The Sharing Economy

The End of Employment and the Rise of Crowd-Based Capitalism

De: Arun Sundararajan

Narrado por: Vikas Adam

Sharing isn't new. Giving someone a ride, having a guest in your spare room, running errands for someone, participating in a supper club - these are not revolutionary concepts. What is new in the "sharing economy" is that you are not helping a friend for free; you are providing these services to a stranger for money.

In this book, Arun Sundararajan, an expert on the sharing economy, explains the transition to what he describes as "crowd-based capitalism" - a new way of organizing economic activity that may supplant the traditional corporate-centered model. As peer-to-peer commercial exchange blurs the lines between the personal and the professional, how will the economy, government regulation, what it means to have a job, and our social fabric be affected?

Drawing on extensive research and numerous real-world examples, Sundararajan explains the basics of crowd-based capitalism. He describes the intriguing mix of "gift" and "market" in its transactions, demystifies emerging blockchain technologies, and clarifies the dizzying array of emerging on-demand platforms. He then considers how this new paradigm changes economic growth and the future of work.

©2016 Arun Sundararajan (P)2016 Tantor

Excellent, well explained

I really liked how the author described the social and economic impact that sharing econony Will have on society and what should we be prepared for the huge changes.

Great economic outlook on effect of tech

The author does an excellent job capturing the economics behind where this sharing trend is headed. Being an Econ major and an MBA I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's an easy digestible read. strongly recommend it.

Interesting Content, Dubious Conclusions

Draws a questionable dichotomy between a market economy and a gift economy. Ignores the ability of platforms (i.e. Uber) to concentrate power and profits to themselves at the expense of the "micro entrepreneurs" who provide their property or services (i.e. Uber drivers). The general tone is very optimistic that sharing will bring about greater equality, which I think overlooks the fact that potential providers still have to have the means to own spare property before being able to rent it out through sharing platforms.

Very enlightening book

I rthouroughly enjoyed this book and gives a glimpse of the changes that the workplace is undergoing. It gives food for thought for the place makers for independent labor.

Great book for anyone creating digital apps

This book is a life changer in so many ways. It connects many of the puzzle pieces together and shows you how they interact. Great book! In the future everyone has value.

The age of crowd control

Certainly we are seeing big data, and crowd information used, whether it's for funding, sourcing, evaluating, servicing and everything else.

It is clear that crowd intelligence is superior to the old fashioned experts, and the large internet companies are using this information to enrich themselves.

The question is will this continue in a society where the rich get richer leaving everyone else behind. This book raises some thought provoking questions about Web 2.0 or what the author calls the sharing economy.

Highly recommended as a starting point to understand the type of revolution we are currently undergoing. I appreciate the authors honesty in admitting the difficulty in predicting what will come next.

Relevant & engaging

This book is accessible to both top-notch-economists and laypeople alike. It was a fascinating listen.

The subject is of such vast economic importance, and yet it's so personal to each of us in the developed world. The emergence and growth of peer-to-peer services in the past few years has been staggering. Economic activity is shifting away from central institutions to services provided by other individuals who have access to goods. The range of services is stunning — you can get a ride, order food, crash on someone's couch, ship an unwieldy object, have your clothes laundered, book a massage therapist, or become a startup investor, all with a few taps on your phone.

As the scope of peer-to-peer markets expands, we're taking economic activity out of institutions. In the established model, most economic activity was controlled by large companies. Now we have a digitally controlled model — a platform that sits btw people who have time, have stuff, or have $, and people who need those things. Loved the discussion on what makes people trust each other enough for these high-stakes interactions, the "digital online reputation circles."

Which brings me to the most interesting aspect of the sharing economy, and of the book — the implications both for regulation & for the workforce. On the one hand, value is captured by people below median income, which is a promise of inclusive growth. On the other hand — well, you should get the book.

Thorough, Thought Provoking and Enjoyable

This well-researched book on the "sharing economy," "crowd-sourced capitalism," or whatever we're calling it these days, is very well-researched. It dates through around 2015 so it will probably need updating to retain value at some point. But, as of this point in time (2018), it's still quite relevant and timely. Anyone interested in decentralization or where our economy is going would be well-served by this account.

Two very subjective criticisms:

(a) the author engages in too much attribution. This is what footnotes are for. It is distracting and a waste of time to hear every theory's multiple progenitors and the title of the publication from which a theory emerged, or the conference at which it was presented. After awhile, it just sounds like obscure academic namedropping; and

(b) the narration is overly earnest, mispronounced some names (e.g., "Buterik" for "Buterin"), and detracted from what otherwise was an excellent listen.

Overall, however, this book is extremely insightful. Despite the narration, I'll likely listen a second time -- the underlying work itself is that good.

A excellent overview of Crowd-Based Capitalism

This book is for deep thinking Entrepreneurs and policy makers who will shape the future of work.

Good but could've had simpler language

Some sentences were so long and complex that I had to rewind several times just to take it all in. Other times, he spoke in terms that were too abstract. but a good listen overall