Collaborative ECONOMY

Independent contracting. Gig work.

No matter how much people want to slow down its proliferation, and force it into an employer/employee relationship, is not going away.

It’s always been here anyway.

What it likely will do is splinter. Be under new names and concepts. Morph. Be recast.

Naval Ravikant has a concept of people receiving multiple offers for work. Ones network and skills will drive what they get offered. He sees a long tail after the mega orgs. The likes of Google, Amazon, Disney.

I don’t see any reason why that won’t happen.

I see massive, sustainable, long-term opportunity in a Collaborative or Collaborating Economy. Partnerships. Concerns.

How does that work? Already does. It’s not new.

My company for example. Revival Development Services has two of our larger contracts through sub contractor agreements. In one case we are a 1/3 partner for the scope and fee. In the other I am the project leader. A role that even the prime initially thought I would need to be under an employment agreement for legitimacy; reality is the buyer does not care. They just want the skills, knowledge, and leadership I bring. Those traits are not more legitimate if I’m on payroll or not.

I have some other very loose arrangements. Like Lyft. People hit me up for my thoughts and pay me. That’s it. Done with that ride when I get them where they need to go.

In these cases I am a collaborator to other organizations. Some bigger. Some same size as mine. Others less access to opportunities for some reason or another, or smaller platforms than myself. I will help anyone who does not mind me helping them out.

I have independent contractors working with me on many projects.

I apply the term collaborators in place of contractors. They aren’t employees. They aren’t equity or voting partners in my corporate structure. They are gig workers in some respects. In my view. They are there to collaborate with me. In some matters I am the accountable party and do need to establish some parameters. Set the edge. Lead. But in other spots I want them to lead their part and collaborate with me on the whole. I want ideas and I want them to want mine.

That’s it. That’s the relationship.

I work within a system that Ravikant supposes already. As do those I work work.

We survive by collaborating. Yes there is competition. We bid against each other on stuff. But we also know there is a place, and often more opportunity, to work together.

The notion of collaborating to drive an economy seems not to exist. But the practice is already in place and going forward.