How Franchise Restaurants Opened the Door to the Gig Economy
When the fast food industry began booming in the 1950s, it did so via a new business model known as the franchise. This model allowed independent operators to license trademarks from a business like McDonald's or Dunkin Donuts, and it soon spread across the country, with huge consequences for how Americans are employed. Legal battles fought by franchises eventually opened the door to what's now known as the gig economy, allowing Uber drivers to be treated in much the same way as the operator of a local Chick-fil-A. To better understand the history of the franchise model, we speak with Brian Callaci, chief economist of the Open Markets Institute, and author of the book Chains of Command: The Rise and Cruel Reign of the Franchise Economy. Callaci helps break down how the franchise model works, how franchise contracts are structured to precisely dictate how franchisees are supposed to run their businesses, the relationship between the franchise model and gig work, as well as how franchises pioneered worker surveillance.
Read more:Taco Bell Traffic Sinks After Lettuce Tied to Parasite CasesChicken Back on Menu as Cyber-Hit Nichirei Restores Operations
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Amazon vs. Regulators vs. Walmart
Jason Del Rey is the author of Winner Sells All Amazon, Walmart, and the Battle for Our Wallets. Matt Stoller is the director of research at the American Economic Liberties Project, and writes the Big newsletter on Substack. Ranjan Roy is the author of Margins. The three guests come together with host Alex Kantrowitz for an in-depth discussion about Amazon's challenges from government regulators and Walmart, and whether government action against the company could have an impact.
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Parody Accounts on Twitter, Peak Layoff Season, and Tech Monopolies
Kara and Scott question Elon Musk's sense of humor after he bans comedian Kathy Griffin (and others who spoofed his account) over the weekend. They also talk about the layoff trend in the tech industry, as Meta reportedly prepares for a massive reduction in its workforce this week. Friend of Pivot Matt Stoller stops by with reasons to be optimistic about the fight against corporate monopolies.
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(Bonus) Silicon Valley and Monopoly With Matt Stoller
Is it really different this time? Is the regulatory hammer about to come down on Silicon Valley? Matt Stoller is a fellow at the Open Markets Institute; he’s writing a book on the history of Monopoly power; and he has direct experience with this stuff. He was a Senior Policy Advisor and Budget Analyst to the Senate Budget Committee. He also worked in the U.S. House of Representatives on financial services policy, including Dodd-Frank, the Federal Reserve, and the foreclosure crisis. How is monopoly power different (or not) in the era of Big Tech?
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