A Conceptual Overview of Legal Challenges Posed by Uber

Abstract

Uber, the infamous ride-sharing company, is perceived as the emblematic example of what is called the sharing economy. So much so that the expansion of similar platforms has been at times referred to as the Uberization of the economy. This phenomenon is a combination of many things such as the rise of platforms, transformation of service provisions, and transformation of employment and even new understandings of trust. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the existing and possible disruptive effects caused by Uber’s business model that has triggered an economic, social, and most importantly legal phenomenon. This chapter will thus lay out the conceptual framework of the legal challenges that will be examined in the following case-study chapters of this book.