(Dis)Embeddedness And (De)Commodification: Covid-19, Uber, And The Unravelling Logics Of The Gig Economy

The ride-hailing giant Uber has long circumvented labour regulations and commodified its drivers' labour by existing at the conjuncture of multiple geographies - being simultaneously embedded and disembedded from the places where it operates. In this commentary, we argue that the COVID-19 pandemic has destabilised Uber's 'conjunctural' existence and forced the company to become more embedded in the locations where it operates, bringing about a - perhaps temporary - turn towards the decommodification of its drivers' labour.