We are being told the economy is fine. We are told unemployment is low. But look at your bank account. Look at the layoffs. Something is broken.

Here is the reality. The unemployment numbers are a lie. They are being propped up by a massive, invisible shift. People are not finding jobs. They are deleting the "Unemployed" app and downloading the "Uber Driver" app. And the companies know it.

What is Happening To Us?

The gig economy was pitched as "freedom." It was supposed to be side cash. Beer money. But the data shows a different story. It has become a parking lot for the unemployed.

• The Unemployment Trick: Over the last 5 years, formal unemployment dropped by 3 million people.
• The Gig Surge: In that exact same time, the number of Uber drivers increased by 3 million people.
• The Correlation: This is not a coincidence. This is a migration.

Opinion: The gig economy sucked in millennials like me. Will we ever get out?

I’ve struggled with freelance employment as a norm for my generation, as well as the lack of support for U.S. parents and caregivers.

Los Angeles TimesSarah Hunter Simanson

The death of 9-to-5 and the rise of micropayment economy

The cracks in the current work system are showing, limiting economic opportunities for workers, which can only be fixed with the right financial tools.

CoinGeekKurt Wuckert Jr

We are replacing careers with gigs. We are trading benefits for "flexibility." And the corporations are squeezing every drop of value out of this new desperate workforce.

They have you trapped in a triangle. The Driver. The Restaurant. The Customer. Uber sits in the middle. They take money from all three. And they pay out as little as possible.

Table 1: The Expectation vs. The Reality

The Data

You think I am being cynical? Look at the spread. In the early days, VC money subsidized your burrito. Now, the VCs want their money back. They are taking it from the driver.

Table 2: The Data (The $64 Ride Example)

Cooked or Cooking?

This business model is not sustainable. It relies on an endless stream of desperate people. And guess what? The economy is providing them. But there is an endgame. Automation.

Uber does not want drivers. They want robots. They are bleeding you dry until they can replace you with a Waymo.

Table 3: The "S-Tier" vs. "F-Tier" Verdict

The Solution

Here is the Alpha. Do not play their game.

1. Stop Driving: You are borrowing money from the future value of your car. It is a bad loan.
2. Stop Ordering: The fees are a tax on laziness. Go pick up the food.
3. Own the Equity: If you must participate, own the stock. Do not be the labor. The labor is the liquidity. The equity is the exit.

4. Market Updates (December 2025)

The situation is accelerating. I went digging for the latest news. It is worse than I thought.

• DoorDash Crashes on "Robot" Spending (Nov 2025)

DoorDash, Inc. (DASH) Stock Price, News, Quote & History - Yahoo Finance

Find the latest DoorDash, Inc. (DASH) stock quote, history, news and other vital information to help you with your stock trading and investing.

Yahoo Finance

• Headline: DoorDash stock sinks as company misses earnings (CNBC)
• The Take: DoorDash missed earnings and immediately announced "hundreds of millions" in spending for 2026 tech. They are pivoting to automation because they know the driver model is breaking. Bearish on drivers. Bullish on their desperation.

Trump Team Uses DoorDash Data as Economic Indicator

Members of Donald Trump’s team are arguing that lower costs for breakfast indicate an improving economy.

The New RepublicEdith Olmsted

• Goldman Sachs Predicts The Crash (Nov 2025)
  • Headline: Goldman Sachs: Over 1.1 Million Layoffs in 2025 Push 15% of 'Unemployed' into Gig Work (Reddit/Goldman Report)
  • The Take: This confirms the thesis. Layoffs create drivers. More drivers mean lower wages. It is a race to the bottom.
• Labor Department Gives Up (May 2025)
  • Headline: DOL Won't Enforce 2024 Independent Contractor Rule (Jackson Lewis)
  • The Take: The government blinked. They stopped enforcing the rule that would make drivers employees. This is a green light for Uber to exploit "contractors" forever. S-Tier for the stock. F-Tier for the worker.

This is the reality. The gig economy is not the future of work. It is the future of serfdom.

Don't get trapped.