So far we’ve been talking about the Gig Economy. But it’s also sometimes called The Sharing Economy. How much sharing actually happens? And why has this term helped a lot of companies? Read on and find out.
This third section contains 4 steps. Work them through step by step.
Step
Activity
Introduction
Find out what you already know.
Step 1
Speaking
Match the name of CEO's with the company. Make a list of other CEO's and companies and compare with a classmate.
Step 2
Reading
Read a text about an interview regarding the book 'The Upstarts'. Answer questions in your own words.
Step 3
Words
Find words in the text that match the meanings. An exercise to complete sentences.
Step 4
Task
Write an essay with arguments about a motion. The motion will be used for a debate in your class.
A person who has risen suddenly from a humble position to wealth, power, or a position of consequence. This person has suddenly got power or an important position and takes advantage of this...
What is a CEO? The dictionary says:
The person with the most important position in a company.
Can you explain the difference between an upstart and a CEO?
Work through these questions with your partner.
Match the name of the CEO to the company.
Travis Kalanick
Brian Chesky
Steve Jobs
Bill Gates
Elon Musk
Mark Zuckerberg
Jef Bezos
Wikipedia
Do you know the names of any other CEO's of big companies?
What characteristics do you think they need to make their companies successful?
Make a list of at least five words or phrases.
Compare with your partner.
Step 2 - Reading
Reading
You’re going to read an interview with Brad Stone who has written a book called The Upstarts.
It is about the Sharing Economy and the people who had the ideas.
Read the article and answer the questions in your own words.
Brad Stone: 'We should watch Uber and Airbnb closely'
It’s really not the sharing economy at all, though that phrase has been a useful one for the companies
At the start of the book you note that the dictionary definition of an upstart is either “a newly successful person” or “someone who does not show proper respect to the established way of doing things”...
I wanted to frame the defining question of the book for the reader. Are these brilliant entrepreneurs who have built tremendous businesses through sheer creativity and ingenuity? Or are they renegades that grew in large part through contempt for the status quo? There’s an ambivalence that surrounds companies like Uber and Airbnb, and I think this question over their identity – and the dual meanings of the word “upstart” – gets to the heart of it. My own squishy answer, of course, is that they are a little bit of both.
You’ve written about Silicon Valley for more than 20 years… have we reached peak Valley yet?
In terms of the business impact, I don’t think so. There’s a new set of transformative technologies such as machine learning, AI and virtual reality that will spawn another set of big tech franchises. But in terms of cultural impact, perhaps we are at peak Valley. For decades, technology entrepreneurship has been revered, and people like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk were heroes. Now we have to contend with lost jobs due to automation, the effects of digital addiction and simple fatigue with all this constant change. So perhaps our feelings toward Silicon Valley are about to get a lot more complicated.
You met some of the individuals who had similar startup ideas to Uber and Airbnb but didn’t become billionaires. Have these people been able to move on and were they reluctant to be featured?
I call these companies the non-starters. They had the same ideas but were too early, or too nice, or too idealistic. They all shared a strain of wistful regret; it is difficult to see someone else execute the same idea and win unimaginable success and riches. The best story was the founder of a company called Seamless Wheels – a pre-Uber limo service – who abandoned the business after getting a death threat on his voice mail, probably from a limo fleet owner.
What’s the best call Travis Kalanick has ever made?
Surrendering in China in an expensive battle with local rival, Didi Chuxing. Last year Uber lost $2bn trying to win that market; Kalanick couldn’t bring himself to sacrifice his dream of building a truly global network. But the rules of competition in China will always favour the local champion and Didi, it turned out, had the same access to capital as Uber. By stepping away from the fight, Uber not only saved its balance sheet from more destruction but negotiated an impressive 17% stake in its rival.
And the best call Brian Chesky has made?
