Latest Sharing Economy Headlines

All the headlines from our Sharing Economy Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Police Report on Uber Self-Driving Car Crash Tells Complex Tale

Mar 30 2017 // A recent crash involving an Uber Technologies Inc. driverless car suggests autonomous software sometimes takes the same risks as the humans it may one day replace.The accident on Friday in Tempe, Arizona, caused no major...

Self-Driving Car Crash in Arizona A Reminder about Regulation Challenges

Mar 29 2017 // A crash that caused an Uber self-driving SUV to flip onto its side in a Phoenix suburb serves as a stark reminder of the challenges surrounding autonomous vehicles in Arizona, a state that has gone all-in to entice the...

Uber Resuming Autonomous Car Program After Crash

Mar 27 2017 // Driverless vehicles operated by Uber Technologies Inc. were back on the road in San Francisco on Monday after one of its self-driving cars crashed in Arizona, the ride-hailing company said.Uber’s autonomous vehicles...

Uber Tells U.S. Appeals Court in New York Customers Must Arbitrate Disputes

Mar 27 2017 // A U.S. appeals court in New York on Friday weighed arguments over whether Uber Technologies Inc. customers gave up their right to sue the company when they registered for its popular taxi hailing service.The case could...

Uber Halts Autonomous Vehicle Testing After Arizona Accident

Mar 26 2017 // Uber Technologies Inc. is suspending its self-driving car program after one of its autonomous vehicles was involved in a high-impact crash in Tempe, Arizona, the latest incident for a company reeling from multiple...

Airbnb at Odds with Miami Mayor Over Homesharing Regulations

Mar 22 2017 // Airbnb and other home-sharing platforms face more restrictions in Miami, where the mayor plans for more aggressive enforcement of regulations prohibiting rentals of single-family homes in its residential areas.Amid spring...

Seattle Law Allowing Driver Unionization Survives Uber Legal Attack

Mar 20 2017 // Seattle’s first-in-the-nation law allowing Uber Technologies Inc. drivers to unionize survived a legal challenge by the ride-hailing company.Washington state Judge Beth Andrus rejected Uber’s arguments that the...

Steamin’ Hot Markets: Cyber, Sharing Economy, Active Shooter, Construction, Mergers and More

Mar 20 2017 // Insurance Journal examined industries experiencing changes, challenges, expansions and growth in the past year.For 2017, experts predict the U.S. economy will continue to expand. “Job growth means higher payroll,...

California Judge Approves $27M Driver Settlement in Lyft Lawsuit

Mar 17 2017 // A U.S. judge has given final approval to a settlement agreement in a class-action lawsuit against Lyft Inc., ending a legal case that challenged the independent contractor status of the ride-hailing service’s...

Uber Seeks to Enforce Employee Arbitration in Waymo Trade Secrets Case

Mar 17 2017 // A lawyer for Uber told a federal judge on Thursday he intended to file a petition to compel arbitration in the Waymo trade secrets theft case, citing an agreement signed by a former Waymo employee who is at the heart of...

Uber Vehicle Striking Washington Gas Pump Resulted in Fiery Explosion

Mar 16 2017 // A gas pump burst into flames after being struck by a vehicle in service for Uber in Seattle, Wash. The result was a fiery explosion that was caught on surveillance video. KOMO reported the crash involved an Uber driver...

Google’s Autonomous Car Company Escalates Legal Battle With Uber

Mar 14 2017 // A self-driving car company founded by Google is presenting new evidence to support allegations that a former manager stole technology sold to Uber to help the ridesharing service build its own robot-powered vehicles.Waymo,...

Uber Settlement to Give California Drivers $1 Each Does Not Win Over Judge

Mar 13 2017 // Uber Technologies Inc. failed to persuade a judge to approve a settlement offering 1.6 million California drivers an average of $1.08 each to dispense with alleged labor-code violations that their lawyer earlier claimed...

Alphabet Adds New Patent Infringement Claim to Suit Against Uber

Mar 13 2017 // Alphabet Inc.’s self-driving car unit Waymo on Friday added a new patent claim to its intellectual property lawsuit against Uber Technologies Inc. and requested a preliminary injunction to stop the ride-sharing...

Uber Settlement with Drivers Ignites Battle Among Rival Lawyers

Mar 10 2017 // Another Uber Technologies Inc. lawsuit settlement is under siege, with warring lawyers for drivers again trying to tear the deal apart.The company wants a Los Angeles judge to bless a proposal to pay 1.6 million California...

Oregon Woman Sues Airbnb Alleging Discrimination

Mar 9 2017 // A Clackamas County, Ore. woman has filed a lawsuit against vacation-rental website Airbnb, saying the site facilitates discrimination against black users.The Oregonian/OregonLive reported that Patricia Harrington has filed...

Thai Authorities Begin Crackdown on Ride-Hailing Firms Uber, Grab

Mar 8 2017 // Thailand’s transport authorities have begun a crackdown on drivers for ride-hailing services Uber and Grab and want the military government to ban them, a transport official said on Tuesday.U.S.-based Uber has faced...

Rhode Island Attorney General Wants Uber, Lyft Drivers Fingerprinted

Mar 7 2017 // Rhode Island’s attorney general wants to start fingerprinting Uber and Lyft drivers, as well as traditional taxi cab drivers.The state last year adopted a new law that officially legalized ride-hailing app companies...

London’s Uber Drivers Need to Pass English Language Tests, Court Rules

Mar 3 2017 // Uber Technologies Inc. lost a ruling over London transport rules that require language tests for drivers, which could keep 40,000 people from joining the industry over the next three years.Judge John Mitting ruled in favor...

Company Founded by Google Accuses Uber of Autonomous VehicleTheft

Feb 27 2017 // A self-driving car company founded by Google is colliding with ridesharing service Uber in a court battle revolving around allegations of betrayal, high-tech espionage and greed.The brewing showdown emerged in a lawsuit...