2019/01/01 by Kathleen Griesbach, Adam Reich, Luke Elliott-Negri +1 · 2 citations
Social Sciences · Business, Management and Accounting · Economics, Econometrics and Finance · #Digital Economy and Work Transformation #Sharing Economy and Platforms #Taxation and Compliance Studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.1177/2378023119870041
openalex publication_date 2019/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
Building on an emerging literature concerning algorithmic management, this article analyzes the processes by which food delivery platforms control workers and uncovers variation in the extent to which such platforms constrain the freedoms—over schedules and activities—associated with gig work. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 55 respondents working on food delivery platforms, as well as a survey of 955 platform food delivery workers, we find that although all of the food delivery platforms use algorithmic management to assign and evaluate work, there is significant cross-platform variation. Instacart, the largest grocery delivery platform, exerts a type of control we call “algorithmic despotism,” regulating the time and activities of workers more stringently than other platform delivery companies. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of the spectrum of algorithmic control for the future of work.