Companies like Uber and Airbnb pioneered the operator economy when they started delivering valuable services using crowdsourced infrastructure and labor. In the process, they proved that this relatively decentralized business model could compete with, and even outperform, traditional businesses. Today, the United States is home to more operating platforms than anywhere in the world, with apps for food delivery, haircuts, babysitters, car sharing, and many more. The U.S. operator economy has produced a stable of unicorns and is on track to be valued in the trillions by 2031. In a sense, the operator economy is becoming The Economy.
Spreading the Benefits of the Gig Economy
