Declan Cullen is assistant professor of geography at George Washington University.
In Washington, DC, rideshare service Empower is arguing that it shouldn’t be subject to the same labor and safety regulations as competitors like Uber. In doing so, it’s updating the antidemocratic “disruption” strategy that Uber pioneered.
Uber conquered cities around the world in part by offering false, tech-based “solutions” to long-standing problems like broken public transit and underemployment. The company’s victory was made possible by decades of failed neoliberal policies.