Branding the Airbnb user base as a “community”. For years before Airbnb, people posted their homes and spare rooms on the internet (via sites like Craigslist and Couchsurfing.com). Chesky and his colleagues drummed up an evangelical spirit to their endeavour and held meet-ups and, in later years, global conferences of hosts. It got Airbnb users to feel part of something larger and strengthened their ties to the company, even when it meant that they were violating provincial laws.
In most territories these firms operate outside of laws and regulations around minimum wages, health and safety, and tax collection… has exploiting these loopholes been key to their success?
Absolutely – just as Amazon’s navigation of its sales tax obligations was key to its success over its first decade. With tough interpretation of taxi and zoning regulations, neither Uber nor Airbnb would have gotten started. By the time many cities recognized their existence, both were fairly large and had the political support of their customers.
Did you witness much sharing in the sharing economy?
Certainly some hosts on Airbnb are opening up their spare bedrooms to meet new people; and some drivers use Uber to carpool with strangers for the companionship. But the most productive members of each community are professional operators, making available their homes or cars as a way to earn or supplement a living. It’s not the sharing economy at all, though that phrase has been useful for the companies to bolster their image.
Which sectors have been able to embrace upstarts’ disruption with any success?
The auto industry. Upstarts like Tesla have achieved enormous success but haven’t slowed down the car companies – 2015 was their best year ever. The auto giants are all researching autonomous vehicles alongside the likes of Google and Uber and they could conceivably get there first. The real estate market has also remained fairly impervious to disruption, as well as (to everyone’s consternation) the airline industry. Perhaps an industry’s immunity is related to the size of each individual transaction.
You state that the founders of Airbnb and Uber are very different from Bill Gates, Larry Page and Mark Zuckerberg… How?
For all their strengths, Gates, Page and Zuckerberg are not charismatic communicators or storytellers. They generally avoided the press and focused their attentions inward. Chesky and Kalanick couldn’t get away with that. Early on, they faced regulatory fights that their predecessors never encountered until much later. This took skills like mustering political coalitions, enlisting the support of customers and testifying publicly. They had to be politicians, as well as innovators and managers.
Are the fortunes and efficiencies created by these companies worth the price paid by the disrupted?
I think so – as long as they follow on their promises. Uber has pledged to reduce or eliminate traffic in major cities within five years and to treat drivers more equitably. Airbnb thinks it can create a new industry where people are paid to provide authentic travel experiences. It has also set out to eradicate racial bias from its platform. Let’s watch these companies closely and make sure they achieve their goals, instead of replacing one set of distant, dominant companies with another.
Brad Stone: 'We should watch Uber and Airbnb closely'
It’s really not the sharing economy at all, though that phrase has been a useful one for the companies
At the start of the book you note that the dictionary definition of an upstart is either “a newly successful person” or “someone who does not show proper respect to the established way of doing things”...
I wanted to frame the defining question of the book for the reader. Are these brilliant entrepreneurs who have built tremendous businesses through sheer creativity and ingenuity? Or are they renegades that grew in large part through contempt for the status quo? There’s an ambivalence that surrounds companies like Uber and Airbnb, and I think this question over their identity – and the dual meanings of the word “upstart” – gets to the heart of it. My own squishy answer, of course, is that they are a little bit of both.
You’ve written about Silicon Valley for more than 20 years… have we reached peak Valley yet?
In terms of the business impact, I don’t think so. There’s a new set of transformative technologies such as machine learning, AI and virtual reality that will spawn another set of big tech franchises. But in terms of cultural impact, perhaps we are at peak Valley. For decades, technology entrepreneurship has been revered, and people like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk were heroes. Now we have to contend with lost jobs due to automation, the effects of digital addiction and simple fatigue with all this constant change. So perhaps our feelings toward Silicon Valley are about to get a lot more complicated.
You met some of the individuals who had similar startup ideas to Uber and Airbnb but didn’t become billionaires. Have these people been able to move on and were they reluctant to be featured?
