The Uber Problem

Working for its own narrow self-interest, the company's systemic disregard for regulations — a stratagem termed "corporate nullification" — can undermine the laws of the land that everyone else follows.

"This isn't just an Uber problem. If they get away with it, every company will do this; every company will become a platform and just say 'oh, the laws don't apply to us.' If we enter into that stage, then it's game over for vast swathes of business regulation: environmental, insurance, civil rights, worker protection, consumer protection, that's all gone," said Frank Pasquale, a law professor at the University of Maryland.

In the here and now, of course, warnings about the consequences of corporations flouting the rule of law can feel abstract compared to the immediate gratification of getting a cheaper ride to the airport.

That may soon change. While researchers haven't yet reached a consensus on the number of workers participating in the so-called gig economy, most agree that new forms of contract employment made possible by companies like Airbnb, TaskRabbit and Uber are on the rise.

As it stands, employers and employees both pay to fund programs such as health care, employment insurance, Old Age Security and other parts of the social safety net. The question of who will cover those costs if the nature of work changes to include fewer traditional full-time positions — not to mention the fate of worker protections such as overtime and minimum wage — is still in search of an answer.

Indeed, the recent popularization of the term "gig economy" reflects this evolution of the work world to include more part-time and contract employment and fewer of the full-time jobs that have traditionally been the bedrock of the middle class.