It goes by many names: the sharing economy, the collaborative economy, the peer economy, just to name a few. Whatever you want to call it, one thing's for sure: this new way of doing business -- where idle assets equal big profits, and the hard-earned currency of trust comes through user reviews -- is changing the economic landscape of our country.
But as businesses like Uber, Air BnB, Etsy, and Taskrabbit grow into billion-dollar entities, how are regulators keeping up? And are these companies staying true to their once humble roots? This hour, we speak to industry experts about the scope, impact, and origins of the sharing economy.
GUESTS
- Billee Howard - Founder of Brandthropologie, author of We-Commerce: How to Create, Collaborate, and Succeed in the Sharing Economy
- Matthew Mitchell - Senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University where he’s an adjunct professor of economics
- Jeremiah Owyang - Founder ofCrowd Companies and a lecturer and business industry analyst
- Sean Scanlon - State Representative out of Guilford, Connecticut and the Director of Community Affairs in Senator Chris Murphy's Hartford office
- Matthew Powers - General Manager of Uber, Connecticut
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Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show.