Today’s Solutions: October 27, 2026

When is a company not a company? A modern-day Zen koan, maybe, but the evidence is all around us—Airbnb, Elance-oDesk, Handy, HourlyNerd, TaskRabbit, Uber. These businesses seem much more like conglomerations of independent professionals that connect to customers through a common platform, rather than traditional businesses that employ their workers. And so it seemed until June, when the California Labor Commission disrupted the sharing economy when it declared that an Uber driver was an employee,…

Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

New Jersey Transit is turning commuter stations into art galleries

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Most people moving through a train station aren't really paying attention. They're somewhere between where they left and ...

Read More

5 research-backed ways to banish aches and feel better at your desk

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center wanted to answer a specific question: what is the least amount of ...

Read More

How to “unghost” a past friend, according to friendship experts

In a perfect world, no one would ever end a personal relationship by abruptly stopping all communication with no explanation—In other words, “ghosting.” However, ...

Read More

Spring’s morning symphony: the mystery and beauty of the dawn chorus

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM As winter fades and spring awakens, the world doesn’t just bloom—it sings. Each morning, just before sunrise, birds ...

Read More