Uberland: How Algorithms Are Rewriting the Rules of Work [Hardcover]

Silicon Valley technology is transforming the way we work, and Uber is leading the charge. An American startup that promised to deliver entrepreneurship for the masses through its technology, Uber instead built a new template for employment using algorithms and Internet platforms. Upending our understanding of work in the digital age,Uberlandpaints a future where any of us might be managed by a faceless boss.
 
The neutral language of technology masks the powerful influence algorithms have across the New Economy.Uberlandchronicles the stories of drivers in more than twenty-five cities in the United States and Canada over four years, shedding light on their working conditions and providing a window into how they feel behind the wheel. The book also explores Uber’s outsized influence around the world: the billion-dollar company is now influencing everything from debates about sexual harassment and transportation regulations to racial equality campaigns and labor rights initiatives.
 
Based on award-winning technology ethnographer Alex Rosenblat’s firsthand experience of riding over 5,000 miles with Uber drivers, daily visits to online forums, and face-to-face discussions with senior Uber employees,Uberlandgoes beyond the headlines to reveal the complicated politics of popular technologies that are manipulating both workers and consumers.

Alex Rosenblatis a technology ethnographer. A researcher at the Data & Society Research Institute, she holds an MA in sociology from Queen’s University and a BA in history from McGill University. Rosenblat’s writing has appeared in media outlets such as theNew York Times,Harvard Business Review, theAtlantic, Slate, andFast Company. Her research has received attention worldwide and has been covered in theNew York Times, theWall Street Journal, MIT Technology Review, WIRED, New Scientistlƒ½