Summary: the &quot;sharing economy&quot; is awful because companies such as Uber and AirBnb profit from facilitating the transaction between the consumer and the provider.  To quote: &quot;The capital of the lower classes is used as a certificate signalling employment-worthiness, then is used to generate revenue for those who can afford to rent it out in mass to create products for consumers. The profits made are not returned to those who own the capital, but rather to those who own the information technology company which rents the capital.&quot;<p>Of course, this makes it sound like the Uber driver and AirBnb host are slaves of the big corporations.<p>In reality, drivers can select times when there is greater demand and thus, higher rates.  AirBnb hosts can set their own rates, and are subject to market realities. In addition, either is able to sign up with a competitive services, e.g. Lyft or Homeaway.