Employment, Work, and Value Creation in the Era of Digital Platforms

This chapter considers the international scene primarily through US-based and globally prominent digital platforms in terms of the implications of their increasing adoption by users. In contrast to other scholars offering taxonomies of platform types. Digital platforms are changing the organization of competition, work, and consumption—and thus the very fabric of modern society. At the center of the ecosystems are the firms operating these platforms. Platform firms typically have many workers who work via either short-term direct employment or temporary help firms’ arm’s-length contracts. Platform-mediated marketplaces were one of the earliest internet websites. In-person services have been provided by both corporate and independent contractors. An increasing proportion has been reorganized as digital intermediaries because of digital platforms. Digital platforms are rapidly becoming intermediaries in many sectors and reshaping those sectors and their work, value creation, and value capture. The taxonomy of labor for the platform economy shows that, in each category, the organization of work and value creation differs.