I call these companies the non-starters. They had the same ideas but were too early, or too nice, or too idealistic. They all shared a strain of wistful regret; it is difficult to see someone else execute the same idea and win unimaginable success and riches. The best story was the founder of a company called Seamless Wheels – a pre-Uber limo service – who abandoned the business after getting a death threat on his voice mail, probably from a limo fleet owner.
What’s the best call Travis Kalanick has ever made?
Surrendering in China in an expensive battle with local rival, Didi Chuxing. Last year Uber lost $2bn trying to win that market; Kalanick couldn’t bring himself to sacrifice his dream of building a truly global network. But the rules of competition in China will always favour the local champion and Didi, it turned out, had the same access to capital as Uber. By stepping away from the fight, Uber not only saved its balance sheet from more destruction but negotiated an impressive 17% stake in its rival.
And the best call Brian Chesky has made?
Branding the Airbnb user base as a “community”. For years before Airbnb, people posted their homes and spare rooms on the internet (via sites like Craigslist and Couchsurfing.com). Chesky and his colleagues drummed up an evangelical spirit to their endeavour and held meet-ups and, in later years, global conferences of hosts. It got Airbnb users to feel part of something larger and strengthened their ties to the company, even when it meant that they were violating provincial laws.
In most territories these firms operate outside of laws and regulations around minimum wages, health and safety, and tax collection… has exploiting these loopholes been key to their success?
Absolutely – just as Amazon’s navigation of its sales tax obligations was key to its success over its first decade. With tough interpretation of taxi and zoning regulations, neither Uber nor Airbnb would have gotten started. By the time many cities recognized their existence, both were fairly large and had the political support of their customers.
Did you witness much sharing in the sharing economy?
Certainly some hosts on Airbnb are opening up their spare bedrooms to meet new people; and some drivers use Uber to carpool with strangers for the companionship. But the most productive members of each community are professional operators, making available their homes or cars as a way to earn or supplement a living. It’s not the sharing economy at all, though that phrase has been useful for the companies to bolster their image.
Which sectors have been able to embrace upstarts’ disruption with any success?
The auto industry. Upstarts like Tesla have achieved enormous success but haven’t slowed down the car companies – 2015 was their best year ever. The auto giants are all researching autonomous vehicles alongside the likes of Google and Uber and they could conceivably get there first. The real estate market has also remained fairly impervious to disruption, as well as (to everyone’s consternation) the airline industry. Perhaps an industry’s immunity is related to the size of each individual transaction.
You state that the founders of Airbnb and Uber are very different from Bill Gates, Larry Page and Mark Zuckerberg… How?
For all their strengths, Gates, Page and Zuckerberg are not charismatic communicators or storytellers. They generally avoided the press and focused their attentions inward. Chesky and Kalanick couldn’t get away with that. Early on, they faced regulatory fights that their predecessors never encountered until much later. This took skills like mustering political coalitions, enlisting the support of customers and testifying publicly. They had to be politicians, as well as innovators and managers.
Are the fortunes and efficiencies created by these companies worth the price paid by the disrupted?
I think so – as long as they follow on their promises. Uber has pledged to reduce or eliminate traffic in major cities within five years and to treat drivers more equitably. Airbnb thinks it can create a new industry where people are paid to provide authentic travel experiences. It has also set out to eradicate racial bias from its platform. Let’s watch these companies closely and make sure they achieve their goals, instead of replacing one set of distant, dominant companies with another.
De onderstaande antwoorden moet je zelf nakijken; vergelijk jouw antwoorden met de goede
antwoorden, en geef aan in welke mate jouw antwoorden correct zijn.
De onderstaande antwoorden moet je zelf nakijken; vergelijk jouw antwoorden met de goede
antwoorden, en geef aan in welke mate jouw antwoorden correct zijn.
You are going to imagine that your class is going to have a debate.
The motion is: This house believes that teenagers should be allowed to have jobs.
