiency isn't simply some polite euphemism for "fuck you." I think it's possible to design gig work platforms that work well for the workers.

I'm hardly the only person on the planet for whom many regular jobs are simply out of the question.

I think the efficiency gains are real and can be managed in a way that is good for all involved parties.

I think gig work can be the next industrial revolution where we make it possible for ordinary people to have some of the things historically reserved for the jet set.

Because my income was portable, I was able to take a train to another state and get back into housing in a cheaper state than California. For many poor people, that's unimaginable. They would need to look for a job in the new location, which would mean having no income for a time because, say, waitressing jobs don't hire you from out of state typically.

I got to work as much or as little as I chose. It was dictated by my health to a large degree, which was enormously frustrating, but it meant that when I was feeling better, I could immediately earn money again. I didn't have to job hunt.

For me, gig work was nothing short of a miracle allowing me to have some earned income under circumstances where that should have been simply impossible.

So, sorry, I don't think so.