Discussing business models and plans is a lot like talking to a wall. Its possible union activity is up the last several years in academia and even in the higher end businesses in the valley, whether this is a contemporary trend is possibly too hard to tell at this time. If Medium writers are ticked off due to platform changes one of their only options is to vote with their feet.

In 2020 watching what happens with this new California labor law scheduled to be effective early next year, I think it is directed at the contractual gig-economy types (can anyone say Medium side-hustle work?) to get more people hired as direct employees so California can reap lost tax revenue from a mass of employed income taxpayers that no longer exist. Of course, the official reason for the law is to benefit labor. Okay, best of intentions at least. But what happens to independents when companies have a hard fiscal limit as to how they can handle part-time and contract employees? Will independents have a P.O. box in Nevada, Arizona, or Oregon (kind of like those companies that either exist as a p.o. box in Nevada or incorporate in Deleware for better / cheaper business/tax rules and the jurisdiction of same)?

Certainly, there are many Medium writers not in California, but it’s a big state and if the law goes through as is, kind of watch the Medium curations and story volumes in that state over a couple of years, see what happens. After some threshold monetary limit by this new law, the employer is in violation unless whoever is getting a paycheck in California becomes a real employee of sorts.

Not so new of a millennium biz plan, is it?

Already the national trucking industry is suing California for ill effects on independent truckers. It’s here.