Decide if you support or oppose the motion.
You are going to write your arguments in an essay format. (180-200 words).
Decide whether you agree or disagree.
Research your points: what do you learn from having a job? Why would people be opposed to it? Will teenagers lose interest in school when they have jobs?
Be careful to write generally and not just about your own experience.
Organize your points logically making a good case. Look at this example:
Section
Example
A Strong Opening
Think of an opening that makes your audience sit up a little straighter...
Defining the Topic
"Today we're here to debate the topic .....motion..... I have defined this topic to mean Y."
Signposting
"I'm going to argue ....motion.... I'll then move on to demonstrate Y, and conclude by examining Z."
Rebuttal
"To begin, I'd like to rebut some arguments put forward by my opposition. They've claimed ........, which s false because Y."
Your Arguments
"Now to move on to my arguments. Firstly, I'll be demonstrating ....motion...." "Secondly, I'd like to examine the idea of Y." "Lastly, I'm going to argue Z."
Conclusion
"Today I argued .....motion...., Y, and Z.
It's for these reasons that I firmly believe that .... motion......"
Write your debate and check it.
Evaluation
Fill in this schedule and answer the questions below.
(Copy to Word or write down in your notebook)
Activity
Needs
Improvement
Satisfactory, good
Excellent
Step 1 - Speaking
I can match the name of CEO's with the company.
Step 2 - Reading
I can read and understand the text about the book 'The Upstarts' and answer the questions in my own words.
Step 3 - Grammar
I can find the words in the text that match the meanings and complete the sentences.
Step 4 - Task
I can do the writing task.
What have you learnt in this period?
Answer the following questions:
Dit lesmateriaal is gepubliceerd onder de Creative Commons Naamsvermelding-GelijkDelen 4.0 Internationale licentie. Dit houdt in dat je onder de voorwaarde van naamsvermelding en publicatie onder dezelfde licentie vrij bent om:
het werk te delen - te kopiëren, te verspreiden en door te geven via elk medium of bestandsformaat
het werk te bewerken - te remixen, te veranderen en afgeleide werken te maken
voor alle doeleinden, inclusief commerciële doeleinden.
Van dit lesmateriaal is de volgende aanvullende informatie beschikbaar:
Toelichting
Deze les valt onder de arrangeerbare leerlijn van de Stercollectie voor Engels voor vwo, leerjaar 4, 5 en 6. Dit is thema 'Gig Economy'. Het onderwerp van deze les is: The Upstarts. In deze les gaat het over de gig economy, welke ook wel de 'Sharing economy' wordt genoemd. Aan bod komt het boek 'The upstarts', waar gesproken wordt over deze sharing economy en bedrijven die hieronder vallen.
Leerniveau
VWO 6;
VWO 4;
VWO 5;
Leerinhoud en doelen
Engels;
Eindgebruiker
leerling/student
Moeilijkheidsgraad
gemiddeld
Studiebelasting
4 uur en 0 minuten
Trefwoorden
arrangeerbaar, engels, gig economy, sharing economy, stercollectie, the upstarts, v456
The Upstarts v456
nl
VO-content
2021-05-03 14:32:53
Deze les valt onder de arrangeerbare leerlijn van de Stercollectie voor Engels voor vwo, leerjaar 4, 5 en 6. Dit is thema 'Gig Economy'. Het onderwerp van deze les is: The Upstarts. In deze les gaat het over de gig economy, welke ook wel de 'Sharing economy' wordt genoemd. Aan bod komt het boek 'The upstarts', waar gesproken wordt over deze sharing economy en bedrijven die hieronder vallen.
So far we’ve been talking about the Gig Economy. But it’s also sometimes called The Sharing Economy. How much sharing actually happens? And why has this term helped a lot of companies? Read on and find out.
Brad Stone: 'We should watch Uber and Airbnb closely'
You are going to imagine that your class is going to have a debate.
What have you learnt in this period?
