The Rig Economy

Bike Messengers Given New Life by Lazy Yuppies

They heyday of delivering documents from business to business around San Francisco may be over, with Ellen Huet at the Chronicle reporting only around 250 bike messengers are prowling downtown these days (half the number from the dot-boom).  But as app developers continue to develop ideas inspired by the concerns of people with high incomes and poor work-life balance, TCB Courier has managed to successfully pivot by providing hot meals and other deliveries.

They have even developed their own technology for assigning orders in the process and poaching riders getting paid nearly minimum wage by better-funded competitors like Postmates.  Of course, maybe they’ll all be replaced by autonomous drones soon enough.

[Photo Richard Masoner]

Comments (1)

interesting how this site has pumped this business repeatedly and then calls their clients “lazy yuppies” in the headlines.